At least two bands share the name Face Down.

1) Face Down (formerly … Read Full Bio ↴At least two bands share the name Face Down.

1) Face Down (formerly known as Machine God) is a post-thrash/death metal band from Sweden.

In 1993 bass player Joakim (Harju) Hedestedt and drummer Richard Bng started a band called Machine God along with guitarist Alex Linder. The band was soon joined by vocalist Marco Aro.

After the first gig in spring 1994, guitarist Joacim Carlsson (Afflicted, General Surgery) joined up and they decided to change the band name to Face Down. Later that year, Linder was replaced by Niklas Ekstrand (ex-Tiamat) due in part to his basic lack of interest. With this line up, the first demo was recorded and duplicated in over 800 copies. These were widely spread and given away and none were sent out to record companies.

Through word of mouth, the demo was picked up by Soundfront Music. After a gig in Stockholm in spring 1995 the band signed a contract with Roadrunner Records (through Soundfront Music.) That was also the last gig with Ekstrand, who didn't seem as eager to work as hard as the rest of the band, who in turn doubled their efforts in order to make a great debut album. The album "Mindfield" was recorded in summer 1995 at Soundfront Studio, with acclaimed producer Daniel Bergstrand. Shortly afterwards, Bng left the band. He was soon replaced by drummer Peter Stjrnvind (Unanimated, Merciless) and Face Down was ready for action.

After the release of "Mindfield" in January 96, the band went on an European tour supporting Napalm Death and Crowbar. Around this time the "Kill The Pain" video was shown several times on MTV's Headbangers Ball and the band also appeared in a live interview on the show. This tour also included a couple of gigs with the legendary At The Gates. The European tour was shortly followed by a co-headline tour in the UK with London thrashers Above All and culminated with a magic gig at London Astoria (Metal Hammer's 4-play Night), supporting Cathedral. Back home in Sweden, Face Down attended the awesome Hultsfred Festival and completely devastated the crowd. After lots of problems with Soundfront Records the band stood without a record deal, but was quickly signed on to Nuclear Blast Records. In Autumn of 1996 the band started to work on their second full-length record.

In February of 1997 the band entered Sunlight Studios with producer Tomas Skogsberg. A total of 15 tracks were recorded for their second release in six weeks time. Upon completion of the recording, the band submitted the masters to Nuclear Blast, who in turn, didn't accept the production. The band was forced to re-record the album at Daniel Bergstrand's Dug Out Productions studio in two weeks in July 1997. After the release of "The Twisted Rule The Wicked" in late 1997, Peter Stjrnvind left the band to join Entombed. Hkan Ericsson (from local act Godblender) was quickly brought in to replace him. Tough times lay ahead. The departure of Peter and even more problems with Nuclear Blast made the morale of the band low. The band played some local shows, got promised a couple of tours but nothing ever materialized. The band decided to set up their own tour in the territory where they were best known, the UK, along with HC band Soulquake System from Kristinehamn.

After completing the UK tour in early 1998 with Soulquake System, the band took a break for a few months. Work was resumed during autumn '98, and the band recorded a three track demo-tape at Sunlight Studio.

At this point the relationship with Nuclear Blast was disintegrating completely and further co-operation was impossible. The band once again found themselves without a record deal, with almost all material written for their third album.

In early 1999, Marco decided to leave the band as The Haunted had made him an offer he could not refuse. Face Down was at its lowest point ever. Facing a bleak future with no record label or lead vocalist, Joakim, Hkan and Joacim tried to hold on a couple of weeks but it was pointless. Face Down was dead... The remaining members went their separate ways in spring of 1999.

Over five years later Joakim (Harju) Hedestedt (who was playing base for Construcdead) felt that it was time to reunite the band. He'd heard about Marco Aro's departure from The Haunted and started making some phone calls to his old band mates. The reaction was very positive. To take on the heavy burden of drummer, Joakim asked his good friend Erik Thyselius (also of Construcdead and Terror 2000). Erik gladly accepted the task and the new Face Down was created. Shortly after the band was signed on to Black Lodge Records.

After successfully recording a 3 track demo in the summer of 2004, the band were invited to appear at 'Sweden Rock', the country's largest and most renouned music festival, and also the legendary 'Decibel 2000' festival. Hard work was resumed as the band once again hit the 'Fear and Loathing' recording studio in order to put down tracks for their long awaited third album, 'The Will To Power.'

Produced by Jocke Skog, the album took the band in new directions whilst maintaining the sheer aggression, brutality and impact of their former releases.

Final line-up:
Marco Aro - Vocals
Rickard Dahlberg - Guitar
Joakim Hedestedt - Bass
Christofer Barkensjö - Drums

Former members:
Joacim Carlsson - Guitar (1994-2006)
Erik Thyselius - Drums (2004-2006)
Håkan Ericsson - Drums (1997-1999)
Peter Stjärnvind - Drums (1995-1997)
Richard Bång - Drums (1993-1995)
Niklas Ekstrand - Guitar (1994-1995)
Alex Linder - Guitar (1993-1994)
Henrik Blomquist - Audio Warfare (1994-1996)

Discography
One Eyed Man (Demo, 1994)
Mindfield (1996)
The Twisted Rule the Wicked (1997)
Demo (2004)
The Will to Power (2005)
Demo (2006)

2) Face Down is also a French southern-metal band.
http://www.myspace.com/facedownattitude

One Eyed Man
Face Down Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I feel strong
The power is back
It's been gone for so long
Trust me, here I come

Yeah, the scars in me
Came from what you wanted me to be
But still

I am what I am...

My life built on confusion
Hours spent alone in seclusion
I've come to claim what's mine
I am the one

"I am the armageddon man
It's written on a wall for a good time call"
Should I reveal the secrets in my mind?
Tell me, I wanna know
Time to leave life behind
To close doors in my mind
The hatred
Makes my eyes blind...

My life built on confusion
Hours spent alone in seclusion

I've come to claim what's mine
I am the one

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Face Down's "One Eyed Man" are an expression of self-empowerment and self-realization. The opening line, "I feel strong, the power is back, it's been gone for so long," suggests the singer has overcome a long period of weakness and vulnerability, and is now regaining their strength. This is most likely in response to the scars inflicted on them by someone else who expected them to be someone they weren't, as the lyrics state "the scars in me came from what you wanted me to be." However, despite these scars, the singer proudly declares "still, I am what I am." This self-assured sentiment is reinforced when the singer proclaims "I've come to claim what's mine, I am the one," and the repeated phrase "my life built on confusion, hours spent alone in seclusion" underscores the singer's resilience in the face of adversity.

The song also contains a sense of questioning and introspection, with the line "should I reveal the secrets in my mind, tell me, I wanna know" hinting at a desire to share one's innermost thoughts and feelings. Yet the lyrics also suggest that the singer is coming to terms with the past and leaving it behind, as they sing "time to leave life behind, to close doors in my mind, the hatred makes my eyes blind." Through these lyrics, Face Down channels a sense of strength and self-discovery that could resonate with anyone in a similar situation.

Line by Line Meaning

I feel strong
I have gained strength and confidence

The power is back
I have regained control over my life

It's been gone for so long
I have been struggling for a long time

Trust me, here I come
I am ready to take on whatever comes my way

Yeah, the scars in me
I carry emotional wounds

Came from what you wanted me to be
You influenced my life in a negative way

But still
Despite everything,

I am what I am...
I am who I am, and I won't change for anyone

My life built on confusion
I have a chaotic past

Hours spent alone in seclusion
I have isolated myself to deal with my problems

I've come to claim what's mine
I am taking control of my life