Other bandmembers included David Gabbard (vocals, 1994-1995), Jerry Montano (2001, 2005-2007) and Tommy Sickles (2000-2004, 2005-2007).
Formed in 1994, the band's original line-up consisted of vocalist David Gabbard, guitarist Tom Maxwell, bassist Bill Gaal and drummer Chris Houck. They released three tapes with this lineup, until Gabbard left the band. At this point Matt Holt took over singing duties. The band then recorded a self-titled album featuring ten songs. DCide then discovered Nothingface, and they re-recorded the album, with six of the songs featuring on their debut album Pacifier, released February 6, 1997.
The band were often mislabeled as nu metal, however many music critics denied them as nu metal. They also are known for their extremely aggressive and heavy style.
The band's second album An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity was released on September 22, 1998 via DCide/Mayhem Records. The band toured in support of the album throughout the United States with Stuck Mojo,[2] Sam Black Church and Ministry.[2]
Two years later, the band released their third album Violence on October 10, 2000. It was the band's national debut, released via TVT Records. Chris Houck recorded drums for this album but had to leave the group due to medical issues that would prevent him from touring. He was replaced by Tommy Sickles of Ingredient 17 fame (Matt and Tommy's band before Nothingface).
In early 2001, Bill Gaal left the group to pursue a career in music production and engineering. He was replaced by Jerry Montano, formerly of The Deadlights. A few months later, Gaal returned.
The band released their fourth album Skeletons on April 22, 2003 via TVT Records. That summer, the band played on the second-stage of the popular Ozzfest tour.
The group disbanded on February 10, 2004, citing musical differences, inner turmoil, and label troubles. Bill Gaal went on to form Kingdom of Snakes with former members of the band Gunfighter. Their debut EP features vocal work from Matt Holt on one track. Tom Maxwell and Tommy Sickles were in the band Blessed in Black featuring ex-Skrape vocalist Billy Keeton, as well as Jerry Montano on bass.
On November 24, 2005, a posting on the Jägermeister website showed Nothingface as the opening act for Disturbed in a 2006 show. The line-up for this show was Matt Holt, Tom Maxwell, Jerry Montano and Tommy Sickles. The band released two new songs online and went on to do a small U.S. club tour that winter/spring, bringing along Crossbreed and Silent Civilian.
Later that year, guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano began a project entitled Hellyeah with Vinnie Paul, formerly of Pantera and Damageplan, as well as Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett of Mudvayne. They released their debut album on April 10, 2007 via Epic Records. Following its release, Montano was fired from the band after allegedly assaulting HellYeah producer/engineer Sterling Winfield and making gun threats while drunk at the album release party.
During the first half of April 2008, the band sent out a Myspace bulletin and changed their default profile picture to one of the band in the studio, signaling that they were indeed working on new material. On the 20th of May, they posted a short YouTube clip which features them performing and sent out a Myspace bulletin containing said clip. Four days later, on May 24, it was announced through Blabbermouth.net that original members Bill Gaal and Chris Houck have rejoined Nothingface, with Tommy Sickles now playing drums for the L.A.-based band Noise Within. The band then released several additional "teaser" videos and on February 19, 2009, announced that "the band is at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore MD for the next 2 weeks writing and recording."
The re-release of their self-titled album with remastered songs and new artwork was released on April 8, 2009.
On August 14, 2009, it was announced via Blabbermouth.net that Nothingface would be disbanding,[3] with Maxwell citing Holt's lack of work ethic as the main reason for an unfinished album three years in the making, as well as his decision to leave. Houck would later state that this is "only one side of the story" and that "there were a lot of other factors involved in all of this beyond anything with (Holt)." In a summer 2011 interview, Bill Gaal spoke publicly about the split, stating, "It’s one of those situations where everyone’s story will be different. Broadly, what it boiled down to is that we’re all older now, we all have different responsibilities. Making everything line up time-wise is difficult– I’m in LA, Chris is out in North Carolina, Tom’s out on tour with Hellyeah most of the year, Matt stays home in Baltimore now. And me and Tom have families now, too. You don’t just get together and write a great song, especially with Nothingface. It takes a chunk of time, and we’d always rework songs hundreds of times before releasing them. We only had a couple of intense, 1- or 2-week writing sessions and really, we just ran out of time. We had to get a lot done in a short amount time before we had to get back to other things we had going on. So the timing didn’t work out, but that being said, it doesn’t rule out anything for the future. As pissed-off as Nothingface was back in the day, we’ve definitely all cooled down, and if we could just find one week where all of us were just calm enough and got together, we could do it."
On September 1, 2009, the band released "One Thousand Lies" on their official website. It is a rough "first draft" demo and was recorded in March 2008. On November 13, 2009 the band uploaded "D2" which is another rough "first draft" demo with no vocals.
In early 2011, the band launched their brand new website Nothingface.com. Videos linked to YouTube are present so is a Nothingface wiki, forum, guest book, photo gallery and a section for fans to upload their own videos of Nothingface music. Links to other bands are present also.
Big Fun At The Gallows
Nothingface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trapped in this hypocrisy
Shit! And believe that
Shit is all that will ever be
Insurrection
The laughing gun
Revulsion
I've got a little pent up rage
Set aside for a special moment
Not long til we find a way
To attain our blood commitment
Never thought it would be so easy
But I'm still gonna take my time
Who says I need a motherfucking reason
All I need is cold precision
Destruction
For me it's fun
Reaction, yeah
Revoke our dreams of demons
To tear the world apart
Now that we have our reasons
Our holocaust will start
Your inner fear it complicates
Make us laugh, it make us hate
You will fall down one day
Hey! I don't want it
Fade into obscurity
Liar, no commitment
Use us for what you can't do
So it's all about commerce
It's all about sucking dick
If you're not about music
Why don't you sell some other shit
Destruction
For me it's fun
Reaction, yeah
Revoke our dreams of demons
To tear the world apart
Now that we have our reasons
Our holocaust will start
No! We don't need you
It's fucked now
Fuck! Here I am now
Trapped in this hypocrisy
Shit! And believe that
Shit is all that will ever be
Destruction
For me it's fun
Reaction, yeah
Reaction, yeah
Reaction, yeah
The lyrics to Nothingface's song "Big Fun At The Gallows" represent the singer's frustration with the state of the world and his desire to take action against it. The opening lines, "Here I am now / Trapped in this hypocrisy / Shit! And believe that / Shit is all that will ever be" express the singer's sense of being stuck in a corrupt and meaningless world. The subsequent lines- "Insurrection / The laughing gun / Revulsion" - show that he wants to rebel against this state of affairs and take up arms.
The lyrics then move on to a more personal level, with lines like "I've got a little pent up rage / Set aside for a special moment / Not long til we find a way / To attain our blood commitment" indicating that the singer has a plan to exact revenge. The lyrics become more violent and intense, with references to "destruction," "revocation of dreams," and a "holocaust."
Overall, "Big Fun At The Gallows" is a song about nihilism, frustration, and a desire to tear down the world and start over, even if it means using violence to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Fuck! Here I am now
I am filled with anger and frustration as I find myself in this situation
Trapped in this hypocrisy
I am stuck in this situation where people are being dishonest or lying, which is against what they claim to believe
Shit! And believe that
I am disappointed and frustrated to know that people believe that terrible things are acceptable or inevitable
Shit is all that will ever be
I am convinced that the world is filled with negativity and nothing good will ever come of it
Insurrection
I am joining a rebellion or uprising against the current order
The laughing gun
Using violence in a mocking or lighthearted way to stir up emotions or reactions from others
Revulsion
Feeling intense disgust and repulsion towards something
I've got a little pent up rage
I am feeling angry and frustrated about something that I have been holding in for a while
Set aside for a special moment
I am waiting for the right time to express my anger or take action
Not long til we find a way
It won't be much longer until we come up with a plan or strategy to get what we want
To attain our blood commitment
We are dedicated to achieving our goal through whatever means necessary, even if it involves violence
Never thought it would be so easy
I am surprised at how simple it is to achieve our goal, despite the obstacles we faced
But I'm still gonna take my time
Even though it's easy, I will take my time to ensure things are done right
Who says I need a motherfucking reason
I don't care what other people think, I don't need a justification for my actions
All I need is cold precision
I only need to be calculated and precise in carrying out my plan
Destruction
The act of causing extensive damage to something
For me it's fun
I find enjoyment in destruction and causing chaos
Reaction, yeah
I want to see the reactions and responses of people to my actions
Revoke our dreams of demons
We want to put an end to our nightmares and take control of our fears
To tear the world apart
We are willing to cause destruction and chaos on a large scale
Now that we have our reasons
Now that we are justified in our actions or beliefs, we can act without hesitation
Our holocaust will start
We are prepared to cause destruction and devastation on a massive scale
Your inner fear it complicates
Your personal fears and anxieties make things more challenging and complicated than they need to be
Make us laugh, it make us hate
Your actions or words may seem funny or harmless, but they are actually causing us to feel anger and hatred towards you
You will fall down one day
You will eventually face the consequences of your actions or beliefs
Hey! I don't want it
I don't want to fade away into obscurity or irrelevance
Fade into obscurity
To become unimportant or forgettable
Liar, no commitment
You are a liar who does not follow through on their commitments
Use us for what you can't do
You are taking advantage of us to fulfill your own goals or desires
So it's all about commerce
Everything is driven by money and making a profit
It's all about sucking dick
People are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means sacrificing their own integrity or morals
Why don't you sell some other shit
If you're not passionate about music, you should pursue something else instead
No! We don't need you
We don't need you or your help, we can handle things on our own
It's fucked now
Things have gone awry and can't be fixed
Reaction, yeah
I want to see the reactions and responses of people to my actions
Reaction, yeah
I want to see the reactions and responses of people to my actions
Reaction, yeah
I want to see the reactions and responses of people to my actions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind