Get Damned
Encyclopedia
Get Damned is the third and final studio album from the Metalcore
band The Agony Scene
, which was released under Century Media Records
on October 23, 2007. The original release contained only 11 tracks. The cover art that is most commonly displayed is not the true "cover", to say; it is merely a cardboard slip-cover. The small, inverted coffin (superimposed with a ↓/downward-facing arrow) is a cut-out window in the outer sleeve, which exposes a portion of the art beneath it. Once removed, the true cover is revealed: a skull (minus the jaw bone), which is impaled with skewers throughout. The coffin and arrow we see through the slip-cover window is etched into the middle of the skull's forehead. There is no text on this "skull" version of the cover. The inverted coffin/arrow seems to be a symbolic representation of the album, as it is re-printed in a multitude of places, including the front cover, back cover, liner notes, and on the CD pressing, itself.
In early 2008, a "Special Edition" of the album was released to a European-only audience which contained all tracks from the original release, plus two additional bonus tracks. Both bonus tracks are cover songs. These tracks are unavailable from the U.S. version of the iTunes
store.
release and their 2005 effort, The Darkest Red
, Get Damned took on a much more "punk" feel, particularly in the drumming style. As a result, their sound seemed to fit more easily into the Punk Metal genre than their established Metalcore
foundation. This attribute was likely a result of the replacement of existing drummer Brent Masters (who wrote and recorded drum tracks from The Agony Scene's first two studio albums) with newcomer Ryan Folden in 2006. With a new member bringing their unique style into the mix, the structure and overall "feel" of Get Damned was quite different upon first listening. The resulting polarization of opinions in reviews and comments made by fans and other listeners of the album was quite obvious.
. Shortly after its release, they unexpectedly pulled out of their European supporting tour with Himsa, citing "major personal situations". The band quietly broke up in Spring of 2008, without much publicity other than a statement from the band's frontman Mike Williams.
.
2) The track "Rattle Me Bones" shares its title with a 1980s board game, where one would spin a wheel and attempt to remove the piece of treasure indicated from a pirate's skeleton—without causing too much movement as to trigger the spring-loaded mechanism, which would cause him to shake violently. See the external links section for a more in-depth preview of the game. Coincidence? Tribute?
3) The track "White Nights" is a reference to a practice of the followers of Jim Jones
, the founder of the Peoples Temple
, a famous religious/suicide cult. The location, now commonly called Jonestown
was the site of a mass suicide in the 1970s which resulted in nearly 1,000 deaths, including hundreds of children.
The term itself, "White Nights", refers to the rehearsed, or "practice" runs where the members of the cult would enact the planned suicide by drinking a mixed liquid that they were told may or may not be laced with poison. This, a form of Russian Roulette
, was made to desensitize the members to the idea and the act of drinking poison and taking their own lives—ideally, so that when Jim Jones
decided it was time, there would be less hesitation and insolence to his orders to take their own lives.
Throughout the song, there are several audio clips that are taken from a recording made while the actual mass suicide was taking place. The entire recording, as well as a transcript of it, was released to the public by the FBI, and can be freely downloaded. It is commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Death tape
",or the FBI's internal moniker: "Q 042".
Referenced below are the audio clips/quotes used at the end of the song, from the song "White Nights":
Further information and links to the audio recording and transcript can be found under Death tape
.
Feature on the "Rattle Me Bones" board game
FBI's transcription of the Death tape
Download link for the Jonestown recording (Open source)
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band The Agony Scene
The Agony Scene
The Agony Scene was a metalcore/deathcore band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. On October 8, 2008, frontman Mike Williams confirmed that the band had broken up in the spring of that year...
, which was released under Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
on October 23, 2007. The original release contained only 11 tracks. The cover art that is most commonly displayed is not the true "cover", to say; it is merely a cardboard slip-cover. The small, inverted coffin (superimposed with a ↓/downward-facing arrow) is a cut-out window in the outer sleeve, which exposes a portion of the art beneath it. Once removed, the true cover is revealed: a skull (minus the jaw bone), which is impaled with skewers throughout. The coffin and arrow we see through the slip-cover window is etched into the middle of the skull's forehead. There is no text on this "skull" version of the cover. The inverted coffin/arrow seems to be a symbolic representation of the album, as it is re-printed in a multitude of places, including the front cover, back cover, liner notes, and on the CD pressing, itself.
In early 2008, a "Special Edition" of the album was released to a European-only audience which contained all tracks from the original release, plus two additional bonus tracks. Both bonus tracks are cover songs. These tracks are unavailable from the U.S. version of the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store.
Track listing
- "Barnburner" - 3:05
- "Predation" - 3:27
- "Dances with Devils" - 3:02
- "Adversary" - 3:28
- "White Nights" - 4:15
- "Rapture" - 3:21
- "Deliverance" - 2:46
- "Rattle Me Bones" - 2:29
- "The Opposition" - 3:03
- "Will to Bleed" - 3:08
- "Old Scratch" - 4:29
- * "Do What You Want" - 1:08 (Bad Religion cover, *only available on Special Edition release )
- * "Kill the Poor" - 3:02 (Dead Kennedys cover, *only available on Special Edition release )
Reception
Get Damned was received with fairly weak reviews compared to previous efforts. In contrast to their self-titled The Agony SceneThe Agony Scene (album)
The Agony Scene is the debut self-titled album released by the metalcore band The Agony Scene.-Track listing:# "We Bury Our Dead At Dawn" – 3:06# "Habeas Corpus" – 3:23# "Judas" – 4:08# "The Lines Of Suicide" – 3:12...
release and their 2005 effort, The Darkest Red
The Darkest Red
The Darkest Red is an album from The Agony Scene that was released under Roadrunner Records in 2005. The song Prey was included on the 2005 game "Infected", released on the PSP...
, Get Damned took on a much more "punk" feel, particularly in the drumming style. As a result, their sound seemed to fit more easily into the Punk Metal genre than their established Metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
foundation. This attribute was likely a result of the replacement of existing drummer Brent Masters (who wrote and recorded drum tracks from The Agony Scene's first two studio albums) with newcomer Ryan Folden in 2006. With a new member bringing their unique style into the mix, the structure and overall "feel" of Get Damned was quite different upon first listening. The resulting polarization of opinions in reviews and comments made by fans and other listeners of the album was quite obvious.
Legacy
This album would prove to be the last from The Agony SceneThe Agony Scene
The Agony Scene was a metalcore/deathcore band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. On October 8, 2008, frontman Mike Williams confirmed that the band had broken up in the spring of that year...
. Shortly after its release, they unexpectedly pulled out of their European supporting tour with Himsa, citing "major personal situations". The band quietly broke up in Spring of 2008, without much publicity other than a statement from the band's frontman Mike Williams.
Extra facts and trivia
1) The title of the opening track, "Barnburner" shares a few meanings. One idiom for the phrase means something that is "impressive or successful". Another meaning of the word comes from an old, famous story where it is said that a Dutchman had a rat infestation in his barn. Rather than treat the immediate problem and try to kill the rats, he set his entire barn on fire. Also see the entry for Barnburners and HunkersBarnburners and Hunkers
The Barnburners were the more radical faction of the New York state Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, in this case those who would destroy all banks and corporations,...
.
2) The track "Rattle Me Bones" shares its title with a 1980s board game, where one would spin a wheel and attempt to remove the piece of treasure indicated from a pirate's skeleton—without causing too much movement as to trigger the spring-loaded mechanism, which would cause him to shake violently. See the external links section for a more in-depth preview of the game. Coincidence? Tribute?
3) The track "White Nights" is a reference to a practice of the followers of Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
, the founder of the Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple was a religious organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, included over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Francisco...
, a famous religious/suicide cult. The location, now commonly called Jonestown
Jonestown
Jonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
was the site of a mass suicide in the 1970s which resulted in nearly 1,000 deaths, including hundreds of children.
The term itself, "White Nights", refers to the rehearsed, or "practice" runs where the members of the cult would enact the planned suicide by drinking a mixed liquid that they were told may or may not be laced with poison. This, a form of Russian Roulette
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
, was made to desensitize the members to the idea and the act of drinking poison and taking their own lives—ideally, so that when Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
decided it was time, there would be less hesitation and insolence to his orders to take their own lives.
Throughout the song, there are several audio clips that are taken from a recording made while the actual mass suicide was taking place. The entire recording, as well as a transcript of it, was released to the public by the FBI, and can be freely downloaded. It is commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Death tape
Death tape
The death tape or "Q042", is the final tape recorded by Jim Jones before the mass suicide of the residents of Jonestown in Guyana, in 1978....
",or the FBI's internal moniker: "Q 042".
Referenced below are the audio clips/quotes used at the end of the song, from the song "White Nights":
- "I tell you, I don't care how many screams you hear; I don't care how many anguished cries. Death is a million times preferable to ten more days of this life. If you knew what was ahead of you – if you knew what was ahead of you, you'd be glad to be stepping over tonight."
- "Adults, adults, adults! I call on you to stop this non-sense. I call on you to quit exciting your children when all they're doing is going to a quiet rest. I call on you to stop this now. If you have any respect at all..."
- "...no more pain I said, Al, no more pain."
- "All we're doing is laying down our life. We're not letting them take our life. We're laying down our lives... not taking their lives, we just want peace."
- "...take our life from us, we laid it down, we got tired. We didn't commit suicide. We committed an act of revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions of an inhumane world..."
- [End of recording]
Further information and links to the audio recording and transcript can be found under Death tape
Death tape
The death tape or "Q042", is the final tape recorded by Jim Jones before the mass suicide of the residents of Jonestown in Guyana, in 1978....
.
External links
- http://www.discogs.com/Agony-Scene-Get-Damned/master/247052
- http://www.discogs.com/Agony-Scene-Get-Damned/master/247052
- http://www.discogs.com/Agony-Scene-Get-Damned/release/2105196
- http://www.discogs.com/Agony-Scene-Get-Damned/release/2105196
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/get-damned-r1214226
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/get-damned-r1214226
- http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22034/rattle-me-bones
Feature on the "Rattle Me Bones" board game
FBI's transcription of the Death tape
Download link for the Jonestown recording (Open source)