In 1989, Stephan Groth and Jon Erik Martinsen formed Apoptygma Berzerk in Norway. They wrote several songs, one of them "Ashes To Ashes" would later be released as a 12" single on the Norwegian label Tatra Productions in 1991. Martinsen left the band shortly afterwards feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the band's music. Since then the band had many lineup changes, Groth being the only constant members.
Stephan Groth claims that the band name was randomly picked out of a dictionary. Apoptygma is an old Greek word for the fold of a woman's garment. Technically the 'y' ought to be pronounced like a long 'u', but the band's name is commonly pronounced a-pop-TIG-ma or a-pop-TEEG-ma.
Apoptygma Berzerk released six studio albums so far: Soli Deo Gloria in 1993, 7 in 1996, Welcome To Earth in 2000, Harmonizer in 2002, You and Me Against the World in 2005, and Rocket Science in 2009.
The first two albums, Soli Deo Gloria and 7 were a similar style of synthpop and EBM. Welcome to Earth featured an evolved EBM/synthpop sound. Harmonizer featured a softer, more synthpop-oriented direction. You and Me Against the World represented an almost complete change in style for the band, from EBM to indie rock-oriented sound. Rocket Science continued the rock-oriented direction of their sound.
They also released three compilations (The Apopcalyptic Manifesto in 1998, The Singles Collection in 2003 , Sonic Diary in 2006), three live albums (APBL98 in 1999, APBL2000 in 2001, Imagine There's No Lennon in 2010) and three live DVDs (APBL2000 in 2001, The Harmonizer DVD in 2004, Imagine There's No Lennon in 2010).
In total, the band issued six EPs: Victims of Mutilation in 1990, The 2nd Manifesto in 1992, Mourn EP in 1997, Unicorn EP in 2004, Black EP in 2006, and Green Queen in 2009.
List of former band members:
Jon Erik Martensen: keyboards (1989)
Per Aksel Lundgreen: keyboards/manager (1991â1994)
Anders Odden: guitars (1992-1999)
Geir Bratland: keyboards/backing vocals (1995-2009)
Fredrik Darum: producer/live guitarist (1999â2001)
Ted Skogmann: drums and guitar (1999â2002)
Fredrik Brarud: drums (2002-2009)
Audun Stengel (Angel): guitars (2002-2009)
Anders Odden: guitars (2003-2006)
Official site: http://www.apoptygmaberzerk.de
Fade To Black
Apoptygma Berzerk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drifting further every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters, no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free
No one but me can save myself but it's too late
Now I can't think, think why I should even try
Yesterday seems as though it never existed
Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye
Things not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost, this can't be real
Cannot stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me but now he's gone
The Apoptygma Berzerk's song "Fade to Black" is a powerful and emotional song that deals with themes of depression, emptiness, and suicide. The opening lyrics set the overall tone of the song, describing how life seems to be fading away and how the singer is getting lost within himself, to the point where nothing else matters. The feeling of emptiness and hopelessness is expressed in the lines "I have lost the will to live, simply nothing more to give." The singer feels that there is nothing left for him, and he needs the end to set him free.
The chorus is especially poignant, with the lyrics "no one but me can save myself but it's too late, now I can't think, think why I should even try." This line shows the desperation and the lack of control the singer feels over his life. He feels that he is beyond help and that there is no point in trying. The verse "death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye" suggests that the singer has already made the decision to end his life.
The second verse talks about the feeling of emptiness and how it is taking over the singer, to the point of agony. The line "I was me, but now he's gone" suggests that the singer has lost his identity and that he is no longer the person he used to be. The song is an emotional journey through the thoughts and feelings of someone who is contemplating and ultimately committing suicide.
Line by Line Meaning
Life it seems will fade away
Life appears to be slipping away slowly
Drifting further every day
I feel disconnected and distant from everything more and more each day
Getting lost within myself
I am losing touch with reality and finding myself trapped in my thoughts
Nothing matters, no one else
I am in so much pain that nothing in this world has any significance to me and I feel isolated
I have lost the will to live
I no longer have any desire or motivation to continue living
Simply nothing more to give
I have exhausted myself physically or emotionally and have nothing left to offer
There is nothing more for me
There is absolutely nothing left for me, no hope or happiness
Need the end to set me free
I long for death to release me from my pain and misery
No one but me can save myself but it's too late
I am alone in my struggle and even if someone wanted to help me, it's too late
Now I can't think, think why I should even try
I cannot find any reason or motivation to keep going or fight anymore
Yesterday seems as though it never existed
My past life and everything that happened to me feel irrelevant or pointless now
Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye
I have accepted death and am prepared to end my life
Things not what they used to be
My life is not as happy or fulfilling as it used to be
Missing one inside of me
I am mourning the loss of a part of me that is missing now
Deathly lost, this can't be real
I feel so lost and disconnected that it must be a nightmare or something surreal
Cannot stand this hell I feel
The suffering and pain are so intense that I cannot tolerate it anymore
Emptiness is filling me
An overwhelming emptiness and void is taking over me
To the point of agony
It hurts me so much that I can barely stand it
Growing darkness taking dawn
My hope and optimism are being replaced by darkness and negativity
I was me but now he's gone
I used to be someone else, a happier and more hopeful version of myself, but that person is long gone now
Lyrics Š BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk L. Hammett, Clifford Lee Burton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sashizakura9124
Câmon people, letâs not fight! Itâs totally possible to be a Metallica fan AND an APOP fan! I love them both, and I love both this cover and the original song, of course! Stephan has always been a huge Metallica fan, and I think he treated Fade to Black with a ton of respect and admiration here. For the metal heads complaining, yeah, future pop may not be your genre, but try to appreciate, if nothing else, that this cover was clearly made with love!
@tomzadvydas1758
Iâm both and I loved this cover
@KiNETiKpoWerZ
While this cover gets some hate from some diehard "Metallica fans" It really is a solid and respectable cover in the genre of darkwave and futurepop trance. Still holds up in my opinion after all these years. Between this and Major Tom Apoptygma Berzerkâ sure know how to do covers!
@uranium54321
Im a metallica fan and i like this too. I respect that the musical style is different and that it would be pointless for another band to try to replicate the song. I prefer the original, but this is good in its own right.
@darthanddedeu2580
@uranium54321 my only thing to say when a cover is released on a label, the original writers approved, so maybe give it a shot.
If a song can be covered well in a different genre then it shows the original was composed very well.
@ColinIngus1
Yepp
Don't forget Shine on (another classic 80s hit) also
@peterrogner9608
@uranium54321 das hier gefällt mir besser, und es ist melancholischer find ich.
@JanderVK
I can't believe this song/album is 20 fucking years old this month. This packed the dance floors.
@andreah.681
Thank you for saving my 20s .
And thank you, Ingo, for everything else
@Bloogem14
Apoptygma Berzerk is one of my favorite bands of all time and that status is unlikely to diminish. I discovered them at the crucial/questioning/formative years of life, i.e. "shitty adolescence into adulthood" and would not be the same human I am today if not for them. It's hard to believe Stephen/APB are over 3 decades in to creating music, hard to believe that even this cover is approaching 20 years old. Forever gratitude and love.