The demo attracted the attention of Leviathan Records, but activity was put on hold when Gus was hired by Dream Evil and Mystic Prophecy.
After the release of his other bands' debut albums, Gus' attention returned to the Firewind project. Only he remained from the original formation - Leviathan owner David T. Chastain brought in vocalist Stephen Fredrick and drummer Brian Harris (both ex-Kenziner), while Gus enlisted the help of bassist Konstantine, a fellow Greek. this line-up recorded the debut album Between Heaven and Hell.
In 2003, new changes were instituted as Norwegian drummer Stian Kristoffersen and Greek bassist Petros Christo joined the band. Harris and Konstantine had been replaced as Gus was looking for a more permanent rhythm section that was prepared to tour. This line-up recorded Burning Earth and went on a tour of Japan with Rob Rock, but without vocalist Stephen Fredrick, who was not prepared to go on the road (despite prior guarantees to the contrary). His replacement on the Burning the Earth Tour, the Sri Lankan singer Chitral 'Chity' Somapala, was given the job full-time. Fellow touring member Bob Katsionis was also hired permanently to play keyboards. Firewind got a worldwide deal with Century Media by the end of that year.
This line-up recorded the album Forged By Fire, but a few months after the release, Chity left due to personal and musical differences with the rest of the band. When his replacement, Apollo Papathanasio of Time Requiem, was found, it was also announced that Stian Kristoffersen would be leaving, to be replaced with the veteran Mark Cross. The reason for the split was that Gus wanted to have a set of Greek-based musicians willing to make Firewind their number one priority (probably to end the virtual revolving door of members) and Stian's main band was the Norwegian outfit Pagan's Mind. Gus also left his roles in Dream Evil, Mystic Prophecy and Nightrage between 2004 and 2006.
This new line-up recorded the album Allegiance, which was released in July 2006.
During November - December 2006, they toured the UK supporting Dragonforce with All That Remains.
In 2009, Gus G. became Ozzy Osbourne's guitar player.
In 2010 Apollo became the new Spiritual Beggars frontman.
In 2010, Michael Ehre replaced drummer Mark Cross.
In 2010, Michael Ehre left and was replaced by Johan Nunez (also Nightrage)
Line-up
* Herbie Langhans - Vocals (also Avantasia and Radiant)
* Gus G. (Kostas Karamitroudis) - Guitars (formerly Keyboards)
* Petros Christo - Bass
* Johan Nunez - Drums (also Nightrage)
Former members
* Brandon Pender - Vocals (1998)
* Stephen Fredrick - Vocals (2001-2003)
* Chitral Somapala - Vocals (2004-2005)
*Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals (2005-2013)
*Henning Basse - Vocals (2015-2020)
* Bob Katsionis - Keyboards, live Guitar (2004-2020)
* Konstantine (Kostas Exarhakis) - Bass (2001-2003)
* Matt Scurfield - Drums (1998)
* Brian Harris - Drums (2001-2003)
* Stian L. Kristoffersen - Drums (2003-2005)
* Mark Cross - Drums (2005 - 2010)
* Michael Ehre - Drums (2010)
Discography
* Nocturnal Symphony (Demo, 1998)
* Between Heaven and Hell (2002)
* Burning Earth (2003)
* Forged By Fire (2005)
* Allegiance (2006)
* The Premonition (2008)
*Days of Defiance (2010)
*Few Against Many (2012)
*Immortals (2017)
*Firewind (2020)
Life Foreclosed
Firewind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the horizon
Like thoughts
Within your mind
Deep within
Cold and darkness
You know it's our time
Wthout you
The evil survives
The world weeps more
Day by day
No one even tries
Life foreclosed
And payment is due
It's the end
For me and you
Lie in destruction
seduction
The cries
We are the destroyers of life
We are the bringers of pain
We are the last ones alive
We know that it's true
Yes, we know that it's true
Endless war
A trade of men
Endless hate
All we understand
Endless poor
Hold out their hand
Endless greed
Just turned around
Hold out their hand
Endless greed
Just turned around
The world looks
On in anguish
I'd like to decide
Life foreclosed
And payment is due
It's the end
For me and you
Lie in destruction
Anger, seduction
The cries
We are the destroyers of life
We are the bringers of pain
We are the last ones alive
We know that it's true
Oh, we know that it's true
-Solo-
We are the destroyers of life
We are the bringers of pain
We are the last ones alive
We know that it's true
Oh, we know that it's true
We are the destroyers of life
(Destroyers of life)
We are the bringers of pain
We are the last ones alive
(Last ones alive)
We know that it's true
Yes, we know that it's true
Life foreclosed
Life foreclosed
Life foreclosed
Life foreclosed
The opening lines of the song "Dark clouds on the horizon, like thoughts within your mind, deep within cold and darkness, you know it's our time" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The song speaks to the destruction of the world, and the human race being the cause of it. The first verse speaks about the darkness within us and how we are causing destruction in the world, and how the world is going on without us. The chorus, "Life foreclosed and payment is due, it's the end for me and you, lie in destruction, seduction, the cries" conveys how the world has come to an end, and how we are all responsible for it. The lines "we are the destroyers of life, we are the bringers of pain," are an acknowledgment of how we have caused destruction.
The second verse speaks about the endless cycle of war, hate, poverty, and greed that drives us, and how the world looks on in anguish. The solo breaks in between the stanzas, give room for reflection on the earlier verses. The last chorus reiterates how we have been responsible for the destruction of the world, with the last lines "life foreclosed" repeating like a requiem for the world. The song is a commentary on the current state of the world and how we are responsible for its destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Dark clouds
There are ominous signs of trouble ahead.
On the horizon
It's something that will happen in the future.
Like thoughts
It's familiar to our own troubling thoughts.
Within your mind
It's unsettling and preoccupying.
Deep within
It's not just surface-level, but almost innate.
Cold and darkness
It's bleak and uncomfortable.
You know it's our time
We're in a time of crisis and things are about to get worse.
The world goes on
Time doesn't stop for us or our problems.
Without you
Regardless of our individual lives and struggles.
The evil survives
Bad things persist and continue to harm us.
The world weeps more
The state of things only worsens.
Day by day
It's a gradual progression, but noticeable.
No one even tries
People aren't taking effective action to address the issues.
Life foreclosed
Our lives and potential futures have been closed off and lost.
And payment is due
We're being held accountable for our actions or lack thereof.
It's the end
This is the end of something significant and irreversible.
For me and you
It's affecting all of us, individually and collectively.
Lie in destruction
We're witnessing devastation and ruin.
Seduction
The allure of dangerous actions or attitudes.
The cries
The pain and suffering that's being experienced.
We are the destroyers of life
We're responsible for perpetuating and causing harm to the world around us.
We are the bringers of pain
Our actions have caused and continue to cause immense pain.
We are the last ones alive
We're the ones left to deal with the consequences of our actions and inaction.
We know that it's true
We're aware, whether we choose to ignore it or not.
Endless war
Continuous conflict and violence.
A trade of men
People are being treated as commodities or tools to be used and discarded.
Endless hate
Hatred pervades and is never-ending.
All we understand
It's become the primary lens through which we view the world.
Endless poor
Poverty persists without end.
Hold out their hand
People are in need and asking for help.
Endless greed
The greedy desire for more has no limits.
Just turned around
We've reached a point where we can't keep going in this direction.
The world looks
Others are watching and judging us.
On in anguish
They're deeply upset and concerned about the state of the world.
I'd like to decide
There's a desire to have control and make a difference, but it's not an easy or straightforward decision.
-Solo-
An instrumental break in the song.
Life foreclosed
Reinforcing the finality and gravity of the situation we're facing.
Life foreclosed
A repeated emphasis on what's been lost and what's at stake.
Life foreclosed
Closing out the song and leaving a haunting echo of the message.
Contributed by Alyssa S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael Stalbow - Best
That closing section is savage! Perfect for the end of an album :)
Nathan Croft
Great song!!!
Alby Calerame
wow muy bueno =)
Jamila Andersson
FIREWIND YOUR'E
AMAZING YEAH♥
Eugene
🍰🍰🍰🍰 fire WINd 🏆🏆🏆🏆 🔥🔥🔥
4everownage
the intro is so freaky ^^
matias kecculi
rawrrrr..... i wanna lyrics to this song >:( oh well..5/5 anyways :P i love this band 2..their musics is soooooo awesomeeee but their every music video sucks :/
ManseaM
well if u want to see Gus g get more popular then when he joins ozzy he will be, maybe give it 2 years, Gus will be famous and heard of then ozzy will retire then gus might go back to firewind and bring in crazy fans... but i still like ozzy