Scream was formed in Northern Virginia in 1981 by singer Peter Stahl, his brother Franz Stahl on guitar, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax. They are considered one of the benchmark bands in the history of the Washington, D.C. hardcore music movement. Along with bands such as Minor Threat and Government Issue, Scream ultimately merged the attributes of the movement, which were blinding speed, heavy political and social connotations in the lyrics, unpretentiousness of attitude, and shunning of commercialism. Their music is faithful to the roots of rock, but spun itself into other genres by employing sounds that predate the raunchiness of grunge, while saluting reggae and speed metal. Scream hated the classification of bands into certain types and considered what they played as simply 'music.' Recording their music in the basement of the now legendary Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, Scream became the first band on the Dischord label to release a whole album, Still Screaming, as opposed to singles or 12 inch EPs. Like the hardcore band Bad Brains, they could play clearly at breakneck speed, but also played mid-tempo songs like "American Justice" and "Hygiene," which were metal-tinged reggae.
For their second album Scream added another guitarist to their line-up, Robert Lee "Harley" Davidson, to thicken up the sound in the studio and in their live performances. In turn this eventually led to a powerful dual-lead guitar style, with complex guitar tracking, a more powerful live sound and an over-all crunchier sound for their third album. For a few compilation efforts and some live shows they added a keyboard player, Bobby Madden, who was a colleague of Davidson's from the same metal scene.
After the third album Banging the Drum, Kent Stax left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by local drummer Dave Grohl, who then played on Scream's 4th album No More Censorship. The band then toured Europe; with their May 4, 1990 show in Alzey, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger as Your Choice Live Series Vol.10. Scream then recorded their fifth and final studio album Fumble, (which was much later released in 1993 on Dischord Records) and then called it quits in late 1990. Pete and Franz moved to North Hollywood and started rock band Wool, while Grohl joined Grunge band Nirvana. In 1997, Franz Stahl joined Dave Grohl's newly formed group, the commercially successful Foo Fighters, for a two year stint. During this time Pete Stahl worked as a road manager for both the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, while continuing to record albums with several bands, including the Earthlings? and Goatsnake. Skeeter Thompson remained in the D.C. area and continued to work in bands, as did Kent Stax with the Skinhead/Oi! -tinged bands: the Suspects, United 121, Spitfires United, and Alleged Bricks. Stax has also committed himself to a family life. Davidson continued in the band Angelstorm, (in Huntsville, Alabama), from 1993–1995 and created the new bands Orangahead, Festival of Fools, (with Madden in 1998) and two different bands both named God Is Dead, (one in D.C. and one in Huntsville, Alabama) from 2002-2005.
The original line-up of the band played a reunion show on December 20, 2009 at the Black Cat nightclub in Washington, D.C.
On February 7, 2011, the band supported Foo Fighters on a special show at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, when the Foo Fighters showcased their new album Wasting Light for the first time from beginning to end.
Current members
Peter Stahl – lead vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Franz Stahl – guitar, backing vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Skeeter Thompson – bass, backing vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Kent Stax – drums, percussion (1981–1986, 2009–present)
Former members
Dave Grohl – drums, percussion (1986–1990)
Robert Lee Davidson – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1989)
Came Without Warning
Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one just knew
Except the ones who were doing it to you
Looked all around
It came without a sound
Was no reason, no time
No warning, not a sign
It came without a warning
It came without a warning
It came without a warning
It came from beyond
When they dropped the bomb
You were watching the Brady Bunch
While your brain was out to lunch
Fast food fed on Captain Krunch
Drowned in atomic punch
Gone in an eternal munch
You didn’t even have a hunch
It came without a warning
It came without a warning
It came without a warning
It came without a warning
Came without a warning
Came without a warning
Came without a warning
Came without a warning
Came without a warning
Came without a warning
That’s why we warned you!
In Scream's song Came Without Warning, the lyrics describe the sudden and unexpected nature of a catastrophic event. The chorus repeats the phrase "it came without a warning" to emphasize the message that this event occurred suddenly and without any prior indication. The songwriter suggests that only the ones causing the event knew of its occurrence beforehand. The verses provide imagery of the event being a nuclear bomb, which comes "from beyond" and is dropped without any audible sound. The lyrics describe the mundane activities of the victim before the event, such as watching the Brady Bunch and eating fast food. The message is that life can change drastically in an instant, without any warning, and that we should be mindful of this possibility.
The repetition of the phrase "it came without a warning" serves to reinforce the message of the song. Even though the verses suggest a nuclear bomb, the metaphor can extend to any disastrous event that occurs without warning, such as a natural disaster or a personal tragedy. The songwriter wants listeners to be aware of the unpredictability of life and to not take anything for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
It came without a warning
An unexpected event happened suddenly.
No one just knew
Nobody was prepared or aware of it beforehand.
Except the ones who were doing it to you
The people responsible for the happening knew what was going to happen.
Looked all around
People searched for an explanation for the event.
It came without a sound
The event happened silently without any warning signs.
Was no reason, no time
There was no apparent cause, no specific time frame for the event.
No warning, not a sign
It happened without any signs or alerts.
It came from beyond
The event came from a source outside of our understanding or control.
When they dropped the bomb
A reference to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
You were watching the Brady Bunch
A reference to people being distracted or unaware of what's happening in the world while being consumed by entertainment.
While your brain was out to lunch
While you were mentally distracted and not paying attention.
Fast food fed on Captain Krunch
A comment on the unhealthy eating habits of people in modern society.
Drowned in atomic punch
A reference to being overwhelmed or consumed by the effects of the atomic bomb.
Gone in an eternal munch
A reference to being permanently affected by the event.
You didn’t even have a hunch
You had no idea what was coming.
That’s why we warned you!
The song is a warning to be prepared and aware of unexpected events.
Contributed by Julian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.