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
Ruined
Grief Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More will my friends stand for
My drunken belligerence
Girls won't put up with my
Stubborn ignorance
Things used to be simple
I wish I was still five
Now drugs and booze keep my alive
Hate, it's more than a word
A way of life
You're on your own
Nobody gives a fuck about you, or me
Loving couples, smiling children anger me
Fills me with hostility
The way you live, can't seem to find
What it's about
Arbor hospital, you never should've let me out
Hate, it's more than a word
A way of life
You're on your own
Nobody gives a fuck about you I'm ruined
You fuckers never should've let me out
I'm ruined
The song "Ruined" by Grief delves into themes of self-destructive behavior, anger, and loneliness. The opening lyrics "No!!!/More will my friends stand for/My drunken belligerence" convey a sense of frustration and helplessness, as the singer acknowledges the toll that their addiction and hostility have taken on those around them. The line "Girls won't put up with my/Stubborn ignorance" highlights a tendency towards selfishness and an inability to truly connect with others.
The chorus, with its repetition of the line "Hate, it's more than a word/A way of life/You're on your own/Nobody gives a fuck about you, or me", serves to emphasize the sense of isolation and bitterness that the singer feels. The reference to "loving couples, smiling children" as sources of anger underscores the singer's sense of disconnection and inability to find happiness or meaning in the world around them.
The final lines, "Arbor hospital, you never should've let me out/I'm ruined/You fuckers never should've let me out", suggest a history of psychiatric treatment and a sense of betrayal or abandonment by those who were meant to help the singer. Overall, "Ruined" is a bleak picture of a life consumed by addiction, anger, and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
No!!!
Expressing frustration and disbelief
More will my friends stand for
My friends have reached their limit of tolerating my behavior
My drunken belligerence
My aggressive behavior when under the influence of alcohol
Girls won't put up with my
Women refuse to tolerate my
Stubborn ignorance
Refusal to acknowledge my own ignorance
Things used to be simple
I long for the uncomplicated life of the past
I wish I was still five
An expression of desire to return to a simpler time
Now drugs and booze keep my alive
Addiction has become my reason for living
Hate, it's more than a word
Hatred has become a way of life for me
A way of life
Hatred has become an integral part of my existence
You're on your own
There is no one to rely on
Nobody gives a fuck about you, or me
No one cares about anyone other than themselves
Loving couples, smiling children anger me
I feel resentful towards happy people
Fills me with hostility
Causes me to feel angry and aggressive
The way you live, can't seem to find
I don't understand the lifestyle of happy people
What it's about
I don't comprehend the point of living a happy life
Arbor hospital, you never should've let me out
I feel like my release from the hospital was a mistake
You fuckers never should've let me out
I blame others for my situation
I'm ruined
I am completely destroyed and beyond repair
Contributed by Isaiah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.