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
Set Me Free
Heathen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel just the same
Hands on the wall
Maybe your just playing games
Set me free
Hung by a hound,
Hanging around
I don't know when
I'll be found
Set me free
Set me free
Set me free from you
Taken by force
By you of course
Far from my bed
Maybe I'll feel better dead
Set me free
Set me free
Set me free from you
Fire in my brain
Burn me insane
Making your mark
Don't leave me here in the dark
Set me free
Call me a saint
That's what I ain't
Inside my head
I know I'd rather be dead
Set me free
Set me free
Set me free from you
The lyrics of Heathen's song Set Me Free describe a person who is trapped and wants to break free from a toxic relationship. The use of the metaphor "rack, ball and chain" conveys the feeling of being imprisoned, while "hands on the wall, maybe you're just playing games" suggests manipulation and deceit from the other person. The repetition of "set me free" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's desperation and longing for escape.
The song also touches on themes of isolation, hopelessness, and self-destruction. The line "far from my bed, maybe I'll feel better dead" suggests that the singer sees death as a preferable alternative to being trapped in the relationship. The verse "fire in my brain, burn me insane" conveys the intense emotional pain and turmoil experienced by the singer.
Overall, Set Me Free is a powerful and emotionally charged song that speaks to the universal experience of feeling trapped and wanting to break free.
Line by Line Meaning
Rack, ball and chain
Being held captive, bound by a heavy weight
Feel just the same
Having the same emotions and sensations despite being held captive
Hands on the wall
Being trapped and unable to move
Maybe your just playing games
Questioning the captor's true intentions, unsure if they are serious or just messing around
Set me free
Desire to escape and be released from captivity
Hung by a hound,
Being suspended in mid-air, hanging from a hunting dog
Hanging around
Stuck in the same place, unable to move or escape
Is this for real
Questioning the reality of the situation, unsure if it is actually happening
I don't know when
Unsure of when or if they will ever be released from captivity
I'll be found
Being lost and hoping to be rescued or found by someone
Set me free
Repeating the desire to escape and be released
Taken by force
Being abducted or kidnapped against one's will
By you of course
Being taken by someone who is known or expected to have done so
Far from my bed
Being taken to an unfamiliar place, far from one's home and comfort zone
Maybe I'll feel better dead
Feeling so hopeless and trapped that death seems like a more desirable option
Fire in my brain
Feeling intense mental anguish and torment
Burn me insane
Being driven to madness and insanity by the mental torture
Making your mark
Leaving a lasting impact on the victim's psyche
Don't leave me here in the dark
Feeling isolated and abandoned, longing for light and hope
Call me a saint
Being falsely praised or judged as an admirable person
That's what I ain't
Knowing that one is not worthy of praise or admiration, feeling unworthy or inadequate
Inside my head
Being trapped in one's own thoughts and emotions
I know I'd rather be dead
Feeling so trapped and hopeless that death seems like the only escape
Set me free
Repeating the desire to escape and be released
Set me free from you
Specifically wanting to be released from the captor's hold
Contributed by Jayce A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PhronexisThrash
Gagged, ball and chained
Feel just the same
Heads on the wall
Maybe you're just playing games
Set me free
Mauled by her hound
Hangin' around
Is this for real
I don't know when I'll be found
Set me free
Ahh set me free
Ahh set me free, from you
Taken by force
By you of course
Far from my bed
I know I'd rather be dead
Set me free
Ahh set me free
Ahh set me free, from you
Fire in my brain
Burn me insane
Making your mark
Don't leave me here in the dark
Set me free
Call me a saint
That's what I ain't
Inside my head
Maybe I'd feel better dead
Set me free
Ahh set me free
Ahh set me free, from you
@showstopperrob1097
This proves that, Sweet was their time way ahead in 1973 when they recorded it and released in 1974
@tepoztlitlacatl634
Yeah
@lisavandeursen8745
Had the guys stay at my mums house in 89ish.
Met singer, David, again in Houston tonight. He remembered my. “Kindness” and even then i knew he had a great soul!! Thanks for all the cane to scout bar, and thank you David for the chats and memories when we were not a few year older than now!!!
@user-ec3ji5lo2y
Great Band 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
@ovd806
Still remember that I saw this @ my grandmothers house. They had cable TV, which we didn't have where we lived, and therefore MTV Headbangers Ball. This clip made my day!
@HeathenMetal
Awesome!
@vicrecords
same here!
@whichdoctor4858
Me too lol and I’ve been searching decades later for it again! Headbangers ball was awesome.
@atropusarbaalish4214
The best video on MTV that year.
@atropusarbaalish4214
Utter shit. In a 3 hour show, you'd have 80 minutes of commercials, ONE good video, and the rest, hair bands. Morbid Angel killed that show.