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).
My Funeral Song
Maroon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I walk the path of sorrow
Why do you stand here
Face down
Alone sad almost cold as ice
Killed and smashed by all your lies
I sold my memories my last name
No one here knows that I'm still here the dead one
No one knows me anymore was already dead before
WHY SHOULD I STAY
TO LOOSE THIS WORLD
I lost everything
Nameless in my house
This is my funeral march
Where is my life
Where is the time
My years are taken away
This life is poison
I don't care what you say
The sound of the deaf
Here is my vision
The souls are perished
I promise evil is on my side
When I walk the patch of sorrow
Why do you stand here
Alone sad almost cold as ice
Killed and smashed by all your lies
THIS IS MY FUNERAL SONG
In Maroon 5's song, "My Funeral Song," the lyrics are quite self-explanatory in describing the feeling of the singer who is experiencing the emptiness and sadness of a depressing situation, lost in life with nothing left to hold onto. The song starts with the promise of evil, indicating that the singer feels cursed and abandoned by luck. As they walk the path of sorrow, they ask the question, "Why do you stand here face down alone, sad almost cold as ice?" This reflects the loneliness and desolation that the singer is feeling.
The lyrics go on to describe how the singer has lost everything they hold dear, including their name and memories, and no one remembers them anymore. They feel like they are already dead, so why shouldn't they leave this world? The chorus encapsulates this feeling, asking why they should stay to lose this world, further highlighting the despair and hopelessness of their situation.
The second verse continues to describe the sense of loss and emptiness, with the singer feeling nameless in their own house as they march towards their funeral. They reflect on their life, wondering where their time has gone and feeling like their years have been taken away. They view life as poison and are drawn towards the sound of the deaf, where they can be alone in their vision. The song ends with the same promise of evil on their side, emphasizing the singer's belief that the world has turned against them.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of someone's feeling of being lost and abandoned, with strong imagery and emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I promise evil is on my side
I am so consumed by my own pain and despair that I feel like I am aligned with evil forces.
When I walk the path of sorrow
My life has been a never-ending journey of painful experiences and disappointments.
Why do you stand here
I cannot understand why others continue to go about their lives as if nothing is wrong while I am in so much agony.
Face down
I cannot bear to look up and face the world anymore.
Alone sad almost cold as ice
I am completely isolated and numb to the world around me due to my overwhelming sadness.
Killed and smashed by all your lies
I have been hurt and betrayed so many times by people I trusted that it feels like I have been physically destroyed.
I sold my memories my last name
I have given up everything that once gave me a sense of identity and meaning in an attempt to escape my pain.
No one here knows that I'm still here the dead one
I feel like I am already dead inside and no one around me seems to notice or care.
Why should I stay here so alone
I can't imagine continuing to live in this constant state of misery and isolation.
No one knows me anymore was already dead before
I feel like I lost who I was a long time ago, and now no one around me truly knows or understands me.
I lost everything
My life has been stripped of any joy or meaning that I once had.
Nameless in my house
I feel like I am a complete nobody, with no identity or purpose.
This is my funeral march
I am so hopeless and defeated that I feel like I am already marching towards my own funeral.
Where is my life
I am questioning the purpose and value of my existence, and struggling to find any meaning in it.
Where is the time
I feel like time is slipping away from me, and that I have wasted precious moments in my life.
My years are taken away
I feel like my life has passed me by too quickly, and that I have nothing to show for it.
This life is poison
I feel like my life has become toxic and destructive, and that it is slowly killing me.
I don't care what you say
I am so consumed by my own despair that I am beyond caring about anything that anyone else might have to say to me.
The sound of the deaf
I feel like I am completely alone in my pain, and that no one around me could possibly understand or relate to it.
Here is my vision
This is the bleak and hopeless reality that I see for myself and my life.
The souls are perished
I feel like everyone around me is spiritually dead and that there is no hope for any kind of true connection or happiness in this world.
THIS IS MY FUNERAL SONG
This song is an expression of my deep pain, sorrow, and despair, and feels like a funeral dirge for my own life.
I promise evil is on my side
I am so consumed by my own pain and despair that I feel like I am aligned with evil forces.
When I walk the path of sorrow
My life has been a never-ending journey of painful experiences and disappointments.
Why do you stand here
I cannot understand why others continue to go about their lives as if nothing is wrong while I am in so much agony.
Alone sad almost cold as ice
I am completely isolated and numb to the world around me due to my overwhelming sadness.
Killed and smashed by all your lies
I have been hurt and betrayed so many times by people I trusted that it feels like I have been physically destroyed.
Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.