Formed in 1995, Tony Persyn, Radio Iodine is an industrial-metal band who released their debut EP, Radio Iodine, on MCA Records in November of 1996. Tiny Warnings followed in mid-1997.
Radio Iodine
Radioactive/Universal
Maybe it's a sign of the times. Usually when someone sings lyrics like, "You're no different than me, the disease is the same. . . only the symptoms change," I expect to hear a kind of dark, funereal accompaniment. However, in the song modestly titled "Human Nature," Ellen Persyn of St. Louis' Radio Iodine seems to relish the words, which are set against a surprisingly catchy, street-wise, danceable background.
It's one thing to be disaffected about violence and degradation, but throughout its debut EP, Radio Iodine plays with horrific images in unusual ways. It's not as if the band itself is evil. Instead, one gets the sense that they're playing characters and riffing off modern society's uncertain headlong hurtle into the dark unknown of the future. In the song "Better Off," Persyn sings, "This is not what I want. . . This is all that I want," against metallic guitars and jungle beats. You can fight technology, but you won't win. The message may not be pleasant, but it has a beat and you can dance to it. Let's face it, resistance to Radio Iodine is futile.
Written by: Mike Doherty