Anthrax's lineup has changed numerous times over their career, leaving Ian as the only constant member of the band. The band has had a revolving cast of singers and lead guitarists, including Neil Turbin, John Bush, Dan Spitz and Rob Caggiano. Since 2013, the band has consisted of Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais. Ian and Benante (who replaced one-time drummer Greg D'Angelo in 1983) are the only two members to appear on every album, while Bello has been a member of Anthrax since 1984, replacing original bassist Dan Lilker. After two stints in Anthrax, from 1984 to 1992 and again from 2005 to 2007, Belladonna returned to the band in 2010.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax_(American_band)
Studio albums
Fistful of Metal (1984)
Spreading the Disease (1985)
Among the Living (1987)
State of Euphoria (1988)
Persistence of Time (1990)
Sound of White Noise (1993)
Stomp 442 (1995)
Volume 8: The Threat Is Real (1998)
We've Come for You All (2003)
Worship Music (2011)
For All Kings (2016)
Black Lodge
Anthrax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You give of yourself but your angels are gone
Deny your body is screaming
But your heart and your soul they're bleeding
Just to fall asleep is a godsend
Until your demons appear again
I am a witness to your demise
Your biggest secret is one you can't keep
Lift up your head if you're only asleep
You try to hold onto reason
Why can't you see that you're leaving?
My love for you knows no distance
But it can't fight your resistance
I am a witness to your demise
I am the one who saw through the lies
Give me the one thing you can't give
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Deny your body is screaming
But your heart and your soul they're bleeding
Just to fall asleep is a godsend
Until your demons appear again
I am a witness to your demise
I am the one who saw through the lies
My love has always been blind
The song "Black Lodge" by Anthrax speaks to the pain and inner turmoil of someone who is struggling with addiction and trying to hide it from the world. The lyrics suggest that the person is giving of themselves but is missing their own inner angels, and that they are suffering physically and emotionally, unable to even sleep through the night without being haunted by their demons. Despite the singer's love and concern for this person, they are unable to break through the addict's resistance and ultimately witness their demise.
The chorus is particularly poignant, with the repeated line "I am a witness to your demise" serving as a reminder of the inevitability of addiction and the powerlessness of those who try to help. The line "Give me the one thing you can't give/Take me to the black lodge where you live" feels like a plea for understanding and connection, as if the singer is willing to enter into the addict's world in order to try to help them.
Overall, "Black Lodge" is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the devastating effects of addiction on both the addict and the people who love them. It serves as a reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and support in helping those who are struggling with addiction to find their way back to health and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Worship the ground you barely walk on
You hold someone or something in such high regard that you give them just about everything you have, even though they do not reciprocate your devotion.
You give of yourself but your angels are gone
Despite all the love, care and attention you give, you feel alone and devoid of hope as those you once relied on have deserted you.
Deny your body is screaming
You are in a lot of physical pain but instead of acknowledging it, you pretend that everything is okay.
But your heart and your soul they're bleeding
On the inside, you are broken and hurting, and it is far more serious than the pain you are putting on a brave face for.
Just to fall asleep is a godsend
Sleep is your only respite, your only opportunity for peace and a short escape from your problems.
Until your demons appear again
But just as you start to relax, your anxieties and fears start to swirl around, gradually appearing in your mind until they consume you once more.
I am a witness to your demise
I see what is happening to you and how it is bringing you down.
Your biggest secret is one you can't keep
You have something weighing heavily on your mind that you cannot keep to yourself forever.
Lift up your head if you're only asleep
If you are pretending to be okay, just to avoid letting others see how much you are struggling, then there comes a time where you will have to face the world and show them your true state.
You try to hold onto reason
You are trying to make sense of what is happening because you do not want to believe that bad things happen on a whim.
Why can't you see that you're leaving?
Despite your efforts to keep everything together, you are slowly letting go and leaving everything behind.
My love for you knows no distance
No matter what distance comes between us, or despite your hardships, I will always love you.
But it can't fight your resistance
No matter how much I love you, it is up to you to decide whether you want to open yourself up to me and take my help.
Give me the one thing you can't give
I am asking for something that you are incapable of giving, and that is your willingness to open yourself up and let me in.
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Take me into your world, the place where you go to hide and escape from everything else until it all becomes too much.
My love has always been blind
Despite not being able to see everything that is going on inside of you, I still love you unconditionally and will always be here to help you in any way I can.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANGELO BADALAMENTI, CHARLIE L. BENANTE, FRANK JOSEPH BELLO, JOHN WALTER BUSH, SCOTT IAN ROSENFELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raymond Ellison
Worship the ground you barely walk on
You give of yourself but your angels are gone
Deny your body is screaming
But your heart and your soul they're bleeding
Just to fall asleep is a godsend
Until your demons appear again
I am a witness to your demise
Your biggest secret is one you can't keep
Lift up your head if you're only asleep
You try to hold on to reason
Why can't you see that you're leaving
My love for you knows no distance
But it can't fight your resistance
I am a witness to your demise
I am the one who saw through the lies
Give me the one thing you can't give
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Give me the one thing you can't give
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Deny your body is screaming
But your heart and your soul they're bleeding
Just to fall asleep is a godsend
Until your demons appear again
I am a witness to your demise
I am the one who saw through the lies
My love has always been blind
Give me the one thing you can't give
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Give me the one thing you can't give
Take me to the black lodge where you live
Where you live
Where you live
Where you live
Where you live
Matt Stevenson
Best Anthrax song ever for me.
Michael Scott
Its definitely up there. Its pretty twisted too. Scott ian said it was, in part , inspired from re reading. Brett Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho .These guys , even though theyre considered among' THE BIG 4' of Metallica, Slayer & Megadeth, dont really get the respect of those other 3 & Im guilty of that kind of sentiment regarding them in the past. But looking back, I was wrong. They were always evolving, trying new things. Very experimental and its time Scott Ian gets the credit and respect he fucking deserves. Because he is Anthrax to me anyway
Heavy Joe Chipman
Best singer, thats for sure. No offense Joey. Cuz he ain't no you either. I loved Armored Saint bigtime. So I favor JB.☺👍
Michael Scott
@Heavy Joe Chipman yeah Armored saint was like the best metal band of that era that nobody knew about. I remember just before speed/thrash metal exploded in , Jesus. 86' i believe, all the pundits and talking heads, metal mags & other bandz predicted Armored Saint would be at the top of the next metal heap but it never really panned out for them. Dont get me wrong. They were a great metal band and had they been marketed properly and toured with the right bands they probbably would have been far more successful. They shouldve been marketed as what they were ,a much more traditional ,classic though slightly heavier metal band and they shouldve been touring with bands like IronMaiden or Dio , even Queensryche . Instead they were lumped in with about to explode speed metal era which they were not really a part of and worse, they were forced to tour with bands like Metallica,Megadeth,Slayer, Anthrax,Testament etc... And that was not the audience Saint shouldve been around But they were doomed anyway. Heavy metal fans had become restless.It was really the end of one era in metal which was that post Ozzy led Sabbath era populated by groups like solo post Ozzy/Dio Black Sabbath with albums like Seventh Star & Etermal Idol,vintage Maiden and Priest,Ronnie James Dio's classics Holy Diver & Last in Line, even Sacred Heart, but it was about to become the time of Master of Puppets. The day of Peace sells...
But who's buyin, the night of Reign In Blood and ,of course, stil my personal fav Anthrax album, Spreading the Disease. The truly great traditional metal acts had made themelves know. The Maidens, Dio, Priest, Ozzy abd those bands had cemented their rigntful place in thehall of fame of traditional metal and forged fanatical followings. It was really too late for Armored Saint to fo that and the genre had simply evolved into the more aggressive and heavier metal of Exodus & Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica. Sure there were bands that persevered and had success that werent thrash, but not very many. Mercyful Fate then King Diamond comes to mind and of course Queensryche who had enormous success and was more or less a tradtional metal act that simply sounded like music from another planet. Saint just got caught im between. It was bad timing
.
leafbelly
@Michael Scott I always thought this was inspired by Twin Peaks?
Michael Scott
@leafbelly the only connection I know of to twin peaks, but it's a big one, is the mucisian Angelo Badalamenti , who scored alot of Lynch's films in the mid to late 80s and into the 90s. He was brought on board The Sound of White Noise by Scott Ian who didn't use him in every song but the ones they did are fucking great and that defenitely includes Black Lodge
I Am The Mic Drop.
This song popped into my head this morning and I had to listen to it. It's still great after all these years.
Darth Martin
It’s 11:30 pm and this song popped in my head. I’m standing in the bathroom so I don’t wake my wife and jamming this song. Great freakin song
mr dron
@Darth Martin what amazing song.i have 43 and still is fresh.
Lucas Nogueira
I fucking love this song. It's my favorite Anthrax song.