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.
The Second Calling
Bad Salad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you had one more day
To make things fine
To make them okay
A second chance to fix your life
To not throw the dice
For thinking twice
Your home wasn't far
You had someone there
But you filled your emptiness in a bar
So would you have said you loved her that night
Held on to your children
Spoken your last goodbyes
Just one more day
To say what's inside
For mending the mess that you left behind
I've been so wrong and all the while I felt so right
The many things you learn when your beloved ones cry
No room for lies if you're to live your life in time
I was too selfish to see that I dug my own grave
Shunning the ones who loved me
My choices led me to my end
And the words I spoke couldn't be unsaid
The ones I hurt couldn't heal through my fame
Conquer everyone, anywhere
Such a pleasant man pretending to care
I denied my beliefs to believe in only myself
I've been so wrong and all the while I felt so right
The many things you learn when your beloved ones cry
No room for lies if you're to live your life in time
I used to have beautiful dreams on my darkest days
And look her in the eyes and smile
We all have to pay our debts somehow
Better late than now
I've been so wrong and all the while I felt so right
The many things you learn when your beloved ones cry
No room for lies if you're to live your life in time
How many chances does a man have to redeem himself
So many I let get away I blew them all too well
But I'm still here to face my demons or to suffer for my sins
When the sun is on your back
To turn around and face the light isn't an easy task
Inside it feels like something's urging
Time to come back or keep moving on
Suddenly the answers seem to be gone
No need for answers when the questions are wrong
If I open my eyes and get back to me
For this one last time all I want is to see
My beautiful wife smiling down at me
Saying "you're here today, make it count, live your stay"
Oh if I had one more day
The lyrics of Bad Salad's song "The Second Calling" talks about the importance of redemption and second chances. It reflects a feeling of remorse, where the singer of the song is contemplating what he would do if he had only one more day to make things right. The song's theme portrays how we often tend to take loved ones for granted and make decisions that lead to regret and haunt us. In the song, the singer opens up about how his selfishness led to his undoing, how he hurt the ones he loved, and how he ignored his beliefs to live life selfishly.
The chorus of the song, "I've been so wrong and all the while I felt so right, the many things you learn when your beloved ones cry, no room for lies if you're to live your life in time," is a reflection of how it is only when things start falling apart that we realize how our actions were hurting the ones we love. The song's protagonist appreciates the importance of relationships, the value of redemption, and the fact that we all need second chances to make things better.
The song's message is a wake-up call to everyone, asking them to value relationships and to take responsibility for their actions. The lyrics of "The Second Calling" remind us that while it may be hard to face our wrongdoings, it is never too late for redemption and second chances.
Line by Line Meaning
What would you do
If you knew you had only one more day left to live, what actions would you take?
If you had one more day
Given just one more day to live, how would you make use of that time?
To make things fine
To fix any problems and make amends with those you love in order to leave the world in good standing.
To make them okay
To make everything right in your life and with the people you've affected.
A second chance to fix your life
Given another chance to live, what would you do differently to improve your life?
To not throw the dice
To avoid taking unnecessary risks that could lead to negative outcomes.
For thinking twice
To consider your choices carefully before acting.
Not enter that car
To avoid making dangerous or risky decisions that could harm yourself or others.
Your home wasn't far
To recognize that you had better choices available to you and should have made them instead.
You had someone there
To acknowledge the support and love of others in your life who you may have overlooked.
But you filled your emptiness in a bar
To recognize that you turned to unhealthy habits or vices to deal with your own struggles or inner pain.
So would you have said you loved her that night
If given the chance, would you express your love and appreciation for someone who means a lot to you?
Held on to your children
To hold tightly and cherish the relationships you have with your loved ones, especially your children.
Spoken your last goodbyes
To ensure you have closure and say everything you need and want to say to those you love before passing.
Just one more day
To have the opportunity to express yourself and rectify past mistakes in a final, meaningful way.
To say what's inside
To express yourself authentically and truthfully, sharing your genuine feelings and intentions.
For mending the mess that you left behind
To take responsibility for your past actions and attempt to reconcile and make things right with those you've wronged.
I've been so wrong and all the while I felt so right
To realize that many of your past choices were misguided and had negative consequences, even though they initially felt like the right thing to do.
The many things you learn when your beloved ones cry
To recognize the pain and heartache that you've caused to others and to realize just how much your actions can impact those around you.
No room for lies if you're to live your life in time
It's important to be truthful and honest in life in order to make the most of the time you have.
I was too selfish to see that I dug my own grave
To realize that your own selfishness led to the negative outcomes and struggles you are now facing.
Shunning the ones who loved me
To recognize the ways in which you've neglected or avoided the love and support of those who care about you.
My choices led me to my end
To acknowledge that your own choices and actions have led to negative outcomes in your life.
And the words I spoke couldn't be unsaid
To realize that once something is said, it cannot be taken back and can have lasting consequences.
The ones I hurt couldn't heal through my fame
To recognize that your past accomplishments or successes do not negate or rectify the pain you've caused to others.
Conquer everyone, anywhere
To pursue success or domination at any cost, even if it means hurting or neglecting the people around you.
Such a pleasant man pretending to care
To recognize that often people may put on a façade or pretend to be someone they're not in order to gain approval or success.
I denied my beliefs to believe in only myself
To compromise your integrity or values in order to pursue personal gain or success.
I used to have beautiful dreams on my darkest days
To reflect on the positivity and optimism that once existed within you, even in the midst of difficult times.
And look her in the eyes and smile
To cherish the moments shared with a loved one and to express your love and appreciation to them.
We all have to pay our debts somehow
To realize that everyone must deal with the consequences of their past choices in some way, both positive and negative.
Better late than now
It's never too late to recognize and rectify past mistakes, even if it may be difficult or painful to do so.
How many chances does a man have to redeem himself
To question whether or not there are limited opportunities for a person to atone for their past behavior and make a positive change in their life.
So many I let get away I blew them all too well
To recognize the times when you've missed opportunities or made poor choices that exacerbated already negative situations.
But I'm still here to face my demons or to suffer for my sins
To acknowledge that even though you may have made mistakes in the past, you still have the opportunity to take responsibility and confront your past head on.
When the sun is on your back
To recognize the moments of opportunity and positivity in your life.
To turn around and face the light isn't an easy task
To realize that it can be difficult and painful to confront the positive moments in your life when you've focused on negativity or pain for so long.
Inside it feels like something's urging
To have a strong internal desire or motivation towards positivity and change.
Time to come back or keep moving on
To make a choice to either confront the past and take responsibility for it, or to continue moving forward without acknowledging past mistakes.
Suddenly the answers seem to be gone
To be unsure of what the right choice or direction is in life, despite past experience or knowledge.
No need for answers when the questions are wrong
To recognize that the wrong questions can lead to misguided or fruitless answers.
If I open my eyes and get back to me
To acknowledge the need for self-reflection and introspection in order to make real change.
For this one last time all I want is to see
To recognize the power and importance of the present moment, especially when it's uncertain if there will be another.
My beautiful wife smiling down at me
To value and appreciate the love and support of a spouse or partner who has been there through thick and thin.
Saying "you're here today, make it count, live your stay"
To be encouraged to truly make the most of life and express yourself and your love in the time you have left.
Oh if I had one more day
To desire an opportunity to truly make things right and leave the world on a positive note.
Contributed by Violet F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dutch Paradigm
i love these guys , been listening to them on youtube since they started putting there dreamtheater covers up here. waited a long time for there album. i dont care if they sound like DT i like the album even more because of it.
Jahoragin94
For a lot of bands it takes an album or two to really find their identity. I can see the resemblance to DT, as I, myself, am a DT fan, but these guys are showing some creativity as well. No band starts off perfect.
Aaronmac64
I'm fucking loving the Dream Theater-like sound. I can't get enough of that tone. Also, this is heavier has has more of a focus on syncopated 4/4 rhythms than playing in odd time signatures. The synth also has a vastly different style. There really are a ton of differences from Dream Theater.
Oliver Meléndez
I've been listening you guys since you played covers in youtube. This song was the first that I heard from bad salad. When I realized that you guys and bad salad were the same band i almost got crazy. Awesome work with this and Puzzled. Keep doing amazing work dudes!! Regards from Peru!!
moterhead7
You have to keep in mind that this is their first album, so of course when a band is starting out they will sound a lot like their influences. give it a bit and they will develop their own sound I'm sure :) in the meantime keep rockin' bad salad!!
Alex Burchell
Hot damn that roll/fill in the guitar break at 1:56 was SLICK.
Xardian7
Fantastic! I love this song! I cannot stop headbanging! :D
Alexandre Ferreira
Muita gente falando que o som desses caras parece DT e é verdade. Mas Bad Salad tem alguma coisa a mais. Conseguiram prender mais a minha atenção do que DT. Esses caras tem futuro.
Jamile Amate
Gosto muito dessa banda. Muito talentosos!
Bruno França
VRDD, DREAM THEATER BR