Clan of Xymox在阿姆斯特丹建队,却签到了英国独立唱片领旗人——4AD唱片公司,与Cocteau Twins,Dead Can Dance,Pixies和Throwing Muses等乐队成了同行。1985年乐队发行了自己的首张专辑,这张同名专辑录制于爱丁堡着名的Palladium录音棚,还有4AD掌帅Ivo出任合作制作人,这张专辑充满着翻来覆去的电子节拍还有忧郁的嗓音。1987年Clan of Xymox的一首单曲收入了4AD的一张剪辑专辑“Lonely is An Eyesore”,这张专辑是4AD公司下众多艺人才华多样化的集中反映,专辑的第二首“Muscoviet Musquito”节奏显得和其他单曲格格不入,这首单曲曲风定位于Dif Juz和Dead Can Dance之间,同时也突显了乐队自信的一面。而乐队1987年的专辑“Medusa”是一张相当阴暗的作品,在现代流行音乐的活力和氛围化的旋律中透出的是一股深深的寒意。此时Clan of Xymox不仅为众多舞曲爱好者所痴迷,而且乐队已成为了另类音乐艺术殿堂的一员。
1988年乐队离开了4AD公司,在4AD公司老板Ivo鼓励下,Clan of Xymox与Wing签约——媒体巨子PolyGram的附属公司。1989年发行“Twist of Shadows”时,乐队把自己的名字缩为Xymox,这也是乐队在Wing旗下出的第一张唱片。这是张敢于尝试的专辑,同时也说明了与大公司签约不等于会自然而然地遏止在音乐上的进取创新。乐队以Xymox之名随后发表了三张12英寸的CD,分别是“Obsession”,“Imagination”和“Blind Hearts”,这几张出色的唱片——特别是最后一张,再次肯定了乐队那介于舞曲和另类风格的音乐那多变的感染力。而在欧洲已风靡多年的Xymox也开始渐渐在美国走俏,“Twist of Shadows”在美国的销量已超过30万张。
乐队在1991年全球范围内发行了“Phoenix”,这是乐队最后一张由PolyGram发行的专辑,而专辑本身也倍受赞誉,但在美国没有前一张成绩出色——虽然乐队在美国有着一批忠实的歌迷。同时乐队在全球巡演场场爆满,在另类学院摇滚甚至在主流的Billboard上都赫赫有名。
Clan of Xymox has been in the unfortunate position of always being compared to other bands since their inception. Whether its the Cure or Joy Division, Clan of Xymox has never been able to shake off the similarities to their influences. Nevertheless, the group has produced an impressive body of work that consistently absorbed new sounds while remaining faithful to the 80s goth rock menu.
Clan of Xymox was formed in Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 1983 by Ronny Moorings (vocals, guitar) and Anka Wolbert (bass, vocals). A year later, Moorings and Wolbert moved to Amsterdam, releasing the LP Subsequent Pleasures as Xymox. (The album was limited to 500 copies.) Xymox then became the opening act for Dead Can Dance in England. The bands presence on Dead Can Dances U.K. tour caught the interest of 4AD Records, and the label eventually signed them. A year later, Xymox lengthened their name to Clan of Xymox and recorded a self-titled album in 1985, followed by Medusa the next year. In 1987, the group shortened their appellation to Xymox once again, contributing another version of Muscoviet Mosquito, originally on Subsequent Pleasures, to the 4AD compilation Lonely Is an Eyesore. After the release of the single Blind Hearts, Xymox left 4AD and joined Polygram/Wing.
In 1989, Xymox released Twist of Shadows, their most commercially successful LP, selling 300,000 copies. The infectious and uncharacteristically upbeat Phoenix of My Heart landed on the modern rock charts in 1991. However, the full-length Phoenix didnt do as well as Twist of Shadows. Wolbert departed from the band that year, replaced by bassist Mojca Zugna. In 1992, Xymox left Polygram/Wing for ZOK Records. Xymox record two albums for ZOK Records — 1992s Metamorphosis and 1993s Headclouds — before switching to Tess Records in 1997 for the album Hidden Faces. Moreover, Moorings called the group Clan of Xymox once again.
In 1999, they signed with the Metropolis label and released Creatures, which was followed a year later by the two-CD Live. The 2001 album Notes from the Underground was reinterpreted on the double remix CD Remixes from the Underground, which landed in 2002. Farewell from 2003 was a themed album with bittersweet goodbyes to lovers and friends the main topics. The 2004 collection The Best of Clan of Xymox found latter-day highlights next to re-recordings of the bands early material. Two years later, the album Breaking Point was announced by the single Weak in My Knees.