By being one of the first bands to blend anarcho-punk and heavy metal music, Amebix are often cited as one of the key bands that helped to create the crust punk style, and are considered as a proto-thrash metal band. Such notable bands as Sepultura, Neurosis, and Deviated Instinct have paid homage.
Largactyl
Amebix Lyrics
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Thinking 'bout your life and your bottle of pills
They released you from the hospital, you're cured!
So this is how freedom feels?
Largactyl Relax (it's only paranoia)
Feel a little numb? Feel a little tired?
You've learned to fit in. OBEY!
You're just a shadow of what you used to be
Largactyl Relax (it's only paranoia)
A comfortable life? A car and a wife?
It's only a dream but it's fuckin' obscene
You've learned to fit in, a vegetable!
Senility! At 21 they'll be coming for you
The song Largactyl by Amebix is a commentary on contemporary society that is controlled by technology, consumerism and oppression. The opening lines of the song depict a scenario where an individual who has just been discharged from a mental hospital is standing on a hill and looking at the city. The individual is taking stock of their life and their bottle of pills. The entire scene is a metaphorical representation of the social isolation, mental anguish and psychological trauma that people are subjected to in their everyday lives.
The lyrics of the song Largactyl also draw attention to the dehumanization of individuals and their loss of identity due to their conformist behavior. The use of the term ‘vegetable’ for instance, highlights the mechanical nature of individuals within society. The subliminal nature of the societal control is further emphasized by the phrase ‘largactyl relax, it’s only paranoia’, suggesting that the oppression of people is often camouflaged to appear as a solution to their anxieties or psychological problems.
In summary, the song Largactyl critiques the insidious nature of societal control, which forces individuals to abandon their identities and conform to unrealistic social expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
You're standing on a hill, looking down at the city
You are in a place higher than the rest, watching over those who are still asleep.
Thinking 'bout your life and your bottle of pills
Pondering on the struggles and the medicines you have relied on for survival.
They released you from the hospital, you're cured!
The ones who held you captive have declared you sane, and free to integrate with society.
So this is how freedom feels?
Questioning if being allowed to live in conformity is really being liberated.
Largactyl Relax (it's only paranoia)
A reminder that the delusions and anxieties you experience are nothing compared to the threats of the outside world.
Feel a little numb? Feel a little tired?
Experiencing a sense of emptiness and lethargy, as if life is meaningless.
Your brain's asleep and your body's retired
Mentally stagnant and physically uninterested in the things around you.
You've learned to fit in. OBEY!
Conformed to the norms and expectations of society, no longer questioning the authority.
You're just a shadow of what you used to be
Lost the individuality and passion that made you unique, now just a vague resemblance of whom you used to be.
A comfortable life? A car and a wife?
The promises of a pleasant existence that requires material wealth and a partner, which may not necessarily produce happiness.
It's only a dream but it's fuckin' obscene
Pointing out that the aspirations of a superficial existence are nothing but an obscene illusion.
You've learned to fit in, a vegetable!
Degenerated from an individual into a being that embodies the standards of conformity and uniformity.
Senility! At 21 they'll be coming for you
The threat of losing one's mental acuity and the possibility of being confined again, suggesting that true liberation is fleeting.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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Flaming Flammenwerfer
Hearing the bass above the lead guitar isn't too normal, but when listening to Amebix, it is.
CallMeIshmael
It isn't too normal, but primus and iron maiden are both examples of this too
Flaming Flammenwerfer
@CallMeIshmael I forgot that I made his comment 9 years ago! You are definitely right.
The Nazgul
Doesn't matter if it's crust or metal, it's good.
666deathghost
It does matter because u got people who purposely choose what they like based on what genre it is
The Nazgul
@666deathghost if either you like crust or metal amebix is still a great band and if you're not into it there's tons of crust bands so why are you even here
666deathghost
@The Nazgul they're here because the cover art looks cool and they thought they'd like the sound, until they found out it ain't the ge re they're choosing to follow I guess
NorthernPunx
Thats good, cause its punk. so....?
NorthernPunx
@666deathghost shows what they know - Lemme.
whose eyes are flowers
I was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital and I swear this song was playing in my head the whole time.