With heavy-hitters like Himsa and Champion leading the way, striving to be … Read Full Bio ↴With heavy-hitters like Himsa and Champion leading the way, striving to be a successful, up-and-coming hardcore band in the Pacific Northwest these days is no easy task. Some might even say it’s a fruitless endeavor. Inked In Blood however, begs to differ. The boys of IIB refuse to back down to their predecessors and like a stubborn bulldog that fights when the odds are stacked against it, they proceed in the face of adversity.

In the Spring of 2004, Inked In Blood dropped a melodic hardcore bomb on an unsuspecting public with their release of the “Awakening Vesuvius” EP. It starts off with a little taste of the old school and then proceeds to become a melodic, metal masterpiece. With lyrics that reach far beyond the typical “teen angst” issues, IIB strives to reach their audiences with concepts such as humility, humanity, compassion and life as process, not as product. Critics say that Inked In Blood’s “Awakening Vesuvius” is five songs of pure energy, emotion, and in-your-face aggression and is easily one of the most intelligent, inspiring and hard-hitting releases to ever hit the streets of Portland. No doubt IIB has become the foam on the leading edge of the new hardcore swell.

With their motto of “hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em fast” Inked In Blood brings their most amazing attribute to the table; their live performance. If attending an IIB show, be prepared to be floored by acrobatic stage antics with plenty of finger-points, pileups and breakdowns. An intense combination of movie samples and slam poetry also help to give Inked In Blood a one of a kind show that leaves their audiences speechless.

So if you think you’ve heard all that hardcore has to offer and have found it lacking then look no further than Inked In Blood. They have raised the standard and destroyed the norm. They will fill your heart and mind with conviction, passion and hope. They will change what hardcore is today and what it will be tomorrow. For fans of Shai Halud, Misery Signals, Strongarm, As I Lay Dying and Seven Angels Seven Plagues.

Call To Arms
Inked In Blood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This pace is staggering me. Never stopping-ever wandering. Atrophy prevails. Our days are numbered, our seasons fleeting. How many days, how many waking hours, sleepless nights-have been spent wishing you had the strength to rise above what cripples us? Doubt floods our minds, our souls-battered by its waves. Shouting the call to arms-your voice echoing. Now we can sing as one. This cannot be living. This is only prelude to being alive. The sound of reflections shattering. Shouting the call to arms-your voice echoing. Now we can sing as one. I no longer see shadow-I no longer hear its voice. All our cries will echo with victory. And we are not ashamed to shout aloud in this time, our new beginning. We will raise our voices high

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Inked In Blood's song Call To Arms speak to the struggle that many of us face in our daily lives. The song begins by describing a pace that is overwhelming and unrelenting. The sense of atrophy pervades, with the understanding that our time on earth is short-lived. The lyrics then ask a powerful question: how many sleepless nights have we spent wishing we had the strength to rise above what cripples us? The answer, of course, is too many.

The doubt that we feel floods our minds and souls, battering us until we feel like we can no longer go on. But then there is a call to arms, the voice echoing and calling us forth to sing as one. This is not living, the song reminds us, but rather a prelude to being alive. All of our reflections shatter and we are left with a new beginning, ready to raise our voices high and shout our victory.

Overall, this song speaks to the need for strength, resilience, and the power of community to help us overcome the struggles we encounter in our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

This pace is staggering me. Never stopping-ever wandering.
The fast and restless pace is overwhelming me, leaving no time to stop and rest.

Atrophy prevails. Our days are numbered, our seasons fleeting.
We are in a state of decline and decay, with a limited time to live and experience life's changes.

How many days, how many waking hours, sleepless nights-have been spent wishing you had the strength to rise above what cripples us?
We spend countless moments wishing we had the power to overcome the obstacles that hold us back.

Doubt floods our minds, our souls-battered by its waves.
The uncertainty within us is overwhelming, making us feel like we are being constantly battered by its force.

Shouting the call to arms-your voice echoing. Now we can sing as one.
Urging us to come together and fight for our cause, with the power of our combined voices.

This cannot be living. This is only prelude to being alive.
Our current state of existence is not truly living, but merely a precursor to truly being alive.

The sound of reflections shattering. Shouting the call to arms-your voice echoing. Now we can sing as one.
Our past doubts and fears are being shattered, as we come together with a unified voice to fight for our beliefs.

I no longer see shadow-I no longer hear its voice.
We have overcome our inner demons and no longer feel their grip on us.

All our cries will echo with victory.
Our struggle and efforts to overcome will ultimately end in triumph and success.

And we are not ashamed to shout aloud in this time, our new beginning.
We are proud and confident in our beliefs, and unafraid to make our voices heard.

We will raise our voices high.
We will use the power of our voices to fight for what we believe in, and make a difference in the world.

Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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