Dry Cell was an American nu metal band formed in 1998 in Sunset Strip, CA u… Read Full Bio ↴Dry Cell was an American nu metal band formed in 1998 in Sunset Strip, CA under the name Beyond Control. Since then the band changed its name twice (the second name was Impur) and released two albums - Disconnected (2002) and The Dry Cell Collection (2010).

Members:
Jeff Gutt – vocals
Danny Hartwell – guitar
Judd Gruenbaum – bass, backup vocals
Brandon Brown – drums

History.
1. Dry Cell's formation.
Part of the band formed in 1998 when guitarist Danny Hartwell and drummer Brandon Brown met at the Ratt Show on the Sunset Strip. They later met up with then-vocalist Judd Gruenbaum. The original name of the band was "Beyond Control".
After forming, the band caught the attention of Warner Brothers' Jeff Blue, an A&R Executive responsible for discovering Linkin Park. He later signed the band to a development deal, and found a new lead singer for the band in Jeff Gutt from Detroit.
In an interview with the website, The A&R Online, Blue described Dry Cell (at the time tentatively called "Impur") as: "they're like Metallica meets Incubus meets Linkin Park but heavier. No DJing, no rapping, very melodic and the kids are just phenomenal musicians".
Blue also goes on to tell how he discovered the band: "A friend of mine told me about the drummer who was 11 at the time and said how amazing he was. I ended up hearing a demo that wasn't very good but because I was right down the street from where they were playing I went up and saw them and was actually very impressed. I made a development deal and have now been working with them for over a year and a half. I'm with them six hours, six days a week. I have them in a rehearsal room right next to Warner Brothers".

2. The Disconnected album.
Signed to Warner Bros. Records, the band went to work recording their debut album titled Disconnected.
The 12-track album was due to be released on July 16, 2002. It was later pushed back to August 27, 2002. In the end, one of the band members father's got into a heated argument with Blue regarding the size of the band's promotion budget, the result of months of behind-the-scenes disagreement. Within 48 hours the father took his complaints to Warner, and two days later they released Dry Cell from their contract.
The only place Disconnected was ever sold at (albeit in limited quantities) was during the Locobazooka Festival in 2002. These were the final Warner pressed copies complete with artwork. On extremely rare occasions copies are sold on eBay. However, advanced copies of the album which come in a paper sleeve cover and contain different artwork, can be found more regularly.
The band always stated there was no chance of releasing the album, even if they were to sign a new record deal.
They shot a music video for their only single"Body Crumbles" from Disconnected. The song was included in the OST to the 2002 film Queen of the Damned, in the soundtrack for EA Sports Madden NFL 2003 and was featured on Rob Zombie's sampler disc Call All The Maniacs.
Dry Cell recorded a Stone Temple Pilots cover Heaven & Hot Rods which was featured on NASCAR: Crank It Up compilation.

3. After Warner Brothers.
After their departure from Warner Music, Dry Cell continued on. It was reported that a deal had signed with Epic Records in March 2003. For reasons unknown, nothing further eventuated.
In early 2004, Dave Wasierski was named as the band's new vocalist. At the time, it was reported that 8 new songs had been completed.
In 2005 vocalist Jeff Gutt re-joined the band, and they recorded four new demo tracks. The two songs released to the public were titled "New Revolution" and "The Lie". In late 2005, Danny Hartwell left the band. The group subsequently disbanded. After their split, two other tracks titled "Into Oblivion" and "Find a Way" were made available for download via their MySpace page.
During the split drummer Brandon Brown played in several bands including "Katsumoto", "Beneath the Vultures", "Live Like Were Dead", "AllurA" ,"Far From Flesh" and "Her and Her Friends" (which features Brandon on drums and vocals as well as Judd of Gruenbaum on vocals). Jeff Gutt formed Band With No Name and also sung in bands such as "Punch" and "Acrylic".
In February 2008, bassist Judd Gruenbaum noted on the bands MySpace that they have gotten back together for Guitarist Danny Hartwell's Birthday Party at The Roxy on Sunset strip. They were also recording new music according to Judd.
On December 15, 2009, Dry Cell announced through a comment left on their MySpace, that they released two full length records on iTunes, saying that one was of old songs (assumed to be Disconnected), and one was of new songs. But the songs were not found on iTunes for several days. A few days later, the Disconnected album (advance version) appeared on iTunes, with alternate cover art.
Later in January, the second album appeared on iTunes with the title "The Dry Cell Collection", which included mostly previously released material, such as "Find a Way", "Sick", "Velvet Elvis", "Grape Jelly" (retitled Living For Nothing) and several more. Four songs on the record ("The Lie [new version]", "I Deny", "Affliction", and "Tragedy") had been on the band's MySpace months before the release. So only one song off the album, entitled "So Alive", had never been released or heard before.
Both albums are currently available as Amazon MP3 downloads as well as iTunes. The albums are also available in audio CD format on Amazon.com.

http://www.myspace.com/drycell

So Alive
Dry Cell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I would take all the blame
But I don't have the strength
Do you want to know the truth?
I know that I found you black and scarred
We start again
I would not pretend that what I say and what I do
Could ever make you happy

And I know, things are never gonna be the same
With red walls

I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free
I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free

Everything is gonna change, there's nothing left to say
And if you weren't so confused, you would know it's true
We ought to start to live again instead of just pretend
That what I say and what I do could ever make you happy

And I know, things are never gonna be the same
With red walls

I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free
I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free

(Whoa!)
So don't bother, no transition
'Cause life's too short it turns out, in the end
(Whoa!)
There's no more competition and I'm too tired to try everything

I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free
I'm so alive

And I know, things are never gonna be the same
With red walls

I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life
(So alive)
I've never felt so free
I'm so alive, for the first time
(So alive)
In my life

(So alive)
I've never felt so free

Overall Meaning

The song "So Alive" by Dry Cell speaks about starting anew and embracing life after difficult times, giving importance to self-acceptance and freedom. The first two lines, "I would take all the blame but I don't have the strength, do you want to know the truth?" implies a sense of accountability and honesty. However, the singer acknowledges that his words and actions may not lead to the happiness of the other party. The lines "And if you weren't so confused, you would know it's true. We ought to start to live again instead of just pretend" suggests that there is a need for both parties to move on and live their lives honestly without pretending.

The chorus of the song repeats the lines "I'm so alive, for the first time in my life" several times, emphasizing the new start and the sense of freedom that the singer feels. The mention of "red walls" may be a reference to the obstacles the singer had to overcome before feeling alive and free. The lines "So don't bother, no transition, 'cause life's too short it turns out, in the end" implies that the singer no longer wants to dwell too much on the past and is ready to move on.

Overall, "So Alive" is a song that speaks about hope and positivity after difficult times. It encourages listeners to move on, embrace life and be true to themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

I would take all the blame
I am willing to take the responsibility for what has happened

But I don't have the strength
However, I do not have the emotional or mental capacity to handle it all myself

Do you want to know the truth?
Are you ready to hear the reality of the situation?

I know that I found you black and scarred
I understand that you were damaged and hurting when I met you

We start again
Let's begin anew and move forward

I would not pretend that what I say and what I do Could ever make you happy
I will not deceive myself that my words and actions alone could bring you joy

And I know, things are never gonna be the same With red walls
I realize that the situation has forever changed, and the past cannot be undone

I'm so alive, for the first time (So alive) In my life
I am overwhelmed with a newfound sense of vitality and excitement that I have never experienced before

(So alive) I've never felt so free
I am finally unburdened by my past and feel a sense of liberation

Everything is gonna change, there's nothing left to say
The future is uncertain, and there are no remaining words to alter it

And if you weren't so confused, you would know it's true
If you were not disoriented, you would comprehend the reality of the situation

We ought to start to live again instead of just pretend That what I say and what I do could ever make you happy
We need to stop going through the motions and start living fully. The idea that my words and actions alone could bring you joy is false

(Whoa!) So don't bother, no transition 'Cause life's too short it turns out, in the end (Whoa!) There's no more competition and I'm too tired to try everything
Life is brief, and there is no time for a transition period. There is no longer a need for competition, and I am too spent to give it my all

Contributed by Thomas W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS