Punishment

Album: Urban Discipline (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is the consensus fan favorite among all Biohazard recordings. This was a significant period for the band: the Urban Discipline album was their only recording while under contract with Roadrunner Records. The label's niche for catering to major Heavy Metal bands gave the group worldwide exposure and credibility.
  • In the live video performance, Live At Full Force 2008, the intro unfolds and you can imagine a diabolical soundtrack for a march of evil forces. It holds in place for a nearly a minute setting the mood. Upon leaving the intro, the song's time signature races ahead as a backdrop for the lyrics. Evan Seinfeld shouts his words in a one way conversation he has with a mysterious higher being. His delivery leaves no doubt that Seinfeld is doing all the talking. In his prelude he questions, "Come on God, answer Me. For years I'm asking you why? Why are the innocent dead and the guilty alive?"
  • The tempo changes are many and come without warning. Thirty-seconds of solid guitar feedback kick in at the 1:48 mark. Seasoned guitarists will never let go the infatuation from striking a note and standing in front of the amplifiers as a wave of sound washes over.
  • The official video for this song will forever hold the record of being played more than any video in the history of MTV's beloved metal show Headbanger's Ball. It was directed by Parris Mayhew, who was the guitarist in the hardcore band Cro-Mags before picking up the camera. Mayhew told Songfacts about making the video:

    "I knew the guys from Biohazard because they had formed Biohazard at a Cro-Mags show. They were at a Cro-Mags show, looking at us on stage, turned to each other and said, 'We have to start a band like this!'

    We approached the first video as we approached going after the Type O Negative video. We knew this was the band's only chance... or it always appeared that way. We thought, 'What can we do to elevate this band to get them more on a launch pad?' But the amount of money they had wasn't enough to get somebody to do the right kind of video to put them in the same league as bands like Metallica.

    So me and Drew Stone put our heads together and figured out ways to make these videos. Drew and I forfeited our fees on the Type O Negative video to make it the best it could be. We saw it as an investment in the future: The best work we do will lead to more work.

    So, we did that first video for Biohazard, 'Punishment,' as a two-day shoot with 150 extras. We pulled no stops on doing that video, and it cost $10,000 to make. I look back now and I can't even believe it. I still look at it today, and there's so much fire and it looks great. It looks like Biohazard."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."