Cianide is an American Death/Doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois, founde… Read Full Bio ↴Cianide is an American Death/Doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1988.

History:
The band was founded in 1988 by vocalist and bassist Mike Perun and guitarist Scott Carroll. It was followed by the first two demos Funeral and Second Life before Jeff Kabella came to the band as a new drummer. This was followed by Grind Core International's debut album The Dying Truth in 1992, followed in 1994 by A Descent Into Hell. This included a cover version of Slaughter's Death Dealer. After drummer Kabella was replaced by Andy Kuizin, the band went to the studio in late 1995 to record the demo Rage War, which was released in 1996 and later re-released on Cyronics Records. The following year, the next album appeared Death, Doom, and Destruction, where Jim Bresnahan was included as a second guitarist. About Merciless Records followed in 2000, the album Divide and Conquer. Then Bresnahan left the band again, causing the group shrunk back to a trio. In 2005 followed the next album Hell's Rebirth, which was followed by the 2011 album Gods of Death.

Style:
According to Allmusic, groups like Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Venom and Death heavily influenced the band. According to Metal Hammer's Gregor Arndt, the band plays on A Descent into Hell's old-school Death Metal, with the music "as up-to-date and original as Hellhammer would be in 1994." According to Robert Müller of the Metal Hammer, the band plays on Hell's Rebirth classic Death Metal, with Cianide repeatedly slipping into Doom Metal.

Darkness
Cianide Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Watch the portals seal to black as the mind decays
Tensions build to forlorn belief as desperation remains
Sadness then becomes the only ally
Falsified dreams turned melancholy
Fear flows through my veins as I bow down to the earth
Offering gifts of penance, my thoughts are reconciled

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Cianide's song Darkness delve into the theme of despair and the decay of the human mind. The opening line, "Watch the portals seal to black as the mind decays," refers to the gradual deterioration of the singer's psyche, which is highlighted by the use of the word "portals" that symbolize the gateway to the mind. As the mind decays, the sense of despair and hopelessness grows stronger. The feeling of desperation is so deep that it becomes the only companion of the singer, exemplified in the line "Sadness then becomes the only ally."

The singer is haunted by false dreams or delusions, which have now turned, "melancholy." These dreams were probably the source of his or her hope, but they have been proven unattainable. The feeling of fear permeates through the singer's veins as he or she humbly bows down to the earth, seeking to offer gifts of penance. The singer's thoughts are reconciled with his or her self, as the line suggests, "my thoughts are reconciled." Overall, the song lyrics deal with a somber theme of the decay of human psyche, despair and hopelessness, and the feeling of fear.

Line by Line Meaning

Watch the portals seal to black as the mind decays
As my mental state deteriorates, I can see my opportunities vanish before my eyes.

Tensions build to forlorn belief as desperation remains
As I struggle with despair, I find myself losing faith in hope.

Sadness then becomes the only ally
As I face my problems alone, sadness is the only emotion that I can relate to.

Falsified dreams turned melancholy
The dreams I once had are now nothing but illusions, causing me great sadness.

Fear flows through my veins as I bow down to the earth
As I submit to my fears, I feel as though I am powerless and have no control over my life.

Offering gifts of penance, my thoughts are reconciled
I try to make up for my past mistakes by giving something back and thus bringing peace to my mind.

Contributed by David V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS