Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 … Read Full Bio ↴Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene from the 1980s and is part of the "Big Four" of the genre, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands (along with Overkill and Nuclear Assault) to emerge from the East Coast. The band has released 11 studio albums, several other albums, and 26 singles, including collaborating on a single with American hip hop group Public Enemy. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Anthrax sold 2.5 million records in the United States from 1991 to 2004, with worldwide sales of 10 million. Four of the band's studio albums have also achieved gold certifications by the RIAA, including their third full-length record Among the Living (1987), which cemented Anthrax's reputation as one of the most successful thrash metal bands.

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)

Catharsis
Anthrax Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All these days I've been the hard man
All these days it's been so hard, man
To live my life for someone else
In fear of being honest with myself
I perpetrated a lie
Juggling my life with one hand
Tied behind my back, trying to find
And it had always been mine

I perpetrated a lie

I'm in, I'm out, I'm in, I'm out
I'm in, I'm out, I'm in, I'm out
I'm breaking through the darkness
And it knocked me over
Into the light of an older soul
And I'll never die
'Cause everything I am is in your eyes

Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes
Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes

And it knocked me over
Into the light of an older soul
And I'll never die
I'll live forever in your

Crucify my inhibitions
The first born son, he died for my sins
Nothing to worry about
And all these years I was the hard man
I always knew I'd find myself and prove
Because you told me the truth
Yeah, it's all I wanted from you

I'm in, I'm out, I'm in, I'm out
I'm in, I'm out, I'm in, I'm out
I'm breaking through the darkness
And it knocked me over
Into the light of an older soul
And I'll never die
'Cause everything I am is in your eyes

Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes
Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes

Angels in my heart
Devils in my
Devils in my
Devils in my eyes

And it knocked me over
Into the light of an older soul
And I'll never die
I'll live forever in your eyes

My cathartic dream, a primal scream
Shedding my skin
Somewhere between light and dark
I balance what I am
And I remember everything
We said we'd find a way
Laugh and cry, love and hate
Ain't no weak link this bond won't break

I put it out there, it comes back
I put it out there, it comes back
I put it out there, it comes back
I put it out there, it comes back

Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes
Angels in my heart
Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes

Angels in my heart
Devils in my
Devils in my
Devils in my
Devils in my eyes

And it knocked me over
Into the light of an older soul
And I'll never die
I'll live forever in your eyes

I'll never die, I'll never die (I'll never die)
I'll never die, I'll never die (I'll never die)

I'll never die, I'll never die (I'll never die)
I'll never die, I'll never die (I'll never die)

Overall Meaning

The song "Catharsis" by Anthrax is about the struggle of living for someone else versus being honest with oneself. In the song, the singer admits to perpetuating a lie and juggling his life with one hand tied behind his back, trying to find what had always been his. He then talks about breaking through the darkness and being knocked over into the light of an older soul, which is a metaphor for coming to a realization and finding one's true self.

The chorus repeats the phrase "Angels in my heart, devils in my eyes" which represents the inner conflict of having good intentions but potentially misguided actions. The singer then goes on to talk about shedding his skin and finding balance between light and dark, essentially accepting all parts of himself. The outro repeats the line "I'll never die, I'll never die" which emphasizes the idea that the true self is eternal and cannot be destroyed.

Overall, "Catharsis" is a song about finding the courage to be honest with oneself and accepting all parts of oneself, including the good and the bad.

Line by Line Meaning

All these days I've been the hard man
It's been really difficult for me to be true to myself and not live my life for others.

To live my life for someone else
I've been living my life for others to avoid being honest with myself.

In fear of being honest with myself
I'm scared to admit the truth about who I am.

I perpetrated a lie
I've been living a lie for a long time.

Juggling my life with one hand
I've been struggling to balance everything in my life.

Tied behind my back, trying to find
I'm trying to find my way while feeling held back.

And it had always been mine
I realize that my life has always belonged to me.

I'm in, I'm out, I'm in, I'm out
I've been going back and forth, unsure of what to do.

I'm breaking through the darkness
I'm finally seeing a way out of my struggles.

And it knocked me over
This realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

Into the light of an older soul
I feel like I've gained wisdom and perspective.

And I'll never die
The truth that I've discovered will always live on.

'Cause everything I am is in your eyes
The person I'm living my life for is what gives my life meaning.

Angels in my heart
I have goodness in me.

Devils in my eyes, devils in my eyes
But I also have my demons.

Crucify my inhibitions
I need to let go of everything holding me back.

The first born son, he died for my sins
I can find redemption for my mistakes.

Nothing to worry about
I can let go of all my fears and anxieties.

I always knew I'd find myself and prove
I had faith in myself to eventually come out on top.

Because you told me the truth
Someone close to me helped me see the truth about myself.

My cathartic dream, a primal scream
My innermost thoughts and emotions are finally breaking free.

Somewhere between light and dark
I'm finding a balance between my good and bad qualities.

I balance what I am
I'm finally okay with who I am as a person.

And I remember everything
I'll never forget this transformative moment in my life.

We said we'd find a way
Someone close to me promised to help me through this journey.

Laugh and cry, love and hate
I'm embracing all my emotions and experiences.

Ain't no weak link this bond won't break
The bond between me and the person I'm living for is unbreakable.

I put it out there, it comes back
I realize that what I put into the world will come back to me.

And it knocked me over
This realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

I'll never die, I'll never die (I'll never die)
The truth that I've discovered will always live on.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Charlie L. Benante, Frank Joseph Bello, John Robert Bush, Scott Ian Rosenfeld

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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