Originally signed to Chris Parry's Fiction Records, the band released Disco Rigido in the late 1980s (distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records), which featured "Welcome To America", "Land of the Free" and "I've Got To Make Sense". Though the album falls solidly into the EBM genre, it contains hints of the experimentation and genre-bending that later recordings would feature (e.g. "Y Tagata en Situ").
A second album, Big Electric Metal Bass Face, built on the foundation laid with Disco Rigido and upped the ante with excursions into funk (listen to "Funkopolis" as well as the live take of "Coming Down"). Contributors to the band at the time included Chris Vrenna and James Woolley, who both served time in Nine Inch Nails during the mid-Nineties.
Marcus and Christie then teamed up with Jane Jensen to form Oxygiene 23, and released an album ("Blue") on Fifth Column Records.
Engine, a 1995 release on WaxTrax!, was a huge jump forward and found critical acclaim for its decimation of genre boundaries. Die Warzau could no longer be simply pigeonholed into the "industrial" category, as their music became more organic, rounder on the edges yet still retaining their trademark knack for insistent rhythm and pure, unrefined electronic noise. "Liberated" and "All Good Girls" became trademark songs for the group. Fellow WaxTrax! act Sister Machine Gun "inherited" an unused song from this period ("Hole In the Ground"), which they included on their Burn album.
Die Warzau as a group then went on hiatus for a number of years, with Marcus and Christie working on other projects--Jim Marcus founded the pure funk group Everplastic while Van Christie worked on Eco-Hed.
By 2005, though, the duo had reconvened and released Convenience (on their Chicago-based Pulseblack Records). A continuation of the path they started on with Engine, songs like "Radiation Babies", "Kleen" and "Linoleum" further blur any genre lines and leave something truly original. More output is expected from the group in 2006, including a collaboration with funk pioneer George Clinton.
Glare
Die Warzau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No, don't stop me
Let me continue
We spin too fast as we enter into this new venue
I'm looking back at the TV
Stepping back as it puts off a real heat
From buildings burning
People dying
Who watch the watchers, leaders
Leading men into destruction
Seeks out their god to save them
But he's the one
Who wrote the instructions
Don't think I like this station
Look in my eyes
Can't you see the frustration
Stare into the television guide
Every single day
Is it me or the way I comb my hair
Is it me or the kind of clothes I wear
Is it me who looks so ugly
Possibly if I wear some shades
It'll stop the glare
Outside my bedroom window
Holiest sounds of children's play
People get slayed every six seconds of every day
I hear some woman praying
In her arms her only son is laying
In a puddle of blood
It’s senseless
While bombs rip apart the defenseless
Who builds the bombs that shatter
Children’s arms and what does it matter
We focus on the now
Remind ourselves We are right
In Die Warzau's song Glare, the singer is observing the chaos and destruction of the world outside his bedroom window, and expresses his frustration at the senseless violence and lies spread by those in power. He looks back at the television, which emits a real heat, almost as if the violence and destruction are palpable. He questions the leaders and those in power, wondering who is watching them and leading them into destruction. The singer even questions himself, wondering if his appearance or actions contribute to the violence around him. However, he ultimately realizes that the issue lies with those who perpetuate the violence and destruction.
The lyrics of Glare are powerful in their commentary on the state of the world, particularly in regards to war and violence. The line about people getting "slayed every six seconds of every day" is a stark reminder of the constant violence that occurs, often ignored or minimized by those in power. The singer's frustration and helplessness are palpable, as he questions who is responsible for the destruction and why it continues to occur.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside my bedroom window
The setting of the song is outside the singer's bedroom window.
No, don't stop me
The singer asks to continue expressing themselves.
Let me continue
The singer wants to keep talking about a topic.
We spin too fast as we enter into this new venue
As society progresses, things are moving too quickly.
I'm looking back at the TV
The singer looks at previous moments in time reflected on TV.
Stepping back as it puts off a real heat
The TV reflects the heat of past events.
From buildings burning
Buildings have been set on fire.
People dying
People are losing their lives.
Some official lying
An authority figure is being dishonest.
Who watch the watchers, leaders
Who monitors those in power?
Leading men into destruction
Men are being led down the path of destruction.
Seeks out their god to save them
Those in danger reach out to God for help.
But he's the one
God is the one responsible.
Who wrote the instructions
God set the rules.
Don't think I like this station
The singer dislikes this state of affairs.
Look in my eyes
The singer is trying to convey a message through their eyes.
Can't you see the frustration
The singer is frustrated and wants others to see that.
Stare into the television guide
The singer studies the TV schedule.
Every single day
This is a daily occurrence.
Is it me or the way I comb my hair
The singer questions whether their appearance matters.
Is it me or the kind of clothes I wear
The singer questions whether their attire matters.
Is it me who looks so ugly
The singer is questioning if their physical appearance is the issue.
Possibly if I wear some shades
The singer suggests wearing sunglasses could help.
It'll stop the glare
Wearing sunglasses could block out the bright light.
Holiest sounds of children's play
Children are playing, creating innocent sounds.
People get slayed every six seconds of every day
People are being killed every 6 seconds of every day.
I hear some woman praying
The singer hears a woman praying.
In her arms her only son is laying
The woman holds her dying son.
In a puddle of blood
The child is lying in a pool of their own blood.
It’s senseless
The violent act is pointless.
While bombs rip apart the defenseless
Innocent people are being killed by bombs.
Who builds the bombs that shatter
Who is responsible for creating the bombs that destroy lives?
Children’s arms and what does it matter
Even children are being harmed and nobody seems to care.
We focus on the now
Rather than the bigger picture, people only care about the present moment.
Remind ourselves We are right
People remain convinced that they are in the right, despite evidence to the contrary.
Contributed by Amelia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.