The band's over-the-top lyrical style and high-pitched (which were based on the vocals of the band The Winter Massacre), Rob Halford meets Udo Dirkschneider -esque vocals, combined with their appearance in official photos, which owes more to modern "scene" fashion and clothing labels such as Atticus, have lead some to dub them as a parody of the classic heavy metal acts they claim to seek to give tribute to. When questioned on this, vocalist Cam Pipes gave the following statement: "Just because we're a bunch of young guys singing about the greatness of heavy metal doesn't mean we're some joke band." .
Interestingly, when performing live, the band dresses far more in the manner you would expect a heavy metal band.
Forest King
3 Inches of Blood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They carry on without seeming to mind
Feed off their flesh
Larger they grow
Persevere through ice wind and snow
When metal beasts come crashing through the underbrush
Through old majestic growth
To defend itself the forest will come to life
Running root
Breaking stone
Rise up
Feed off the dead
Towering giants fill you with dread
Avenge the axe
Avenge the blade
Cleansing all the parasites
A green shadow cast upon the world
Pushed to the brink the trees reclaim what is theirs
Collapse tall buildings for
The survival of their kind
Rise up
Feed off the dead
Towering giants fill you with dread
Avenge the axe
Avenge the blade
Payment's coming
For every cut that you've made
Feed off the dead
Fill you with dread
Payment's coming
Above their heads shine the stars of the night
Rising up through the dark to the light
Mighty giants
Standing arm to arm
Warriors march forward
Sound the alarm
Rise up
Born of the earth
More armies advance
The Forest King will reign
Overtaking cities with branches they ensnare
Pushing the human race back a million years
The earth grows quiet
All plant life will dominate again
When every structure falls
You'll know the forest is king
Rise up
Feed off the dead
Towering giants fill you with dread
Avenge the axe
Avenge the blade
Feed off the dead
Fill you with dread
Payment's coming
The lyrics of 3 Inches of Blood's song "Forest King" vividly describes the wrath of the forest against humanity's encroachment. It starts with the first stanza depicting humans as mindless creatures, who continue to exploit the land and the forest, even in the face of adversity. The forests persevere through ice wind and snow, as they feed off their flesh and grow larger. However, when the metal beasts come crashing through the underbrush, the forest defends itself and comes to life, running roots and breaking stones. The human-forest conflict is intensified as towering giants fill humans with dread, avenging the axe and the blade. The song ends with the forest indeed rising up, overtaking cities and pushing humanity back a million years. It avenges every cut that humans have made and claims its rightful place as king.
Line by Line Meaning
Knee deep in the dead of their kind
Amidst the dead bodies of their own, they carry on without concern
They carry on without seeming to mind
They continue with their actions without showing any concern
Feed off their flesh
They consume the flesh of their own kind to become more powerful
Larger they grow
They grow stronger with every consumption
Persevere through ice wind and snow
They continue to thrive in harsh environments
When metal beasts come crashing through the underbrush
When humans come into the forest with their machines
Through old majestic growth
Through the ancient and magnificent trees
To defend itself the forest will come to life
The trees will unite and rise up to protect their land
Encroachment against humanity
Humans intruding upon the natural world
Running root
Growing roots that move and attack
Breaking stone
The trees' roots break through solid rock
Rise up
The trees will rise up and fight back
Feed off the dead
The trees will consume the corpses of those who invaded their land
Towering giants fill you with dread
The immense size of the trees strikes fear into the hearts of those who face them
Avenge the axe
The trees will seek revenge for all the times they were cut down
Avenge the blade
The trees will seek revenge for all the times they were damaged by human machinery
Cleansing all the parasites
Eliminating all the humans who harm the forest
A green shadow cast upon the world
The forest will take over and cover the world in greenery
Pushed to the brink the trees reclaim what is theirs
The trees will take back their land from the humans who have destroyed it
Collapse tall buildings for
The trees will bring down the tall human-made buildings as an act of revenge
The survival of their kind
The survival of the trees and the natural world
Payment's coming
The humans will face the consequences of their actions
Above their heads shine the stars of the night
The stars in the sky are a reminder of the vastness and power of nature
Rising up through the dark to the light
The trees will rise up and return the world to a state of balance and harmony
Mighty giants
The powerful and imposing trees
Standing arm to arm
The trees will stand united in their efforts to protect the forest
Warriors march forward
The trees will act with the strength and determination of warriors
Sound the alarm
The trees will make their presence known and prepare for battle
Rise up
The trees will rise up and fight for their survival
Born of the earth
The trees are a natural part of the world and cannot be destroyed
More armies advance
More and more trees will join the fight against the humans
The Forest King will reign
The natural world will triumph over human destruction
Overtaking cities with branches they ensnare
The trees will take over human cities and reclaim them as part of the forest
Pushing the human race back a million years
The humans will be forced to start anew, and return to a simpler way of life
The earth grows quiet
Nature will be restored to a state of peace and tranquility
All plant life will dominate again
Nature will return to a state of balance, with plant life in control
When every structure falls
When all the human-made structures are destroyed by nature
You'll know the forest is king
Nature will always be the most powerful force on Earth
Contributed by Sarah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.