Chiodos was formed at the Flint Local 432, a small venue in downtown Flint, Michigan and Olde Jamestowne Hall in Saginaw, Michigan. The band is known for their on-stage performances which include controlled, high-pitched vocals from former lead singer, Craig Owens. Craig Owens has cited lead singer of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc. fame, Mike Patton as one of his greatest influences saying, "I only wish I could be as good as him."
Their debut album, All's Well That Ends Well (Equal Vision Records) was released on July 26, 2005. It reached #3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and #164 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. While their sophomore album, Bone Palace Ballet reached the number 5 spot on the Billboard 200. The band's albums and live performances have garnered praise from press outlets.
Chiodos headlined some shows on their own before joining Alternative Press's 2006 "Invisible Sideshow" tour, headlined by Armor for Sleep. Following that tour, they supported Matchbook Romance on the Sub City "Take Action" tour in Spring 2006. That summer, they toured with Fear Before the March of Flames, as well as appearing on the Warped Tour.In fall 2006, Chiodos appeared on Atreyu's World Championship Tour, alongside From First to Last and Every Time I Die, as well as 3 and 36 Crazyfists.
Chiodos has had several scuffs with those in the music industry, most notably Steven Smith of Steven's Untitled Rock Show, Andy Williams of Every Time I Die, and HORSE The Band.
In 2005, Chiodos independently made a video for the song "All Nereids Beware." The video consists of the band playing the rare pre-All's Well That Ends Well version of the song in a parking lot.
In 2006, Chiodos made videos for "One Day Women Will All Become Monsters" and "Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek". The "Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek" video was included on the 2006 re-issue of All's Well That Ends Well, which added a DVD and three acoustic tracks to the 2005 release.
A video for "Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot With A Monkey Face)" was made which premiered world wide on April 2, 2008 on the social network MySpace. This was the first single of their sophomore album, "Bone Palace Ballet". Chiodos' drummer, Derrick Frost has stated in an interview that the band was disappointed in the final result of the music video, saying
"Well, usually there are different people who throw out ideas and we go through them and add in our own suggestions but that video definitely didn’t turn out like we wanted it to turn out, like at all. We’re pretty disappointed with it. We never get a video where we’re all like “This is amazing!” And that’s what every band wants, to have an amazing video because that can push your career and your band so far. And we haven’t gotten that yet so it’s kind of frustrating. It’s just like so much money that we spent on this for no reason. No one’s going to play it; it’s not getting played at all."
On September 16, 2008, Chiodos teamed up with acclaimed director Darren Doane and The Crofoot Ballroom to shoot a video for "The Undertaker's Thirst For Revenge Is Unquenchable (The Final Battle)" in downtown Pontiac, MI. The video was released on December 20, 2008.
On September 24, 2010, it was announced that Craig Owens was no longer the singer of Chiodos.
On February 8, 2010, Brandon Bolmer (Yesterdays Rising) was confirmed as the new lead singer for Chiodos; he performed vocals on the band's third studio album, Illuminaudio.
Craig Owens later returned for the band's fourth studio album, Devil, but Chiodos disbanded before recording any more material.
Caves
Chiodos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's do or die, fight or flight
Do you want to feel alive? (Feel alive)
So would you play a game of
Russian roulette to save your life?
Are you in?
Are you in?
And wonder what could've been?
Don't be afraid,
Don't ever be afraid
Oh, you've been hiding
You've been hiding
You've been hiding in the shadows
When you're afraid,
When you're afraid
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out of there
When you're afraid,
When you're afraid
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out
You're trapped in a cave, confined
Falling back to the comfort of your world
The last time you walked away from this,
You were looking back to see what you missed
'Cause you're afraid,
When you're afraid,
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out of there
'Cause you're afraid,
When you're afraid,
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out
Take a chance,
Take a breath,
Take a shot with a gun to your head
Take a chance,
Take a breath,
Take a shot like the gun is to your head
Like the gun is to your head
'Cause you're afraid,
When you're afraid,
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out of there.
When you're afraid,
When you're afraid,
Take a chance,
Don't let it weigh you down
You gotta get out
Stop hiding in the shadows
The lyrics to Chiodos's song "Caves" are about taking risks and being afraid to take those risks. The song opens with the question of whether the listener is ready to take a chance and risk it all. The chorus then poses the question of whether they would play Russian roulette to save their life. The theme of risk-taking continues throughout the song as the verses repeat the idea of taking a chance and not letting fear weigh you down.
The metaphor of a cave is used to represent the comfort of staying in one's own world and not taking risks. The lyrics urge the listener to get out of the cave and not hide in the shadows. The bridge encourages the listener to take a breath and take a shot with the gun to their head, metaphorically meaning that they should take the risk even if it feels like a life or death situation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Caves" are a call to action for the listener to take risks and not let fear hold them back. The song encourages the listener to step out of their comfort zone and take a chance, even if it means risking it all.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you ready to take a chance and risk it all?
Are you willing to put everything on the line and face the consequences of your actions?
It's do or die, fight or flight
You must either succeed or fail, fight to win or run away from the risk.
Do you want to feel alive? (Feel alive)
Do you desire to experience life with intensity and enthusiasm?
So would you play a game of Russian roulette to save your life?
Are you brave enough to take a huge risk, even if it means risking your own life?
Are you in?
Are you willing to take this leap of faith?
Or will you flee to safety And wonder what could've been?
Will you choose to play it safe and remain in your comfort zone, always pondering about missed opportunities?
Don't be afraid, Don't ever be afraid
Do not be fearful, do not allow fear to stop you from taking chances.
Oh, you've been hiding You've been hiding You've been hiding in the shadows
You have been living in the background, avoiding risks and hiding from opportunities.
When you're afraid, When you're afraid Take a chance, Don't let it weigh you down You gotta get out of there
When you are frightened, take a risk, do not let fear hinder you, you need to emerge from your hiding spot.
You're trapped in a cave, confined Falling back to the comfort of your world The last time you walked away from this, You were looking back to see what you missed
You are stuck in your own personal cave, unwilling to leave your comfort zone, and the last time you tried, you regretted it.
'Cause you're afraid, When you're afraid, Take a chance, Don't let it weigh you down You gotta get out of there 'Cause you're afraid, When you're afraid, Take a chance, Don't let it weigh you down You gotta get out
You must take a leap of faith even though you're scared; do not allow fear to keep you down, you must escape your prison.
Take a chance, Take a breath, Take a shot with a gun to your head Take a chance, Take a breath, Take a shot like the gun is to your head Like the gun is to your head
You must be bold, relax, and take action, put everything on the line as if you were playing a game of Russian roulette.
Stop hiding in the shadows
Stop avoiding taking risks and hiding, it's time to step into the light and take chances.
Lyrics © SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: MCMAHON CARPENTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephanwilliams9622
2023 here...Illuminaudio is still their best album.
@quantumdigital1404
Just checking back in almost ten years later. Song's still great.
@eternalrxst2090
same, and agreed
@JordyFern
His screaming is so tasty!
@andrewwest6560
Amazing album. Wish this type of music made a resurgence again. Atleast as popular as it used to be
@solarjahra3784
Scary kids scary kids 🧬💯💖💖🙏
@etzioschmetzio2168
Still banging my head!
@trottingfoxinc
The fact that this song, no, actually this whole ALBUM has held up better than almost anything else from this era/genre is a testament to how next level these guys actually were in this iteration. Masterclass-level stuff.
@Inferiis
I disagree. I still love Alesana from this era (The Emptiness)
edit: now that I think about it, every 2000s metalcore and the not so cheesy post hardcore is still good
@Nesquick1121
you gotta be trolling the first Album was 1000x Illuminaudio lol