Originating in Nordhausen, Germany, in 1998, Maroon was one of the premier … Read Full Bio ↴Originating in Nordhausen, Germany, in 1998, Maroon was one of the premier vegan straight edge metal bands in the 90's and 2000's. They split in 2014 because they didn't see a future for the Band.

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).

Fear The Most Them Who Protect
Maroon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Understand
Your freedom is caged
You denied your own identity
Not just peace
Its so much more
That you start to deconstruct

HOW YOU ACT

HOW YOU TALK
WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN
WHOM YOU BETRAY

Ignore
The constant pain
Start to bite the hand that feeds
Fear the most them who protect
As waving flags are burning down

HOW YOU ACT
HOW YOU TALK
WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN
WHOM YOU BETRAY

Do you think
You can fight
Stupidity with ignorance
Forget
Kill the dream
Before the final nail is set

Drop the bomb – make it happen
Save us all save the world

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Maroon's song Fear The Most Them Who Protect are a warning against blindly following those in power who claim to protect us but may actually be hindering our freedom and ability to express our true identity. The first stanza describes how our freedom may often be restrained and we may deny our own true identity. The next line, "not just peace, it's so much more, that you start to deconstruct," suggests that there is more to freedom than just the absence of conflict, and that true freedom requires re-evaluating and deconstructing the beliefs and systems that hold us back.

The second stanza continues with the idea of blindly following authority figures and ignoring the pain and suffering they may cause. "Start to bite the hand that feeds" suggests a need to question and challenge those in power. However, the line "fear the most them who protect" is a warning against trusting blindly, as it suggests that those claiming to protect us may actually be the biggest threat.

The refrain of "how you act, how you talk, what you believe in, whom you betray" emphasizes the idea that our actions, words, beliefs, and alliances have consequences and should be carefully considered. The final lines, "drop the bomb - make it happen, save us all, save the world," may suggest a call to action or a desire for radical change in order to achieve true freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

Understand
You must realize

Your freedom is caged
You aren't as free as you think

You denied your own identity
You've given up who you truly are

Not just peace
It's not just about being peaceful

Its so much more
It's about so much more than that

That you start to deconstruct
That you start to break down the system

HOW YOU ACT
It's not just about your actions

HOW YOU TALK
It's not just about your words

WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN
It's about what you truly believe in

WHOM YOU BETRAY
And who you are betraying in the process

Ignore
Don't pay attention to