In late '99, Blackmon joined local death metal troupe WITHERED BEAUTY and another local grind outfit in his spare time. The compromises of both were unfulfilling so Blackmon decided to take things back to the proverbial drawing board and, as he recounts, "start making music for myself, by myself and with myself."
The second coming of GADGET was starting to take place. "I just kept the name since I came up with it." Blackmon says. He continues, "GADGET was planned to be a solo project. I was fed up with playing in bands without substance. I was fed up with being in just one of those other projects that disappear after a couple of months. I was fed up with the shallow lyrics and the focus on 'cool' instead of 'honest' or even 'good.' I wanted, but for once, to play grind/metal with something more to offer than just 'cool' music."
Blackmon set to work piecing music together in his rehearsal space with his guitar rig, drum set, and trusty eight-track recorder. Soon enough though he decided this approach wasn’t working. "I got fed up with not being able to try out riffs and beats without the use of my 8-track. It got so lonely in the rehearsal... sitting there drumming and riffing and writing all by myself with no ability to get immediate feedback on what I was constructing. So I decided that if I could find some people with a similar attitude towards the art of grinding, perhaps it would benefit the situation."
Enter guitarist Rikard Olsson who played in one of Gävle’s crustiest bands; SHITSTORM! The duo tried out several drummers and bass players but couldn’t find anyone who fit and thus remained a rehearsal space two-piece. Blackmon recounts, "This way we could do everything except play live, and if that was the price for the music to turn out as we wanted it, so be it." For their writing sessions Blackmon manned the drums.
In March 2000, William and Rikard put their first material to the test. William recorded a ten song session and made a small run of tapes to hand out amongst friends. GADGET soon added vocalist Emil Englund and entered Studio Bandylimpa to record what became their second promo tape, this one a six song affair.
Shortly thereafter, the band was asked to contribute to a split 7” with EXHUMED on Relapse so they went back to Studio Bandylimpa in February 2001 to record. The recording turned out so well that it laid the groundwork of what would turn into a long-term relationship with Relapse.
GADGET recorded again in July (at Studio Blueroom) for what would become their contribution to the infamous Polar Grinder and Swedish Assault compilations (on Relapse and Putrid Filth Conspiracy respectively). This slew of splits and compilations staggered out over the better part of 2002 while the band wrote new material. Rikard also joined crust sensations DISKONTO on bass.
The band signed with Relapse in spring 2003 and entered Gothenberg’s Phlat Planet Studios with producer Frederik Rheinedahl (BURST, PASSENGER, DIMENSION ZERO, etc.) in July to record their debut Relapse full-length, ‘Remote.’ 'Remote' was released on February 3rd delivering Swedish grindcore from a band fast on the rise and with something to prove.
In 2006, Gadget released the follow-up to 'Remote', 'The Funeral March'.
GADGET is:
William Blackmon: Guitar, Drums, Vocals
Rikard Olsson: Guitar
Emil Englund: Vocals
Fredrik Nygren: Bass
GADGET online:
http://www.gadgetgrindcore.com
http://myspace.com/gadgetgrindcore
http://www.livejournal.com/community/gadgetgrindcore
Enigmatic
Gadget Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Felt you crawling up my spine
I am slowly losing air
Giving in to confusion
All I feel is your presence
When not there, waking up
To your picture in my hand
Leave me alone
Some things never happen
But this one always does
In "Enigmatic," Gadget portrays the agony of not being able to forget someone who always seems to be there, whether physically present or not. The first two lines set the tone by expressing a sense of dread and foreboding, as the singer anticipates the arrival of the person who haunts their thoughts. The imagery of "crawling up my spine" gives a visceral sense of the unease they feel, as if something is crawling under their skin. The third line suggests that this presence is suffocating, as if the person is taking up all the air in the room, leaving the singer gasping for breath. The final line of the first stanza suggests that the singer is losing their grip on reality, as the confusion caused by this person starts to overwhelm them.
The second stanza continues the theme of the singer's unrelenting obsession with this person. They describe waking up to their picture as if it's a waking nightmare. The singer then addresses the person directly, telling them to "leave me alone" despite their conflicting desires. The final line highlights the futility of trying to forget this person, as the singer laments that "some things never happen, but this one always does."
Overall, "Enigmatic" is a powerful exploration of the persistent nature of unresolved feelings and how they can weigh on a person's psyche. The lyrics capture the sense of helplessness and confusion that comes with being unable to shake someone from your thoughts.
Line by Line Meaning
All week I saw it coming
I had a feeling that something was going to happen all week
Felt you crawling up my spine
I felt you creeping up on me
I am slowly losing air
I feel suffocated
Giving in to confusion
I am becoming confused and overwhelmed
All I feel is your presence
I sense that you are always with me
When not there, waking up
When you are not physically with me, I wake up thinking about you
To your picture in my hand
I hold a picture of you in my hand
So wait up! I want to: nevermind
Hold on a second! I changed my mind
Leave me alone
I need space and want to be left alone
Some things never happen
There are things that never occur
But this one always does
But for me, this one thing always happens
Contributed by Jordan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.