Oppressor was a Chicago based death metal band that was formed in May 1991 by Tim King and Adam Zadel. A month later the band was completed with the addition of Tom Schofield and Jim Stopper. They were heavily influenced by bands like Morbid Angel, Death, Gorguts and Suffocation but also Cynic and some new age jazz music. After having recorded two demo tapes they signed a deal with Red Light Records in 1993, a label which eventually went bankrupt and leading up to a new deal with Olympic Recordings. Their second album "Agony" became the real breakthrough for the band and resulted in an opening slot on Cannibal Corpse's American tour. Three of the band members formed a side project called Soil with Broken Hope guitarist Shaun Glass in 1997. By 1999 Soil had become a successful full-time band and this meant the end for Oppressor.
The Polish-based Oppressor that released two demos under that moniker (1992's "Time of Agony" & 1995's "Blasphemous Thoughts").
Rotted Paradise
Oppressor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Torn by betrayal
Beaten and used
Ingest your morals
As the innocent are fucked
Against their will
Sublimination
Seeing is believing
But it's your blindness
That still prevails
Your greed and your power
Tools of the trade
When sadness is pleasure
It's your existence that I deny
Erosion to fill the mind
Pray for an afterlife
Life that will scar the soul
Lost all fucking hope
Harvest of misery
Starving a selfish plea
Shadows of dreams now past
A nightmare soon fills your eyes
Denouncing the savior
In murderous ways
A perverted devotion
Cleansed by the acid of denial
Embraced by incest
In pleasures of flesh
Abort the bastard
Caused by your father
A man to hate
Death in resentment
A hybrid of sin
Away with the morals
As your fears are me in disguise
Rotted Paradise
The lyrics of "Rotted Paradise" by Oppressor portray a world consumed by corruption, violence, and moral decay. The opening lines, "Torn by betrayal, Beaten and used, Ingest your morals", indicate a sense of helplessness and despair in the face of an oppressive system that values power and pleasure over justice and compassion. The next line "As the innocent are fucked against their will" makes it clear that those in power have no qualms about exploiting and abusing the vulnerable.
The following lines refer to the struggle to find truth in a world that is deliberately shrouded in lies and misinformation. "The truth it haunts me, Sublimination, Seeing is believing, But it's your blindness, That still prevails". The greed and lust for power possessed by the oppressors are portrayed as tools used to maintain their hold on power, while the innocent suffer in misery.
The lyrics also include a condemnation of organized religion for its role in promoting hatred and violence. The line "Denouncing the savior in murderous ways, A perverted devotion, Cleansed by the acid of denial" highlights the hypocrisy and corruption within organized religion. The final lines of the song suggest that the paradise that once existed has been corrupted beyond repair, leaving only a rotted, tormented world.
Line by Line Meaning
Suffer
Expressing the start of pain or hardship that is to come
Torn by betrayal
Feeling heartbroken and shattered due to the act of disloyalty
Beaten and used
Being mistreated and abused, often for someone's selfish gain
Ingest your morals
Being forced to abandon one's beliefs and principles for survival or acceptance
As the innocent are fucked
As the pure and guiltless are taken advantage of and sexually assaulted
The truth it haunts me
The realization of harsh reality is a constant and unsettling presence
Sublimation
The act of redirecting negative emotions or impulses to more socially acceptable actions
Seeing is believing
Requiring concrete proof and evidence to believe in something
But it's your blindness
A lack of awareness or willingness to see the truth
That still prevails
Continuing to exist, even with the presence of opposing evidence
Your greed and your power
The pursuit of wealth and control as the ultimate goal
Tools of the trade
The means used to attain or accomplish a goal, often immoral or unethical
When sadness is pleasure
Finding enjoyment or satisfaction in the suffering of others
It's your existence that I deny
Rejecting or disavowing the very being of the oppressor
Erosion to fill the mind
Gradual deterioration of mental health caused by ongoing oppression
Pray for an afterlife
Seeking solace and peace in a higher existence or after death
Life that will scar the soul
A lifetime of pain and trauma that leaves a permanent mark on one's spirit
Lost all fucking hope
Feeling hopeless and helpless, with no expectation of a better outcome
Harvest of misery
A season of cultivating pain and suffering
Starving a selfish plea
Denying self-centered desires and needs
Shadows of dreams now past
Memories of lost hope and aspirations
A nightmare soon fills your eyes
A horrific and scary reality that is about to become apparent
Denouncing the savior
Rejecting the idea of a higher power that can save or protect from oppression
In murderous ways
Using brutal and violent methods to resist oppression
A perverted devotion
Being obsessed with the idea of resistance, often devoid of morality or rationality
Cleansed by the acid of denial
Purifying oneself from discomfort and negativity by rejecting reality and truth
Embraced by incest
Seeking comfort and connection with those who share the same struggle or pain
In pleasures of flesh
Finding momentary solace and distraction in physical pleasure
Abort the bastard
Destroying the immoral and oppressive system or individual
Caused by your father
The root of oppression and suffering originating from those in power and control
A man to hate
A symbol of oppression and cruelty, often a figurehead or leader
Death in resentment
Dying with unfulfilled anger and bitterness towards the oppressor
A hybrid of sin
An individual or system created from immoral and corrupt origins
Away with the morals
Disregarding commonly accepted values and ethics due to the magnitude of the struggle or suffering
As your fears are me in disguise
Finding fear in the unknown, the oppressor, or the oppressor's ideology
Rotted Paradise
A corrupted and decayed world where oppression and suffering thrive
Contributed by Kaylee G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.