Heavily influenced musically and politically by mid-1990s vegan straight edge metal/hardcore acts such as Earth Crisis, Day of Suffering, Loxiran and Morning Again, their music also displays influences from metal acts such as At the Gates, Metallica, Sepultura and Slayer.
The year of 1999 saw Maroon releasing a demo cassette entitled The Initiate, signalling a new era of vegan straight edge culture in Germany. All four of the songs were to be found on later releases.
Their first cd, Captive in the Room of the Conspirator, was recorded at Headquarters Studion in Berlin in spring 2000 and released that year on the now-defunct Kerosene Recordings label, featuring songs like The Solution strongly advocating a vegan lifestyle and support for animal liberation and earth liberation. The band began touring Europe, opening for many hardcore acts including their idols Earth Crisis and Morning Again.
Later in the year Maroon released an untitled split 7" with Absidia on the Crap Chords label, featuring the song Wasted. That winter the band went back to the studio to record a split CD with Self Conquest entitled The Key, this time using 101 Studios, also in Berlin. On the heels of this recording, released by Beniihana Records the band went back on the road once more, touring Europe and opening for bands including Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban.
In November 2001 Maroon entered Rape of Harmonies Studios to record their debut full-length, Antagonist, released on legendary US vegan straight edge hardcore label Catalyst Records (http://www.xcatalystx.com). Catalyst is run by Kurt Catalyst, frontman for defunct hardcore legends Birthright and a newer band, Risen. Antagonist featured Maroon's best work to date both musically and lyrically, delivering a number of hard-hitting songs including the vegan straight edge anthem Still Believe in What Has Fallen Apart and a cover of Canon's classic animal liberation rallying call Declaration. The album soon became one of Catalyst's biggest sellers in both the US and Europe, leading to more European tours.
After some line up changes Maroon switched labels to Alveran Records in 2003, who then re-released Antagonist. February 2004 saw the band at Denmark's Antfarm Studio recording a new full length album entitled Endorsed by Hate. Following the recording, original guitarist Marc Zech left the band, and was replaced by Sebastian Rieche. The album was released in Europe in June, and between June and December of 2004 Maroon played 60 shows across Europe, including major festivals such as With Full Force and Pressure Fest. In October the band switched labels again, signing to Century Media Records. In early 2005 Century Media/Abacus released Endorsed by Hate in North America.
Many of Maroon's die-hard vegan straight edge fans felt let down by Endorsed by Hate due to its general lack of overtly topical lyrics, especially after the inspiring "Antagonist". As opposed to previous releases, the new album makes no mention of veganism, straight edge, animal liberation or earth liberation in the lyrics, liner notes or artwork. Another disappointment for these fans was the change of Maroon's website address from "http://www.xmaroonx.com" to "http://www.maroonhate.com", leading many fans to believe that Maroon have "sold out" on straight edge.
2006 saw the release of the new Maroon CD entitled When Worlds Collide which lead to some back-to-the-roots changes a least regarding the lyrics. 24 HourHateor Wake Up In Hell (one of the disco-smashers 2006, deal with animal liberation, while
Like Sword And Bullet advises a life without drugs.
Regarding the music, the new album is more diverse than any of the others. Maroon combine both their old trademarks with some new features (even featuring clean metal-style vocal on Annular Eclipse, even though it somehow lacks the spirit of the older Maroon releaes due to its very clean and sterile production.
In 2009, they released their fifth and last album, called Order.
They announced that they will play their last Tour in 2014, with their last show at the Summerbreeze (15th of August).
Annular Eclipse
Maroon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They started to analyze the psyche of children
How they act in fear
This fear that all children have to share
In all the times
In all the cultures
An irrational fear
...ANGST!
Seven innocent children
In the circle of ouroboros
Their throats cut from loving hands
The sign, the old occult symbol
Back to origin and chaos
They all must die
Darkness from loving hands
The evil I purify
Annually
The ouroboros
Darkness
Purify
Save them
From ouroboros
Their throats cut from loving hands
The sign, the old occult symbol
Back to origin and chaos
They all must die
In all the times
In all the cultures
The new level
The new level
...ANGST!
The lyrics of Maroon's song "Annular Eclipse" suggest a dark and sinister theme, exploring the ideas of fear, darkness, and occult symbolism. The opening lines refer to scientific analysis of the psyche of children, and how fear is a common experience that they share. However, the song takes a turn into a darker realm as it tells the story of seven innocent children who are killed in the circle of the ouroboros, an ancient symbol of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The lyrics suggest that the children are killed by loving hands, which is a chilling and creepy idea.
The song explores the notion of purity, as the singer seeks to "purify" the evil darkness that has taken hold. There are a few references to chaos and the idea of returning to origin, which suggests a cyclical nature to the events being described. The lyrics also hint at a cultural universality to the fear and pain depicted, with the lines "In all the times, in all the cultures / An irrational fear, the fear in darkness" suggesting that these themes are timeless and cross-cultural.
Overall, the lyrics of "Annular Eclipse" paint a somber and eerie picture of fear and violence, with a hint of mysticism and the supernatural. The song seems to suggest that there is something inherently fearful and dark about the human experience, and that this fear is a universal constant.
Line by Line Meaning
In the beginning it was only science
Initially, the study was focused on science and its objective approach.
They started to analyze the psyche of children
Their focus gradually shifted towards analyzing the way children react and cope with various stimuli.
How they act in fear
Specifically, they studied how children behaved when experiencing fear.
This fear that all children have to share
They found that all children experience some level of fear that is common across cultures.
In all the times
Throughout history
In all the cultures
Across all societies
An irrational fear
A fear that cannot be easily explained or rationalized.
The fear in darkness
The fear of being in the dark, which is a common childhood fear.
...ANGST!
Expressing an intense feeling of anxiety and dread associated with these fears and findings.
Seven innocent children
A group of young, innocent individuals.
In the circle of ouroboros
Within the context of the ouroboros, an ancient symbol representing unity and cyclicality.
Their throats cut from loving hands
They were killed by someone who loved them, which adds a layer of complexity to the situation.
The sign, the old occult symbol
The ouroboros was present during this tragic event, further adding to its mystique and complexity.
Back to origin and chaos
Returning to a state of chaos and disorder, which is often associated with destruction and the natural order of things.
They all must die
As a consequence of their tragic fate, they all perished.
Darkness from loving hands
The darkness and evil that led to their demise was carried out by someone that cared for them, which is a difficult concept to comprehend.
The evil I purify
The singer believes it is his duty to purify and rid the world of this evil.
Annually
Every year, this tragic event is remembered and commemorated.
The ouroboros
The symbol of unity and cyclicality is present during this yearly commemoration.
Purify
Continuing to fight against the darkness and evil that led to this terrible event.
Save them
Attempting to save other innocent individuals from a similar fate.
From ouroboros
Breaking the cycle of destruction and unity that has led to tragedy in the past.
The new level
With this tragedy, a new level of understanding and awareness was reached.
...ANGST!
Continuing to express the intense feeling of anxiety and dread associated with these events and the fight against evil.
Contributed by Skyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.