The band formed in 2006 in the ashes of lead guitarist Ade Porwal's previous project Bit the Bullet. The original line-up consisted of Ade Porwal (lead guitar), Jak Noble (rhythm guitar), Sam "Woody" Woodgate (bass (who had worked previously with Porwal in Bit the Bullet)) and Ollie Coghill (drums). The band called themselves Cerulean Sky.
During 2006, the band practiced heavily and tried out vocalists Rob LeMare and Andy Coutts. They inducted Coutts into the band in early 2007 and began considering playing shows. After a disgreement with the band however, Coutts left and the band decided that Noble should assume the role of vocalist, as well as rhythm guitarist. Shortly after this the band changed their name to Anathematize.
From 2007 to the summer of 2008, the band played various shows across Bristol and Bath including various shows at Bristol's famous Croft and a Battle of the Bands in Bath. During this time, a 4-track EP entitled 'Shred-Fucked' was released as a promo to be given out at shows. It was at the Bath Battle of the Bands, when the band suffered a bad performance and meagre crowd reception, that the members began to part.
In August 2008, Coghill left the band. However, due to the fact that he had created a 'name' for the band (by advertising them heavily), he was allowed to keep the band name, meaning that Porwal, Noble and Woodgate effectively left instead. Coghill then inducted local shredder Dan Anderson into the band and asked Jak Noble to rejoin the group to lend his vocal talents.
After a few months of downtime, Coghill began working with a new band named Floodsearch and Noble rejoined Porwal and Woodgate to create a new band titled Jenkins Theory. Anathematize was considered defunct from early 2009.
In October 2010, Porwal tragically took his own life. With almost all of the music being written by him, Jenkins Theory came to an end and the Anathematize legacy was over.
Since then, Noble has worked constantly on his solo project Returning We Hear the Larks, occasionally collaborating with others and forming projects such as Red Horizons, while Coghill has joined Melodic Hardcore band Failure to Follow, who have gained a following amongst the Bristol underground scene.
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NO MERCY
Anathematize Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time is up for you, what can I do to stop your body burning?
Mind's in overdrive, the choice of life and death beyond my grasp now
Eyes roll back, the bliss of crimson pouring from your every orifice
You can't go back now
You can't go back
And I can't control what it does to me
Here we go again, I can't pretend, it starts with just one negative
Thought inside my head, it's like a web of thoughts and fucked emotions
I can't go back now
I can't go back
Every day the same, it's hear to break me
And I can't control what it does to me
Dear god, it's back again, writhing from within my veins
Inside I'm always wrong, every comment burns my mind so long
So long
{Lead: Ade Porwal}
{Lead: Jak Noble}
Every day the same, it's hear to break me
And I can't control what it does to me
Every day the same, it's hear to break me
I swear I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break now
The lyrics to Anathematize's song No Mercy evoke an intense sense of anger and frustration, as well as a feeling of being trapped and unable to escape one's own negative thoughts and emotions. The imagery of blood staining the walls and pouring from every orifice creates a visceral and disturbing image, emphasizing the intensity of the emotions being expressed. The singer seems to be struggling with an intense desire for vengeance or a sense of justice, but feels powerless to act on that desire. The line "Time is up for you, what can I do to stop your body burning?" suggests a level of violence that has already been inflicted, and the singer feels unable to stop it from continuing.
The overarching theme of the song seems to be a sense of being trapped in one's own mind and unable to escape the negativity that pervades one's thoughts and emotions. The line "Here we go again, I can't pretend, it starts with just one negative thought inside my head" suggests a cyclical pattern of negative thinking that is difficult to break free from. The repeated refrain of "I can't go back now" and "Every day the same, it's here to break me" reinforce this sense of being trapped and unable to escape one's own negative thought patterns.
Overall, No Mercy is a powerful and intense song that explores the themes of anger, frustration, and the struggle to break free from one's own negative thoughts and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Blood, it stains the walls, my skin will crawl, there's nothing I can do this
The sight of blood everywhere is terrifying and I can't help but feel disgusted and powerless.
Time is up for you, what can I do to stop your body burning?
It's too late to save you and I feel helpless in preventing your body from being consumed by flames.
Mind's in overdrive, the choice of life and death beyond my grasp now
My mind is racing and overwhelmed, and the decision to live or die is no longer within my control.
Eyes roll back, the bliss of crimson pouring from your every orifice
The release of blood from your body is almost pleasurable, despite how disturbing it is to witness.
You can't go back now
There's no turning back from this point, things have already been set in motion.
Every day the same, it's here to break me
The same struggles and challenges keep occurring every day, threatening to push me to my breaking point.
And I can't control what it does to me
I have no power over the impact these daily struggles have on my mental and emotional well-being.
Here we go again, I can't pretend, it starts with just one negative
The cycle of negativity and despair starts with just one bad thought and I can no longer pretend it doesn't affect me.
Thought inside my head, it's like a web of thoughts and fucked emotions
My negative thoughts are interconnected and entangled, leading to a spiral of intense and confusing emotions.
Dear god, it's back again, writhing from within my veins
An overwhelming feeling of dread and despair has returned and it feels like it's coursing through my veins.
Inside I'm always wrong, every comment burns my mind so long, so long
I constantly feel like I'm doing something wrong and even the slightest criticism hurts me deeply and for an extended period of time.
Every day the same, it's here to break me
The repetition of daily struggles continue to wear me down and threaten to push me to my limit.
I swear I'm gonna break
I'm on the brink of collapsing and breaking under the weight of all of these challenges.
I'm gonna break now
I can no longer hold on and am about to crumble under the immense pressure.
Contributed by Bentley B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.