1. Grief was founded in 1991 … Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands named 'Grief.
1. Grief was founded in 1991 by Terry Savastano and drummer Randy Odierno of crust band Disrupt. Grief's sludgy doom metal brought extremely slow riffs to the metal underground. The band was heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, Eyehategod and doom warriors Saint Vitus. Grief's music was jagged, noisy, harsh and brutally dissonant. Lead singer Jeff Hayward favored the sort of tortured, throat-shredding, screaming vocals that were quite common in death metal/black metal and grindcore, and that risk-taking combination of torturous vocals and slow, Sabbath-influenced riffs made Grief one of the more influential Sludge/Doom metal bands to emerge in the early ‘90s.
They broke up in 2001 mainly due to drummer problems - something that was an ongoing problem for the band from the start. They also cited what they called a "hostile environment for Doom metal bands". They reunited briefly in July 2005 to play a cluster of reunion shows.
The band had several 7"s including one with Dystopia and Corrupted each. A compilation album called Turbulent Times appeared in 2002 through Southern Lord. The group reunited for one show at the first annual New England Grind And Doom Fest on July 17, 2005 at The Middle East Cafe in Cambridge, MA. They were so excited by the response to this show that they began booking others, and they toured intermittently throughout 2005 and 2006.
In 2005, the band played shows through in venues including The Ace of Clubs and The Knitting Factory in New York, The Khyber in Philadelphia, O'Brien's in Allston/Brighton, MA, The Living Room in Providence, RI, and Cherry St. Station in CT.
In 2006 Southern Lord Records released a full length live album called Alive which featured their performance at the Middle East in November 2005. The album features artwork by Eric C. Harrison, who did much of the band's painted cover artwork.
One of Grief's final appearance was at Emissions from the Monolith 8, a sludge/doom festival that took place in Ohio, May 2006.
The band reformed in 2008 and toured the United States and Europe, but they soon disbanded again in March 2009, giving this announcement via their myspace page;
"I'm sorry to announce that Grief is no longer playing. We have dis-banded or whatever. The last show we played was the Wien Arena in Vienna Austria (i think i spelled those things right)
our reasons for disbanding are our reasons. we have chosen not to get into it but it may or may ot include the following reasons.
- Jeff has finally become Rip Van Winkle and will be asleep for the next 50 years.
- Ray has finally eaten so much that he can not fit out of the door to his house and is unable to leave home
- John has become so death metal that we' d have to actually be ghosts to jam with him and none of us feel like it.
- Eric finally became an actual dog and has not learned how to play bass or do artwork with his paws."
http://www.myspace.com/officialgrief
2. The Swedish Grief has crafted a blackened brand of doom metal, and released it's one and only album (after releasing an EP in 2011) named 'Where the Light Doesn't Shine' in january 2015.
http://griefdoommetal.bandcamp.com/
3. Screamo / Post-hardcore / Black metal from Toulouse, France.
https://grief1.bandcamp.com
Isolation
Grief Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
fucking people
I don't know why
but people make me angry
inner segregation
isolated
solitude
saves my sanity
happiness is a state of mind
sadness
fills all minds all the time
we are not alive
I wish I'd never see
another human again
keep my hostile thoughts to myself
I'd rather be alone
The lyrics to Grief's song Isolation express the intense frustration and disillusionment with human interaction that many individuals experience. The opening lines, "too many fucking people, I don't know why but people make me angry," are indicative of the singer's negative worldview. He perceives people as a source of aggravation and irritation, and seems unable or unwilling to understand why. This sense of confusion and disconnect from others is further reinforced by the line "inner segregation," which suggests that his isolation is not only external, but also internal.
The singer's isolation is a central theme of the song, with phrases like "isolated solitude" and "depressed reality" emphasizing his disconnection from the world around him. However, he also seems to find solace in being alone. "Saves my sanity" suggests that his isolation is a form of self-preservation, a necessary step to maintain his mental health. This is further explored in the line "happiness is a state of mind, sadness fills all minds all the time. We are not alive." Here, the singer seems to be saying that happiness is a fleeting, temporary condition, while sadness is a more constant and pervasive state of being.
Ultimately, the song seems to be a plea for solitude and an escape from the pressures of society. "I wish I'd never see another human again" expresses a desire to be completely alone, to have no human contact whatsoever. The final line, "I'd rather be alone," is a clear indication that the singer sees his isolation as a choice, and that he believes it to be the preferable option.
Line by Line Meaning
too many
There are an overwhelming amount of people around me
fucking people
I am frustrated and angered by the people around me
I don't know why
I am unable to understand why people make me so angry
but people make me angry
The actions of people around me provoke my anger
inner segregation
I experience a separation from others that is internal rather than external
isolated
I am alone and disconnected from others
solitude
Alone time is what I prefer
depressed reality
The truth of my circumstances brings me down
saves my sanity
Being alone is the only thing that helps me keep my mind intact
happiness is a state of mind
Feeling content is based on one's perception and attitude
sadness
A feeling of gloominess and misery
fills all minds all the time
Everyone experiences sorrow regardless of circumstance
we are not alive
Existence does not equal truly living
I wish I'd never see
I desire to never encounter another human being
another human again
The presence of others fuels my unfavorable thoughts
keep my hostile thoughts to myself
I would rather conceal my negative feelings about people
I'd rather be alone
Being solitary is what I would rather choose than being around others
Contributed by Isabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.