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
Shadowlands
Dismember Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hiding behind the light
Who'll pay for their crimes
Will you die for their lies
The star and the crescent moon
Symbol of slavery
Soaked in blood
Throughout history
Fanatical minds
Enforce the way and law
Pound the weak into submission
Forced into misery
Betrayed by their leaders
They're sent out to die
On blood-drenched fields
All praise Allah
Deadly, Opium for the mind
It dulls the senses and kills the soul
Garbage, Holy verses of the Koran
Justify their war on other lands
No fear of dying martyrdom awaits
It's easier to die than to live
The lyrics to Dismember's song Shadowlands revolve around the idea of religious fanaticism and the harm it can inflict upon individuals and society as a whole. The opening lines "who watches the watchers, hiding behind the light" insinuates the concept of corruption within religious leadership, those who appear pious and righteous may actually have a darker agenda. The lyrics then proceed to point out the atrocities committed in the name of religion such as the symbol of the star and crescent moon being represented as a symbol of slavery, stained with blood throughout history. The following lines remark on how fanatical minds enforce their laws on others, forcing the weaker ones into submission and misery, while being betrayed by their leaders who send them to die in blood-drenched fields.
The chorus of "all praise Allah" is described as pure opium for the mind. It encourages people to die for the religion and dulls their senses and kills the soul, leading them towards the path of martyrdom. The song also touches on the idea of how religious texts can be manipulated to further the agenda of people in power. The Holy verses of the Koran justify their war on other lands, leading to the destruction of countless innocent lives. The last line, "it's easier to die than to live" concerns the martyr mentality that the individuals committing these atrocities hold, believing that dying for their religion brings them closer to salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Who watches the watchers
Who supervises those in power to ensure they do not abuse it
Hiding behind the light
Concealing their true intentions and actions behind a facade of righteousness
Who'll pay for their crimes
Who bears the responsibility for the crimes committed by those in power
Will you die for their lies
Will you sacrifice yourself for the falsehoods propagated by those in power
The star and the crescent moon
The symbol of the Islamic faith
Symbol of slavery
Used by oppressors to justify their enslavement and subjugation of others
Soaked in blood
Associated with violence and bloodshed throughout history
Throughout history
Over the course of time
Fanatical minds
Individuals with extreme and uncompromising views
Enforce the way and law
Imposing their beliefs and rules on others through force
Pound the weak into submission
Using their strength and brutality to subdue and control those who are vulnerable
Forced into misery
Compelled to endure a life of suffering and hardship
Betrayed by their leaders
Tricked or deceived by those in power who were supposed to protect and serve them
They're sent out to die
Forced to fight in conflicts in which they are likely to be killed
On blood-drenched fields
In places where there has been a great deal of death and suffering
All praise Allah
A common expression of devotion and gratitude to God within the Islamic faith
Deadly, Opium for the mind
Something addictive and destructive that undermines one's ability to think clearly
It dulls the senses and kills the soul
It numbs one's awareness and destroys one's sense of self
Garbage, Holy verses of the Koran
Criticizing the use of religious texts to justify violence and oppression
Justify their war on other lands
Provide a rationale for military aggression against other nations
No fear of dying martyrdom awaits
Encouraging individuals to seek glory in death rather than in life
It's easier to die than to live
It is simpler or more appealing to give up on life than to persevere through its challenges
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID SVEN BLOMQVIST, FREDERIK JOHN ESTBY, MATTI JOHANI KARKI, ROBERT CURT SENNEBACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind