The music and the musicians themselves are influenced and inspired by 70s progressive rock, 90s grunge and modern heavy music including such diverse touchstones as The Who, Opeth, The Grateful Dead, King Crimson, Mastodon, Tool, Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, John Coltrane and Faith No More.
The lyrics deal with, among other things, the breakdown of society, loss, decay, personal relationships gone down the tubes, corrupt leadership, world terrorism, first hand experience of the horrors of war, the sanctity of life, and anthropomorphic one night stands deep in the desert. Listen to the music and lyrics and experience the world Behind the Sun.
Their self-titled album was released in June 2009.
Behind the Sun will be playing Ozzfest Tel Aviv on September 28, 2010 opening the festival which will have Ozzy, Soulfly, Korn and Betzefer in its line up.
http://www.myspace.com/behindthesunmusic
http://behindthesun.bandcamp.com
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There are a few bands with the name Behind the Sun including the defunct metalcore band from New Jersey and the active RHCP cover band from Atlanta. The following information pertains to the metalcore band from NJ:
Behind The Sun (America)
Forming from the ashes of local New Jersey and Philadelphia hardcore bands No One Cares (NOC), and Burnside, Behind the Sun is a melodic Hardcore band featuring a combination of many influences over a long set of years.
The band formed in roughly late 2000, with their first album "Targeting My Greatest Weakness" being released in late 2001/early 2002, the first copies were available almost as soon as their debut show. The first 50 copies were distributed at a local show in Somers Point school Charter Tech. The first press of this CD contained 5 songs, including a cover of Pat Benatar's "Invincible", retailing for a flat $7. This track was later removed from the CD when repressed and two other unreleased tracks were put in place.
Within a matter of no more then 3 months, they were playing the Jersey and Philly circuit, and had a cult following like no other band of the time. They were generally received as the most talented act to come out of Jersey in years, fusing melodic hardcore with a new set of lighter rifts and vocals into vulgar gutterals with chunky breakdowns. Singer Alexis at this time also accompanied other Jersey local band "Last To Die" on vocals for a track recorded to their album "Through the eyes of a Fallen Angel". During this period they had also received and agreed to a record label contract with local NJ tristate area label "Too Damn Hype".
After a couple long tours, and having a large amount of their equipment stolen in the process, they returned to the studio with more determination then ever. During this period, they recorded their first full length album, "Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams". This album showed a much different side of BTS, one that prior to the album was only something available to shows.
This album showcased many different styles and was quoted from the band members as being "more experimental". Initially there were a few diehard fans were thrown off by this album. Though as time passed, many came to understand it was a more mature album for the band. This album was 12 tracks and included a cover of "River Runs Red" by Metal legends Life Of Agony. Several larger tours followed this album's release. Due to problems with the label owner of Too Damn Hype, other hardcore band Misura's CD track listing for their upcoming release was confused with Behind the Sun's CD. BTS's CD was fine and correct, though Misura's CD track listing on the back cover was all of Behind the Sun's track listing for "Broken Bones and Shattered Hearts". Following this catastrophe, Too Damn Hype went out of business and BTS was without a label.
After a long haul of gigs, both large and small, there was a long silence from the band. The tours calmed down and no one knew where they had went. Many were expecting a new album to be released at this point, predicting they had been in the studio. Over a year passed without much word, and contact with the band was difficult for anyone not directly knowing band members. Eventually people had assumed the band broke up, and slowly the NJ hardcore scene was dying out and being consumed by the metalcore scene, the toughguy scene, and the emo scenes respectively. By now it was late 2004 and word had came from the band that they had been hard at work writing the new songs for their next album which was to be released the following year.
A new website went up, and it looked as though BTS was set for a triumphant return. They announced they had been working with the engineer/producer of Lamb of God, and that the album was nearing completion, releasing 2 roughly mixed tracks, "Shape Shifter" and "Every Kiss Was Suicide" for download off their website. Also, they had made the official announcement that a new 2nd guitar player was onboard to join them. Sure enough by late 2005, the album was released with the only flaw being that it was not marketed strongly at release. The CD was by far the most professional release so far and had blended elements of both prior albums to create a vicious and unrelenting track list. This release was 12 tracks long and it's official title at release was "Blood Covered Love Letters".
After this release, the band performed many mid scale to large venue shows, and again toured around the US and few outside areas. Following these dates, in mid-2006 the band released only a single public statement on myspace announcing their official breakup. The message reads "R.I.P - B.T.S. / 2000-2006". Since then there has been little word from the band members concerning the reasons for the breakup, but the most likely reason people feel they ended the band was because of stress. There simply was too much pressure trying to professionally be a well known melodic hardcore band that the world knew, and beyond that they weren't happy with the overall turnout of the final album's acceptance. It is assumed that the members left on good terms. People speculate that there will be reunion shows in the near future, though no official word has come from the band about such.
During BTS's life, they shared the stage with virtually every large and small act in hardcore, metal, and every genre in between. Whether it was simply not being received strongly due to marketing, or just not being picked up by the right label, it is a shame to see a marvel such as this band exit the scene. From the entire original New Jersey and Philly hardcore scene, each member will always be wished the best and supported in whatever bands they move onto next.
http://www.myspace.com/behindthesun
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Wishful Thinking
Behind the Sun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gone to your head
Trapped in self mythology
Your ego wants you dead
When the walls come tumbling down
To take you in their embrace
Your absence will go unnoticed
Another fool will take your place
And if you let yourself believe
The ends control the means
You will find yourself
Down on your knees
Waving at the darkness
Can't see the forest for the trees
Another case of wishful thinking
Buried out at sea
The deck chairs need rearranging
The ice is on it's way
A glass of refreshing kool aid
To wash away the taste
Called out holding nothing
King of jokers once again
Don't blame the odds when you take the fall
But the fool who ignored them
And if you let yourself believe
For one moment - the ends control the means
You will quickly find yourself
Down on your knees
Waving blindly at the darkness
Can't see the forest for the trees
Another case of wishful thinking
Buried out at sea
The song "Wishful Thinking" by Behind the Sun is a warning against the dangers of unchecked ego and the belief that the ends justify the means. The lyrics address the self-mythologizing tendencies of some people who have gained a cult following who blindly follow their every whim. The first verse warns that excessive praise from followers can go to one's head, leading to a trap of self-mythology. The ego of such individuals can become so large that they become their own worst enemies, wanting themselves dead. However, when their walls come tumbling down, and they need support, nobody will be around as their absence goes unnoticed. Another fool, who is willing to take their place, will be found with ease.
The second verse warns against the belief that the ends justify the means. It points out that those who let themselves believe that the ends control the means are deceiving themselves. The singer warns that those who do so will find themselves down on their knees and waving blindly at the darkness. They won't be able to see the forest for the trees, leading to another case of wishful thinking buried out at sea. The final verse stresses that those who take the fall should not blame it on the odds but on themselves. The king of jokers once again will be called out holding nothing.
Overall, "Wishful Thinking" is a cautionary tale about pride, blind faith, and the risk of believing that the ends justify the means. It warns that when one's ego is out of control and they overlook the importance of being humble, they could quickly lose everything they have worked for.
Line by Line Meaning
Damning praise of followers
Criticism disguised as admiration from those who blindly follow you
Gone to your head
Your ego has become inflated and clouded your judgment
Trapped in self mythology
You have created a false image of yourself and believe it to be true
Your ego wants you dead
Your egoistic behavior may lead to your downfall
When the walls come tumbling down, To take you in their embrace, Your absence will go unnoticed, Another fool will take your place
When you fall from your pedestal, nobody will care because someone else will take your position as a false leader
And if you let yourself believe, The ends control the means, You will find yourself, Down on your knees
If you believe that the end result is more important than the methods used to achieve it, you will end up in a vulnerable position
Waving at the darkness, Can't see the forest for the trees, Another case of wishful thinking, Buried out at sea
Blindly hoping for a positive outcome without considering the reality of the situation, will leave you lost at sea
The deck chairs need rearranging, The ice is on it's way, A glass of refreshing kool aid, To wash away the taste
A desperate attempt to change minor details and distract from the impending disaster that is approaching
Called out holding nothing, King of jokers once again, Don't blame the odds when you take the fall, But the fool who ignored them
You will be exposed as a fraud when you have nothing to back up your false image. Don't blame circumstances for your failure but the foolishness of your own actions
And if you let yourself believe, For one moment - the ends control the means, You will quickly find yourself, Down on your knees, Waving blindly at the darkness, Can't see the forest for the trees, Another case of wishful thinking, Buried out at sea
Repeating the warning that trusting the end result over the methods used will lead to failure and loss
Contributed by Stella G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.