1) Formed in 1991… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists with the name Criminal.
1) Formed in 1991 in Santiago, Chile, Criminal’s intense blend of thrash metal, death metal and hardcore made them rise quickly to the forefront of the thriving South American metal scene.
After releasing two demos that created a buzz in the South American and worldwide metal underground and supporting bands such as Kreator and Sepultura, Criminal signed a deal with major label BMG. Their first two albums, “Victimized” (1994) and “Dead Soul” (1996), went on to sell in excess of 10,000 copies each in their home country alone whilst the band enjoyed extensive video airplay on MTV Latino, touring most of the subcontinent including support slots with heavyweights such as Slayer, Exodus, Motörhead and Bruce Dickinson. The video clip for the song “Collide” (off the album “Dead Soul”) was nominated in the “Best Rock Video” category for the MTV Latino Video Music Awards, and Criminal played in front of over 50,000 people at Colombia’s prestigious Rock al Parque festival.
In 1998 Criminal embarked on their first ever US tour, taking part in the famed Milwaukee Metal Fest as well as supporting the likes of Testament, The Haunted and Overkill at selected club shows.
Upon their return from the US and being forced to part ways with the semi-bankrupt Chilean BMG branch, Criminal took matters into their own hands releasing the self-produced “Cancer” album (1999). Just like their previous output “Dead Soul”, “Cancer” was snapped up for the European market by Metal Blade Records, being greeted with an overwhelming response from both metal press and fans.
Frustrated with the state of the South American music scene, the creative core of the band (guitarist/vocalist Anton Reisenegger and guitarist Rodrigo Contreras) relocated to Europe in 2001, soon regrouping in a half-Chilean, half-British line-up with drummer Zac O’Neil (ex-Extreme Noise Terror) and Robin Eaglestone (ex-Cradle of Filth). The line-up also featured additional keyboards by Mark Royce. One of the band’s first live appearances on European soil was at Wacken Open Air, where they played one of the main stages to an enthusiastic crowd despite the early hour.
Criminal soon released the album “No Gods No Masters” (2004), a boldly experimental affair which reflected changes the band had been through in recent times, resulting in extreme, genre-bending songs. Bass duties on “No Gods” were handled by both guitarists, as Eaglestone had been ousted due to personal and business differences.
After touring Europe supporting Six Feet Under, Criminal returned to the four-piece format and the visceral thrash riffs of their early days to release “Sicario” (2005), their most accomplished piece of work to date, only a year after “No Gods”. Featuring original bass player Juan Cueto to temporarily replace the departed Eaglestone, “Sicario” was hailed by the metal press as one of the year’s top thrash albums, being voted by the readers of Terrorizer magazine into the Top Ten Albums of the Year. Criminal played successful shows in support of their new release, opening shows for acts like Chimaira, Brujeria and Lamb of God, as well as taking part in several festivals in Mainland Europe.
With a new line-up featuring Reisenegger, Contreras, O’Neil and new addition Dan Biggin (bass), Criminal released their new album 'White Hell' on 27th February 2009.
2) Criminal is an Ambient and Wave producer releasing "psychoactive recordings" on Delysid.
3) Criminal is a podcast about crime.
4) Criminal is a rock band from the 80s, featuring Patty Zander.
Downwards
Criminal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of souls that bleed
A frozen view
Of the decaying breed
Life has become
A sad joke
A game of fools
(Chorus)
Downwards
On it goes
A mindless race
To nowhere
On it goes
The ground is burning
Heaven is red
The blood is flowing
The seas are dead
Bizarre landscape
By a maniac God
Chaos reigning
As time runs out
(chorus)
Self proclamed deity
Drowning in insanity
Descending spiral agony
Endless hole of misery
Dreams of immortality
Shattered by reality
Silence gonna fill the air
Louder than life itself
Sinking into
A certain doom
The cradle of life becomes
A bloody tomb
(chorus)
The lyrics in Criminal's song "Downwards" paint a dark and ominous picture of a world in decay. The opening lines describe "maddened eyes of souls that bleed" and a "frozen view of the decaying breed," giving the impression of a society consumed by violence and despair. The next verse implies that life has become a "sad joke" and a "game of fools," suggesting that humanity has lost its way and is spiraling out of control. The chorus repeats the word "downwards," emphasizing the downward trajectory of this society and the sense that there is no way to reverse course.
The second half of the song offers vivid, apocalyptic imagery to further drive home the sense of impending doom. We hear of a burning ground, blood flowing, and dead seas - all signs that the very foundations of life are breaking down. The bizarre landscape and maniacal God described suggest that there is no rhyme or reason to this destruction, only chaos. The third verse describes a self-proclaimed deity descending into insanity, a reflection of the idea that even those in power are not immune to the madness.
The final verse brings the song to a close by painting a picture of people sinking into doom and the cradle of life becoming a "bloody tomb." There is a sense of inevitability in these lyrics - that this world is approaching its end, and that there is no hope for salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Maddened eyes
Eyes that are crazed and out of control
Of souls that bleed
Belonging to people who are hurting and suffering
A frozen view
A perspective that is stuck in place and unchanging
Of the decaying breed
Of a dying and deteriorating group of people or things
Life has become
What was once living and vibrant has turned into something else
A sad joke
A mockery of what was originally intended
A game of fools
A pointless activity being pursued by people who are ignorant or foolish
A drowning stone
Something that is sinking lower and lower, unable to escape its inevitable fate
Downwards
Descending, moving further down
On it goes
Continuing, persisting without end
A mindless race
A pointless and unthinking competition being pursued by people
To nowhere
Leading to no meaningful destination or goal
The ground is burning
The earth is being destroyed and consumed by flames
Heaven is red
The concept of an afterlife or higher realm is being colored by bloodshed and violence
The blood is flowing
Life force is being spilt and wasted
The seas are dead
The bodies of water once filled with life are now lifeless
Bizarre landscape
An unusual and unsettling environment
By a maniac God
Controlled by a supernatural force that is not benevolent
Chaos reigning
Disorder and confusion are the ruling powers
As time runs out
With time quickly running out before everything fades to nothing
Self proclaimed deity
Someone declaring themselves to be a god or godlike figure
Drowning in insanity
Overwhelmed by crazy, illogical thoughts and actions
Descending spiral agony
Sinking further and further into pain and suffering
Endless hole of misery
A bottomless pit of sadness and despair
Dreams of immortality
Desires to live forever or be remembered forever
Shattered by reality
Crushed by the harsh truth of what is really happening
Silence gonna fill the air
A quiet, still atmosphere will pervade
Louder than life itself
More overwhelming than anything that has come before
Sinking into
Falling into a deep hole, unable to climb back out
A certain doom
An inevitable and unavoidable ending
The cradle of life becomes
The nurturing home of existence turns into
A bloody tomb
A place of death and despair, colored with blood
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.