Markus Grosskopf is mostly known as the bass player of Germany’s Heavy Metal legend HELLOWEEN, but BASSINVADERS has been a creation of Markus while sitting in a bar and enjoying a few drinks. There it was that he got inspired to an impressive idea: a heavy rock record without any guitars at all. He presented this concept to Frontiers Records in early 2007, who was intrigued with the idea and gave it a go.
And yes, at the end of the day the idea paid off. "Hellbassbeaters" contains all basic elements a heavy rock record and so much more. You got the strong vocals, rhythmic bass, intoxicating drums and even bass & twin bass solo parts. What you hear is what you get: 100 % genuine heavy / rock record with absolutely no discordant guitar note on it at all. To guarantee a great variety of different influences Markus invited some well-known singing bass players from the German Metal scene to join the band. And they didn’t need an extra invitation. In DESTRUCTION’s enfant terrible Schmier, SODOM’s frontman Tom Angelripper and RAGE boss Peavy, Markus found some real BASSINVADERS -friends.
To push it even further Markus invited a few of his bass heroes to play solos on some of the tracks. When he started searching for support making this album excellent he expected to get a cautious response of 2 or 3 musicians. He ended up organizing more than 13 people for a solo appearance on the album. They named themselves - like the album title - the HELLBASSBEATERS: Billy Sheehan (STEVE VAI, ex-MR. BIG, ex-DAVID LEE ROTH), Rudy Sarzo (DIO, ex-OZZY OSBOURNE, ex-WHITESNAKE, ex-QUIET RIOT), Lee Rocker (STRAY CATS), Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, ex-WHITESNAKE, ex-TED NUGENT), DD Verni (OVERKILL), Wyzard (MOTHER’S FINEST), Dirk Schlächter (GAMMA RAY), Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING, ex-ANTHRAX), Stig Pedersen (D.A.D.), Nibbs (SAXON), Tobias Exxel (EDGUY), Jens Becker (GRAVE DIGGER, ex-RUNNING WILD), Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69), Peter Baltes (ACCEPT), Jan S. Eckert (MASTERPLAN) and Michael Müller (JADED HEART).
Markus has also invited some guest singers for the songs he wrote: Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND) and the frontman of the legendary Danish stadium rock band D.A.D. - Jesper Binzer. While the guest drummers are André Hilgers (RAGE, AXXIS, SILENT FORCE) and Stefan Arnold (GRAVE DIGGER). This guest list and the killer line-up make the first BASSINVADERS album something very special, but it’s not only about the name dropping. Songs like "Boiling Blood", "We Live", "Voices", "Razorblade Romance", "Armageddon" or the storming BASSINVADERS version of the classic HELLOWEEN anthem "Eagle Fly Free" are proving that Markus’ late night idea won’t be just a one-off slap, but the foundation for another "battlefield" for the always smiling bassist.
The album tracklisting includes:
1. "Awakening the Bass Machine"
2. "We Live"
3. "Armageddon"
4. "Romance In Black"
5. "Godless Gods"
6. "Empty Memories (Breaking Free)"
7. "Boiling Blood"
8. "Far Too Late"
9. "The Asshole Song"
10. "Dead From the Eyes Down"
11. "Razorblade Romance"
12. "Voices"
13. "Eagle Fly Free"
14. "To Hell And Back" (Bonus Track Europe)
We Live
Bassinvaders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and they stare right inside my brain
And what they see is
a man who knows too well what fate is
And they star right inside my soul
Livin'
Givin'
Visions calling, deep inside my head
We live and learn to how to give
our lives to find the spirit inside
I don't wanna see us going under
and I will try to find, my own light
I really had my share of darkness
cause I took each and every pill
to get knocked out
I could not tell what's wrong or right then
No vision's clear enough to take
Runnin'
Hidin'
Always someone after me
Scared and lonely, heaven set me free
We live and learn to how to give
our lives to find the spirit inside
I don't wanna see us going under
and I will try to find, my own light
The lyrics of Bassinvaders's song "We Live" express a profound sense of reflection on the human experience. The opening lines, "I see a hundred million faces and they stare right inside my brain," set the tone of the entire song. It's about the introspective journey that one embarks on to seek the essence of oneself. The lyrics begin by painting a picture of the chorus singer encountering people who are somehow "staring" at him. At this point, the lyrics are open to interpretation. It could be the scrutiny of others that causes insecurity, or it could be the perception that people can see one's soul on a fundamental level.
The lyrics continue, "What they see is a man who knows too well what fate is." This line is crucial to the interpretation of the song because it implies that the singer is someone who has perhaps lived a challenging life, experienced a lot of pain, and has come to an understanding that one's destiny is largely out of their control. The pre-chorus, "Livin' Givin' / All that makes no sense to me / Visions calling, deep inside my head," adds a layer of mystery to the song. It's as if the singer's internal voices are prompting him to give and live, but he cannot comprehend what that means.
The chorus of the song brings the lyrics' theme and message to the vanguard. "We live and learn to give our lives to find the spirit inside" is a universal call to action. It's about realizing that one needs to offer up themselves completely to the world to understand their unique spirit. The bridge of the song, "I really had my share of darkness / cause I took each and every pill / to get knocked out / I could not tell what's wrong or right then / No vision's clear enough to take" is evocative of a past struggle with substance abuse or depression. The final lines reassert the chorus of the song's message, "and I will try to find, my own light," suggesting that even though life presents challenges, one must push through and work towards personal growth.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a hundred million faces
The singer sees a vast amount of people around them.
and they stare right inside my brain
The people seem to be looking intently at the singer's thoughts and feelings.
And what they see is
The people are able to perceive something about the singer.
a man who knows too well what fate is
The people perceive the singer as someone who has a deep understanding of what destiny means.
And they stare right inside my soul
The people seem to be looking deeply into the singer's innermost self.
Livin'
The singer is living their life.
Givin'
The singer is giving of themselves.
All that makes no sense to me
Although the singer is living their life and giving of themselves, none of it seems to be logical or coherent.
Visions calling, deep inside my head
The singer has a strong inner sense of purpose or calling.
We live and learn to how to give
Through the experience of life, people learn how to give of themselves.
our lives to find the spirit inside
The purpose of living is to discover one's inner essence or soul.
I don't wanna see us going under
The singer does not want to see humanity fail.
and I will try to find, my own light
The singer will endeavor to find their own guiding light or path forward.
I really had my share of darkness
The singer has gone through a lot of difficult, dark times.
cause I took each and every pill
The singer seems to have tried various methods to alleviate their pain or distress.
to get knocked out
The singer may have used substances to escape from reality.
I could not tell what's wrong or right then
During this period of darkness, the singer was unable to distinguish between right and wrong.
No vision's clear enough to take
The singer did not have a clear sense of direction or purpose during this time.
Runnin'
The singer was running away from something.
Hidin'
The singer was trying to hide from someone or something.
Always someone after me
The singer feels like there is always some external force working against them.
Scared and lonely, heaven set me free
Despite these challenges, the singer was able to find some kind of solace or liberation.
Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rawk4Life
@DarkWolf5250 Actually, it does. It enhances the core of most metal and rock songs. There has almost never been a single rock or metal song that has reached the top of the charts without a bass line. The White Stripes are the only band sans a bass player that has acheived this.
DarkWolf5250
That's what I like about this band though... It's all bass... Therefore, there's no guitars to be overlapping! But... It's definitely possible, look at Mr. Big with Billy Sheehan... Of course, he's kinda a freak of nature, being able to stretch his left hand from like the 17th fret to the 8th (saw it on a video), but they manage to incorporate some great bass stuff in... I guess generally the guitar can just either play really quietly, or stop? Some good overdrive on the bass goes a long way.
Rawk4Life
The only problem is how can you create a metal song with both a guitar and bass without the bass being overlapped by the guitar? You'd need to have a custom made bass that could be tweaked to sound louder than the accompanying guitar(s).
DarkWolf5250
@Rawk4Life In your opinion, maybe. Bass is an integral part of the sound of metal, but it doesn't need to be a static thing... Why can't bass take a more dominant role in metal? Sure it'd sound different, like this album, but there are so many different types of heavy metal out there, why not have one more with a heavy emphasis on bass?
Rawk4Life
@DarkWolf5250 Making a six string the back up to a predominately bass-led band would make as much sense as making the ukelele the primary instrument in a modern country band. Just saying.
FrossetSkygge
still, their best hit (seven nation army) uses an octave pedal to imitate a bass...
otherthrakker
or simply tell the guitarists to turn down..
DarkWolf5250
@Rawk4Life In your opinion!
Rawk4Life
For some reason, I have a hard time taking this band seriously. Heavy metal was not originally created out of crunchy bass riffs, but out of loud distortion and high scaled solos from six stringed guitars. Bass solos only make sense if used in the appropriate genre, such as funk or jam band.