History
Matt Fox (guitar) and Dave Silber (Bass) formed Shai Hulud in 1995 with Damien Moyal on vocals, Jason Lederman on drums, and Oliver Chapoy on guitar. "Matt was playing in several other kinds of bands like rock bands and they just wanted to play some hardcore" says former bassist Jared Allen. However, things with Jason Lederman didn't work out and the band began to look for a new drummer. This, unfortunately, would be something the band would become accustomed to. In 1994, Steve Kleisath and Matt Fox met for the first time in Tampa, FL, when Matt was filling in on drums for Strongarm, the band Steve later joined as drummer. With a complete lineup intact, the band recorded a six-song demo and was soon signed to Revelation Records by Rob Moran, bass player of Unbroken, who received their demo from Jeanne Probart, a friend that worked in Revelation's mail-order department. Although Revelation loved the Shai Hulud demo, they asked the band to change the name because they thought "it was too difficult to remember". Shai Hulud's first show was played on Halloween in 1996 at Discount's (a Florida based punk band) warehouse for under 50 people.
Damien Moyal quit the band when the band signed to Revelation Records. With the exit of Damien, Shai Hulud would recruit 14 year-old Chad Gilbert on vocals. The band had a record deal with Revelation Records' subsidiary, Crisis Records. In September 1996, they recorded a three song EP called A Profound Hatred of Man which was released in February of 1997. On the first 5000 copies of their debut EP, the band's name is misspelled on the spine as, "Shai Halud", but spelled correctly on the cover. This EP started the legacy of Shai Hulud.
Chad Gilbert departed to found the pop punk band New Found Glory in 1997. This would pose problems for Shai Hulud in the future. However, they started recording their first full-length, Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion, in August 1997. They would finish the album in September and release it in November. Throughout the next year and a half Shai Hulud toured America with Strongarm, Bloodlet, Shadows Fall, Zao, Overcast, Cannibal Corpse and Disembodied. In May 1998 three tracks were recorded for a split with New York's Indecision entitled The Fall of Every Man. The split was released in November 1998. As Shai Hulud's popularity grew some of the band's member's interest began to waver. In 1998, Oliver Chapoy decided to leave the band. He was replaced by Matthew Fletcher who later moved on to Florida to join the band in January 1999. Matt Fletcher saw Shai Hulud for the first time in Seattle, Washington in 1997 with Strongarm and NineIronSpitFire. Andrew Gormley (former Shai Hulud drummer) was also at the show selling Kiss It Goodbye demos. In June of 1999, they recorded a cover of "Fearless Vampire Killers" for the Bad Brains tribute compilation called Never Give In.
Steve Kleisath quit the band due to personal issues, and Chad Gilbert decided to leave Shai Hulud and become a full-time guitar player for the band New Found Glory. The band forged ahead and recruited Andrew Gormley to fill as drummer on a European tour. Matt Fletcher filled as singer until Geert van der Velde joined the band during the tour. The band returned to Florida determined to continue Shai Hulud. However, Dave Silber had been ready to quit and did so upon their return. In January 2000, Jared Allen, Matt Fletcher's friend from Oklahoma, would fill in the bass player position and quickly join the band in the studio. Three tracks would be recorded for a split with the band Another Victim named A Whole New Level of Sickness. This and another split, honoring Metallica, were both released in March 2000. Shai Hulud shared the Metallica tribute split, named Crush 'Em All Vol. 1, with Boy Sets Fire, covering the song Damage Inc.. Spikey Goldbach would fill as drummer for the A Whole New Level of Sickness split and Steve Kleisath would return for the sole track on the Crush Em' All split. In 2001 the band moved on to Poughkeepsie, NY. Chris Cardinal, who used to play for Inner Dam, joined the band to fill on drums, but he later decided to leave the band.
In 2002, Jared Allen decided to leave the band, and Matt Fletcher moved on to bass. The band recorded a second full-length That Within Blood Ill-Tempered, released on May 20, 2003. Throughout the creation of the new album, the band continued to search for a permanent drummer. Tony Tintari joined the band in the studio while recording the new album. After the release of That Within Blood Ill-Tempered and a number of tours going into the subsequent year, Shai Hulud and vocalist Geert van der Velde mutually decided it was for the best he leave the band. Geert left and soon thereafter started his solo project The Black Atlantic, and to join as vocalist for the metalcore band Miscreants. Drummer Tony Tintari left the band to join the indie rock band Holy Roman Empire. Acknowledging some people may misinterpret the parting as the end of Shai Hulud, the band came out on their homepage indicating that they would not be breaking up; instead, the band would change name to "The Warmth of Red Blood" and continue what had been started with Shai Hulud. In 2005 The band released a retrospective release entitled, A Comprehensive Retrospective: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Release Bad and Useless Recordings containing rare demos and live tracks.
In early 2006, the band recorded a three song rough demo with Eric Dellon on lead vocals, Geert van der Velde on backup vocals, and Brian Go on drums. In March 2006, the band announced they were abandoning the moniker "The Warmth of Red Blood" and keeping the name Shai Hulud. In August of 2006, the band signed with Metal Blade Records and has already begun touring again, and new material exists that was released in their new album to be titled Misanthropy Pure with Matt Mazzali on vocals and Andrew Gormley on drums, released on May 27, 2008. For a number of months, Shai Hulud enlisted the help of former Unearth/The Red Chord drummer Mike Justain up until he joined the band Trap Them. They are still currently without a permanent drummer. The position of second guitar was recently filled by Chad Kishick of Miami, Florida, who had toured with 24 Hours to Live, Dead Weight, All Hell Breaks Loose, and Know the Score.
Shai Hulud also have a side project named Zombie Apocalypse (formerly called Boddicker), whose sound can be summed up as a faster, more chaotic and more manic version of its mother band. It features Matt Fox, Matthew Fletcher, Ronen Kaufman, and Greg Thomas.
Eating Bullets of Acceptance
Shai Hulud Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be told we're independent is not enough.
We should strive for autonomous thoughts
And your pride in you conformity is sickening
This useless praise
But this desire for focus triggers abuse
Of an endless sense of insecurity.
It's not so simple to sit and wait
We cannot embrace our roles blindly
They're assigned
They are assigned, based on the fact that we will accept
Minds are in suspended animation
Due to an attachment to this established lifestyle
My existence will not be dictated like a reading from a book
I will not be predetermined.
Our outlook is bleak.
When approval is all we crave and the moment is grand.
Your pride is sickening.
In your conformity.
But this moment is grand.
We should strive for autonomous thoughts.
Approval is all we crave!
The lyrics of "Eating Bullets of Acceptance" by Shai Hulud convey a message about the dangers of conformity and the need for individual autonomy. The singer expresses a sense of hopelessness about the outlook for society, but also acknowledges that there are moments of grandeur to be found. The idea of independence is not simply about being told that one is self-sufficient, but about actively seeking out autonomous thoughts and actions.
The lyrics assert that the desire for approval and focus can lead to abuse and insecurity when we become too fixated on those external factors. The singer sees people around them accepting predetermined roles without question, leading to a suspended animation of the mind. The reference to "eating bullets of acceptance" suggests that people are literally consuming something harmful to their well-being by blindly conforming.
The song ends on a hopeful note as the singer declares their determination not to be predetermined or dictated by the established lifestyle of others. Overall, the message is one of resistance to conformity and the pursuit of individual autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
Our outlook is bleak but the moment is grand
We are in a difficult situation but we must recognize the importance of the present moment.
To be told we're independent is not enough.
Being told that we are independent is not sufficient to actually be independent.
We should strive for autonomous thoughts
We should work towards having independent thoughts and not simply following the thoughts of others.
And your pride in you conformity is sickening
It is disturbing to witness your excessive pride in conforming to societal expectations.
This useless praise
This praise is meaningless and unhelpful.
But this desire for focus triggers abuse
The desire for attention and focus causes us to mistreat ourselves and others.
Of an endless sense of insecurity
Our insecurity is never-ending and always present.
We grasp at endless questions for a sense of hope
We ask many questions in order to find a glimmer of hope and optimism.
It's not so simple to sit and wait
We cannot just wait passively and expect things to change.
We cannot embrace our roles blindly
We must not conform blindly to the roles we are assigned in society.
They're assigned
Our roles are given to us without our input.
They are assigned, based on the fact that we will accept
Our roles are assigned because we are willing to accept them without question.
Minds are in suspended animation
Our minds are stagnant and inactive.
Due to an attachment to this established lifestyle
Our attachment to the established way of life is holding us back.
My existence will not be dictated like a reading from a book
I refuse to let my life be predetermined and controlled by others.
I will not be predetermined.
I will not conform to predetermined expectations of society.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHAD GILBERT, DAVID SILBER, MATTHEW FOX, STEVEN KLEISATH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind