1) Heathen is a North America… Read Full Bio ↴More than one artist shares this name.
1) Heathen is a North American thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area California, founded in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco. They have released two critically acclaimed albums, "Breaking the Silence" (1987) and "Victims of Deception" (1991).
First Era (1984-1992)
Heathen was formed in 1984 by two friends, guitarist Lee Altus (who was a native of Ukraine (U.S.S.R. then)) and drummer Carl Sacco (formerly of Metal Church). The pair later recruited lead vocalist Sam Kress and second guitarist Jim Sanguinetti. The band did not have a bass player in their early years, and this would carry on later when the band had notorious amounts of trouble finding a permanent bass player. This first lineup only played one gig in 1985.
Shortly after this first gig Sam Kress and Jim Sanguinetti (the later of which went on to form the funk-thrash combo Mordred) left the group and were replaced by new vocalist David Godfrey (formerly of Blind Illusion) and new guitarist Doug Piercy (formerly of Anvil Chorus and Control). The bands also recruited their first bassist, Eric Wong around the same time. This lineup debuted in early 1986.
Now finally with a stable lineup, the band played many shows around the Bay Area and gained notoriety as an excellent act, their early style largely combined the aggression of thrash metal with the sophistication and melodic vocal style of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The band was not influenced by punk rock the way many of their peers at the time were, and as a result were more attractive to "true" metalheads and were arguably ahead of their time in that they were much more consciously "metal" than other thrash bands of the time who simply combined NWOBHM and hardcore. Other bands would not come to this stage of development until years later if ever at all.
Heathen's "big break" came when they released the Pray For Death demo, recorded at Doug Piercy's studio. The demos popularity (in addition to the great interest in the thrash metal scene at the time) paid off in 1987 when they got a deal with Combat Records. Shortly after their signing Eric Wong left the band to join Paul Baloff's new project Pirhana (he ended up playing bass on Pirhana's only known recording). Former Griffin guitarist Mike "Yaz" Jastremski came in on bass.
Heathen's debut album Breaking the Silence was released in 1987. The album quickly became a thrash classic. It was very well received critically, who pointed out the album was unique for, as explained early, it's meld of the already existing thrash metal energy and NWOBHM singing and song structures. The album featured one very successful single, a cover of the 1970s glam rock band Sweet's song "Set Me Free". The song got some rock radio airplay and the video received heavy rotation on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The band embarked on a tour in support of the album.
Following the tour however the bands lineup began to implode. In 1988 Carl Sacco left due to musical differences (apparently Sacco had become more interested in jazz). He was replaced by Darren Minter. Mike Jastremski left the band shortly after this, and the band went through a wide variety of bassist between 1988 and 1991 including one time Blind Illusion bassist Vern McEloy. In 1989 David Godfrey left the band due to personal differences and musical differences (many fans complained that they would prefer Heathen if they had a more aggressive, "thrash" singer). For few months late ex-Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff became the bands vocalist. His tenure only lasted a few weeks before the band realized he wasn't right for their style. They also briefly recruited late Metal Church vocalist David Wayne.
Fortunately in 1990, Godfrey (now using the last name David White, the name of his true father as opposed to his stepfather) returned to Heathen. The band continued to have problem with bass players. Out of desperation they recruited Blind Illusion mainman Marc Biedermann to go into the studio with the band to play bass on their upcoming album.
That album was Victims of Deception, released in 1991 through Roadrunner Records. Victims... was not a dramatic departure from the style of Breaking The Silence as one might expect due to the 4 year gap between album release time. However the album was considerably more technical, featuring odd time signatures, more complex riffs and songs, tempo and key changes and longer song lengths. The album is often tagged as "progressive thrash metal", (arguably started in 1988 by Metallica's ...And Justice for All with its densly packed 65 mins. of music in just 9 tracks) similar to many other thrash albums that came out around this time. Like its predecessor, Victims of Deception was also critically acclaimed. It was not quite as commercially successful as Breaking The Silence' but still sold well and featured a cover of Rainbow's "Kill the King" as well as original ballad "Prisoners of Fate" being released as singles. Both garnered up minor rock radio airplay.
That year the band finally found a permanent bassist in Randy Laire. With this stable lineup the band embarked on the tour and all ran quite well until the untimely death of Laire and his girlfriend in a car accident. The band replaced him with Jason Viebrooks. Doug Piercy departed from the band in 1992 and was replaced by Ira Black. The band planned to record a covers EP dedicated to Laire and his girlfriend as well as White's deceased brother Jeffery. But the band came to a status of a hiatus in 1992.
The Return
In 2001, Heathen regrouped with David White, Lee Altus, Ira Black, Mike Jastremski and Darren Minter, to play the Thrash of the Titans concert to help Chuck Billy (testament) and Chuck Schuldiner (Death) raise funds for Billy's throat cancer treatment and Schuldiner's brain cancer treatment.
The concert was a huge success and in 2004, but Mike "Yaz" Jastremski left the band again, been replaced by the Ulysses Syrens bassist Jon Torres releasing a full-length album, the title of which is Recovered, which consists of re-recorded old material and cover songs. A new demo was released in August 2005, which contains three new songs.
In 2005, the band recruited Terry Lauderdale to be the second guitarist and played to packed houses and festivals across England, Scotland, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. Also in 2005, Lee Altus joined bay area thrash pioneers Exodus, replacing long time guitarist Rick Hunolt in the band. Lee has since recorded two albums with Exodus, Shovel Headed Kill Machine in 2005 and The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A in 2007. Though in a new band that he has devoted himself to, Lee said that his time with Exodus has not and will not affect his performance and status with Heathen.
Heathen played a benifit at Annie's in 2007 the lineup for this was David White, Lee Altus, and Jon Torres along with old members Doug Piercy and Carl Sacco.
In early November 2007, David White put to rest the rumors of a Sacco/Piecy reunion, with the addition of new musicians. The band recruited Prototype guitarist Kragen Lum and well known thrash drummer Mark Hernandez as their replacements. This lineup played some shows throughout 2008 with Hernandez exiting the band and Darren Minter returning to the band. Heathen signed a record deal with Mascot Records in late 2007 and began writing and recording their comeback album "The Evolution Of Chaos", released on King Records in Japan December 2009, Mascot Records Europe January 25, 2010, and the US February 14, 2010.
2) Heathen is / was a Hardcore band from Richmond, VA in the USA.
*They have since pluralised their name to 'Heathens'.
Their line-up contains members from the bands Bracewar and Cast Aside.
They have so far released a demo, and a self-titled 7” (under Heathen) and a full length album, 'High Stakes' (under the new name) on the Thrashed! Records label.
LIne-up:
Andrew - Vocals
Hunter - Guitar
Alex - Bass
Greg - Drums
Info:
www.myspace.com/heathenhate
www.facebook.com/pages/Heathens/246544509193
Dying Season
Heathen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hey, it's dying season
bodies dropping in an endless grave
promise, promise broken
lives are lost, dissolved in vain
war, war and treason
power minds set the stage
disappearing in an endless rage
Fist full of sand, mouth full of disdain
Stepping stones melt into flames
Ancient methods historically stained
Soldiers marching onward into dust
cradle the crying, extol the dying
blood shed like paint to the wall
sanity scarring, a prayer underlying
a season, a lifetime to fall
crack in the sky, black is the night
a towering shadow divides,
piercing creation, sever a nation
compose a season to die
hey, crying season
bombs are blasting with a deadly force
tears, tears are falling
a river stained must change its course
lost, lost forever
sacrifice is fate's reward
time, everlasting
only memories and timeless scars
fist full of sand, mouth full of disdain
stepping stones melt into flames
ancient methods historically stained
soldiers marching onward into dust
cradle the crying, extol the dying
blood shed like paint to the wall
sanity scarring, a prayer underlying
a season, a lifetime to fall
crack in the sky, black is the night
a towering shadow divides
piercing creation, sever a nation
compose a season to die
wars result, is it really worth the cost?
so much pain, the suffering never ends
war and fate, is where the bullets fly
dust to dust, when death and life collide
Solo: Lee
Solo: Kragen
fist full of sand, mouth full of disdain
stepping stones melt into flames
ancient methods historically stained
soldiers marching onward into dust
cradle the crying, extol the dying
blood shed like paint to the wall
sanity scarring, a prayer underlying
a season, a lifetime to fall
crack in the sky, black is the night
a towering shadow divides,
piercing creation, sever a nation
compose a season to die
The lyrics of "Dying Season" by Heathen paint a picture of war and its consequences. The song begins with a somber tone, acknowledging the loss of lives and broken promises that resulted in an "endless grave." The power-hungry minds that set the stage for war and the loss of reason of those who disappear in endless rage is described. As the song progresses, we see the soldiers marching onward into dust, and the pain, suffering, and chaos that ensues. The mention of soldiers marching onward into dust represents the futility of war as history repeats itself.
The lyrics also talk about the toll on those who survive. In particular, the images of cradling the crying and extolling the dying are haunting, as is the mention of blood being shed like paint on the wall. The scars left on those who survive are said to be timeless as memories of the war and its aftermath never fade away. The song acknowledges that wars always have a result, but urges listeners to question whether the cost is truly worth it.
Overall, "Dying Season" is a poignant and powerful song about the tragedy of war and its human cost.
Line by Line Meaning
hey, it's dying season
The season of death has arrived.
bodies dropping in an endless grave
Countless bodies are piling up in graves without end.
promise, promise broken
Promises have been broken causing destruction and death.
lives are lost, dissolved in vain
Countless lives have been lost without any meaningful outcome.
war, war and treason
War and betrayal are occurring at the same time.
power minds set the stage
The powerful and manipulative people are controlling the situation.
loss, loss of reason
People are losing their sanity in the midst of the turmoil.
disappearing in an endless rage
People are vanishing in an endless cycle of anger and violence.
Fist full of sand, mouth full of disdain
People are holding on to something that is slipping away and speaking in disgust and contempt.
Stepping stones melt into flames
The things that were once solid and safe are disintegrating and becoming dangerous.
Ancient methods historically stained
The methods and beliefs of the past are tainted and causing harm in the present.
Soldiers marching onward into dust
Soldiers are being sent to their death with no real objective or outcome.
cradle the crying, extol the dying
People are comforting those who are suffering and praising those who have passed away.
blood shed like paint to the wall
Blood is being spilled and splattered everywhere with no regard for human life.
sanity scarring, a prayer underlying
The insanity of the situation is causing long-lasting emotional damage while people pray for it to end.
a season, a lifetime to fall
The consequences of this season of death will be felt for generations to come.
crack in the sky, black is the night
The darkness and destruction are so intense that it feels like the very sky is cracking open.
a towering shadow divides
A great darkness is blocking out the light and dividing people from one another.
piercing creation, sever a nation
The violence and destruction are so intense that they are causing physical and emotional harm to the natural world and tearing apart the fabric of society.
compose a season to die
The level of destruction and death is so intense that it feels like it was deliberately planned and executed.
bombs are blasting with a deadly force
Explosions are rocking the area with deadly power.
tears, tears are falling
People are crying and grieving for their losses.
a river stained must change its course
The river of life has been disastrously altered and must find a new path forward.
lost, lost forever
People have been lost forever and cannot be brought back.
sacrifice is fate's reward
The sacrifices people have made will not be in vain and will be remembered in the future.
time, everlasting
The impact of this season of death will be felt for all time.
only memories and timeless scars
All that will remain of this terrible time are memories and deep emotional scars.
wars result, is it really worth the cost?
The outcome of this war will ultimately not be worth the lives, destruction, and suffering it has caused.
so much pain, the suffering never ends
The amount of pain and suffering caused by this season of death feels like it will never truly end.
war and fate, is where the bullets fly
In the midst of war and destruction, people feel like they have no control over their own fate.
dust to dust, when death and life collide
When death and destruction mix with life and creation, it feels like everything is being reduced to nothing more than dust.
Contributed by Jeremiah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jeffhenion6422
I love this band they are so underrated and under appreciated. They are truly a great band. Use to see them all over the Bay Area back in the day anybody remember the scene back then, sure glad I was there!!!!! HEATHEN forever!!!!!
@DuggsMetalMovieJukebox
You might like these Heathen fan vids https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0TWu7XDfY0YNXpu0HDlxq279BXzKnKh3
@rickjames9507
The Blight from the new album is the best thrash song I have heard in 25 years. Disgustingly underrated.
@HeathenMetal
Thanks, Rick!!!
@theferrettamer2531
I was thinking the same thing. Heathen just does everything right. No other way to explain it
@pantera89
@@HeathenMetal \m/
@pantera89
@@HeathenMetal If I'm talking to David White, I have a question... where can I buy the guitar tabs to Victims of Deception? and by the way I love the guitar tone from 1991 pre-gain 7 low 9 mid 2 and high 8... I love all 4 albums...but I would love to have the guitar tabs to deception if I can buy the book. thank you, guys, for putting out great music that makes you think long after the songs are over......\m/
@timowl26
My god this band literally deserves more.
@AgoraphobicNews
These riffs are just slaying everything on its path!
@f.d.geiger4164
Some serious riffs with Heathen!