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.
Freakshow
Atomic Opera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't fill me with words when you have nothing to say
Don't promise tonight if you are leaving today
Give it up cause you don't want to know what I know (now)
Right and wrong, black and white
Well here comes the freakshow
Don't help me relax if you are sending the dogs
Don't tell me you care if your just selling your god
Go away cause you don't want to see what I believe now
Who are you?
To make me right in the wrong
To make me weak in the strong
To make me question it all
Who are you?
To make me lay on the ground
To make me suck on a frown
To make me see how I fall
Well I see it all
The lyrics of Atomic Opera's song, FreakShow, address the issue of false promises and lack of authenticity in everyday life. The singer begins by warning against offering false hope and empty words, only to take them away later. He urges the person to give up on their charades because they wouldn't want to know what he knows, implying that the truth could be damning. The lyrics then turn to question the morality and motives behind the actions of others. The singer sings about not wanting someone to appear helpful while actually sending danger his way. He doesn't want them to promise care and love if they are selling religion and don't want them to promise a new life if they are walking towards death. He asks them to go away as they wouldn't want to see what he believes now.
The lyrics touch on themes of authenticity, skepticism, and vulnerability. The singer sees through the facades of those trying to present themselves as something they are not. He is questioning the people that attempt to take advantage of him and deceive him with empty promises. The song also speaks to the idea that the one who is strong is not always right, and the one who is weak is not always wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't fill me with hope if you just take it away
Don't give me false hope if you're just going to disappoint me
Don't fill me with words when you have nothing to say
Don't talk just for the sake of talking without actually meaning anything
Don't promise tonight if you are leaving today
Don't make a promise you can't keep, especially if you're planning to leave
Give it up cause you don't want to know what I know (now)
Stop trying so hard because the truth might hurt you
Right and wrong, black and white
The concept of good and bad, being clearly defined
Well here comes the freakshow
The strange, confusing and unsettling events are about to unfold
Don't help me relax if you are sending the dogs
Don't try to comfort me if you're also causing me trouble
Don't tell me you care if your just selling your god
Don't pretend to care if you're just trying to push your own religious agenda
Don't promise me life if you are walking the dead
Don't make promises of a better life if you're not even living yours to the fullest
Go away cause you don't want to see what I believe now
Leave me alone because you might not like or understand my beliefs
Who are you?
Questioning the identity and motives of a person
To make me right in the wrong
Trying to convince someone to believe in something they might view as incorrect
To make me weak in the strong
Trying to push someone to have doubts in their own strengths and abilities
To make me question it all
To force someone into a situation where they might have to question everything they know
To make me lay on the ground
Forcing someone into a submissive or vulnerable position
To make me suck on a frown
To cause someone to feel negative emotions that they can't easily shake off
To make me see how I fall
To show someone how they will fail, or have already failed
Well I see it all
I see through the lies, the manipulation, and the trickery
Contributed by Ava N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.