Candiria was initially formed in 1992 by vocalist Carley Coma, guitarists Chris Puma and Eric Matthews, drummer Kenneth Schalk, and bassist Michael MacIvor. Even early on they were creating unusual music, with vocals that ranged from dry barks to rap. Chris and Eric's guitar have set Candiria's rhythmic style as riffing with little melody interrupted by jazzy chord progressions during the jazz breaks. Ken Schalk's drumming often consists of laying down a groove while staying true to the non-conventional time signatures that dominate the music, paired up with Michael's unusual bass lines. Michael, in fact, may be the least metal-influenced member of the group, as apparent in his melodically complex basslines which frequently do not follow the guitar riffs.
Chris Puma was replaced by John Lamacchia before 1997's Beyond Reasonable Doubt, while Lamacchia himself left the band after 2004's What Doesn't Kill You.... The latter album features a cover photograph of the band's van after a heavy traffic accident it endured in 2002. It took the band members considerable time to recover from their injuries.
As of 2005, Eric Matthews is no longer in the band.
Drummer Ken Schalk has been involved in a free-jazz side project named Ghosts Of The Canal, who have thus far released two full-length albums, Sessions from the Flats (1999) and Five Episodes From the Subconsious (2002), as well as two non-album tracks which appeared on the bonus disc of Candiria's The C.O.M.A. Imprint.
"Candiria" is plural for "candiru," a small blood-sucking Amazonian fish that lodges itself in the urethras of unwary bathers.
Discography
Albums
1994 - Subliminal (Demo Tape)
1995 - Surrealistic Madness (Too Damn Hype)
1997 - Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Too Damn Hype)
1999 - The Process Of Self-Development (MIA Records)
2001 - 300 Percent Density (Century Media)
2002 - The Coma Imprint (Lakeshore)
2004 - What Doesn't Kill You... (Type A)
2008 - Kiss The Lie
The C.O.M.A. Imprint
Not exactly a proper album, this is in fact a re-recording of Candiria's 1997 album Beyond Reasonable Doubt, featuring newly remastered and/or recorded songs. It includes a bonus disc which features songs from several bands signed to Carley Coma's label C.O.M.A., as well as two songs from Ghosts of the Canal.
2002 - The C.O.M.A. Imprint (Lakeshore)
Sirens
Candiria Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Calling. Haunting every breathe.
Oh the dark embrace.
The tide that pulls you under.
She entices, with hands around my neck.
Lift me up, to throw me on the floor
Save yourself. Your end will surely come.
Take your prescription filled with violence.
Swallow, serpents in your mouth,
Go and kiss the lie. The crimson sky is falling.
I'm warning you, poison on her breath.
Lift me up, to throw me on the floor.
Save yourself, your end will surely come.
Down your throat. She'll watch you come undone.
I will cut myself from the vine.
Come undone in all you are.
Come undone in all you are.
Touch the crooked spine.
She wears her scars so well.
Sulfur on her lips, drawing vinegar from her well.
And from this a storm descend.
Your strength will fade again.
Save yourself, your end will surely come.
Do your throat. She'll watch you come undone.
Undone.
The lyrics to the song Sirens by Candiria are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. At its core, the song seems to be about succumbing to one's inner demons and the destructive influence they can have. The siren in the song is a metaphorical representation of these forces, both alluring and dangerous. The opening lines, "Siren, dwelling on the inside. Calling. Haunting every breath," suggest that this internal struggle is the main focus of the song. The siren's call is seductive, but ultimately leads to a dark embrace, pulling the singer under.
The chorus of the song provides a more specific picture of the siren's influence. "Lift me up, to throw me on the floor. Save yourself. Your end will surely come. Down your throat. She'll watch you come undone." Here, the siren is depicted as lifting the singer up and then casting them down, as if toying with them. The warning to "save yourself" suggests a sense of self-preservation, but in the end, the siren will watch as the singer comes undone.
The second verse of the song continues this theme, with references to violence, poison, and self-harm. "Take your prescription filled with violence. Swallow, serpents in your mouth, Go and kiss the lie. The crimson sky is falling. I'm warning you, poison on her breath." The siren's influence is becoming more sinister and destructive, with the crimson sky indicating a kind of bloodshed or violence. The singer is warned of the poison on the siren's breath, but it seems they may be powerless to resist her call.
Line by Line Meaning
Siren, dwelling on the inside.
The singer is haunted by temptation, represented by a siren. This temptation is within them, causing internal conflict.
Calling. Haunting every breath.
The siren's call is constant, a nagging presence that the singer can't ignore.
Oh the dark embrace.
The siren's temptation is alluring, despite its dark nature.
The tide that pulls you under.
The siren's call is like an ocean current, dragging the artist into deeper waters.
She entices, with hands around my neck.
The siren's temptation is suffocating and dangerous, like hands around the artist's neck.
Lift me up, to throw me on the floor
The singer feels manipulated and used by the siren's temptation.
Save yourself. Your end will surely come.
The singer recognizes the danger of succumbing to temptation, with the potential for a negative, destructive outcome.
Down your throat. She'll watch you come undone.
The siren's temptation acts like poison, destroying the artist from within.
Take your prescription filled with violence.
The artist may turn to destructive or self-destructive behavior to cope with their internal struggles.
Swallow, serpents in your mouth,
This destructive behavior only leads to more problems, like taking poisonous serpents into one's mouth.
Go and kiss the lie. The crimson sky is falling.
The singer is warned against indulging in the siren's temptation, as it will only lead to a negative outcome.
I'm warning you, poison on her breath.
The siren represents danger, luring the artist closer with a toxic influence.
I will cut myself from the vine.
The singer recognizes the need to break away from the siren's influence.
Come undone in all you are.
The singer recognizes the need to face their internal struggles and vulnerabilities.
Touch the crooked spine.
The singer recognizes the need to face their pain and the source of their struggles.
She wears her scars so well.
The siren represents pain and struggle, and it is apparent in their appearance.
Sulfur on her lips, drawing vinegar from her well.
The siren represents the danger and poison that comes from indulging in negative thoughts and behaviors.
And from this a storm descend.
The singer recognizes that indulging in destructive behaviors will only lead to chaos and turmoil.
Your strength will fade again.
The singer recognizes that indulging in destructive behaviors will only weaken them in the long run.
Save yourself, your end will surely come.
The artist is warned once again against the dangers of succumbing to temptation.
Do your throat. She'll watch you come undone.
The siren's temptation will only lead to the artist's self-destruction.
Undone.
The artist will unravel if they continue down the path of destructive behaviors and succumb to the siren's temptation.
Contributed by London N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.