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).
Stillborn
Maroon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your ignorance leads to my fight.
Senseless destruction of natures beauty.
Useless violation of all it's purity.
You cover the crime.
You are a part of it.
And now you condemn me.
Acts of liberation.
The protection of darkness.
Seems to be their only chance.
For a life in dignity.
A life defined by torture.
A life defined by pain.
They will never see the sun.
There will never be a dawn for them.
You set profit over existence.
You set money over everything.
Your ears are deaf to their cries.
And your eyes are blind to their demise.
Born - to - die
Born to die - born to be killed
You consume, the products of mass murder.
So you are part, of their demise.
Maroon 5's song "Stillborn" is a powerful critique of the destructive actions of humanity towards nature and other living beings. The opening lines, "Acts of unspeakable violence against innocent life. Your ignorance leads to my fight," condemn the cruelty and violence that we inflict on other living creatures, which is often motivated by ignorance or indifference. The song goes on to criticize the senseless destruction of nature, the violation of its purity, and the fact that many people are complicit in these crimes, even if they don't actively commit them.
The lyrics also speak of acts of liberation, where activists take a stand against the darkness of animal exploitation and fighting for a life of dignity. The lines "You cover the crime. You are a part of it. And now you condemn me. And label me a terrorist" represent the system of oppression that views animal rights activists as terrorists while ignoring the true acts of terror committed by mutilating and killing animals.
The chorus, "Born to die. Born to be killed," epitomizes how animals are treated in the industrial system of agriculture or experimentation. The song concludes with an indictment of consumers who participate in the system of mass murder, demonstrating how everyone is a part of the problem and that they should take responsibility for their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Acts of unspeakable violence against innocent life.
Horrible and savage acts of violence committed against those who have done no wrong.
Your ignorance leads to my fight.
Your lack of knowledge and understanding has caused me to become involved in this battle.
Senseless destruction of natures beauty.
The pointless ruin of the natural world's splendor.
Useless violation of all its purity.
The purposeless desecration of everything that is untainted.
You cover the crime.
You hide and shield the wrongdoing.
You are a part of it.
You are entangled in and involved in the wrongdoing.
And now you condemn me.
And now you criticize and denounce me.
And label me a terrorist.
And call me a radical and extremist.
Acts of liberation.
Actions done to free and emancipate.
The protection of darkness.
The safeguarding provided by the absence of light.
Seems to be their only chance.
Appears to be their sole opportunity.
For a life in dignity.
To have a life that is full of respect and honor.
A life defined by torture.
A life characterized by excruciating suffering.
A life defined by pain.
A life identified by agony and misery.
They will never see the sun.
They will never experience the light of day.
There will never be a dawn for them.
They will never have a new beginning, hope, or opportunity.
You set profit over existence.
You prioritize financial gain over the continuation of life.
You set money over everything.
You prioritize currency above all.
Your ears are deaf to their cries.
You are indifferent and insensitive to their calls for help.
And your eyes are blind to their demise.
And you cannot or refuse to see their death and destruction.
Born - to - die
Brought into existence only to have that existence ended.
Born to die - born to be killed
Created only to meet their end by someone else's hand.
You consume, the products of mass murder.
You consume items made from the slaughter of many.
So you are part, of their demise.
Therefore, you are involved in and connected to their decline.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.