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.
Gusano
Criminal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A shape without a form
A life locked senselessly
A brain that's dead and gone
Waiting on the bottom
The key to your release
The dose fits your dependency
Sliming through your teeth
It's up to you
He's talking
And tells you what to do
Ride the worm
Ride the worm
Double blurred vision
Distorted point of view
Shedding inhibitions
Tomorrow's back and blue
Driven by aggression
When the worms is by your side
Leading you to outlive
The things that you'll deny
Infectious
Cause of your kind
Obnoxious
The mirror of your mind
Incoming
It's up to you
He's laughing
And leaves you when you're through
Ride the worm
Ride the worm
In the song "Gusano" by Criminal, the lyrics depict the gradual descent into depression and addiction. The singer of the song is lost in his thoughts with no clear direction or form, which implies that he is completely overwhelmed by his problems. The lines "A life locked senselessly, A brain that's dead and gone" signify the singer's struggle with feeling stuck and his inability to think straight. He is waiting to be freed from this cycle of addiction, but it seems that the only thing that can set him free is a drug dose that keeps him dependent on it. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has come to rely on someone else to guide him through his addiction as he cannot do it himself.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the person he has come to rely on is feeding off his addiction and using it against him. The interaction between the two is portrayed in the lines "He's talking, and tells you what to do," and "He's laughing and leaves you when you're through." The song essentially warns about the dangers of addiction, how it can lead a person to become dependent on someone who will only use them for their benefit. This is summarized in the chorus, "Ride the worm, ride the worm," which could be a metaphor for the downward spiral of addiction and reliance on someone else who is feeding off of it.
Line by Line Meaning
Crawling through depression
Moving slowly through a state of deep sadness
A shape without a form
An undefined existence
A life locked senselessly
A meaningless and purposeless life
A brain that's dead and gone
A mind that has lost its ability to think and reason
Waiting on the bottom
Stuck in a place of hopelessness and despair
The key to your release
The solution that can free you from your troubles
The dose fits your dependency
The substance you crave is the perfect match for your addiction
Sliming through your teeth
Lying and deceiving others to satisfy your urges
Incoming
Something is about to happen
It's up to you
The decision is yours to make
He's talking
The voice of the addiction is whispering in your ear
And tells you what to do
It's dictating your actions
Ride the worm
Give in to the addiction
Ride the worm
Let the addiction take over
Double blurred vision
Seeing things from a distorted perspective
Distorted point of view
A twisted way of looking at things
Shedding inhibitions
Losing one's inhibitions and self-control
Tomorrow's back and blue
Consequences will follow
Driven by aggression
Motivated by anger and hostility
When the worms is by your side
When the addiction has taken hold
Leading you to outlive
Guiding you towards a life of denial and addiction
The things that you'll deny
Refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by the addiction
Infectious
Spreading like a disease
Cause of your kind
A result of your addiction
Obnoxious
Offensive and unpleasant
The mirror of your mind
Reflecting the damage caused by the addiction
He's laughing
The addiction is enjoying the hold it has over you
And leaves you when you're through
Abandoning you once it has taken everything
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.