At least four bands have been called Superior:

1) A German progressi… Read Full Bio ↴At least four bands have been called Superior:

1) A German progressive metal band existing from 1992 - 2007
2) An American Progressive Hardcore Band
3) British artist Su Goodacre
4) Dutch Hardcore band

1) German progressive metal band:
Founded in 1992, Superior is one of the few bands over ten years old that still has the same line-up. A mere eight months after Superior was founded, they released their demo "Timeshift". This demo contained an early version of the song "Tomorrow's Eve", which was to be included on their first album "Behind". "Timeshift" is a documentary of the changes that Superior underwent, who are, to this day, open to all kinds of musical influences. Until the middle of 1994 the band toured mainly in southwestern Germany and the more they toured the more they were convinced that it was due time for them to release their first self-produced CD. It took them a year to work on the compositions, arrangement and the concept of the album. In 1995 they recorded "Behind" in the Roko Soundstudios, close to Frankfurt/Main. The album consists of 10 songs that are progressive heavy rock. The lyrics are about the bigotry of society, the media, politics and reflections of personal everyday-life experiences of the individual members of Superior. Due to the themes the sound is heavy and aggressive, including epic and very melodic passages. The most important elements are heavy, driving guitars, complex piano and string arrangements and the powerful voice of Michael Tangermann. When the album was completed the band signed a contract with Hamburg label L.M.P., which got in touch with various record companies. In the fall of 1996 Superior signed a contract with Modern Music/Noise, which has the rights for the entire world, excluding France, where ARCADE/C.N.R. Music takes care of the band's interests. Shortly after signing with Noise Records, Superior toured Germany supporting Virgin Steele and Angra in such well-known venues as Hamburger Markthalle, Zeche Bochum and various others. Unfortunately after the fifth show, keyboardist Jan-Marco Becker hurt his hand severely and even had to be operated on during the tour. Angra's frontman Andre Matos spontaneously offered to rehearse some of the keyboard parts and Superior was able to continue touring, even though somewhat handicapped. After the tour Superior was forced to take a prolonged break, waiting on their keyboardist to recover. They couldn't join several tours offered to them by their record company and just didn't have the chance to promote their newly released album properly. In the middle of 1997, when their keyboardist had recovered, they began touring again, starting of with a short tour through France, where they also did some unplugged sessions, once again proving their diversity of musical styles. Following this, they did several shows in Germany, while already working on the material for their new album. In the midst of getting ready to record they did a tour through France with Vanden Plas and then got ready for the pre-production of "Younique". Finally, from the middle of March through the middle of May 1998 they recorded, mixed and mastered "Younique", once again in the Roko Soundstudios. The new album was neither a duplicate of "Behind" nor was it entirely different. It was the further development of their musical style; heavy riffing, typical for SUPERIOR, diverse keyboard arrangements and sounds, very complex and individual instrumentation, acoustic guitars, sitar-sounds, brass arrangements and saxaphone solos, everything that makes rock interesting. Very diverse musical influences, ranging from Latin, Funk and Classical music all the way to Jazz were arranged in the extremely heavy and powerful sound. To sum it up, "Younique" was an album that kept on going where "behind" ended. Although most important magazines worldwide celebrated “Younique” as a milestone in progressive music, the album divided fans into two camps, one being fascinated and the other one shocked. Immediately after the album´s release Superior started to perform live again. In 1999 several great shows followed in Germany, France, Netherlands and in Belgium. Definite highlights were the concert with Angra and Stratovarius at the Parisian “Zenith”, celebrated by 5.000 fans, and their liveshow at Progpower festival in the Netherlands. Another great event `99 has been the acoustic tour through France, where Superior once again proved their receptiveness to various musical influences. In the following months Superior and Noise records agreed that the style of the band´s music just didn´t match together with the company´s politics and their strict adherence to true metal style. At the same time the musicians and their French label NTS records decided to cooperate for a further SUPERIOR-album, which turned out to be a concept album about religious fanatisism with all its consequences down to terrorism. At the time the guys didn´t know how close they would come to truth. From January 2000 until May 2001 Superior worked on lyrics and music for “ULTIMA RATIO”. The recordings at the ROKO soundstudios took the following six months. They`ve been only interrupted by the ProgPower Festivals in the Netherlands and the USA, where the band presented some of their brandnew songs, which have been welcomed enthusiastically by the audience. “ULTIMA RATIO” is less experimental than “Younique”. The arrangements are clearly structured, and the dominating characteristics are the extremely heavy guitars, beautiful piano playing combined with the great melodies coming from Michaels powerful and emotional voice. But most of all the band’s members fulfilled a dream they shared since Superior was founded: to bring a soundtrack to reality, to create a movie for the ears by composing and arranging a concept album transformable into a cinematographic thriller. “ULTIMA RATIO” is the exposure of crime, complex images, agitation and suppression as cloaked by welfare and graze.

2) An American progressive Hardcore band
Formed in Omaha, Nebraska

3) British artist Su Goodacre signed to Virgin Records in 1997
This Superior consisted of Su 'Superior' and Lee Knott (ex It bites) and released 3 singles Coma (known for its Karl Bartos (ex kraftwerk) remix), Faster Than You and Being You. An album Germ Free was recorded but remains unrelased. Their song Polaroid Millenium was featured on the The Saint soundtrack.

Reflections
Superior Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alone in the night I'm walking along the street.
The poise of my mind is drowned by the rain.
My hopes and my dreams, my visions are far away.
My angels of doom, I flee them in vain.

If I could repeat my life, Lord, I'd choose another way.
I'd decently spend my time, grateful workin' every day.

(Chorus)
Save me, heal me from madness
Please, guide your lost sheep. Show me the right way, rescue me

I've wasted so many years, they will never come again.
Took chances but won just tears. I was called a gambler then.

Hey boy, so don't you know, life's not fair so please stop crying.
Easy come easy go - those 4 words are your destiny.
Just drift that's your domain.

Aimless, drifting along.
Saves you, heals you forever, so never loose faith never ever again.

Alone in the night I'm drifting along the street.
The boat called "My mind" did not hit the ground.
My hopes and my dreams still haven't abandoned me.
Dear angels of doom, why don't you go down?

(Chorus)
Save me heal me from madness
Please guide your lost sheep. Show me the right way, rescue me!

Save me heal me from madness

Please guide your lost sheep. Show me the right way.
I'll never loose faith never ever again.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Superior's song "Reflections" convey a sense of disillusionment and regret. The singer is alone in the night, walking along the street and feeling defeated by the rain. The singer laments that their hopes and dreams are a distant memory, and they cannot escape their own inner demons. They express a desire to start anew and choose a different path if given the chance. The chorus is a plea for salvation and guidance, asking for help in finding the right way and escaping madness.

The song's lyrics are universal and relatable, reflecting on human experiences of feeling lost or trapped in a self-destructive cycle. The imagery of rain and darkness creates a somber mood, highlighting the singer's sense of despair. The singer's declaration to never lose faith again at the end of the song offers some hope, even amidst the feelings of regret and inadequacy.

Line by Line Meaning

Alone in the night I'm walking along the street.
I am alone and lost, wandering through the darkness of my thoughts.

The poise of my mind is drowned by the rain.
The chaos of my mind and emotions overpowers me like a deluge of rain.

My hopes and my dreams, my visions are far away.
The aspirations and goals I had for my life now seem distant and unattainable.

My angels of doom, I flee them in vain.
The negative consequences of my actions and decisions loom over me, and I cannot escape them.

If I could repeat my life, Lord, I'd choose another way.
I regret the choices I made in the past and wish I could go back and make different ones.

I'd decently spend my time, grateful workin' every day.
If I had the chance to start over, I would make better use of my time and appreciate the opportunity to work.

Save me, heal me from madness
I am lost and broken, and I plead for help to overcome the insanity of my life.

Please, guide your lost sheep. Show me the right way, rescue me
I am like a lost sheep in need of guidance and direction to find the path towards redemption and salvation.

I've wasted so many years, they will never come again.
I have squandered my time and opportunities, and I cannot go back to reclaim what I lost.

Took chances but won just tears. I was called a gambler then.
I took risks in life, but they never paid off and only left me with pain and regret.

Hey boy, so don't you know, life's not fair so please stop crying.
Life is unpredictable and full of challenges, so it is pointless to complain about its unfairness.

Easy come easy go - those 4 words are your destiny.
Success and failure in life are fleeting and beyond our control, and we must accept them as our fate.

Just drift that's your domain.
I am lost and aimless, and my only comfort is to continue drifting through life without direction or purpose.

Aimless, drifting along.
I am still lost and directionless, unable to find my way in life.

Saves you, heals you forever, so never loose faith never ever again.
Hope and faith are the only things that can save and heal me, and I must never lose them again.

The boat called "My mind" did not hit the ground.
Although I am lost and drifting, I have not yet hit rock bottom and there is still hope for me to find my way.

Dear angels of doom, why don't you go down?
I am questioning the negative consequences of my actions and wondering why they continue to haunt me.

Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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