Before recording their debut full length album, the band made a line-up change that probably, more than anything, would define the sound of the Satanic Surfers; Rodrigo took over the vocal duties while still playing the drums. Now the band was ready to take on the the world! Satanic Surfers released three consecutive albums on Burning Heart Records between ’95 and ’99: "Hero of our Time", "666 Motor Inn" and "Going Nowhere Fast", with "Hero of our Time" being their most successful release to date reaching 60,000 plus sales. This was during the golden years of melodic punkrock and the band did numerous successful tours in Europe, Canada and Australia with bands like Millencolin, Lag Wagon, Good Riddance and SNFU. Their extensive touring paid off and they soon had a strong following of loyal fans wherever they went, making them one of the biggest punk-rock bands to come out of Sweden at that time.
In 2000, the band decided it was time to make some changes. The collaboration with Burning Heart Records was terminated and Satanic returned to their friends at Bad Taste Records. The two following albums, "Fragments and Fractions" (2000) and "Unconsciously Confined" (2002) showed the band using a less complex songwriting style, with shorter songs. More touring followed and in between the two albums Rodrigo made the decision to hand over the drumming responsibilities and concentrate solely on the vocals. This meant that the band would have a frontman for the first time since 1994 and as a result the live shows became more energetic and the band toured more than ever during 2002.
But enough history. There’s a new Satanic Surfers album about be released on September 12th (slightly different release dates in some territories), the third one on Bad Taste Records. It’s called "Taste the Poison" and sees the band returning to Berno Studios in Malmö, for the second album in a row. After some down time following the 2002 tours, due to members leaving the band and a general need for some time off, Satanic Surfers actually began writing songs for this album more than two years ago. Everyone involved agreed that, since there were no tours booked and no deadlines to meet, there was no rush to record the album. Instead the most important thing was to gather the strongest material possible and enter the studio with the best Satanic Surfers songs ever. With Andy (bass) and Robert (drums) joining Rodrigo, Fredrik and Magnus in 2003 and 2004 respectively, the pieces fell into place and after completing a string of shows during 2004, the band was ready to enter the studio in May 2005. "Taste the Poison" their final album was released by Bad Taste Records and Satanic Surfers disbanded in 2007.
In December 2014, the band announces a reunion, beginning at Resurrection Fest 2015.
Stranglehold
Satanic Surfers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Night and day to make everybody else,
means to fight the hardest battle
any human being can fight...
Resisting with every breath to conform
Refusing to play along
Breaking free from this
...and never stop fighting
To allow ourselves to feel real feeling
not media created, manipulated, stimulated feelings is a political act in itself
Cutting off the puppet string
This umbilical cord that feeds us shit
and never stop, never stop, never stop, never
stop fighting!
The lyrics to Satanic Surfers' "Stranglehold" speak to the struggle of being true to oneself in a world that constantly pressures individuals to conform. The first verse acknowledges the uphill battle of staying authentic in a society that seeks to make everyone alike. This is followed by a call to resist the urge to conform, to break free from the hold that conformity has on us. This is a personal struggle that demands a great deal of energy and bravery, according to the lyrics. The second verse highlights how the media manipulates our emotions and feelings, and thus, the act of feeling genuine emotions becomes a political act in and of itself. Finally, the song ends with a call to keep fighting against these forces of conformity and manipulation.
Line by Line Meaning
To be nobody but yourself in a world which does its best
Night and day to make everybody else,
means to fight the hardest battle
any human being can fight...
Challenging the societal pressure to conform to what others expect you to be, and instead staying true to yourself, is the most difficult challenge anyone can face in life.
Resisting with every breath to conform
Struggling with every bit of your existence to avoid giving in to social expectations.
Refusing to play along
Choosing not to follow the crowd and go against the norm.
Breaking free from this
stranglehold
Escaping the tight grip of conformity that society has on us.
...and never stop fighting
Persistently standing up for yourself and what you believe in.
To allow ourselves to feel real feeling
not media created, manipulated, stimulated feelings is a political act in itself
Acknowledging and expressing our genuine emotions, rather than those imposed by external forces like the media, can be a rebellious act that defies societal norms.
Cutting off the puppet string
Breaking away from the figurative strings that control us like puppets.
This umbilical cord that feeds us shit
Referring to society's feeding of us lies and misconceptions that manipulate us.
and never stop, never stop, never stop, never
stop fighting!
Reiterating the importance of continually resisting societal pressures and standing up for individual beliefs, no matter how challenging it may be.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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