Members:
Jaap van Duijvenbode (Guitar), Ruben Bandstra (Drums), Daniel de Jongh (Vocals), Wiebe van den Ende (Raps/Vocals), Jeroen Bax (Bass), Arno Dreef (Guitar).
Winner of a much-coveted Essent Award and triumphant shows at internationally renowned festivals such as Ozzfest and Lowlands – these are just some of the achievements of Dutch Xplocore band Smogus. In May they will release No Matter What The Outcome, which could very well be the band’s big break.
Smogus was founded in 1995 by Jaap, Ruben, Daniel and Jeroen. During the recording of their debut album Everybody’s Fucked Up Twice the four school friends met with Arno and Wiebe. The six of them hit it off immediately and quickly after the release of the debut album, both Arno and Wiebe decided to complete the band’s line-up. They released two tracks on a split EP (also featuring the band Griffin from Leiden, NL) on vinyl on the WOTNXT label, the SmoguS/Griffin EP. Then, Smogus started to conquer all the major Dutch venues, soon establishing themselves as one of the most popular Dutch live-acts.
Besides performing relentlessly – as headliner, as support act (Ill Nino, Disturbed) and at festivals (Ozzfest, Lowlands) – Smogus continuously worked very hard on writing new songs. In 2002, the band signed a deal with BMG and released a 6-track Smogus EP. The band seemed to have finally found their niche with a sound of their own: Xplocore. A fusion of explosive (nu)metal, hiphop and funk, combined with a large dose of energy and humour. Songs with heavy guitars, groovy rhythms, cool rhymes and catchy choruses that have their roots in bands like Anthrax, Faith No More and Cypress Hill.
Unfortunately, the cooperation with BMG came to an end when the band found themselves competing with Idols, the nation-wide craze that conquered The Netherlands in 2003. Smogus refused to sit at the sidelines and see how other, more commercial artists from the Idols TV-show got priority over them, so they decided to start working on their new album without the help of a record label. In March 2003 the band entered the studio and guitarist Arnd-H was appointed as producer. He is mainly responsible for the heavy sound on the new album, significantly titled No Matter What The Outcome. The band has clearly matured in two years time, both musically and personally. Singer Wiebe emphasizes that the band regards this album as their real debut: “We are very proud of the album’s incredible sound, especially since we have done everything ourselves, from the recording to the final mixing. It is an album to be proud of, particularly for a Dutch production.”
The songs on the album are well-structured and characterized by powerful dynamics, an impressive, well-balanced mix of melodic vocals and heavy rap, and a wide range of styles. Smogus is both in-your-face and melodic, aggressive and happy, heavy and commercial, but always extremely energetic. The opening track Don’t Care immediately sets the tone for what’s to come. Other highlights include the groovy and lyrically uplifting Just For Me, the sensitive semi-ballad The Game, the uncompromising and personal Changing Fate and the complex Good Intentions. The highly contagious hiphop bonus track Flush Your Life again has that typical Smogus humour. However, it is not all laughing matters on the album. The lyrics cover a wide range of emotions, as Wiebe explains: “The lyrics are very much about ourselves, about things we go through in life. We sing about love, but also about the need to be free and strained relationships.”
On May 15, 2004 the album was released in the Melkweg, Amsterdam. It has been distributed by a small Dutch oriented label, The Electric Co. which has ties with Universal Records. Although the single and video of Don't Care were fairly popular on vote-based music channel The Box, it turned out that, mainly because the Nu-Metal hype blew over, the album wasn't the big break they had hoped for. This led to Mojo cancelling the contract with the band for the live acts.
Smogus then decided to take a completely different direction with an acoustic tour. A DVD named Live & Unplugged was released in 2005 covering the tour. It turned out to be the last recorded achievement. In 2006 the band decided to split up and on July 7, 2006 they played their last gig on their home stage of Fascinus in Sassenheim.
Let Me Be
Smogus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
what do I have to do to make it clear to you
you're humping around evry time I'm home
what do I have to do to make you leaving me alone
it doesn't bother me to see you once in a while
but stop showing me that you're ready and furtile
you could be cool, your not that kind of a bitch
Who with every word she says, makes my blood itch
Is it me am I paranoid
should I behave like an android to avoid
this conflict, no I don't want to harass you
though sometimes I just wanna crush you and bash you
but that's not me I'm not the violent type
leave me alone and let me llive my life
without being afdraid to see you
that I have to hurt you
If I could avoid it that's what I should do now
Go away and let me be
Go away, you're choking me
Go away
Go away and let me be
and let me be
go away, you're choking me
what do I have to say
go away, and let me be
there ain't no you and me
I know you're trying, you try to live your life
you doon't have alot of friends and you still try to survive
I don't know how you feel towards me
but it scares me the way you worship me
that's how I see it, shit, and that's how I feel
I'm not atracted to you, keep it real
you'er always around no matter where I go
go away for a while, just lay low
Why can't you see that you're stalking me
youn use every friend I have to get close to me
at first me, then the band and my brother
later my friends you even got to my mother
when I'm on stage you're in front
after five minutes of waving I wanna break..
no further this shit's gotta seige
I'll put on it to before you break the peace now
The song Let Me Be by Smogus is about a man who is being stalked by a woman who is obsessed with him. He is an ordinary guy, but to her, he is everything. He wants her to leave him alone and let him live his life without being afraid to see her. He is not sure if he is being paranoid, but her actions scare him. He does not want to hurt her, but he also does not want to be choked by her presence. He wishes she could be cool and not act like a bitch, which irritates him.
The lyrics convey a feeling of annoyance, frustration, and uneasiness towards the stalker. The singer wants her to realize that there is no "you and me," and that he is not attracted to her. He asks her to stop using every friend he has to get close to him and let him be. He tries to avoid conflict and violence but wants her to understand that her stalking behavior is not acceptable.
In conclusion, the song Let Me Be is a straightforward message to a persistent stalker to leave the singer alone. He wants to live his life without being afraid of her, but she is always around, making him uneasy. The lyrics express his frustration and annoyance in a clear, straightforward manner.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm an ordinairy guy but not to you
To you, I am not just an ordinary guy. There is something about me that makes you act differently towards me.
what do I have to do to make it clear to you
I am trying to understand what I can do to make you understand that I am not interested in you.
you're humping around evry time I'm home
Whenever I am around, you are always trying to be close to me, which is not something I appreciate.
what do I have to do to make you leaving me alone
I want to know what I can do to make you leave me alone and give me my space.
it doesn't bother me to see you once in a while
Seeing you occasionally does not bother me, but your constant presence is becoming a problem.
but stop showing me that you're ready and furtile
I don't appreciate it when you try to show me that you are ready for a relationship or suggest that we should be together.
you could be cool, your not that kind of a bitch
I acknowledge that you could be cool, but you are not the kind of person who I would like to be in a relationship with based on your clingy behavior.
Who with every word she says, makes my blood itch
You are the kind of person who irritates me with almost everything that you say, and it makes me uncomfortable.
Is it me am I paranoid
I am trying to understand whether my attitude towards you is paranoid or whether you are really stalking me.
should I behave like an android to avoid
I am considering whether I should act like a robot to avoid confrontations with you.
this conflict, no I don't want to harass you
I do not want to cause any conflict or trouble for you, but your behavior is making it difficult for me to ignore you.
though sometimes I just wanna crush you and bash you
Even though I should not, sometimes I feel like hurting you because your behavior irritates me so much.
but that's not me I'm not the violent type
I am not someone who is predisposed towards violence, and such thoughts are not typical for me.
leave me alone and let me llive my life
Please let me have my own space and live my life without your constant presence.
without being afdraid to see you
I want to feel unafraid of encountering you and not have to worry about the consequences of our interactions.
that I have to hurt you
I do not want to escalate this situation to the point where I have to hurt you physically or emotionally.
If I could avoid it that's what I should do now
If possible, I would like to avoid further conflict with you in the present situation.
Go away and let me be
Please leave me alone and let me have my personal space.
Go away, you're choking me
Your presence around me all the time makes me feel suffocated and uncomfortable.
what do I have to say
I am lost for words and do not know how else to convey how uncomfortable your behavior is making me feel.
go away, and let me be
Please leave me alone and give me my space.
there ain't no you and me
I do not see us having a future together and do not want to lead you on.
I know you're trying, you try to live your life
I acknowledge that you are trying to live your life, but your attempts to be near me are making me uncomfortable.
you doon't have alot of friends and you still try to survive
I appreciate that you may not have many friends and are trying to get by, but your behavior towards me is not the way to go about it.
I don't know how you feel towards me
I am unsure of your feelings towards me, but your behavior suggests that you are interested in me romantically.
but it scares me the way you worship me
Your obsessive behavior towards me is becoming concerning and is causing me distress.
that's how I see it, shit, and that's how I feel
I see your behavior as obsessive and disturbing, and it is affecting me emotionally.
I'm not atracted to you, keep it real
I am not attracted to you, and I want to keep our interactions purely platonic.
you'er always around no matter where I go
I cannot seem to escape your presence wherever I go, and it is becoming overwhelming.
go away for a while, just lay low
I suggest that you take a step back and give me some space to breathe.
Why can't you see that you're stalking me
Your constant presence around me and attempts to be close to me are starting to feel like stalking.
youn use every friend I have to get close to me
You use any opportunity you can to get in touch with me or be around me, including through mutual friends.
at first me, then the band and my brother
Your interest in me has extended to those around me, including my bandmates and even my brother.
later my friends you even got to my mother
Your attempts to be close to me have even extended to my close family members, which is inappropriate and troubling.
when I'm on stage you're in front
Your behavior is so obsessive that you even make an effort to be in the front row when I perform on stage.
after five minutes of waving I wanna break..
Seeing you in the front row while I am on stage makes me uncomfortable and annoyed, and I want it to stop.
no further this shit's gotta seige
I want to put an end to this situation before it becomes any more serious or harmful for everyone involved.
I'll put on it to before you break the peace now
I will take the initiative to end this situation before it causes any more conflict or disruption in our lives.
Contributed by Alexandra A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
faaris arain
Amogus
Faltye
Amogus
Preto Fosco
Best song holandês
Salih Tuncer
Amogus
Nathan de Groot
perfect dutch nu-metal
Salih Tuncer
Amogus
0xZero0swe
Where have you got their album?.
Do you know where to buy?.
AYVSO
@0xZero0swe download it
AnTiieX
am i the only one that tried to type amogus
Ernest Kozikowski
Kinda sus...