San Francisco produced many of the golden-era metal acts (most notably, Metallica, Testament, Exodus, and LAAZ ROCKIT) and provided LAAZ with a rabid fanbase that caught the record industry's attention in America in 1983. LAAZ ROCKIT signed with Target Entertainment (the label that released RATT's original EP) that year and recorded their first album, "City’s Gonna Burn" (still considered a classic) and released it in the spring of 1984. The album received great reviews and the tour in support of "City’s Gonna Burn" established LAAZ ROCKIT's live show reputation as one of the most energetic of the metal genre.
In 1985, LAAZ released their 2nd album "No Stranger To Danger" and in 1986 made their first appearances in Europe supporting MOTORHEAD. This experience helped forge a new, heavier musical direction for the band and formed a unique relationship with European fans that has become legendary and still exists today.
The heavier direction proved to be genuine with 1987's release of LAAZ's 3rd album, "Know Your Enemy". This record is widely considered the band's best, by both fans and critics. It was the band’s 1st worldwide release and songs like "Last Breath", "Euroshima", and "The Most Dangerous Game" showed the expanding musical direction and maturity.
1989 brought about many changes for the band. They released the powerful "Annihilation Principle", a stellar follow-up to "Know Your Enemy", featuring mosh-pit crushers like "Bad Blood", "Chasin' Charlie" and the intense first track, "Fire In the Hole", that provided the band’s first video which was featured on MTV's Headbanger’s Ball.
But 1989 also brought an end to the original line up that had spent 6 years together as brothers. Willy Lange, Phil Kettner, and Vic Agnello left for various reasons and only singer Michael Coons and guitarist Aaron Jellum remained.
The two founding members kept the band alive for 3 more years and recorded 2 more albums and a single/video track "Leatherface" for the movie "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III”. After tours of the United States and Europe in 1991 and 1992, LAAZ ROCKIT's first appearance in Japan in 1992 would prove to be their last live appearances, even though the Japanese tour was a huge success.
After a 13 year absence, LAAZ ROCKIT returned in its original line up to play the prestigious DYNAMO Open Air Festival in May of 2005. LAAZ returned to their Bay Area stomping ground as they joined forces with many veteran bands for the benefit concert Thrash Against Cancer in San Francisco on July 9, 2005. This was a chance for their longtime faithful to see them once again after many years of absence. Next, they returned to Japan in September 2005 for the first time with the original lineup and put on an explosive show.
Last Breath
Laaz Rockit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Destiny cannot wait
Your life's blood has run dry
Somewhere in the night sky
All these nightmares
All these past fears
Come back to you
Running hard
Turning back
Feel the push
Feel the axe
See your name
In his sight
Taking aim
Your last fight
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Turn your face to the sun
All is lost one by one
The ranks fall from the sky
Hear the call as they die
Desolation
Desperation
Running through you
Soul invasion
Carnage crazed
Dynamo
Feel the axe
Feel the blow
Caught in trance
From the scene
Vigilance
Just a dream
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Silence comes so sweet
Feel the last heartbeat
Water in your eyes
And your throat so dry
Shadows in the sun
See your time has come
Take your final breath
Hear the call of death
Now you see winds of change
All the tears and the pain
All is lost for the cause
Freedom's call a mirage
All these nightmares
All these past fears
Come back to you
From your past years
Running hard
Turning back
Feel the push
Feel the axe
Caught in trance
From the scene
Vigilance
Just a dream
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
Take your last breath
The lyrics to Laaz Rockit's song Last Breath depict the harrowing experience of facing one's own mortality. The singer acknowledges that fate and destiny have caught up with them and their life is about to come to an end. The imagery of their life's blood running dry suggests that they have been mortally wounded and are bleeding out. The nightmares and past fears that have haunted them throughout their life resurface as they face death, and they are caught in the grip of despair and desperation. The allusion to desolation and the running through the singer suggests the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed.
The second verse continues the theme of being caught in a dream-like state as one faces death. The imagery of carnage and the dynamic feeling of being caught in a maelstrom of violence is palpable. The singer seems to suggest that death has come quickly and without warning like an axe blow. As they take their last breath, they are caught in a trance, and the realization that they are dying has yet to sink in. The final moments of life are depicted as a sweet silence, with the heart slowing to a stop and the throat feeling parched.
Overall, Last Breath is a grim and haunting song that captures the terror and finality of dying. The lyrics are evocative and powerful, while the instrumentation matches the mood of the song perfectly. The song is a testament to Laaz Rockit's ability to blend thrash metal with thoughtful and introspective lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Time has come to greet fate
The end is here and fate awaits.
Destiny cannot wait
The predetermined course of your life cannot be delayed.
Your life's blood has run dry
You have nothing left to give.
Somewhere in the night sky
Your soul will fly away into the darkness.
All these nightmares
The fears and horrors of your past.
All these past fears
The traumatic experiences that still haunt you.
Come back to you
Resurfacing once again.
From your past years
Memories from the past that you can never escape.
Running hard
Trying to escape.
Turning back
Looking back at your past.
Feel the push
The forces of fate driving you forward.
Feel the axe
The impending doom that looms over you.
See your name
Your time has come.
In his sight
Under the watchful eye of death.
Taking aim
Preparing to strike the final blow.
Your last fight
The final struggle against your fate.
Take your last breath
The end is near and it's time to let go.
Turn your face to the sun
Facing the light for one last time.
All is lost one by one
Everything you once had is gone.
The ranks fall from the sky
The fallen souls from the sky, joining you in death.
Hear the call as they die
The cries of the dying that echo through the air.
Desolation
The feeling of being deserted or abandoned.
Desperation
The sense of hopelessness and despair.
Running through you
Consuming you completely.
Soul invasion
The attack on your very soul.
Carnage crazed
The madness of blood and death.
Dynamo
A powerful force that cannot be stopped.
Caught in trance
Incapable of escaping the nightmare.
From the scene
In the midst of the chaos.
Vigilance
The need to remain alert.
Just a dream
All of this is just an illusion.
Silence comes so sweet
The calming peace of death.
Feel the last heartbeat
The final moments of your existence.
Water in your eyes
The tears of relief and sadness.
And your throat so dry
Feeling the sensation of suffocation and dehydration.
Shadows in the sun
The darkness that still haunts you in the light.
See your time has come
Your fate is finally here.
Take your final breath
The end has arrived.
Hear the call of death
The final summons to join the afterlife.
Now you see winds of change
Realizing that it's all coming to an end.
All the tears and the pain
All the suffering and sadness from your life.
All is lost for the cause
There is nothing left to fight for.
Freedom's call a mirage
The illusion of freedom is shattered.
Caught in trance
Unable to comprehend the situation.
From the scene
Surrounded by the chaos.
Vigilance
The need to stay alert in the face of death.
Just a dream
The realization that it was all for nothing.
Take your last breath
The final moments of your existence.
Contributed by Kennedy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.