In 1991, Dismember made headlining news in the UK for having a song called "Skin Her Alive" on their "Like An Ever Flowing Stream" debut. Accordingly, while authorities were inspecting Nuclear Blast packages for any "obscene" material under the newly passed Obscene Publications Act. In short, this was taken to court and Plastic Head (the company responsible for distributing their CD's) won the court case and was awarded money where the Dismember record was deemed neither "pornographic, obscene or indecent".
Richard Cabeza was removed from the band due to distance issues. Richard went down to Texas during the recording of "Where Ironcrosses Grow" because that is where his wife lives and she was pregnant at the time. Cabeza and his wife planned on moving back to Sweden and having the baby born there. For some reason, Swedish immigration would not allow it. The distance became an issue for the band, and Richard Cabeza was replaced by Johan Bergebäck.
According an interview, the band had originally used multiple band names, one of them was Asphyxiator; Nicke Andersson came up with the name Dismemberizer, but as the name didn't fit on the first demo, the band settled on Dismember.
The band's logo was created by Nicke Andersson, drummer of Entombed and Nihilist.
Past Members:
Drums - Fred Estby
Guitar - Robert Sennebäck (Vocals 1988-1989)
Bass - Richard Cabeza
Guitar - Magnus Sahlgren
Bass - Johan Bergebäck
Bass - Erik Gustafsson
Line-up at time of split:
Drums - Thomas Daun
Bass - Tobias Cristiansson
Rhythm Guitar - Martin Persson
Lead Guitar - David Blomqvist (Bass from 1989-1990)
Vocals - Matti Kärki
Legion
Dismember Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A vast empire ruled with iron hand
Peace through war, not with alive branch
Join or die submissionthe only chance
Ready shield and sword against barbaric hordes
Fear the Praetorian Guard, Emperor's elite
Military might enslave the free
Lay down your banners at your feet
Through conquest we bring you peace
Ruthlessly crush opposition
We are the masters of oppression
We march we bleed
We crucified your Christ
We siege, we conquer violently
We are
the Legion
The lyrics to Dismember's song Legion describe the power and brutality of an empire that ruled with an iron hand, using military might to conquer and oppress those who opposed them. The first two lines of the song set the tone and establish the broad scope of this empire, which spans from the "cold north" to the "scorching desert sands." The next two lines highlight the empire's approach to achieving peace, which is not through diplomacy or negotiation (represented by the "alive branch"), but through forcing others to submit or face death.
The rest of the song continues to emphasize the empire's military prowess and their willingness to use it to crush any opposition. The Praetorian Guard, which was the Emperor's elite and most trusted soldiers, were feared for their power and brutality. The lyrics also reference the empire's incorporation of previously free peoples into their tyranny, with the line "Military might enslave the free."
Overall, the song showcases the oppressive nature of this imperial power and the brutal means they used to maintain their dominance.
Line by Line Meaning
From cold north to scorching desert sands
No matter the environment, the empire maintained control
A vast empire ruled with iron hand
The empire was powerful and oppressive
Peace through war, not with alive branch
The only way to achieve peace was through conquest and domination
Join or die submissionthe only chance
The empire demanded complete obedience or death
Ready shield and sword against barbaric hordes
The empire was always prepared for battle against perceived enemies
Fear the Praetorian Guard, Emperor's elite
The emperor's elite force was to be feared and revered
Military might enslave the free
The military was used to enslave and oppress the people
Incorporation into tyranny
Inclusion into the empire meant being subjected to their oppressive rule
Lay down your banners at your feet
Surrender and submit to the empire's authority
Through conquest we bring you peace
The only way for the empire to bring peace was through forcing their rule
Ruthlessly crush opposition
All forms of opposition were met with brutal force
We are the masters of oppression
The empire prided themselves in their ability to oppress and control others
We march we bleed
The empire was always prepared to fight and lose lives for the sake of their power
We crucified your Christ
The empire took great pride in their brutality, even to a religious figure like Jesus
We siege, we conquer violently
The empire was known for their violent methods of conquering and taking control
We are the Legion, we bring the fall of civilization.
The empire is a destructive force that will ultimately lead to the collapse of society
Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.