Lääz Rockit would release five more full length albums over the next eight years, with 1985's "No Stranger to Danger", 1987's "Know Your Enemy", 1989's "Annihilation Principle", 1991's "Nothing'$ $acred" and the 1992 live album "Taste Of Rebellion", securing both fan and critical acclaim worldwide. The band toured throughout North America, Europe, and Japan in this period, raising the bar for metal acts to follow with their unique live performance and rapport with fans at every gig along the way.
The band broke up in 1993, though the members continued their strong bond of friendship outside of music. Their sense of kinship and brotherhood often raised the question of performing together again at some point in time, and in 2005 the perfect opportunity presented itself.
The 2005 Dynamo Open Air Festival in the Netherlands was a celebration of 80's thrash metal bands, and Lääz Rockit was billed for the main stage along with Anthrax and Testament. This show, along with a club appearance with Testament, would be Lääz Rockit's first appearances live since Tokyo in 1992. After enjoying the fun and success of playing live again, the band appeared at "The San Francisco Thrash Against Cancer Benefit" in July 2005, and travelled to Japan with their brothers Testament for the two night sold out "Thrash Domination" festival, with Kreator and Destruction also on the bill. A headline appearance at Germany's "Keep It True" festival with Diamond Head and Sabbat, and two shows in the Netherlands and Belgium in spring of 2007 were the only gigs of 2007, as the band brought along new drummer Sky Harris.
In August 2006, Lääz Rockit released "Live Untold", a DVD that encapsulates the story of the band with clips of concert scenes, photos, and interviews that chronicle the band from its inception to the present day. It is a classic, detailing the band in a unique fashion, and showcasing their brotherhood throughout their lives.
Due to the fans overwhelming response, Lääz Rockit's back catalogue is being re-mastered and re-released on Old School Metal Records, also home to the "Live Untold" DVD. "City's Gonna Burn" was re-released in 2007, with complete photos of the era and updated production. The album also contains the "Prelude To Death" demo recording from 1983. The rest of the back catalogue is also slated for release soon.
After the success of the reunion shows, the band realized they were not finished with what they had to offer musically. The band returned to the studio in 2008 for the first time in 15 years, and recently completed the perfect follow-up to where they left off in 1993 with the aptly titled "Left For Dead". Enlisting co-producers Juan Urteaga and former Lääz Rockit member Scott Sargeant (who also makes a guest appearance), the flow and direction of "Left For Dead" is the most mature sound and well thought offering the band has ever released.
"Left For Dead" was released on July 25th in Europe on Massacre Records. On June 1st, a limited edition signed CD was available in the U.S. for a limited time only on the band's MySpace page and/or official website.
The group takes its name from the finale of the 1976 Clint Eastwood movie, "The Enforcer", involving the use of a M72 LAW rocket.
The Omen
Lääz Rockit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I called the night my friend
And felt no pain
Only a child
And the light of innocence
Burned bright as day
Flesh and blood
The ties of life we're one and same
Born to share his brother's name
Feeling the rain
I've felt a thousand times before
Yet it seems so cold
Dove white as snow
Trying to weather one more storm
Lays on the ground
Broken wings
Helpless from the fate it's given
Fragile thing
I couldn't save it from it's cruel end
Innocent one
Comes upon a cold device
And time stands still
Sound of a shot
And his heart turns cold as ice
Life unfulfilled
All my guilt
I wished I was the one to die
Brother killed
Now I live to question why
Search my soul to try and find a reason
Losing faith in all that I believe in
Shade my eyes
From the windows of the past
Too late to save
Promise has died
With a vision that can't last
To fate a slave
Piece by piece
I've tried to mend my heart forsaken
No release
A nightmare and I can't awaken
Search my soul to try and find a reason
Losing faith in all that I believe in
Now I know that the bird was a sign
The blame for this forever will be mine
The lyrics to Lääz Rockit's song "The Omen" depict a person's journey from innocence to guilt and despair. In the first stanza, the singer talks about a time when they felt no pain and called the night their friend. The light of innocence burned bright, and they felt a sense of pure freedom. However, the second stanza takes a dark turn, where the singer witnesses the death of an innocent creature and suddenly realizes the fragility of life. The innocent one who comes upon the cold device represents the singer's brother, who was shot and killed. The guilt weighs heavily on the singer's heart, and they wish they were the one who died instead. The last stanza talks about the singer's struggle to find a reason for why this tragedy occurred, and they are losing faith in all that they used to believe in. The bird that was mentioned earlier represents the omen that foretold the tragedy, and the singer acknowledges that they are to blame for it forever.
The song's somber theme is intensified by the haunting melody and the strong vocals by the lead singer. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of innocence lost and the unforgiving nature of fate. The song speaks to the human experience of grappling with guilt and the unanswerable questions that come with tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time
Once, a long time ago
When I called the night my friend
When I used to enjoy the night
And felt no pain
Without any physical or emotional discomfort
Only a child
Innocent and young
And the light of innocence
The purity of childhood
Burned bright as day
Was as clear as daylight
Flesh and blood
Humanity and mortality
The ties of life we're one and same
All connected through life and death
Pure freedom
Complete liberty
Born to share his brother's name
Given the same family name as his brother
Feeling the rain
Experiencing precipitation
I've felt a thousand times before
A frequent occurrence
Yet it seems so cold
Still painfully cold
Dove white as snow
Purely white like snow
Trying to weather one more storm
Struggling to endure another difficult experience
Lays on the ground
Lying motionless on the ground
Broken wings
Unable to fly due to injury
Helpless from the fate it's given
Unable to change its inevitable destiny
Fragile thing
A delicate being
I couldn't save it from its cruel end
I was unable to prevent its tragic fate
Innocent one
A blameless individual
Comes upon a cold device
Encounters a weapon
And time stands still
Everything comes to a sudden halt
Sound of a shot
Noise of a firearm discharge
And his heart turns cold as ice
Emotionally numbing experience
Life unfulfilled
A life cut short before it could achieve its potential
All my guilt
All of my remorse and blame
I wished I was the one to die
Regret that I survived instead of the innocent one
Brother killed
Sudden loss of a sibling
Now I live to question why
No logical explanation as to why this happened
Search my soul to try and find a reason
Looking deep inside oneself for answers
Losing faith in all that I believe in
Doubting everything I previously trusted
Shade my eyes
Shielding my vision
From the windows of the past
Avoiding memories of previous experiences
Too late to save
Past the point of rescue
Promise has died
All hope is lost
With a vision that can't last
A dream that can never come true
To fate a slave
Completely powerless against destiny
Piece by piece
Gradually and thoroughly
I've tried to mend my heart forsaken
Working to heal a deeply broken heart
No release
No escape from the ongoing suffering
A nightmare and I can't awaken
Trapped in an ongoing distressing experience
Now I know that the bird was a sign
A realization that the bird had symbolic significance
The blame for this forever will be mine
Permanently responsible for this tragedy
Contributed by Colin N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.