1. Heavy/Power Metal b… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1. Heavy/Power Metal band from Texas
2. Rock band from Florida featuring guitarist Todd Grubbs
3. Thrash/Death Metal band from Iowa
1) Frank Hart - Vocals, Guitar, Cello, Sitar.
Kemper Crabb - Elec. Mandolin, Wood flutes, Dulcimer.
Trip Wamsley - Bass, Vocal.
Johnny Simmons - Drumset, Percuss., Vocals.
Ryan Birsinger - Chapman Stick, Vocals.
Atomic Opera is firmly rooted in a rock and metal tradition that began with Black Sabbath and was continued by Metallica, but adds lilting, irresistably Beatles-ish melodies and unexpected, towering harmonies evocative of prog rock bands like Rush and Yes.
Add the presence of Frank Hart's sophisticated arrangements for cello, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, organ, recorders and hand percussion, and you get a stellar old world art rock sound with a progressive folk metal edge. This brooding yet accessible music was born of same fertile Houston scene that produced Galactic Cowboys, The Awful Truth, and King's X, which shares some of the Atomic Opera's spiritual focus and prog rock influences.
2)
Ryan Dalton--vocals
Mike Furney--drums
Mike Martinez--bass
Todd Grubbs--guitar
Hal Dunn--guitar
3)
Scott Andreas - Vocals
Mike Curry - Guitar
Doran Lindset - Bass
James Root - Guitar
Danny Spain - Drums
Band released one Demo called "The Judgment" in 1992.
Fade
Atomic Opera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That someone you love
Is a memory
In the time it takes to breathe
Time is a thief
And time is made of iron
From here it seems
When the sun is in my eyes
I feel like there is all this good time
Now the light has left this place
When will time take you away?
When will all this fade?
What is love?
What is meaning?
Where are the promises?
How can I stop this from feeling (faded)?
When the sun is in my eyes
I feel like there is all this good time
Now the light has left this place
When will time take you away?
When will all this fade?
The first few lines of "Fade" by Atomic Opera may seem simple enough on the surface, but they contain a deep and universal truth that many of us have experienced throughout our lives - the painful and inevitable process of letting go of someone we love. The fact that the loved one in question has already become a mere memory makes this experience even more poignant, emphasizing how quickly time can slip away from us and turn even the strongest and most vibrant bonds into distant echoes of the past.
The analogy of time as a thief and as something made of iron underscores the feeling of powerlessness that often accompanies this process, as if we're bearing witness to something that's inevitable and outside of our control. The juxtaposition between the gentle moments and the extreme emotions that come with loss subtly emphasizes the depth of the singer's feelings, and how even the smallest things can suddenly feel hyper-real and intense when we're faced with losing someone we care about deeply.
The repeated refrain of the chorus, with its wistful question of when everything will fade, underscores the singer's sense of loss and uncertainty - a feeling that's underscored by the song's overall mood of melancholy and longing. The various unanswered questions posed in the lyrics, from the nature of love and meaning to the question of how to stop these feelings from fading, create a sense of searching and yearning that drives the song forward, and that many listeners will relate to on a personal level.
Line by Line Meaning
How can it be
Questioning the suddenness of losing someone you loved
That someone you love
Referencing the person that was loved before being lost
Is a memory
Reflecting on the reality that the person is now only a memory
In the time it takes to breathe
Implying that the person's loss occurred quickly and easily
Time is a thief
Time steals the precious moments we cherish with the people we love
And time is made of iron
Time is unbreakable and unstoppable like iron
From here it seems
Reflecting on the present reality of life without the lost person
The gentle moments seem extreme
Reflecting on how small moments from the past with the lost person are now extremely valuable
What is love?
Questioning the meaning of love
What is meaning?
Questioning the meaning of life without the person who was loved
Where are the promises?
Questioning where the promises made with the lost person have gone
How can I stop this from feeling (faded)?
Searching for a way to stop the feeling of losing the person from becoming a distant memory
When the sun is in my eyes
Reflecting on how the bright sun symbolizes good times in the past with the lost person
I feel like there is all this good time
Recalling the joyous moments spent together with the lost person
Now the light has left this place
Acknowledging the absence of happiness in the present without the lost person
When will time take you away?
Questioning when time will remove the pain of losing the person
When will all this fade?
Questioning when the pain of losing the person will fade away
Contributed by Carter C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
IRNatman
Why is it that talent like this goes unnoticed? What a shame, amazing show!
Phill Millem
One of my fav records of all time! Criminally underrated!
Jeff Foster
WHenever I need to test the bass response of any system, this cd goes on. Love this album and wish I was at this show back then. Rock on brother!
SuperBlazeomatic
Wow Frank you guys sound GREAT!! Saw the video for Justice late night on MTV in the mid 90's and have been a fan ever since! Damn crying shame you guys never got the due the band deserves! Incredible music! Wishing you well sir!
Douglas Graham
Thanks for posting this Frank. It was so great to see and hear what you wrote about, and to hear “Hammer” for the first time!
Z G
Wow just finished the whole video and I must say I'm so impressed with how amazing y'all did! Sure made me happy seeing this! Atomic Opera will always be one of my top favorites.
matt dunlap
Thanks so much for sharing this. Totally enjoying the show here in Missouri!... Frank's leads, the harmonies, you guys really nailed these old tunes I have listened to many times over the years!
Joe Dazey
Awesome, Frank, I hope AO puts out some new material at some point!
mbracerh
Relativ new to them, but this is great would have loved to see them live. Time for a new reunion
And So It Goes
Gretchen era King's X sound. How can you not love it? The older I get the more I think Sam Taylor was the man.