They toured the U.S. extensively several times, as well as Europe and Japan. They released a total of 6 records: Fifteen Counts of Arson and split EP with Union of Uranus (limited edition of 1,000), which was the last recording completed with original band member Pat Davis. Monuments to Thieves debut of new guitarist Yannick Lorraine formerly of Union of Uranus from Canada, The Plot Sickens, and two 7" EPs The Dead of Night in Eight Movements and Fool's Gold as well as a 1995 demo tape entitled Medicine of Thieves.
Simultaneously or afterwards band members played in the bands Deathreat, Call The Police, Dimlaia, Warcry, Union of Uranus and many more. The core of the band, Todd Burdette, Paul Burdette and Yannick Lorraine went on to form the neocrust band Tragedy.
His Hero is Gone was characterized by heavily distorted "thick sounding" guitars, unrelenting d-beat holocaust drumming, deep and piercing basslines and guttural-styled brutal vocals. Equal amounts hardcore and metal, their sludge influences and metallic infused sound added a then unseen dimension to crust punk, no one else was doing the same thing back in the late 90s.
An approach that placed them as one of the heaviest and key bands to what was the basis of the so called neocrust sub-genre, along with Wolfbrigade and From Ashes Rise; they were a pre-neocrust outfit.
They are also the originators of the iconic 'swarm of bees' riffing that is so permeated in the crust scene nowadays. They might as well, too, be the originators of the weird sound that is produced when tampering with a guitar's strings at the neck as some kind of extended and affected pick slide that is difficult to describe with words but gives a strange crumbling and disintegrating-like effect. Techniques Tragedy continued to utilise.
Even though they only existed for a few years, their sound proved to be very influential and may only be rivaled by Tragedy themselves. The band broke up allegedly in part due to a meltdown their bassist Carl Auge had on-stage, coupled with feelings of having no future at all in Memphis and tired of working minimum wage jobs in order to be able to afford their musical-related activities; 3/4 of the band left for Portland in search of a better prospect, a difficult decision that did end up paying off.
Additionally, footage of one of their last live performances sees them playing several future Tragedy songs with minor variations.
Carl was part of several other bands post-HHIG, namely Dimlaia, Drain the Sky and more recently Syndrømes but they remain very obscure. He also became a visual artist.
Their lyrics were crude and jaded in nature, featuring social commentary much of which include anti-consumerist and anti-technological themes, expressing inconformity with our current world. Nothing has changed since then, it only got worse and it is worrying their message still echoes over 20 years later. The band and related projects have remained under the radar of a mainstream audience by not promoting themselves via tools of mass communication such as websites or larger music labels.
Sound The Alarm
His Hero Is Gone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The gears are locking up in their well oiled machine
Sound the alarm something's gone wrong Sound the Alarm
The oil burns like fire in dry Weeds The heat
Welds its' parts in their decaying dream Sound the
Alarm Something's gone wrong and there's no chance
This Sickness will survive No chance this machine
Can stay alive
In "Sound the Alarm," His Hero Is Gone addresses the inevitable collapse of oppressive systems that have corroded from within. The lyrics are an allegory to describe the systematic dysfunctionality that will eventually disintegrate them. The metaphor of a well-oiled machine, with its parts welded together in a decaying dream, is used to represent the existing social order. The fabric coming apart at the seams underscores how the oppression has reached a breaking point where the situation can no longer be sustained, and the system is beginning to fall apart. The warning to sound the alarm symbolizes the need to alert and mobilize people to resist the corrupt system that is slowly devouring them.
Line by Line Meaning
The fabric is coming apart at the seams
The system is breaking down and showing signs of failure
The gears are locking up in their well oiled machine
The well-organized system is now experiencing malfunctions and inefficiencies
Sound the alarm something's gone wrong Sound the Alarm
There is a need for action to address the situation since something has obviously gone awry
The oil burns like fire in dry Weeds The heat
The fuel of the system in question is now causing more harm than good
Welds its' parts in their decaying dream Sound the
The system is now clinging to its own malfunctioning parts and ignoring the need for repair or overhaul
Alarm Something's gone wrong and there's no chance
The problem is severe and irreparable
This Sickness will survive No chance this machine
The system's ailment is too far-gone and will not recover
Contributed by Scarlett Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.