1. Tragedy is a crus… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least five artists with this name:
1. Tragedy is a crust band, originally from Memphis, Tennessee, but currently residing in Portland, Oregon. The band formed in 1999 and was born from the ashes of influential and legendary sludge/crust band His Hero is Gone. With this new band, 3/4 of the aforementioned His Hero Is Gone took crust towards a less metallic direction and added lots of melody to their overall sound. Additionally, during the band's final shows, they often played several future Tragedy songs that ended up being released as part of the debut.
The reason for their chosen name is revealed on the closing track "No Words" from "Vengeance": "Telling tales of tragedies for which we find no words. For which there are no words". Humanity is a sad and pathetic tragedy.
Tragedy's music is characterized by its unrelenting, heavy crust punk sound and d-beat galloping, often punctuated by melodic interludes and downshifts in tempo. The use of dual male vocals should also be noted. They are in the form of a shouted hardcore bark provided by their bassist/co-vocalist Billy Davis and crust-styled harsh vocals provided by guitarist/lead vocalist Todd Burdette. Billy's crass delivery (Very inspired by Cal from Discharge and his infamous off-key hardcore bark) is the perfect contrast to Todd's guttural delivery.
The band remains strongly aware of its roots but often takes the genre in newer, more innovative directions, pioneering a new breed of crust punk along with close friends and contemporaries From Ashes Rise, as well other bands residing in Portland and throughout the world. (See: Ekkaia, Fall of Efrafa, Ictus, Madame Germen, Alpinist, Downfall of Gaia and Remains of the Day).
Though most of these bands maintain a progressive attitude as to the nature of their sound (Remains of the Day actually includes a violinist among its members and early Fall of Efrafa was very cello-driven), there is a staunch refusal to separate themselves categorically from their crust punk provenances. Tragedy draw from many various early hardcore and crust punk bands as influences, most prominently in the vein of d-beat, ranging from Discharge themselves to Japanese d-beat groups such as Deathside and kängpunk.
They are often cited as originators of what was known to become "neocrust" and most notably, they are specifically credited with bringing melody into crust and giving the subgenre its signature epic and emotional leads in nature with heavy use of pick slides to signal the transition into those sections as well as utilising dual vocals. Their riffing style was derived from the aforementioned His Hero Is Gone. This became the basis for this hardcore sub-genre; a style that is so permeated in the crust scene nowadays as well as reached and influenced many bands throughout the years. Their debut album, Tragedy, had some acoustic elements and experimental interludes, this is something else from which they differed with His Hero Is Gone, aside from their melody sense. Many bands also took cues from this.
Tragedy's first and subsequent albums have been met with critical acclaim within the DIY hardcore community, and many see the band as at the forefront of a modern hardcore renaissance of sorts. Nevertheless, despite the band's cult following and near celebrity status among underground hardcore circles, they remain largely mysterious, refusing thus far to utilize the internet and including minimal information in album inserts.
Their 2012 record entitled "Darker Days Ahead" was met with some controversy in the hardcore scene as the album was a departure from their traditional sound into a more metallic (still not in the same sense as HHIG) and Swedish old school death metal/stenchcore-styled direction that somehow still kept their melodic sensibilities; which at the time, did not sit well with some fans. However, the record has since then carved out a niche of its own as a Tragedy album. Albeit their latest EP, "Fury", forwent these aspects. Therefore, they regressed to their previous/original style.
They are melodic and offer a different dimension of "emotional" because Todd is suffering less now, he feels more realised. Even though he suffers with others' suffering. They all do, that is empathy. Tragedy is the sound of all of them being free whilst watching the rest of the world burn for schemers that do not care about them. People stay in their hole because they like it, it is easier and do not know any better.
What happened to His Hero Is Gone/Tragedy members has happened before, still happens and will keep happening to others and we allow it. Tragedy is the sound of being free and feeling deeply sorry for everyone else still in Hell. Sorrow. Lamenting. A Terminal Spirit Disease. "All Hell is here".
Tragedy are still angry and furious as their latest EP simply states. They still have much to say. They will die mad at everything and everyone. Someone else brave enough will take their place. They won the war within themselves and inspired a new movement in hardcore. To them, it is a Tragedy people cannot fight like they did and still do. "Peace is a privilege reserved for those who can afford not to fight" (...) "The end... the ending fight".
"Never knowing silence. Never knowing peace".
2. Tragedy was a Hollywood band formed in 1993. Two members of the band would stick together through many line-up changes, they were Jamie Shane on vocals, and Traci Michaelz (RIP)on drums....
At different time's the lineup would feature members of the Hollywood bands Never On Sunday, Willow Wisp, and God Zoo. This strong knit community of musicians would form a very tight bond,...a family, a posse, whatever you want to call it, if you messed with one you had to go through all...In 1994 Tragedy released the 3 song EP Tragedy in L.A.
3. Tragedy is a heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees, based in the Tri-State area.
4. Tragedy (also Trazedy, トラジェディー) is a Japanese indie visual kei band formed in 2004 and disbanded in 2006. Included the bassist and support drummer of kanuak～カナック～, 26 (Niro) and Yasu.
5. Tragedy is an American Hip-Hop artist from Baltimore, Maryland on the DarkSide Records label.
Beginning of the End
Tragedy Lyrics
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Squint our eyes to see, if we missed the fine print to small to read
Check our pulses to see if our hearts still beat
No help from anyone to help us understand
This confusion, this abomination, never ending..
And as clouds darken, the asphalt swells, and as the clouds darken,the asphalt cracks
The sky darkens one final time
Gears cease turning, the machines malfunction..
What we deserve, what we deserve
Our untimely end
The lyrics of "Beginning of the End" by Tragedy describe a moment of complete devastation and confusion. The first two lines suggest a state of shock, as people clutch their chests and gasp in disbelief. They squint their eyes in an attempt to see what they might have missed, but the fine print is too small to read. The confusion only grows as they check their heart rates to make sure they are still alive.
The stanza continues with the idea that no one is there to help them make sense of what is happening. The confusion turns into an abomination, and the sense of dread is never-ending. As the sky darkens, the asphalt begins to swell and crack, suggesting some kind of apocalyptic event. The final line of the stanza implies that this is the end of the world.
The second stanza describes the collapse of human-made machinery. The gears cease turning and the machines malfunction, indicating that human-made systems are breaking down. The refrain "what we deserve, what we deserve" suggests that this may be a judgment for human misbehavior.
Overall, the lyrics of "Beginning of the End" are a stark warning against environmental destruction and the consequences of human arrogance. The song suggests that humankind is on the brink of a disastrous collapse and that we are reaping the consequences of our actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Clutch our chests and gasp in disbelief
Reacting with utter shock and horror by holding our chests and gasping heavily
Squint our eyes to see, if we missed the fine print to small to read
Trying hard to see if we overlooked the tiny and illegible writing in the fine print
Check our pulses to see if our hearts still beat
Examining our pulses to ensure our hearts are still functioning and powering our being
No help from anyone to help us understand
Received no assistance to comprehend a situation that blindsides and confounds us deeply
This confusion, this abomination, never ending..
A state of utter chaos and depravity that seems to persist indefinitely and without respite
And as clouds darken, the asphalt swells, and as the clouds darken,the asphalt cracks
As the atmosphere descends into complete darkness, the ground starts to bulge and crack apart
The sky darkens one final time
The final, everlasting descent into a pitch-black, hopeless night
Gears cease turning, the machines malfunction..
The systems we have built start to break down and stop working, as the end nears
What we deserve, what we deserve
The inevitable fate we have wrought for ourselves through our actions
Our untimely end
The apocalyptic aftermath that brings an untoward and premature end to it all
Contributed by Anthony D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BlueStarDukun
Clutch our chests and gasp in disbelief Squint our eyes to see, if we missed the fine print to small to read Check our pulses to see if our hearts still beat No help from anyone to help us understand This confusion, this abomination, never ending.. And as clouds darken, the asphalt swells, and as the clouds darken,the asphalt cracks The sky darkens one final time Gears cease turning, the machines malfunction.. What we deserve, what we deserve Our untimely end
Mr Puerkochino
Melody at 1:23 just sends chills down my spine!
Andika DR
This song is phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!!
Laurent le morellec
What an amazing song.
Joseph Gallagher
incredible band.incredible song.most deff on my top10crust list
DeathGrip John
Tragedy speak the truth and open our eyes with their sound and words! Up The Punks (A)(E) Squat the world
frost heaves
Damn this shit is fucking phenomenal.
Saul Romero
awesome crust punk band!!
Vn Ikv
What we deserve, what we deserve..our untimely end
PomonaPunkRock
FUCK YEAH! awesome album!