Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian ebm/futurepop/synthrock musical group, for… Read Full Bio ↴Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian ebm/futurepop/synthrock musical group, formed in 1989. The current lineup includes Stephan Groth (vocals, programming, guitars, samples), Brandon Smith (guitars) and Thomas Jakobsen (drums). The group has achieved moderate commercial success with a unique brand of gloomy, danceable gothic synthpop, winning awards and Top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia. The band's name is commonly abbreviated to APOP or APB.

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 (1991–1994)
Anders Odden: guitars (1992-1999)
Geir Bratland: keyboards/backing vocals (1995-2009)
Fredrik Darum: producer/live guitarist (1999–2001)
Ted Skogmann: drums and guitar (1999–2002)
Fredrik Brarud: drums (2002-2009)
Audun Stengel (Angel): guitars (2002-2009)
Anders Odden: guitars (2003-2006)

Official site: http://www.apoptygmaberzerk.de

Friendly Fire
Apoptygma Berzerk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In a twisted dream
I met a wandered girl
Her eyes sore tragedy
Filled with mascara tears
Hollywood jesus
Met the wandered girl
Like a gaffe giant teases
Step into my world

An illustrated dream
With a friendly fire
I was hollywood jesus
For feeling every desire
Girl with masacara tears
And eyes of tragedy
Like a twisted dream
Burned friendly fire

Divine insanity

You and me, friendly fire
Meant to be, burning desire

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Friendly Fire" by Apoptygma Berzerk talk about a twisted dream where the singer meets a wandered girl with eyes full of tragedy and mascara tears. The girl is compared to Hollywood Jesus, and the singer invites her to step into his world. In this dream, there's a friendly fire burning, and the singer feels like he's Hollywood Jesus himself, feeling every desire. The girl with the mascara tears and eyes of tragedy is like a twisted dream, burned by the friendly fire. The last line of the song, "Divine insanity, You and me, friendly fire, Meant to be, burning desire," suggests that the singer believes that the twisted dream and the friendly fire are meant to be and that they're a form of divine insanity.

The lyrics of the song are open to interpretation, and they can be seen as a representation of the intense and unpredictable nature of desire. The girl with the mascara tears and eyes of tragedy can be seen as a metaphor for the pain and suffering that come with desire. The use of the term "Hollywood Jesus" is intriguing, and it can refer to the idea of a larger-than-life figure that people worship and idolize. The line "Step into my world" can be seen as an invitation to the girl to join the singer on this journey of desire and self-discovery.

Line by Line Meaning

In a twisted dream
I dreamt of something unusual.

I met a wandered girl
I encountered a girl who seemed lost.

Her eyes sore tragedy
Her eyes were filled with sadness and sorrow.

Filled with mascara tears
She had been crying and had mascara running down her face.

Hollywood jesus
I felt like a famous and glamorous person.

Met the wandered girl
I encountered the lost girl again.

Like a gaffe giant teases
I felt like a giant who was making mistakes.

Step into my world
I invited the girl to join me in my world.

An illustrated dream
My dream was like a storybook with pictures.

With a friendly fire
There was a warm and welcoming feeling between us.

I was hollywood jesus
I felt like a famous and powerful figure.