Tera Melos play a brand of math rock music characterized by quickly alternating rhythmic patterns, start-stop dynamics, improvisation, two-handed tapping on the guitar, extended open-ended bridges, and the use of effect pedals and samplers. After releasing a four song demo in 2004, they self released their untitled debut full-length on October 4, 2005. The album comprises eight tracks, and was re-issued in 2008 on Sargent House. While some of the tracks on the album feature distorted vocals that are somewhat undecipherable, (guitarist) Nick Reinhart started contributing more prominent vocals to the music with the release of their 2007 split with By the End of Tonight, called Complex Full of Phantoms.
Right before they started recording their second EP Drugs to the Dear Youth, one of the guitarists, Jeff Worms, left the band. It is rumored that Worms left to become a football star. This has been confirmed by Worms, although he has not cited what college he is currently playing for. On January 19, 2007, Tera Melos released the LP on Sargent House. ‘Drugs’ for short, was a step away from the previous sound they had before and farther into more progressive and original regions.
Tera Melos have over the past few years, developed a cult-like fan base around the United States and have recently gained some popularity in Europe, Asia, and South America.
Tera Melos announced on their MySpace page on April 2, 2007, that drummer Vince would be leaving the band to pursue other things, namely returning to college to pursue a career as a math professor. The band began searching for a new drummer shortly thereafter. After a little more than a year, the band announced the addition of John Clardy as their new drummer. Originally the band had planned a long-awaited LP release after touring, however they ended up releasing an EP of covers, featuring songs by The Beach Boys and Polaris, entitled Idioms, Vol. I.
On November 7, 2009, Tera Melos confirmed a new album due out in 2010 in a myspace bulletin. The post stated that the band was set to begin recording the next day, November 8. The new album, titled Patagonian Rats, was released in September 2010, and like their 2007 split with By the End of Tonight, it included vocals.
Frozen Zoo
Tera Melos Lyrics
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Refrigerate
Try to keep it cool
Minus 2 3 8
Like a frozen zoo
Get yourself shot
Gonna get yourself shot x 15
Reincarnate
Pressing through the states
Is it possible?
Get yourself shot
Gonna get yourself shot x 15
Still trying to keep it back cool,
But it's hard when you're running the pool
If it seems too dangerous
Well that's just because
The heart doesn't like to beat too
Shot x 16
The lyrics of Tera Melos’s song Frozen Zoo is an enigma to its listeners. The title of the song may give the impression of being related to animals in captivity in a zoo that is left in a frozen state. However, the lyrics unravel a much darker and thought-provoking meaning. The lyrics speak of being shot, experiencing a ‘cold eternity’, and trying to keep it back cool. The lines, ‘Shot x 7/16,’ may imply being vulnerable to influences and pressure. The lines, ‘Refrigerate/Try to keep it cool/Minus 2 3 8/Like a frozen zoo’ may be an allusion to preservation and control. It may speak of keeping one’s emotions and feelings ‘frozen’ to the extent that they become unrecognizable, akin to animals in captivity in a zoo.
The lyrics ‘Pressing through the States/Is it possible?’ may refer to the internal strife of trying to keep oneself together while dealing with the pressure of being true to oneself. The lines ‘If it seems too dangerous/Well that's just because/The heart doesn't like to beat too’ may refer metaphorically to the vulnerability of the heart to external stimuli. The song, therefore, may speak of the internal struggles of an individual in society, where it is important to preserve one’s individuality while trying to conform to societal pressures. It speaks of the pressure that an individual feels, being vulnerable to external influences, and trying hard to reign it all in.
Line by Line Meaning
Shot x 7
The singer has been shot seven times
Refrigerate
The singer's body or some object has been put in a cold place to preserve it
Try to keep it cool
The singer is attempting to maintain a calm demeanor or keep their body/ object at a low temperature
Minus 2 3 8
The temperature of the cold storage may be at negative 238 degrees Fahrenheit, or the number sequence is symbolic of some other meaning to the artist
Like a frozen zoo
The refrigerator or storage location contains numerous objects or organisms that are preserved, similar to a zoo where animals are kept frozen in time in exhibitions
Get yourself shot
The singer is urging someone to intentionally get shot
Gonna get yourself shot x 15
Reiteration of the previous line emphasizing the urgency and repetition of the demand
Reincarnate
The artist may believe in reincarnation, or they are imagining coming back to life after death due to some preservation method
A cold eternity
Eternity is typically associated with warmth or the afterlife, but in this case, the artist believes they will endure a preserved, icy state forever
Pressing through the states
The artist is traveling through various states in the United States or through different emotional states
Is it possible?
The singer is questioning whether their state of preservation or other related thoughts are plausible or realistic
Still trying to keep it back cool,
The artist is attempting to maintain a relaxed or composed mental state
But it's hard when you're running the pool
The singer finds it challenging to manage and control a situation where multiple elements or people are involved causing chaos
If it seems too dangerous
The singer acknowledges something may come off as risky or hazardous
Well that's just because
The singer is trying to explain that the danger is only perceived and not necessarily a reality
The heart doesn't like to beat too
The artist is suggesting that the physical body, particularly the heart, may prefer a frozen or non-functioning state over being lively, animated, and vulnerable
Shot x 16
The artist has been shot once more, bringing the total count to sixteen
Contributed by Jacob C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rita Karpati
The 'behind the scenes' video for this film must be quite a spectacle.
Dillinger Plan
This is just...awesome. All hail Tera Melos.
BrotherCrispen
The little hop @ 0:13 is my favorite bit of all mixed media ever
QuestKonstantine
Wow. Behn Fannin comes up with some pretty sweet videos. Without a doubt the last couple of videos from Tera Melos have awkwardly intrigued me. I'm obsessed with them! It reminds me of a line from Clerks 2, “I’m disgusted and repulsed, and…And I can’t look away.”
Erricrice
Awesome song, awesome video! You guys were great in Ybor, the little melody pre-chorus for this song is fuckin sweet!
Mutlucan Şıhman
im glad to find this band. i always love guitar effects and complexity. thats why i love king crimson in a first hearing.
i interesting bands like that. i dont like shredding or virtuoso except some of acts like buckethead, yes..
L.J Fitzpatrick
One of the few legit bands of modern rock.....love these guys:P
whniwsyrsndtrck
So, this is how you dance to Tera Melos.
Aarón Jamet Orgilés
so, this is how you steal a comment 4 years previous to yours and ironically you take the credit
Xtian C.
People, Tera Melos used to be strictly instrumental. Their guitarist started doing vocals pretty recently.