As the first song started being developed the band found itself marching towards the heavier side of rock, which wasn't really a big surprise considering each member's influences.
Shortly after a draft of the first song was done, guitarist Marcelo Seabra left the band for personal reasons.
Caco, Felipe and Thiago continued on as a power trio, and for the following months of 2007 wrote many songs over the weekends.
By this time it was safe to say Bad Salad was a Progressive Metal band. Long songs, heavy riffs, odd arrangements and time signatures, instrumental sections, and all that good stuff.
The term progressive metal is being thrown around like crazy these days. So how to separate Bad Salad's sound from the millions of bands who define themselves as being part of this mainstream unfriendly yet increasingly growing genre of rock music? Well, for starters, Bad Salad's music has strong personality. Each song is unique, and scars you with it's identity. They're like olives, or anchovies, for example. Like it or not, you will know what it is when you taste it! Another quality that stands out in the band's sound lies in the rhythmic section. Bad Salad's music is very hammering! At times it almost feels like a full-throttle construction of a building. Some of the grooves are very tribal/ethnic. There are many fun poly-rhythmic games between the instruments.
2008 and 2009 were inactive years for Bad Salad. They had an album's worth of material, but the band was incomplete as a trio. They knew a keyboard player would have to join the team, aswell as a vocalist later on. Unable to find the right guys to complete the lineup at the time, and having other important things to do stacking up, the band was put on hold.
In January 2010 Caco, Felipe and Thiago resumed BS activities. 2 years down the line, more mature and educated, they were set on finally making an album, with or without a keyboardist.
They scheduled writing sessions everyday, and revised every single song from the 2007 sessions, making sure they were up to their new (ever evolving) standards.
After unofficially talking about the idea for many months, César Zolhof (keyboards) joined the band full time in March 2010, completing the band's instrumental lineup.
In the period of April 20th to June 20th 2010 an online Vocal Tryout was held to search for the final missing member of the band. A section of one of our unreleased songs, which goes by the working title #8 "Susto" (later to be named 'Crowded Sky'), was put on youtube in order to promote the tryout internationally. Dozens of entries were received and reviewed by the band, some of them quite worthy. In September 2010 the band happily announced the "winner", Mr. Denis Oliveira.
Crowded Sky
Bad Salad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overwhelmed and clueless on your way
Torn between the vast almighties
Uninvited, they tell you how to play
Hail, fight, fear, pray
Commandments to abide by
Cries, shame, guilt, pain
Kill, lie, bleed, die
Don't look back this is your guidebook
Drown, hang, burn, rise
Never forget your place
Sitting back self-righteous leaders
Endorsing every slaughter
Why adore these faceless leaders
To learn this love is single sided?
Wasted, expended your life for a myth
What then? You've only so much to give
Give me back my freedom
My reason, my right to forgive
Take me, better to die than submit
How can my options be this vain
Endless powers, yet interested in fame
Time’s shown their egos are full-blown
Relentless hate
By heaven rewarded with
Lands, crowns, treasures and chicks
Corporate thieves, branded in holiness
Leeching on ignorance to feed their greed
Hail, fight, fear, pray
Commandments to abide by
Cries, shame, guilt, pain
Minor casualties at stake
Kill, lie, bleed, die
Don't look back this is your guidebook
Drown, hang, burn, rise
Wasted, expended your life for a myth
What then? You've only so much to give
Give me back my freedom
My reason, my right to forgive
Take me, better to die than submit
Preying on those who pray
A setback to science
A threat to the human kind, don’t you see
Brainwashing followers
Sustaining the illness
A plague, as their books define
Let us be
Wasted, expended your life for a myth
What now? You've simply no more to give
Give me back my freedom
My reason, my right to forgive
Take me, better to die
"Crowded Sky" by Bad Salad is a song that explores the idea of questioning authority and religion and the impact it has on society. The song starts with the line "born beneath a crowded sky," referring to the idea that individuals are born into a society that is inundated with various beliefs and ways of living. The singer is torn between the "vast almighties," or the many gods or higher powers that exist, and struggles with the pressure to conform to their respective rules and regulations.
The chorus of the song lists different actions such as "kill, lie, bleed, die," and suggests that individuals are expected to follow them without question. The song also touches upon the idea of self-righteous leaders who endorse violence and slaughter and push their beliefs onto others. The singer expresses their desire for freedom and the right to forgive, rather than being forced to conform to a certain ideology or belief system. The song ends with the line "better to die," suggesting that the singer would rather die than submit to an authority that they do not believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
Born beneath a crowded sky
Coming into the world under the shadow of numerous expectations
Overwhelmed and clueless on your way
Feeling confused and lost amid the chaos and commotion of life
Torn between the vast almighties
Feeling torn between different powerful and influential entities
Uninvited, they tell you how to play
Being forced to follow rules and norms set by others without any invitation or freedom of choice
Hail, fight, fear, pray
A list of strict commandments to abide by
Commandments to abide by
A set of strict rules and expectations to conform to
Cries, shame, guilt, pain
Negative emotions and consequences that follow breaking these rigid commandments
Minor casualties at stake
People who suffer as a result of these rules and expectations, but are considered insignificant
Kill, lie, bleed, die
Drastic actions one is forced to take to comply with these commandments, even if they go against one's values and beliefs
Don't look back this is your guidebook
The only guidance provided to navigate through life, without questioning or challenging it
Drown, hang, burn, rise
Extreme punishments for those who defy or doubt these rules
Never forget your place
Being reminded to always stay within the boundaries set by those in power
Sitting back self-righteous leaders
Leaders who sit back and approve of cruelty, as long as it aligns with their self-righteous beliefs
Endorsing every slaughter
Actively supporting and promoting the killing of others, based on their differences or beliefs
Why adore these faceless leaders
Questioning the reason behind worshiping leaders who don't show their true selves or intentions
To learn this love is single-sided?
Realizing that this love and devotion is not reciprocated, and only serves to benefit those in power
Wasted, expended your life for a myth
Sacrificing one's life, energy, and resources for something that is imaginary or false
What then? You've only so much to give
Realizing that one's resources and energy are limited and cannot be spent on something that is not worth it
Give me back my freedom
Demanding to have the right and ability to choose and act freely
My reason, my right to forgive
Claiming the right to think logically and rationally, and to have the ability to forgive or not based on one's own discretion
Take me, better to die than submit
Preferring to die rather than submitting to a life that lacks freedom, choice, and autonomy
How can my options be this vain
Expressing frustration and confusion over the limited and meaningless choices available
Endless powers, yet interested in fame
Questioning why those in power who have endless resources and abilities are only interested in gaining more fame and glory
Time’s shown their egos are full-blown
Observing how time has exposed how egocentric and self-absorbed these powerful leaders are
Relentless hate
An intense and continuous feeling of hatred
By heaven rewarded with lands, crowns, treasures, and chicks
Being rewarded by society and religion with wealth, power, and women, for showing relentless hate and aggression
Corporate thieves, branded in holiness
Leaders who steal and exploit others for their own gain, while being presented as holy and righteous by society and religion
Leeching on ignorance to feed their greed
Exploiting people's lack of knowledge and awareness to satisfy their own greed and desires
Preying on those who pray
Exploiting those who are vulnerable and seek comfort through prayer and faith
A setback to science
Impeding progress and advancement by rejecting and condemning scientific discoveries and innovations
A threat to the human kind, don’t you see
Highlighting the danger and harm caused by such beliefs and practices on humanity as a whole
Brainwashing followers
Indoctrinating and manipulating people's beliefs and thoughts to align with their own agenda
Sustaining the illness
Maintaining and supporting a harmful and toxic system
A plague, as their books define
Comparing their harmful practices and beliefs to a plague that spreads and infects those around it
Let us be
Asking to be free from the influence and oppression of those leaders and beliefs
Contributed by Mason N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.