Within two months of existence these four death metal enthusiasts recorded a demo (Tangled In Gore). A Dutch independent label, Foundation 2000, signed them for one album, however, before recording they first released another demo Horrors In A Retarded Mind in 1990, which also received positive feedback. As a supporting act for Carcass they travelled through Belgium and the Netherlands impressing the metal-scene also on stage. Colin Richardson was the producer of 1991's album Mindloss.
Prior to a tour with New Jersey band Revenant, guitarist Alex van Schaik was replaced by Boudewijn Bonebakker. Not satisfied with Foundation 2000, Gorefest signed a contract in 1992 with Nuclear Blast. Hoogendoorn was dismissed because of lack of interest and drummer Ed Warby (who came from melodic band called Elegy) took his place just two weeks before recording sessions of their second LP False which was again produced by Colin Richardson. The album sold relatively well in the Netherlands and Germany for a band of their genre. In the months to come they completed a European tour with Deicide and Atrocity, playing in Germany, Sweden, Spain, Czechoslovakia and England. In 1993 Gorefest played a show at the Dynamo Open Air at Eindhoven. A live album The Eindhoven Insanity was released shortly after. Also in 1993, they toured America as a supporting act for metal band Death.
Erase was recorded in 1994 with producer Pete Coleman and revealed a more mature Gorefest with a different attitude towards traditional death metal. As a result, public opinion towards the band was divided. Erase, however, proved to be a success as international sales went well through 1994 and 1995. The band reached a broader set of countries in the following tours.
For the Fear EP and Freedom single, Gorefest revealed new tracks showing that they wanted to drastically expand upon the musical changes they had applied in Erase (De Koeijer declared in some interviews that he even had thoughts about taking singing lessons). This would be confirmed in 1996 with a rockish Soul Survivor - a total departure from their roots even showing traces of pop - and a very similar Chapter 13 was released in 1998. By this time the band had abandoned their heavy image, and the graphics for these works were less extreme. Inexorably, fans turned their backs on them and the sales of the album was a relative fiasco, thus they split up in 1998.
Gorefest reformed in 2004 and played various summer festivals in 2005. The band then unveiled a new album, La Muerte, another album followed in 2007, entitled Rise To Ruin.
On the 15th of June 2009 the band announced that they were calling it quits again, stating that they felt they had gone as far with the band as they could.
Burn Out
Gorefest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to take you with me
A blood red sky is bleeding on me
Bleeding on me, bleeding on me
I am falling apart
Why don't you fall with me
A dance macabre that I will lead
File me under rude for what I say
I'd rather burn out then fade away
Just turn your back and walk away
What feeds the urge that makes you survive
Why fear death, you were never alive
One thing I just realized
You can kill yourself now, you were never alive
File me under rude for what I say
I'd rather burn out then fade away
I'd rather burn out then fade away
The lyrics of Gorefest's Burn Out are intense and abysmal, expressing the singer's desire to end his life while also questioning the purpose of living. In the first stanza, the singer declares that he is falling apart, and he wants to take someone with him. The line "A blood red sky is bleeding on me" is a metaphor for the singer's inner turmoil and pain, which are overwhelming him. The second stanza repeats these lines, but with a new twist. The singer now suggests that the other person should join him in his misery, leading them in a macabre dance of death. The lines "File me under rude for what I say / I'd rather burn out than fade away" indicate the singer's nihilistic outlook on life.
The third stanza dives deeper into the singer's psyche, asking why humans have the urge to survive and why death is so feared, as if suggesting that life lacks meaning or purpose. The line, "You can kill yourself now, you were never alive," indicates that the singer believes life is pointless and that death would be a relief. The repetition of "I'd rather burn out than fade away" is the singer's final statement: he would rather end his life with a bang than with a whimper.
Line by Line Meaning
I am falling apart
I am losing control and breaking down emotionally
I want to take you with me
I don't want to suffer alone, I want to bring you down with me
A blood red sky is bleeding on me
The world around me is bleak and hopeless
Bleeding on me, bleeding on me
The negativity and chaos around me is overwhelming
Why don't you fall with me
I want you to join me in my despair and pain
A dance macabre that I will lead
I will take charge of our destructive behavior and lead us to ruin
File me under rude for what I say
You may categorize me as impolite for my words and actions
I'd rather burn out then fade away
I prefer to self-destruct and go out in a blaze of glory rather than slowly fade into oblivion
Just turn your back and walk away
If you don't want to participate, just leave me alone
What feeds the urge that makes you survive
What motivates you to keep going and not succumb to despair
Why fear death, you were never alive
Why be afraid of dying when you never truly lived
One thing I just realized
I have come to a sudden realization
You can kill yourself now, you were never alive
You can end your life now because you never truly experienced living
I'd rather burn out then fade away
I am reiterating my preference to self-destruct rather than slowly fade away
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BASTIAAN F. FRANK HARTHOORN, BOUDEWIJN V. BONEBAKKER, EDWARD R. ED WARBIE, JAN C. JAN CHRIS DE KOEIJER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind