The brainchild of a disturbed 19 year-old, Shock Therapy was created in 1984 by lead singer/guitarist/synthesist Gregory John McCormick a.k.a. Itchy together with guitarist E. Keith Jackson. After spending an influential period of his teenage years in the care of psychiatric institutions, Itchy channeled pent-up aggressions creatively in his early adult life to what became the most original, raw underground music group in existence. Critics and fans alike cannot argue- no band does what Shock Therapy does, has done in the studio, or on stage. But let’s go back to the year 1979, THE year, when Itchy, aka Gregory John McCormick founded a band called SHOCK THERAPY and started to mix up hardcore-guitars with synthetic sounds, to create very ludicrous songs.
For a while, the band worked with changing line-up in the American underground, but in 1985 they had their breakthrough with the debut-album HATE IS A 4-LETTER WORD. Just after two weeks the first pressing was completely sold out and even in Europe, where bands like FRONT 242 started to make EBM known to the public, the band had many fans. And still today, three decades after, “Hate is a 4-Letter Word” is still one of those underground cult-songs, which are played in every independent-disco. The rest is history!
But SHOCK THERAPY renounced on keeping the successful line. Itchy created uncomfortable songs with agitating lyrics and sick arrangements and their following albums saw them fading. Because being an absolute insider-cult-act, they couldn’t burn out, like so many wave-bands at the same time. And while the critics got more and more confused and helpless, while the band was caught in rumours about the misuse of drugs and insanity and while a mere cult around them was shaped, their style got mature.
SHOCK THERAPY, the name stands for wonderful melodies and provocative lyrics always tighten one another. SHOCK THERAPY doesn’t frighten to desecrate their own songs by distuned guitar-riffs. Behind Itchy`s work, there’s more than just the wish to create. With literature readings, book-releases, graphics and painting, he gives us a complete view of his inner world: twisted, but not more than the normality of our sick society.
Itchy Gregory John McCormick dragically died 2008 in Detroit / USA short after his discharge from prison whre he spent several years. In cooperation with his widow, I Am Surprised Records releases the SHOCK THERAPY back catalogue. After the release of the first official live album 'Live From Hell' in 2013, spring 2017 (24th March) sees the release of the double album 'Theatre of Shock Therapy', a best-of from 1985 to 2008.
Discography
- 1985: Shock Therapy
- 1987: My Unshakeable Belief
- 1989: Touch Me and Die
- 1990: Cancer (Re-Release 1995)
- 1991: The Great Confuser
- 1991: Hate Is A 4-Letter Word (Re-Release 1995)
- 1992: Just Let Go: The Dark Years 1986 – 1990
- 1992: Adventures in Good Music
- 1993: The Many Faces of Hate
- 1994: Heaven and Earth
- 1994: Santas Little Helper
- 1996: I Can’t Let Go
- 1996: God
- 1997: No Fear of Death
- 1999: The Past Life: Out-Takes and Lost Memories
- 2008: The Moon & The Sun
- 2013: Live From Hell
- 2017: Theatre Of Shock Therapy
Source: Press Release
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