Song Of The Week: 6/5/11

Song: "Hellbent"

Artist: Superdrag

Album: "Instant Live: The Paradise. Boston, MA 9/5/03"

Year: 2004



"Hellbent" appears to be a song about wanting to get away from your current living condition and start something new. You get the sense the vocalist seems to build up the courage to move on only to fall back into the same old situations. He can't seem to break the normalcy that is his life. You also get the feeling he is talking about the "rock star" life. He keeps getting sucked in by the drugs and the "hangers on" that only seem to bring him down. Perhaps "Hellbent", which was originally recorded for Superdrag's second album, "Head Trip In Every Key", was a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come for the band, especially lead singer John Davis. After achieving some success in alternative music circles with their debut album, "Regretfully Yours" and the hit single "Sucked Out", it seemed Superdrag really started to veer against the music industry with their follow-up releases. "Head Trip" saw Superdrag really tap into Beatles influences where Superdrag's record label, Elektra really wanted them to ride the wave of the alternative bandwagon and create more "Sucked Out" type songs. On their next release, "In The Valley Of Dying Stars", Davis put his frustration with the industry on his sleeve with the song "Keep It Close To Me". Davis would stand firm and not allow his creations to be compromised by outside forces. By the time of 2002's "Last Call For Vitriol", the wear and tear of physical and emotional strains really began to weigh on the band. Alcohol began to take control of Davis' life in a way that he could no longer function if he continued to live that way. In 2003, Davis would find God, get sober and ultimately leave Superdrag behind. He would release two solo albums between 2003 and 2007. Good news for fans of Superdrag came in 2007. Rumors were confirmed that the original band members would reunite for a small tour. In 2009, Superdrag released a brand new album entitled "Industry Giants". The band would continue to tour in support of that album throughout 2009. Currently, the band is in a bit of a hiatus period again with all the members working on various side projects. John Davis, however, has not closed the book on working on new Superdrag material in the future.