Originally concocted as a side project to King Fowley's old school Death Metal thrash attack, Deceased; October 31 began the first demo days immediately after Brian Williams was brought on board. Fowley and Williams clicked right away on a personal and songwriting level. Reminiscing about the glory days of 80's Heavy Metal and how they wanted to make their own mark with the traditional aspects that define the genre. This was the mid 90's mind you and finding other members could be quite the task. Years before the trendy Power Metal boom, meeting musicians that wanted to play Heavy Metal was hard enough, let alone the style Fowley and Williams desired. Keep in mind that they lived (and still do) about 6 hours away from each other. The burning ambition that churned between the two could not be put on hold and in 1996, the "Voyage To Infinity" cassette demo was recorded, marking the only O31 release with Casey Sayles (bass) and Frank Bauguess (rhythm/acoustic guitar), local friends of Brian Williams. Oblivion Studios, the same studio that will spawn Deceased's zombie thrash classic "Fearless Undead Machines" years later, would be the studio of choice and practically every session that followed.
The demo showed a mixture of Thrash, Power, subtle Doom and Classic Heavy Metal that could be compared to bands like Nasty Savage, Attacker, Killer, Griffin, Exciter and the endless list of unappreciated cult legends. Appropriate covers of "Child of the Damned" (Warlord) and "Harder Than Steel" (Jag Panzer) further proved that the intentions of October 31 derived from true Heavy Metal, loud and proud. This line-up however didn't last very long as a local scene friend of King Fowley joined for the permanent bass position, Jim Hunter (Revelation/While Heaven Wept/Blacklord/Twisted Tower Dire/every band in the vicinity of Northern Virginia). An old friend of Brian Williams, Kevin Lewis, began his first attempt at the rhythm position and the writing process but quit the band shortly before it was time to record the first full-length, 1997's "The Fire Awaits You". Leaving all the guitar parts to Brian Williams, left to figure out all the guitar tracks that he never played, "The Fire Awaits You" was still a defining record for October 31. The production is modest yet effective. The opening track, "The Warlock", takes everything that was so greatly intense from the Whiplash "Power and Pain" album, the majority of "The Fire Awaits You" churn an atmosphere being dark, heavy, melodic, and most importantly, memorable. Another obscure cover landed on Side B, "Day of the Saxons" from Witchkiller. The CD was released by RIP Records while the vinyl didn't come out officially until 1999 by Fowley's own Old Metal Records.
Kevin Lewis returned once again in 1998, attempting the full-time rhythm guitar position as the "Visions of End" EP writing and recording process began. Completely finished in under a week, "Visions of the End" is still one of my favorites and a most impressive EP. Despite one of the most ridiculous and maybe only covers of Lizzy Bordern's "Give 'em The Axe" that I've ever heard (mostly due to Fowley's interpretation of the vocals), this is arguable the greatest October 31 release. Full of pure energy yet never straying too far from that dark, doomy vibe and building their epic qualities with tracks like "The Legend of the Haunted Sea". Old Metal Records released "Visions of the End" on CD and again in 1999 with a different cover. Attached was the long out of print "Voyage To Infinity" demo already mentioned. Around this time the decision was made by King Fowley to have a live singer, being more comfortable with the drum duties for shows yet keeping his vocal position for the studio only. Once again, old friends of both Fowley (Chuck Parsons) and Williams (Shawn Pelata) were chosen among the fight for Metal supremacy. Parsons, having a more characteristic but rugged voice, showed energy on stage, but lacked the real abilities of a strong Heavy Metal singer and showman; Pelata being the mirror opposite, great voice-no stage presence. October 31 played a handful of shows with each vocalist around this time but under the demanding role that being in O31 calls for, going their separate ways was in order.
In 2000 "Meet Thy Maker" was released. Rip Records put out the original CD while Metal Blade Europe released the "Visions of the End" bonus CD version. What should have been possibly their best at that point, consisting of a bigger production, more keyboards, melody and acoustic sections, "Meet Thy Maker" suffered from a quirky final mix and many of the moments on the album being much too melodic for Fowley's street vocal style. Still, tracks like "For There is War!" showed that October 31 were not about to slow down. A cover of Saxon's classic "Power and the Glory" near the album's end has become a staple in closing their live set. Also that year, RIP put out the reissue of the "Visions of the End" EP with the original cover art but still being inferior to the 10 track 1999 Old Metal Records release, which made for a pretty pointless reissue.
October 31 had landed on many compilations, played every dive on the east coast, recorded two more cover songs "I Don't Know" (Ozzy/guitar solo courtesy of Deceased's very own Mark "Chainsaw" Adams) and "Public Enema Number One" (Iron Maiden) along with just as great an accomplishment as any, playing the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. Things were moving right along until the road of optimism was brought to a halt once again by Kevin Lewis, deciding to leave the band once more. Dave Castillo (ex Hatred/VA) was brought in to fill in on drums for certain shows, allowing King to run the stage and some shows were only played as a three piece, Fowley/Hunter/Williams. Northern Virginia's Twisted Tower Dire members Tony Taylor and Scott Waldrop were next to serve their time in the revolving door positions. Taylor having a very melodic voice that would havee been best suited for the "Meet Thy Maker" album and Waldrop's natural ear for great harmonies seemed to set the stage for what would be possibly the best October 31 release yet. Sadly, only a 7" single birthed from this line-up in 2002. Maniacal Records released a redone version of "Salem's Curse" along with Judas Priest cover "Electric Eye", pressed in a small quantity. While the single showed much promise of things to come, disagreements within the band left Tony Taylor and Scott Waldrop out of October 31 while Jim Hunter shortly joined the bass position for Twisted Tower Dire, keeping his position in October 31.
As if that wasn't enough of a catastrophe, Fowley's darkest days shortly followed. Following the death of his mother, two blood clots and a sudden stroke left him for dead. This not only stopped the advancing of the band they had worked so hard at, the iron fist of sickness left Fowley's recovery process a slow one. Thankfully, strong will and determination prevail as King makes a full recovery. Before King's sudden streak of horrible luck, Jason Tedder, being the best rhythm guitarist O31 has ever had is the next contestant after Waldop, makes his entrance as the rhythm guitarist in Williams' side band, K-Octave (who also has Shawn Pelata on vocals). Dave Castillo also gets a permanent spot on the drums as King takes his rightful position as the front man. "Stage Fright" gets released by Thrash Corner Records in 2003, capturing a moment in time at Classic Metal Fest 2 with obviously no overdubs. Another demo is recorded, a cover of "Missing in Action" (Q5) that gets lumped in the same category as the Lizzy Borden cover by yours truly, an amazing vocal performance from Fowley on "Danger Zone" (Black Sabbath) and original brain smasher "Powerhouse", which has yet to get an official release.
Finally, having a steady line-up and with the drive of making Heavy Metal music still abundant within the group, October 31 release their long awaited "No Survivors" album. "No Survivors", being their
heaviest and fastest recording to date, lands October 31 back in the valid music category. William's leads are furious as ever, Castillo keeps the fast yet original style of Fowley on past records keeping up the rhythm section with Hunter as Tedder helps add a huge multi-tracked guitar sound that has never been heard on any O31 recording, producing a slightly more stripped down and in your face direction. After breaking off their contract with Metal Blade Records and deciding not to put it out on Fowley's other label, Battlezone Records, "No Survivors" is released on CD by Thrash Corner Records in 2005.
This sky is the limit for October 31. Having played hundreds of shows all across the United States over the past 10 years, persevering over all life's many obstacles, October 31 is proof that some bands still play for the sheer love of Heavy Metal. With plans of another album and a possible tour(s), they're just getting things warmed up.
The Verdict
October 31 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where a man is dying behind bars
His death is right before him
But it's not his choice and it's not his fault
They served him wrong and placed him
Here to die upon death row
And there's little now to help this man
For their justice ha been done
A jury turned a blinding eye
Now death is all he sees
And now he has no choice at all
But to die in misery
Oh God above why don't you lend a hand?
To this scarred and helpless soul
Of an innocent man
For if you're up there in the sky
Why don't you make it right?
Just turn him loose and end his fight
Turn him loose and make this right
He's reached the final hour
As the minutes have ticked his life away
But mercy hasn't come for him
So he looks for faith
And he starts to pray
As the seconds fall he's taken
To the place he'll die tonight
While the preacher comes to read
To him his final dying rites
As they walk to death
The man is screaming
An innocence from the crime
And the priest believes the words he hears
From the sadness in his eyes
He tells the priest he once believed
In God above and serving thee for life
But God has chosen him to die
To make him pay for another's crime
A lie, it's just a lie
But faith is dead and now it's time
To end the pain and say goodbye...
As the man died before them
The electric chair was charged to kill
While the priest was staring at the sky
The smell of death just filled the air
Yes, the verdict death was carried out
On the man who did no wrong
The end for him had finally come
And his soul it now was gone
When the call did come after his death
Claiming that the man was free
All were shocked except the priest
Who knew the travesty
Oh God above why did you take his life?
Is he at peace there standing by your side?
Has his non-belief been born again,
For will we ever know?
The many reasons for the way things go
The many reasons for the way things go
Your many reasons for the way things go
Your many reasons for the way things go
The Verdict by October 31 is a song that tells the story of a man who has been wrongly incarcerated and sentenced to death. The song paints a vivid picture of the emotions and experiences of the man and those around him. Despite his desperate prayers for mercy and justice, the verdict is carried out and the man dies feeling betrayed and abandoned.
The lyrics highlight the theme of injustice and question the morality of capital punishment. The man, who is depicted as innocent, is sentenced to death by a jury who turns a blind eye to the truth. This raises questions about the legitimacy of the legal system and whether it can always be relied upon to deliver justice.
The song also touches on the role of faith in times of crisis. As the man faces his death, he turns to prayer and seeks comfort in the presence of a priest. However, even this faith is shaken when he realizes that God has seemingly abandoned him.
Overall, The Verdict is a powerful song that encourages reflection on themes of justice, morality, and faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me take you to a prison
Let me bring your attention to a prison
Where a man is dying behind bars
There is a man who is dying in prison
His death is right before him
He knows he will die soon
But it's not his choice and it's not his fault
He did not choose to be in this situation nor is it his fault
They served him wrong and placed him
They falsely accused and incarcerated him
Here to die upon death row
He is waiting to be executed on death row
And there's little now to help this man
There is not much that can be done to save him
For their justice ha been done
The justice system has already made the decision and it cannot be reversed
A jury turned a blinding eye
The jury ignored the evidence and made an unjust decision
Now death is all he sees
Death is the only outcome for him
And now he has no choice at all
He has no control over his fate
But to die in misery
He will die a painful death
Oh God above why don't you lend a hand?
The singer is questioning why God is not helping the man
To this scarred and helpless soul
The man is scarred from the injustice and unable to help himself
Of an innocent man
The man is innocent of the crime he was accused of
For if you're up there in the sky
The artist believes God exists in the sky
Why don't you make it right?
The artist is asking God to correct the injustice
Just turn him loose and end his fight
The singer wants the man to be freed from his wrongful imprisonment and execution
He's reached the final hour
The man is in his last moments of life
As the minutes have ticked his life away
The man's life is slowly coming to an end
But mercy hasn't come for him
No one has shown him mercy
So he looks for faith
He turns to his faith for comfort
And he starts to pray
He begins to pray for divine intervention
As the seconds fall he's taken
He is taken to be executed
To the place he'll die tonight
He is taken to the place where he will be executed that night
While the preacher comes to read
A preacher comes to read him his last rites
To him his final dying rites
The preacher reads him the prayers and rituals performed before death
As they walk to death
As the man is led to his execution
The man is screaming
The man is screaming that he is innocent
An innocence from the crime
He is pleading his innocence
And the priest believes the words he hears
The priest believes the man's story
From the sadness in his eyes
The priest sees the man's pain and sadness
He tells the priest he once believed
The man tells the priest he used to believe in God
In God above and serving thee for life
He believed in God and devoted his life to serving Him
But God has chosen him to die
He believes that God has decided that he must be executed
To make him pay for another's crime
He believes he is being punished for someone else's actions
A lie, it's just a lie
He is innocent and being falsely accused
But faith is dead and now it's time
He feels abandoned by God and accepts his fate
To end the pain and say goodbye...
He is ready to end his suffering and die
As the man died before them
The man died in front of them
The electric chair was charged to kill
The man was executed in an electric chair
While the priest was staring at the sky
The priest was looking up at the sky
The smell of death just filled the air
The scent of death was in the air
Yes, the verdict death was carried out
The man was executed according to the verdict
On the man who did no wrong
The man was wrongly convicted and punished
The end for him had finally come
His life had come to an end
And his soul it now was gone
His soul had left his body
When the call did come after his death
After his death, news came
Claiming that the man was free
The news claimed that the man was innocent
All were shocked except the priest
Everyone was surprised except for the priest
Who knew the travesty
The priest knew the injustice that had been done
Oh God above why did you take his life?
The artist is questioning why God took the man's life
Is he at peace there standing by your side?
The artist wonders if the man is at peace in heaven
Has his non-belief been born again,
The singer is asking if the man, who stopped believing in God, is now a believer again
For will we ever know?
The singer is unsure if they will ever know the answer to these questions
The many reasons for the way things go
There are many reasons for the injustice and tragedy that occurs
Your many reasons for the way things go
The artist is directing this statement to God
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind