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)
The Enemy
Anthrax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A final solution to pass
All dreams are taken from their lives
No hope for the young all the old realize
He is but a solitary man
Whose prejudice will spread like a flame
Throughout the land
Etching his own name in black
For all of us to hear and see
A yellow star for those accused
There's no escape once you've been pinned
A relocation only to confuse
And all their propaganda to hide the awful truth
Screams, in the night
Scars so deep that they won't mend
Screams, in the night
In their souls they can't pretend
Six million lives on the hands of heads of state
They followed orders from above
Then one man when all was lost
He took his life, he'll never pay the price
They cannot hide or defend or disguise
For the truth is well known there'll be no alibis
Judgment will pass and their fates won't be kind
For the final solution was mass genocide
The lyrics to Anthrax’s song “The Enemy” paint a vivid picture of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. The opening line “The plans of a race gone mad” sets the stage for what is to come, with a reference to the warped ideology and twisted plans of the Nazi regime. The second line "A final solution to pass" refers to the infamous "Final Solution," a euphemism used by the Nazis to describe their plan to systematically exterminate Jews and other marginalized groups.
The next few lines highlight the devastating effects of this brutal campaign on the innocent lives caught in its crosshairs. “All dreams are taken from their lives, no hope for the young, all the old realize” serves as a poignant reminder of the utter hopelessness faced by so many victims. The line “He is but a solitary man, whose prejudice will spread like a flame throughout the land” is particularly striking, as it acknowledges that the suffering caused by one person’s hate can spread like wildfire.
The subsequent lyrics refer to the physical and emotional torment experienced by victims of the Holocaust, including being marked with a yellow star, relocation, and propaganda used to conceal the heinous crimes being committed. The chorus, “Screams in the night, scars so deep that they won’t mend, in their souls they cannot pretend” captures the raw pain and trauma of those who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand. The final lines, "For the final solution was mass genocide" serve as a stark reminder of the magnitude of the evil that was perpetrated.
Line by Line Meaning
The plans, of a race gone mad
There are plans of a race that has gone mad.
A final solution to pass
They have come up with a final solution that they plan to implement.
All dreams are taken from their lives
They have robbed people of the ability to dream.
No hope for the young all the old realize
The old people have given up hope for their children.
He is but a solitary man
There is one person who is responsible.
Whose prejudice will spread like a flame
That person's hatred will spread rapidly.
Throughout the land
It will affect the entire country.
He's enslaving those who will be free
He is enslaving people who should be free.
Etching his own name in black
He is marking his own name in infamy.
For all of us to hear and see
So that everyone knows what he has done.
A yellow star for those accused
The people accused are being labeled with yellow stars.
There's no escape once you've been pinned
Once you are labeled, you cannot escape your fate.
A relocation only to confuse
They are being relocated to confuse them.
And all their propaganda to hide the awful truth
Propaganda is being used to cover up the terrible things that are happening.
Screams, in the night
People are screaming at night.
Scars so deep that they won't mend
People have been horribly scarred and will never recover.
In their souls they can't pretend
They cannot ignore what is happening deep within themselves.
Six million lives on the hands of heads of state
The heads of state are responsible for the deaths of six million people.
They followed orders from above
The people responsible were just following orders.
Then one man when all was lost
One person decided to end it all when all hope was lost.
He took his life, he'll never pay the price
He committed suicide and will never be brought to justice.
They cannot hide or defend or disguise
The people responsible cannot hide, defend or disguise what they have done.
For the truth is well known there'll be no alibis
They cannot make excuses because everyone knows the truth.
Judgment will pass and their fates won't be kind
Justice will be served and their fate will not be a pleasant one.
For the final solution was mass genocide
The final solution was to commit mass genocide.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLIE L. BENANTE, DANIEL ALAN SPITZ, FRANK JOSEPH BELLO, JOSEPH A. BELLARDINI, SCOTT IAN ROSENFELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Evillive
on Now its dark
Jesus… you need your art spoon-fed to you.
Now It’s Dark is about the movie Blue Velvet.