40 Below Summer is a five-piece nu metal music group from New Jersey, USA.<… Read Full Bio ↴40 Below Summer is a five-piece nu metal music group from New Jersey, USA.

Formed in 1998, 40 Below Summer came together after drummer and Peruvian native Carlos Aguilar met with singer Max Illidge. Joey D'Amico later joined the duo, followed by Jordan Plingos and Puerto Rican-born Hector Graziani. Their first album Side Show Freaks (1999) and EP Rain (2000) were self released.

Invitation to the Dance (2001-2002)

Eventually, a deal was signed with London-Sire Records. Their debut major label album Invitation to the Dance was released on October 16, 2001, and was produced by GGGarth. Two months after its release, Warner Music Group dissolved the London-Sire label, and the album was reissued by Warner's Reprise label.

After performing on the Jägermeister Music Tour with Drowning Pool, Coal Chamber and Ill Niño, and then again with Slipknot, Fear Factory, and Chimaira, but only on select dates. They started to write material for their second album. While the band started writing almost immediately after the release of their previous album, they threw out some fifteen songs before coming up with twenty one that they reduced down to the final ten (plus a bonus track, "The Day I Died").

The Mourning After (2003-2005)
Unsigned at this point, Razor & Tie Records saw the band in February 2003 when they played in New York with E.Town Concrete. A deal was signed in June just as the band entered the studio. The band would later strike a licensing deal with Roadrunner Records for the album's UK release.

Their second album The Mourning After was released on October 28, 2003. Two singles were released from the album in "Self-Medicate" and "Taxi Cab Confession". The video for the former received a fair amount of airplay on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball. The band negotiated a release from their contract in 2004. Not long after this Jordan was temporarily replaced by Ty Fury. The band then recruited Ryan Juhrs (formerly of Flaw) to fill the spot officially and Carlos left soon after.

Ali Nassar replaced Carlos, and after playing two shows under the 40 Below Summer moniker, they decided to rename the project Black Market Hero. They were soon joined by another former member of Flaw, drummer Micah Havertape, who replaced Nasser. In January 2006, Graziani was forced to leave the band due to severe hearing loss he had suffered after years of performing. Former Confliction bassist Matt Fortin joined in August 2006. Black Market Hero's first single, "Freedom Dealer," was released in summer 2007.

The Last Dance (2006)

Despite breaking up, 40 Below Summer released The Last Dance on October 31, 2006 via Crash Music Inc. The album features nine demo versions of songs intended for their third LP, as well as a bonus DVD featuring footage of the band's "last" performance at the Starland Ballroom (September 2005). The album sold 1,095 copies during its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[1]

In October 2006, there was speculation that the band had reunited. This was later dismissed by guitarist Joey D'Amico who stated that the band was just going to do a few shows to promote the release of The Last Dance. However, D'Amico also stated that there was a possibility that 40 Below Summer would record a new album in the future.

The band filmed a music video for the single "Relapse" with director Frankie Nasso. The song was originally written by 2005 guitarist Ty Fyhrie (Fury). Ty went on to work with the band Murder Of Crows but now resides in the band Dirty Little Rabbits with Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn Crahan also known as Clown.

In a radio interview with All Knowing Force, Illidge stated that he expected 40 Below Summer would tour and play 5-10 shows a year. Although his main priority is with his new project Black Market Hero, he didn't rule out the possibility of the band one day recording another album. According to Max and Joey, 40 Below Summer is dead.

The band did however re-issued their independently released EP Rain with seven bonus tracks on July 31, 2007 via Crash Music. In addition to the five songs originally released, seven demo tracks have also been included, as well as all new cover artwork. Sideshow Freaks was also re-released on July 15, 2008 by ex-Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's record label Driven Music Group.

Reformation and new album (2011–present)

On July 12, 2010 it was announced that 40 Below Summer would play a reunion show on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. God Forbid played support. 40 Below played "Invitation to the Dance" from cover-to-cover.

On April 20, Max Illidge posted on his Facebook stating "Starting pre production for the new 40 below record. Oh boy." indicating the band has reunited for a new record. The band's next two albums, "Fire at Zero Gravity" (2013) and "Transmission Infrared" (2015) were released by Super Massive Media Group.

A Season In Hell
40 Below Summer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This, this a dark this is a place I can't escape would you leave me here
Lying in wait hanging like baits strangled by fate would you even care
This is my cure this is my life this is my Christ my crow of thorns
This is the way the way that I die, die and be reborn

Dying to touch you I need you I love you
To make me to mold me to break me again
I can't deny that I'm hurting inside as

I'm pulling you close you push me away

As I look just to find my existence and open my eyes
I can't breath as you push me aside
Now I feel that it's time to die as I realize how you let me believe in a lie
As I struggle with both hands and

I try to arise from the sadness inside of myself
I cannot breath I'm burning alive cause I've lived through a season in hell
Look, look at my face shaded in gray wasting away I'm almost gone
I can replace this empty space you left me all alone

Why can't you see me I'm hanging here bleeding
It's tortured and twisting my insides apart,
Laughing and crying as ever things dying in me
And it's breaking my heart

Save me now
I'm in the show of your love
Can you feel your life pass you by
Can you see the sun in the sky

Life is calling you again, again
Can you feel the end?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "A Season in Hell" by 40 Below Summer describe the feeling of being trapped in a dark place, both mentally and emotionally. The singer is asking for help and support, but feels neglected and abandoned by the person they love. The lines "dying to touch you, I need you, I love you" highlight the intense yearning that the singer feels for their loved one, despite the pain they are causing them. The repetition of "this is my" emphasizes the song's overall theme of self-discovery and the journey towards rebirth.

The singer feels like they are suffocating and burning alive, as a result of living through a "season in hell." They are struggling to find purpose and meaning in their life, and feel like they are wasting away. The singer begs their loved one to save them, but also questions whether they can even see the pain they are causing.

The song deals with themes of pain, struggle, and resilience. It portrays the journey towards self-discovery and the pursuit of a meaningful life. The lyrics are introspective and emotional, and the heavy metal sound adds to the intensity and mood of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

This, this a dark this is a place I can't escape would you leave me here
This is a place full of darkness that I cannot escape from. Would you abandon me here?

Lying in wait hanging like baits strangled by fate would you even care
I'm stuck in this situation, waiting for something to change, feeling helpless due to fate. Would you show any concern for me?

This is my cure this is my life this is my Christ my crow of thorns
This is my way of healing and living, my religion, my source of pain that I endure as a symbol of sacrifice.

This is the way the way that I die, die and be reborn
This is how I experience death and resurrection, through the difficult things that I go through in life.

Dying to touch you I need you I love you
I'm desperate to touch and feel your presence, I need and love you deeply.

To make me to mold me to break me again
I expect you to shape me as you wish, you may even cause me to break down again.

I can't deny that I'm hurting inside as
I can't pretend that I'm not in pain, I'm hurting on the inside.

I'm pulling you close you push me away
I'm trying to get closer to you, but you keep pushing me away.

As I look just to find my existence and open my eyes
I'm trying to search for my purpose and identity, to see things clearly.

I can't breath as you push me aside
You are causing me to suffocate and feel neglected as you ignore me.

Now I feel that it's time to die as I realize how you let me believe in a lie
I feel like giving up and dying now that I see how you led me to believe in something false.

As I struggle with both hands and
I'm fighting with all my might and using all my resources.

I try to arise from the sadness inside of myself
I'm attempting to lift myself out of the sadness and depression that has taken hold of me.

I cannot breath I'm burning alive cause I've lived through a season in hell
I feel suffocated and in immense pain, because I have endured a terrible and difficult period in my life.

Look, look at my face shaded in gray wasting away I'm almost gone
Look at me, I'm losing my vitality and becoming weaker day by day. I feel like I'm about to disappear.

I can replace this empty space you left me all alone
I could find something to fill the void you left behind when you abandoned me.

Why can't you see me I'm hanging here bleeding
Why can't you see that I'm in emotional pain and suffering? I'm hanging here bleeding on the inside.

It's tortured and twisting my insides apart,
The pain is causing me to feel tormented and my insides to feel like they are being ripped apart.

Laughing and crying as ever things dying in me
I'm experiencing emotions of joy and sadness at the same time as something inside of me is dying.

And it's breaking my heart
It's causing me immense emotional pain that is affecting me deeply.

Save me now
Please help me now.

I'm in the show of your love
I'm experiencing the manifestation of your love.

Can you feel your life pass you by
Are you aware of time flying by and your life slipping away?

Can you see the sun in the sky
Are you present enough to notice the beauty around you?

Life is calling you again, again
Life is calling out to you and giving you another chance to live it fully.

Can you feel the end?
Are you aware of the end approaching?

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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