The band originally formed in the late 1970s, in Potomac, Maryland led by Wino. Later on the group moved into a band house in Rockville, Maryland where some of their most creative and hardest music was written. Before this move however original guitar player John Reese went his separate way. The band became a trio and stayed that way until the mid eighties when Vance Bockis and Norman Lawson joined the band. During this time they released the "Sodden Jackyl" EP and had 1 track ("Concrete Cancer") featured on Metal Blade's "Metal Massacre VI".
The band broke up in the late 80s and Wino went west to California to join up with Saint Vitus. Wino recorded 3 albums, an EP, and a live album with Saint Vitus. Hellhound Records (Vitus's then current lablel) released "The Obsessed", an album of archived Obsessed recordings which prompted Wino to leave Vitus and reform The Obsessed. The band was quickly signed to Hellhound Records and released 2 more albums. In spite of a series of line-up shifts, Columbia Records picked up their third album, "The Church Within", which received rave reviews but ended up being the band's last. After the demise of The Obsessed, Wino formed Spirit Caravan Bass player Guy Pinhas and drummer Greg Rodgers formed Goatsnake.
The Obsessed announced their third reunion in March 2016 and release their album Sacred in April 2017.
Discography
Albums:
* The Obsessed (Hellhound Records 1990)
* Lunar Womb (Hellhound Records 1991)
* The Church Within (Hellhound Records/Columbia Records 1994)
* Sacred (Relapse Records 2017)
EPs/Singles
* Sodden Jackyl 7" (Invictus Records 1983)
* "Streetside" 7"/CD (Columbia Records 1994)
* "To Protect and To Serve" 7"/CD (Columbia Records 1994)
* Altamont Nation 7" (Bong Load Records 1995)
* Instrumental 7" (Doom Records 1996)
* Sodden Jackyl 7" (with different mixes) (Doom Records 1996)
* split 7" with Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (both sides Lynyrd Skynyrd covers) (2001 Southern Lord Records)
Compilations/Live/Reissue
* History of The Obsessed (Doom Records 1997)
* Live at the Wax Museum (Doom Records 1997)
* Incarnate (Southern Lord Records 1999)
* The Obsessed reissue w/live '84 CD (Tolotta Records 2000)
* History of The Obsessed Volume II (Doom Records 2002)
* Lunar Womb Reissue (MeteorCity Records 2006)
Decimation
The Obsessed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hiding underground, completely sealed away
Don knows what kind of
Dragged on trial before the mutant king
His only crime still being human
Don knows what kind of
His waste was imagined by his creation
Don knows what kind of
The lyrics to The Obsessed's song Decimation depict a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity is facing extinction. The song poses the question of who will survive the day and suggests that the only way to survive is to hide underground, completely sealed away. The following lines suggest that a mutant king has taken control and that humans are being dragged on trial for the crime of simply being human. This highlights the struggle between the remnants of humanity and mutant creatures who have taken over.
The last line of the song, "Now we witness man's cremation, his waste was imagined by his creation, Don knows what kind of," suggests that humanity has brought about its own destruction. The line "his waste was imagined by his creation" could be interpreted as a reference to the idea that human actions have led to environmental destruction and the creation of waste that ultimately harms the planet and all who live on it. The repeated phrase "Don knows what kind of" adds a note of ambiguity to the song, leaving the listener to wonder what kind of world this really is and what fate ultimately awaits humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Who will it be, to survive the day
Who will be the lucky one to make it through this day of destruction and chaos?
Hiding underground, completely sealed away
Those who are hiding for protection have gone to extreme measures to ensure their safety, closing themselves off from the outside world.
Don knows what kind of
Don, the subject of the song, knows the severity and brutality of the situation.
Dragged on trial before the mutant king
Humanity is being put on trial before those who have mutated beyond recognition.
His only crime still being human
The only fault of humanity is being who they are naturally.
Don knows what kind of
Don knows the harsh reality of what is happening to mankind.
Now we witness man's cremation
We are witnessing the total destruction of the human race.
His waste was imagined by his creation
Humans imagined and created their own destruction through their actions.
Don knows what kind of
Don has become fully aware of the kind of situation humanity has brought upon themselves.
Contributed by Jonathan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.