The band was originally formed in 1989 in Palm Desert, California under the name "Sons of Kyuss". They took the name from a monster in Dungeons and Dragons. Shortly after the release of their self-titled EP, the name was shortened to just Kyuss.
The quartet gained popularity around the desert due to their famous generator parties. These were parties fueled by gas generators in the canyons and isolated desert surrounding the small valley towns.
The group disbanded in 1997. They felt that they were in a decline and felt it best to call it quits before it escalated into something that could not be fixed. The line up had shifted dramatically between 1989 and 1997. Josh Homme, John Garcia, Brant Bjork, and Chris Cockrell were the original members. Chris was replaced by Nick Oliveri during high school. That line up recorded Wretch (released in 1991) and Blues for the Red Sun (released in 1992), after which Nick soon left. The eighteen year older, but very able Scott Reeder from The Obsessed was brought in. This line up recorded the famous self-titled album Kyuss (released in 1994; due to the album front cover often referred to as "Welcome to Sky Valley", a small town outside of Palm Desert — wrongly labelled by many). Brank Bjork left after this due to personal reasons. Alfredo Hernandez was brought in. The final line-up recorded ...And the Circus Leaves Town (released in 1995). The band toured and soon disbanded. With the compilation Muchas Gracias: The best of Kyuss, one final greatest hits CD was released in 2000.
All band members still influence the genre they helped to create. The most notable is Queens of the Stone Age. Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, and Alfredo Hernandez started this up after Josh had experimented with his famous Desert Sessions.
John Garcia took a path geared more towards traditional rock. He opened with Slo Burn. It was a harder Kyuss, and still played in drop C. That project did not last for over a year, although one EP was released. Following Slo Burn came Unida. This band was steered toward rock n' roll and away from the stoner rock genre. John has most recently been involved with the band Hermano. Many consider this the greatest post-Kyuss project. In 2010 a Garcia Plays Kyuss gig at Roadburn Festival (Netherlands), to be followed by a proper European tour, was announced. The line-up of this band includes (former) members of Agua de Annique, Celestial Season, Kong and Arsenal.
Nick Oliveri also has created waves in the music world. Apart from playing for years in Queens of the Stone Age he has played on and off in The Dwarves. He is most known for his side project, which has become his full-time band, Mondo Generator.
Scott Reeder pursued a career of producing mainly (most notably Orange Goblin's Coup de Grace). In 2006, he released a solo album called Tunnelvision Brilliance. He also played in Unida for a little bit.
Brant Bjork has the most stable musical career of them all. He turned down playing with Queens of the Stone Age to pursue a journey with his surfing buddies, Fu Manchu. He left after making numerous records with them to focus on his already blossoming solo career, playing the guitar instead of drums. He has worked with many people since, releasing records with Ché, touring as Brant Bjork and the Bros, and occasionally playing drums as well. Brant Bjork also played on some Desert Sessions.
Los Angeles based drummer Gene Trautmann played for a brief period between Brant Bjork and Alfredo Hernandez.
Alfredo Hernandez has guest starred on too many CDs and bands to count including Yawning Man, Orquestra Del Desierto, Fatso Jetson, and many others. He also played in a local band located in Palm Desert and is the drummer of Brant Bjork and the Bros.
A big influence on the sound of Kyuss was Chris Goss (frontman of Masters of Reality), who produced Blues for the Red Sun, and everything that followed.
Although Queens of the Stone Age has been, and continues to be, a great deal more popular than Kyuss or any of its offshoots for many Kyuss is considered far superior than anything the disbanded members created afterward.
A lot of bands have been inspired by Kyuss, including Electric Wizard, Monster Magnet, Orange Goblin, Beaver, Dozer, Los Natas, Truckfighters, Acid King, Fu Manchu, Clutch, Pelican, Torche.
For 2011 touring line-up, see Kyuss Lives!.
Deadly Kiss
Kyuss Lyrics
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Stare into my eyes
Hellfire in my veins
In my veins
In my veins
In my vein, yeah.
I can see through your eyes,
I can see through the lies,
No one can make a fool of me.
Drowning in your lonliness,
Want to bring me down with you.
No one buys your innocence,
Gonna' break your walls in two.
Well in two,
Well in two.
No one buys it,
No one wanted to,
With you,
You,
Fuck you.
Dig your grave for two.
Walk my way,
Get out of my way.
Well I wanted you,
I saw right through ya.
Well I'm your man,
You'll understand,
You'll pay the price,
To live in a-paradise.
Look into my face now,
Stare into my eyes.
Hellfire in my veins,
In my veins,
In my veins,
In my vein yeah.
I can see through your eyes,
Well its no disguise to me.
I can see through the lies,
No one can make a fool of me.
I'm drowning in your lonliness,
Want to bring me down with you.
No one buys your innocence,
Gonna break your walls in two.
Well in two,
Well in two.
Well no one buys it,
No one wanted to,
With you,
You,
Fuck you.
Dig your grave for two.
The song "Deadly Kiss" by Kyuss packs a punch with its lyrics that are intense and deep. The song is about the singer (presumably the singer) acknowledging the manipulative behavior and facade of his love interest. He is aware of the flames of passion and desire, but also senses the darkness of deception and loneliness within her. The singer is not just able to see through her facade but also anticipates his downfall. He refuses to be manipulated and understands that those who show love without sincerity aren't worthy of love.
The chorus of the song, "no one buys it, no one wanted to, with you, you, f*ck you, dig your grave for two," is a strong message that says the singer is aware of her intentions and will not let her get away with her tactics. The singer will only look out for himself now, his message is clear, stay away if you don't have any good intentions.
Overall, the song "Deadly Kiss" talks about how even the most tantalizing of kisses can be harmful and how we should always remain vigilant while falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Look into my face now
I want you to really see me for who I am
Stare into my eyes
I want you to understand me without any pretense
Hellfire in my veins
I feel an intense passion inside me
In my veins
This feeling is an essential part of my identity
In my veins
It's so deeply ingrained in me that it's like it's in my blood
In my vein, yeah.
And I'm not ashamed of it
I can see through your eyes,
I'm perceptive enough to see right through you
Its no disguise to me,
I know when someone is being fake
I can see through the lies,
And people who try to deceive me don't stand a chance
No one can make a fool of me.
I'm too smart to fall for anyone's tricks
Drowning in your lonliness,
You may feel alone, but I'm not going to let you drag me down with you
Want to bring me down with you.
You're not going to spread your misery to me
No one buys your innocence,
Don't even try to play the victim
Gonna' break your walls in two.
I'm going to dismantle all the defenses you've put up
Well in two,
I'm going to do it thoroughly
Well in two.
I'm going to do it completely
No one buys it,
Don't even try to convince people of your innocence or sincerity
No one wanted to,
People can see right through you
With you,
And they don't want to have anything to do with you
You,
It's your own fault
Fuck you.
I have no sympathy for you
Dig your grave for two.
You've ruined things for both of us
Walk my way,
Follow me
Get out of my way.
Just don't try to bring me down
Well I wanted you,
I thought we had something special
I saw right through ya.
But now I know you for who you really are
Well I'm your man,
I was willing to stand by you
You'll understand,
I was hoping you could see things from my perspective
You'll pay the price,
But now you're going to face the consequences of your actions
To live in a-paradise.
If you want happiness, you're going to have to earn it
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH HOMME, NICK OLIVERI, JOHN M GARCIA, BRANT BJORK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind