Diary Of Torture

Album: Murder Metal (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This death metal track would be lurid enough if it were not grounded solidly in fact. Subtitled "Robert Berdella," the Chicago band based it on the crimes of this little known but incredibly depraved serial killer.

    On April 2, 1988, a young man naked but for a dog collar (though not the type worn by vicars), jumped from an upper floor window of a house in Kansas City. The man who escaped from 4315 Charlotte Street had injured his foot in the fall, but his other injuries were shocking in the extreme; he had been imprisoned for weeks and had been repeatedly tortured. His appearance in such bizarre circumstances led to the arrest of Robert Andrew Berdella.

    The details of Berdella's crimes need not be spelled out here, it will suffice to say that he is known to have committed at least six murders. Although murder was capital in Kansas, Berdella escaped the death penalty, but died in prison of a heart attack in October 1992 aged 43. He did indeed keep a diary of torture. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.