After leaving their record label EMI in 2004 following the Payola scandal, they released their second album independently before signing a deal with Burning Heart Records, who subsequently re-released it in 2006. The band's third (self-titled) album was released in June 2007.
September 2000 Hell is For Heroes formed
January 2001 1st gig at the Half Moon, Putney
March 2001 released debut EP ‘Sick Happy’ (the first demo) and toured with Biffy Clyro
July 2001 signed record deal
January 2002 recorded first album with Swedes Pelle & Eskil
… on and off tours of the UK
February 2003 released ‘The Neon Handshake’
March 2003 to
January 2004 toured like dogs
May 2004 recorded 2nd album in Sweden on their own label
August 2004 released handmade CD single and free download ‘One Of Us’ through Captains Of Industry
November 2004 filmed video for ‘Kamichi’ with friend and artist Tom McShane
March 2005 released 2nd album ‘Transmit Disrupt’ in the UK on their own label
September 2005 signed worldwide deal with Burning Heart Records
The band continue to tour, often abroad, often briefly...This news broke to the dismay of many a Heroes fan on 25.10.2007:
"Dear rock fans the forthcoming hop around the UK will be the last full length stint on the road before the reunion tour in 2037. HIFH are up for spending more time at home working on other projects and potentially a fourth album if it can beat the last effort. Plus 7 years in the van is a fair stretch by any standards. Just like the Beatles after Rubber Soul, its hallucinogenics and concept albums from here on. In the meantime, as usual, expect the unforgettable.
Thank You,
hellisforheroes"
They finally gave it up in 2008, with a final goodbye post on their official website posted in Jan 2009.
They reformed in November 2012 to support Hundred reasons on their last tour dates.
They then toured in 2018 with A and in 2023 with Hundred Reasons and My Vitriol, releasing two new songs in early 2023.
Night Vision
Hell Is for Heroes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down a bottomless pit
I've been waiting for this night
To open my eyes
Wide awake I see in the dark
See the fences breaking apart
Get together with my old friends
Escape to somewhere far from nowhere
Where the sky's been tainted red
Where the sky's been tainted
Up on a bank by a stream
Trading memories for dreams
Fading echoes and pictures
We burn at the seams
And now our wings are painted gold
They'll make idols of us yet
Empty promises they said
Reach their best before dates soon
I can see it all
The lyrics to Hell is for Heroes' song Night Vision contain imagery of fear, darkness, and escape. The singer describes being under a blanket of fear, trapped in a bottomless pit, until the night arrives and opens their eyes. They are then wide awake and able to see in the dark, as the fences break apart and they reunite with old friends. Together they escape to a place far from nowhere, where the sky is tainted red.
The second verse continues with the theme of escape, this time through trading memories for dreams. The singer describes echoes and pictures that are fading away as they burn at the seams. Despite this, they also speak of their wings being painted gold and the possibility of becoming idols. However, the promise of this empty success is fleeting, with a seemingly ominous warning that their best before date is soon to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Under a blanket of fear
Feeling afraid and uncertain
Down a bottomless pit
Feeling stuck and hopeless
I've been waiting for this night
Anticipating a moment of clarity
To open my eyes
To gain a new perspective
Wide awake I see in the dark
Being alert and aware in a difficult situation
See the fences breaking apart
Breaking free from limitations
Get together with my old friends
Reconnecting and finding comfort in familiar faces
Once again we breathe in the air
Feeling alive and free
Escape to somewhere far from nowhere
Finding solace in a remote and peaceful place
Where the sky's been tainted red
Witnessing the aftermath of destruction
Up on a bank by a stream
Finding peace and quiet in nature
Trading memories for dreams
Letting go of the past to focus on the future
Fading echoes and pictures
Losing clarity of past events
We burn at the seams
Breaking down from the pressure
And now our wings are painted gold
Feeling accomplished and successful
They'll make idols of us yet
Becoming role models for others
Empty promises they said
Distrustful of those who make promises
Reach their best before dates soon
Knowing that promises won't last forever
I can see it all
Having clarity and understanding of the situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES MCCARLIE FINDLAY, JOSEPH BIRCH, JUSTIN ROBIN SCHLOSBERG, TOMAS EDWARD O'DONOGHUE, WILL MCGONAGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hxytxwnrx
What a underrated band... they deserve justice. Neon Handshake is a masterpiece.
@robprice85
Tune. Neon handshake is a MASSIVELY underrated album
@leewright415
I agree, however only underrated by people who never listened to it..
To us who did are here 20 years later.
@MonkeyBscts
Man, I’m so happy that I just remembered this band existed.
@arturx6965
The drumming is absolutely beautiful. The drum fills and snare rolls are absolutely unique. Moreover, the way the drums were recorded also deserves notice. Nobody plays drums like this drummer.
@AdrenalineConcept
Sound City mate. Joe said that room, like all drummers say, was just amazing for drum sounds. His performances on TNH were outstanding. Pelle and Eskil got a monstrous tom sound, the fills in this tune pop. I played one of his Yamaha kits in 2008. Boomed! This tune, 'Discos and Casinos' and 'This Is Why' are easily his best work with HIFH.
@javiercota1466
Who's in 2023 I'm just discovered such a beautiful song
@IvanMaras84
still listening in 2017...
@crmercer6407
can't be many of us left :-)
@markvmmm
music is timeless so it doesn't matter