In just 45 days after the first meeting in the practice room the newly formed band recorded a demo-tape that was and still is a brilliant example of how the first recording should sound. Inspired by a sudden success among the public and Mass Media the musicians decided to record another five tracks to be able to release a full-length album. In order to broaden the creative horizons the band invited Elena Gorshuk, a female singer that pushed the music to quite new and higher limits.
Thus, in December 1996 VICIOUS CRUSADE released a full-length self-financed debut album Life That Kills. Musically, this album was based on thrash metal riffs with death growling and female soprano. All that created a wonderful harmony and gothic-folk atmosphere. The promo copies were distributed among local music stores and in a month the band was asked to sign a contract with the biggest and most influential metal magazine in the post-USSR territory at that time — LEGION magazine. In February 1997 "Life That Kills" was released in MC-format by Legion Productions, the label that was established in order to release this particular album. The number of the sold copies was beyond all expectations. The band became immediately popular all over Belarus. TV shows, numerous press reviews, including those in Ablaze, Thrash 'Em All, GrindZone and Minsk newspapers...
All that testified to the undoubtedly high potential of the band. In June 1997 a new female singer Alena Gornyh replaced her predecessor Elena. To introduce the new singer to the audience the band released a mini-album Faces Of Vice. The new opus turned out to be a new step forward: folk melodies with opera singing, classic thrash metal with lyrics in Spanish, a more pure sound. All that influenced further development of the band. To crown a very successful year the band co-headlined at the open air festival Extremum ‘97, that was attended by more than 2000 metalheads from all over the CIS countries.
In 1998 VICIOUS CRUSADE toured Belarus gaining popularity among hundreds of new fans. Later that year, in summer, the band entered the studio to record the second full-length album The Unbroken. The opera singing and the folk melodies showed that the band had finally found its own unique style. The promo tour was started in Moscow and lasted through the whole 1998.
In 2000 the band released the CD version of "The Unbroken" album that contained two bonus tracks, as well as recruited a new bass-player Sergey ‘Markus’ Odinets and the violinist Bagrat Vartanyan. Later that year the band signed a contract with the biggest Belarusian metal-label Metal Records that became the owner of the rights to release the albums of the band. In December 2000 the band staged a tremendously successful show in Kiev (Ukraine).
Once again, in order to introduce the new musicians the band released a mini-album Messiah...Isn't It Me? that revealed quite new dimensions of the band’s music. That was the turning point in the band’s history. VICIOUS CRUSADE albums were taken for distribution by the major Russian and Ukrainian labels.
On December 25, 2001 Metal Records released a CD that contained the two VICIOUS CRUSADE mini-albums "Faces Of Vice" and "Messiah…Isn’t It Me?".
The third full-length album Forbidden Tunes was released for CIS/Baltic countries on March 27, 2002. Shortly after "Forbidden Tunes" saw the light, the vocalist Alena Gornykh quit the band and was replaced by Tatyana Laboda, the ex-singer of Belarusian rock-band LONGPLAY.
In spring 2003 VICIOUS CRUSADE released a Belarusian-language single "Аichyna" (Motherland) and… took a four-year pause during which the band members were involved in various solo- and side-projects.
In December 2006 the band announced its come back followed by a sold-out live show in their home city Minsk on May 27, 2007. During 2007-2008 VICIOUS CRUSADE toured Belarus and headlined a number of international festivals.
Having released two Internet singles ("My Cruel Mirror" – November 2008, and "Another Hero" – March 2009) the band finally released its fourth full-length album Freedom Comes on May 29, 2009.
In July 2009 the Belarusian independent experts community (http://www.experty.by) ranked "Freedom Comes" 6th in the Top 10 Belarusian albums of all genres released in the first half of 2009.
On October 31, 2009 the band released "The Unbroken 10th Anniversary Edition" featuring four bonus tracks.
At the end of 2009 and for the third time in its history since 1999 VICIOUS CRUSADE were titled The Best Belarusian Metal Band of the Year.
VICIOUS CRUSADE were back in business to write a new chapter of their history.
Their latest album, Vicious Crusade & Friends, saw the light on April 25, 2010. It is some kind of a tribute containing one new song named "What U Gonna Do 4 Love?", an alternative version of the band’s hit "Theodore’s Song" and several covers made by Belarusian and Russian bands.
At the moment, VICIOUS CRUSADE is working on their fifth and as-yet-untitled full-length album that will hopefully be released in 2011 to mark the 15th anniversary of the band’s music career.
According to the Last.fm music website, VICIOUS CRUSADE is in the Top 5 most listened to bands from Belarus of all genres, and the # 1 most listened to metal music act of the country.
Official Web-site: http://www.vcrusade.com
Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/vicious.crusade
Breath of Life
Vicious Crusade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Putting the stakes till the point when I lose.
Risking it all till I have to pay dues.
Fly real high till the day when I fall.
If tomorrow I die - does it matter at all?
If I burn then to the ashes I burn.
If I do the first step then I never return.
So what do I lose if tomorrow I die?
(Chorus:)
Take it all or lose it at once.
Taste it all - it can be your last chance.
If you got the wings - so why don't you fly?
If I live - then I live like tomorrow I die,
And I live like I live last day of my life.
On top speed, down the fastest highway,
Be it heaven or hell that I raise on my way,
Till last breath, on the full overdrive
I live every single day of my life.
(Chorus.)
...And I live like I live like tomorrow I ain't gonna die!
While I've got the way to go I ain't gonna stop this show.
While I've got the fuel to drive I ain't gonna stop my life.
The lyrics of Vicious Crusade's song "Breath of Life" express the idea of living life to the fullest without fear of consequences or failure. The opening lines suggest the willingness to take risks and the acceptance of possible negative outcomes. The singer is determined to live life on their terms and not be held back by their fears or doubts. They want to experience everything life has to offer before ultimately facing their mortality.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and living without regret. The lyrics seem to imply that it's better to have lived a full life and face death with no regrets than to live in fear and not experience all that life has to offer. The song's bridge reaffirms this point, stating that the singer will continue living their life with full speed until their last breath, never stopping or giving up.
Line by Line Meaning
Putting the stakes till the point when I lose.
I am taking risks until the point where I lose everything.
Risking it all till I have to pay dues.
I am willing to risk everything without being afraid of consequences.
Fly real high till the day when I fall.
I will enjoy my success until the day when I fail.
If tomorrow I die - does it matter at all?
I am living each day as if it is my last and don't worry about what will happen tomorrow.
If I burn then to the ashes I burn.
If I fail, I will start again from scratch.
If I do the first step then I never return.
I am determined to continue forward and never look back.
I fall in love for the very last time.
I am living every moment like it's my last, including falling in love one final time.
So what do I lose if tomorrow I die?
I am not afraid of dying because I have already lived my life to the fullest.
Take it all or lose it at once.
You either grab every opportunity or let it go completely.
Taste it all - it can be your last chance.
Take as much as you can because you may not get another chance.
If you got the wings - so why don't you fly?
You have the ability to achieve anything you desire, so why not take advantage of it?
If I live - then I live like tomorrow I die,
I am living every day to the fullest as if tomorrow is my last.
And I live like I live last day of my life.
I am passionate about living every day fully and ignoring trivial problems.
On top speed, down the fastest highway,
I am striving for success as fast as possible despite the obstacles.
Be it heaven or hell that I raise on my way,
I'm not afraid of what may be presented to me, whether it's good or bad.
Till last breath, on the full overdrive
I am living every last second of my life with full force, determination, and intensity.
I live every single day of my life.
I am making the most of every day by living it to the fullest.
...And I live like I live like tomorrow I ain't gonna die!
I am living in the moment, without any fear of what might happen tomorrow.
While I've got the way to go I ain't gonna stop this show.
As long as I am able, I won't stop trying to achieve my goals.
While I've got the fuel to drive I ain't gonna stop my life.
As long as I have the energy, I will continue to live to the fullest.
Contributed by Ruby V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A Bragln
Вишейд крусейдд,, ,,. Спасибо что сохранил, , !!!
Kalte Nilsen
Finally another upload. I was right the way to do it now.