American Head Charge

Lore & Background

The band formed in 1997 under early names including Gestapo Pussy Ranch and Warsaw Ghetto Pussy (not Flux), which were abandoned within six months to avoid alienating label interest. After settling on American Head Charge, they released the independent album *Trepanation* in 1998. The band's name was coincidentally similar to African Head Charge; bassist Chad Hanks noted, 'It turns out that there is actually a band called African Head Charge; it's so hard to be original these days.'

After supporting System of a Down in August 1999, bassist Shavo Odadjian recommended them to Rick Rubin, leading to a deal with American Recordings. The band moved to Los Angeles to record *The War of Art* with producer Rick Rubin at Houdini Mansion.

Reader's Guide

American Head Charge emerged from the late-1990s nu metal scene with a sound rooted in industrial metal, as heard on their independent debut Trepanation. Their major-label album The War of Art, produced by Rick Rubin, brought them wider exposure and two Kerrang! Award nominations. The band's touring history included high-profile slots on Ozzfest and the Pledge of Allegiance tour alongside Slipknot and System of a Down. Their career was marked by internal struggles with addiction, which contributed to a two-year hiatus before The Feeding and ultimately led to their disbandment in 2009. The death of guitarist Bryan Ottoson from an accidental overdose during a tour in 2005 highlighted the toll of substance abuse within the band. Despite commercial success with over 250,000 album sales, the band never received royalties from their label for The Feeding, according to bassist Chad Hanks. Their legacy is that of a hard-touring act whose potential was curtailed by personal and industry challenges.

Did You Know?

• The band's early names included Gestapo Pussy Ranch and Warsaw Ghetto Pussy, which were dropped within six months to avoid alienating label interest.
• Guitarist Dave Rogers played an entire concert naked in New Jersey, which led to his arrest.
• Guitarist Bryan Ottoson died at age 27 from an accidental prescription drug overdose; his body was found on the tour bus in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Origins and the Search for a Name

American Head Charge emerged from Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a nu metal act whose early identity was anything but settled. Before landing on their final moniker, the group cycled through several short-lived names, including Flux, Gestapo Pussy Ranch, and Warsaw Ghetto Pussy. The Flux identity was quickly abandoned because another band already claimed it, raising the prospect of copyright infringement and libel. The two more provocative names were dropped within roughly six months, a pragmatic decision made so as not to scare off prospective label interest. Bassist Chad Hanks, a self-professed fan of three-word names, later admitted the final title carried no deeper significance whatsoever. Rumors occasionally linked the name to Adrian Sherwood's 1980s dub collective African Head Charge on the On-U Sound label, but Hanks made clear it was pure coincidence, quipping that it was simply difficult to be original in the music world. The band's early lineup saw Heacock and Hanks operating under the stage names Martin Cock and Banks, alongside guitarist David Rogers, drummer Peter Harmon, and keyboardist Christopher Emery, before further personnel shifts reshaped the group's sound and direction.

The War of Art and a Major-Label Debut

After self-releasing their 1999 debut Trepanation on the underground industrial metal circuit and contributing tracks to Dwell Records tribute albums honoring Ministry and Marilyn Manson, the band caught the ear of someone who mattered. In August 1999 they opened for System of a Down in Des Moines, Iowa, and bassist Shavo Odadjian was sufficiently impressed that when American Recordings chief Rick Rubin asked him for recommendations, he pointed to American Head Charge. Six months later the band had signed to Rubin's label under the Columbia umbrella. They relocated to Los Angeles and recorded at Rubin's Houdini Mansion. The War of Art dropped on August 28, 2001, moving over 12,000 copies in its first week and eventually surpassing 250,000 in U.S. sales, though momentum stalled in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The band's touring résumé grew rapidly: a full run on Ozzy Osbourne's 2001 Ozzfest, a slot on the Slipknot-headlined Pledge of Allegiance tour, a co-bill with Slayer and Chimaira, and a four-month European and Japanese run again behind Slipknot. Guitarist Dave Rogers infamously played an entire New Jersey show naked and was arrested. The band also earned two nominations at the Kerrang! Awards, underscoring their growing international profile.

The Feeding and a Band at the Brink

Between The War of Art and their next release, the group endured a two-year hiatus during which substance abuse gripped much of the membership. By their own account, three members had become chemically dependent, and two required a return to rehabilitation. Guitarist Bryan Ottoson recalled the atmosphere as so dire that he feared he himself would be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility. When the band finally resumed writing and recording, their longtime producer Rick Rubin grew increasingly unreachable, and the group requested — and was granted — a release from their American Recordings contract without any legal dispute. In July 2004 they signed with DRT Entertainment and enlisted Greg Fidelman, the engineer who had worked on The War of Art, as producer. After four months in the studio, which the band described as their most disciplined recording experience to date, The Feeding arrived on February 15, 2005. It yielded the radio single "Loyalty" and a music video for "Cowards" starring former UFC fighter Chuck Lidell. Yet bassist Chad Hanks later revealed that the band never collected royalties from their label for the record.

The Tragic Death of Bryan Ottoson

On April 19, 2005, guitarist Bryan Ottoson was found dead at the age of 27, lying on a sleeping bunk aboard the band's tour bus in North Charleston, South Carolina, where the group had been scheduled to perform at the Plex club. The tour that night featured Mudvayne, Life of Agony, and Bloodsimple. North Charleston police investigators concluded the cause of death was an accidental prescription drug overdose, discovering a bottle containing prescription medicine in his bunk. Ottoson had been treating a severe strep throat with prescribed penicillin and had also been given an unnamed pain medication. Band members told police they last saw him alive around 4 a.m. on April 18, after the group had left Jessup, Maryland. Police documents stated he had consumed a large amount of alcohol at a bar that evening, a claim bassist Chad Hanks firmly disputed, insisting the three of them had walked to the bar just before last call, remained sober, and each had only two shots of vodka and one beer. The loss cut short a musician who had joined the band on a mere 24-hour notice and immediately contributed to the "Just So You Know" video.