They were signed to Darryl Johnston's Ebony Records and their debut was "See You in Hell". The album, with cover design by Garry Sharpe-Young, was released in 1984 and was distributed worldwide through RCA Records. Grim Reaper soon became readily identifiable with Bowcott's skillful guitar work and singer Steve Grimmett's not-always-quite-on-key banshee screams. Their successful world tour included a support shot at Texxas Jam playing to over 20,000 people. Their follow-up, 1985's "Fear No Evil" showed improvement on the production front and also enjoyed moderate success in both the U.S. and Europe.
Legal battles with Ebony delayed the release of the band's third album "Rock You to Hell" by almost 2 years. The album was released directly through RCA in 1987, again with a Garry Sharpe-Young cover design. However, by this time Grim Reaper's melodic power metal sound had fallen out of favor as much of the metal market moved toward heavier fare like Thrash metal and Speed metal. Even the major label distribution and popular video for the title track could not save the band. With production on their fourth album (reportedly to be called "Nothing Whatsoever to do with Hell") about to start, another round of legal action from Ebony effectively dealt the death blow to Grim Reaper.
Grimmett went on to front Onslaught and Lionsheart, as well as perform on several tribute albums. Bowcott became a freelance music writer and later staff contributor for publications like Circus and Guitar World. Bowcott also worked with Marshall Amplifiers' U.S. division.
Their 1985 video for "Fear No Evil", in which the band fights an evil wolfman and frees his slaves, was re-used by Weezer in 2005 as the video for their single We Are All On Drugs. Many Gen Xers may remember them as one of Beavis and Butt-head's least favorite bands.
In 2006 Eddie Trunk announced on Metal Mania that the band has reformed.
Grim Reaper "original" line up (without Nick Bowcott) played Keep It True VI festival in Lauda-Königshoffen the 08th April 2006. Steve Grimmet reformed the band under the name Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper.
Current members
* Steve Grimmett - lead vocals (1979-1981, 1981-1988, 2006-present)
* Ian Nash - guitars (1979,2006-present)
* Chaz Grimaldi - bass (2008-present)
* Pete Newdeck - drums (1979-1981, 2006-present)
Former members
* Nick Bowcott - guitars (1979-1988)
* Dave Wanklin - bass (1981-1987)
* Geoff Curtis - bass (1987 - 1988)
* Lee Harris - drums (1982-1984)
* Mark Simon - drums (1984 - 1988)
* Kevin Neale - bass (1979-1981)
* Adrian Jacques - drums (1981-1982)
* Paul DeMercado - lead vocals (1981)
* Richie Walker - bass (1979,2006-2008)
* Philip Matthews - bass (1981)
Studio albums
* See You in Hell (1983)
* Fear No Evil (1985)
* Rock You to Hell (1987)
* Walking in the Shadows (2016)
Singles
* See You in Hell (1984)
* The Show Must Go On (1984)
* The show must go on (USA promotion) (1984)
* Fear No Evil (1985)
* Lust for freedom (1987)
* Rock You to Hell (1987)
Demos
* Bleed 'em Dry (1981)
* For Demonstration Only (1982)
* All Hell Let Loose (Tour Promo) (1984)
Best of/Compilations
* Best of Grim Reaper (1999)
* The song "See You In Hell" was used by Bam Margera for part of the soundtrack of amateur stunt/prank/skateboarding video "CKY4".
* Their 1985 video for "Fear No Evil", in which the band fights an evil wolf man and frees his slaves, was reused by mainstream rock band Weezer in 2005 as the video for their single "We Are All on Drugs".
* Three of their videos, "See You In Hell", "Fear No Evil", and "Rock You To Hell" were featured on the TV show Beavis and Butt-head, where the band (particularly Steve Grimmett) was ridiculed mercilessly.
The Show Must Go On
Grim Reaper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I go walking in the night,
Memories of times gone by,
Ain't no way to put it right,
You tell me that you're lonely girl,
You say I was wrong,
Baby that was yesterday,
Now yesterday's gone.
Hold back the tears honey, just hold back the pain
Remember the years darling, remember my name
And love is a game honey, that none of us won
I just walk away now, the show must go on.
Yesterday's gone, the show must gone
I guess I was wrong.
The good times that we shared together,
Making love by candlelight,
Then we went through stormy weather,
And I guess we lost the fight,
So write another lover's song,
And drink some more wine,
Cause when the rain starts falling down,
The sun always shines.
Hold back the tears honey, just hold back the pain
Remember the years darling, remember my name
And love is a game honey, that none of us won
I just walk away now, the show must go on.
Yesterday's gone, the show must gone
I guess I was wrong.
Up and down the boulevard,
I go walking in the night,
Say goodbye to yesterday,
And leave it behind,
So once more we feel in darkly,
Kiss me again,
Darkly again my baby,
Cause this is the end.
Hold back the tears honey, just hold back the pain
Remember the years darling, remember my name
And love is a game honey, that none of us won
I just walk away now, the show must go on.
Yesterday's gone, say goodbye to yesterday,
So once more we feel it darkly, kiss me again.
The Grim Reaper's song "The Show Must Go On" seems to be about a person who is walking down the boulevard in the night and remembering the memories of the past. The lyrics portray the feeling of regret and sadness, as the person reflects on the time he spent with his girlfriend in the past. The lyrics describe the struggles that the couple went through, including fighting and stormy weather, that eventually led to their separation. Although the person acknowledges and deeply felt the pain of the separation, they understand that it's time to move on, leave the past behind and move forward.
The chorus, "Hold back the tears honey, just hold back the pain, Remember the years darling, remember my name, And love is a game honey, that none of us won, I just walk away now, the show must go on," emphasizes the message of moving forward and that life goes on despite heartbreaks and difficult times. The final lines "Say goodbye to yesterday, And leave it behind, So once more we feel in darkly, Kiss me again, Darkly again my baby, Cause this is the end," indicates that the person has reached the stage of acceptance and is ready to move on.
Overall, the song seems to remind us of the reality that we all go through various ups and downs in life, but we have to keep going, leave behind our previous mistakes and misfortunes, and focus on the present and the future. Life is a show that must go on regardless of the circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Up and down the boulevard,
I wander aimlessly through the night.
I go walking in the night,
I walk the streets in the dark.
Memories of times gone by,
I think back on the good times we had.
Ain't no way to put it right,
There's nothing I can do to fix things.
You tell me that you're lonely girl,
You say you're alone.
You say I was wrong,
You believe I made a mistake.
Baby that was yesterday,
But that time has passed.
Now yesterday's gone.
And we can't dwell on it.
Hold back the tears honey, just hold back the pain
Be strong and don't let your emotions overwhelm you.
Remember the years darling, remember my name
Think back on the good times and don't forget me.
And love is a game honey, that none of us won
Love is unpredictable and unfair.
I just walk away now, the show must go on.
But I have to move on.
The show must gone
I have to keep moving forward.
I guess I was wrong.
I made some mistakes.
The good times that we shared together,
Remember the happy moments we had.
Making love by candlelight,
The passionate and romantic moments.
Then we went through stormy weather,
But we faced tough times.
And I guess we lost the fight,
And we couldn't make it work.
So write another lover's song,
So let's move on and find new love.
And drink some more wine,
And try to forget the pain.
Cause when the rain starts falling down,
Because after every storm,
The sun always shines.
There will be good times again.
Say goodbye to yesterday,
Let go of the past.
And leave it behind,
Don't let it hold you back.
So once more we feel in darkly,
Let's embrace the darkness one more time.
Kiss me again,
And share one last tender moment.
Darkly again my baby,
Before we part ways forever.
Cause this is the end.
This is the end of our love story.
Yesterday's gone, say goodbye to yesterday,
Don't look back on what we had.
So once more we feel it darkly, kiss me again.
Let's have one more bittersweet moment together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICK BOWCOTT, STEVE GRIMMETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MainEventMafia4Life
Great power ballad by one of Heavy Metals most underrated singers. Rest In Power, Steve Grimmett. horns
Emil Cioran
One of the best metal ballad ever composed. A truly gem.
Samantha Magistrale
My favorite Grim Reaper song.
RIP Steve Grimmett 😭😭😭😭💔
Larry Mccarty
Easily my favorite of all the "power ballads" ever written
Tadeu Henrique
@ghost writer iron maiden - wasting love , is another song
Tadeu Henrique
@ghost writer thanks man!!!
ghost writer
@Tadeu Henrique Queensryche, (The Lady Wore Black, Scorpions ( Still Loving You, You Give Me All I need), Dokken, etc. The key words are as mentioned by Mr. Mccarty, "p-o-w-e-r b-a-l-l-a-d-s". This is the first time I've listened to this song by GR, so it's still setting in. In a few weeks it will be one of my favorites. Have a blessed Metal journey, from North Carolina. ghost writer
Tadeu Henrique
what other song in this slow style?
Chris Viers
One of the best metal ballads of all time in my book, but I swear there are some timing issues but seems to draw you in even more.
Tadeu Henrique
what other song in this slow style?