On the three albums released so far the band has been known as G//Z/R, Geezer, and GZR, respectively. Despite the changing name, it is still considered the same project. However, Geezer Butler Band from the 1980s is an entirely separate entity.
The bands music is generally of a much harder edge than Butler is known for in Black Sabbath. This isn't a surprise, as the vocalist on his first album, Plastic Planet, was Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory, who is known for more driving and harder edged vocals than ever was displayed in Black Sabbath. The album also featured Pedro Howse on guitar, as well as Deen Castronovo (of Journey fame) on drums. Bell did not stay with the band past the recording of Plastic Planet due to Fear Factory commitments. In 1996 the band re-emerged with an exclusive track for the Mortal Kombat: More Kombat compilation, entitled 'Outworld' and featuring Anger On Anger vocalist, Mario Frasca.
This proved to be a one-time collaboration and Frasca was replaced by Clark Brown (SYMATIC) for their second album Black Science, released in 1997. G//Z/R did play a few live dates in 1997 behind the release of the album, however this was not a full fledged tour, most of these gigs were played concurrent to the Ozzfest tour of that year. The band opened for such folks as Bruce Dickinson, who was playing some live gigs at the time. Castronovo recorded, but did not play any of the live gigs. He was replaced on drums by Chad Smith (not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer with the same name).
After the handful of live gigs in 1997, the band was mostly put on ice, as Geezer was busy with various things Black Sabbath related for quite a while. Geezer eventually got back into the studio with the same line-up that played the live gigs from 8 years previous, and recorded their third album, Ohmwork, which was released on May 9, 2005. The band is currently working on a new record, and began recording in January 2011, according to Geezer Butler.
The band has actually been marketed with three different names on the three releases they've had. In 1995, the band was marketed as G//Z/R. In 1997, it was merely Geezer, and in 2005, it was GZR. Most fans refer to the band as Geezer, although Butler himself refers to the band name as GEE-ZED-R.This incarnation of the band is not to be confused with Geezer's previous attempt in 1985 to form a solo band, then known as The Geezer Butler Band - the two bands are totally separate.
The band's name is derived from the name of its creator: Terence "Geezer" Butler.
Pedro Howse, the guitarist in the band, is Geezer's nephew.
There are several bands with the name Geezer as well, a stoner rock band and a techno artist, so please vote on the redirected Geezer artist page that this name is correct: http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Geezer
Department S
G//Z/R Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The social breaker
Make you swim or sink
Bounce your brains, make you think
Devil wears our Sunday boots
Phantom soldiers stop to shoot
Smiling as they execute
While we talk politics
Politics
Dirty tricks
That make you sick
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
We are the violators
Excommunicators
Never stop to think
Wear the colours, blood for ink
Devil shares but never shoots
No surrender for our roots
Do or die, no substitutes
While we talk politics
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
We are the undertaker
The social breaker
Make you swim or sink
Bounce your brains, make you think
Devil wears our Sunday boots
Phantom soldiers stop to shoot
Smiling as they execute
While we talk politics
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
We are the violators
Excommunicators
Never stop to think
Wear the colours, blood for ink
Devil shares but never shoots
No surrender for our roots
Do or die, no substitutes
While we talk politics
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
The sky is never blue it's freezing
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Remember the sun, days just go on
Days just go on
Days just go on
Days just go on
Days just go on
The lyrics of G//Z/R's song Department S are quite cryptic but they seem to be commenting on the corrupt and violent nature of politics and power. The song begins by claiming to be the undertaker and social breaker, capable of making people swim or sink. The next line refers to bouncing brains, which may suggest that the song is meant to challenge your mind or make you think critically. The devil wears their Sunday boots and phantom soldiers shoot, while they discuss politics. It seems that they are asserting that the people in power are not good and are even acting against the interests of the people they are supposed to represent.
Later in the song, the lyrics talk about the excommunicators who never stop to think and wear their blood-red colors for ink. They claim that there is no surrender for their roots and that they will do or die with no substitutes. Again, this speaks to the violent nature of power and politics, and how it can corrupt even the strongest of people. The chorus repeats the idea that there are never any sunny days in the Boston Green, suggesting that the corruption is pervasive and unending.
Overall, it seems that Department S is a song about political corruption and violence, and how it can be all-consuming and impossible to escape from. The lyrics suggest that those in power are not to be trusted, and that even those who seem to be on the right side of things may not be acting in the best interests of the people.
Line by Line Meaning
We are the undertaker
We are the ones who bury and put an end to something.
The social breaker
We are the ones who break the social norms and expectations.
Make you swim or sink
We push you to either rise up or fail completely.
Bounce your brains, make you think
We challenge and stimulate your thinking and ideas.
Devil wears our Sunday boots
Even in our finest, we have a devilish nature.
Phantom soldiers stop to shoot
We are unpredictable in our actions and decisions.
Smiling as they execute
We take pleasure in our actions, even if they are harmful.
While we talk politics
We are engaging in discussions that are politically-oriented.
Politics
The manipulative and self-serving tactics of the political world.
Dirty tricks
Deceitful and immoral methods used to gain advantage in politics.
That make you sick
These tactics can make us feel disgusted and uncomfortable.
Never get sunny days in the Boston Green
We live in a place that is often dark and dreary.
The sky is never blue it's freezing
The weather often matches our environment - cold and harsh.
We are the violators
We are the ones who break the rules and disrupt the status quo.
Excommunicators
We punish and exclude those who do not follow our ways.
Never stop to think
We act impulsively and without much consideration.
Wear the colours, blood for ink
We are loyal to our beliefs and will fight for them at any cost.
Devil shares but never shoots
We often inspire others to follow our ways, but we do not always take part in the action ourselves.
No surrender for our roots
We will never compromise on our principles or traditions.
Do or die, no substitutes
We have a rigid mindset and will not accept any other options or alternatives.
Remember the sun, days just go on
We reminisce on the brightness and warmth of the past, but time keeps moving forward regardless.
Days just go on
Time waits for no one and life keeps moving forward.
Contributed by Peyton R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Owen
I remember buying this album when it came out without hearing it... I was hooked 😍😍😍
deepinder cheema
The music for Dept S is fantastic and composed by Edwin Astley.
schrotti1945
this album is gorgeous and totally underrated :(