Switchblade (band)
Encyclopedia
Switchblade were a five-piece metal
band from Sydney
, Australia
, formed in 2001 and ending in 2011. Switchblade were the support act for bands such as Slayer
, Machine Head
, Exodus
, Trivium
and Nevermore
during their respective Australian tours and released two albums. They also appeared at Metal for the Brain
and the Come Together Music Festival
.
Andrew Najdek, drummer
Mat Piccolotto and bassist
Ben Bessant in 2001. The trio spent the better part of their final high school years playing metal cover songs and writing a handful of originals which would become early Switchblade demos. Vocalist Chris Apps joined the band prior to the recording of the band's very first demo
, but split from the group directly following the recording.
In early 2002 Switchblade recorded a new and much heavier demo and began to audition vocalists. The auditions were unsuccessful, and the group struggled to find a frontman until Piccolotto answered an internet messageboard post by vocalist Colin "Sway" Druery, who shared a similar musical vision and joined the band in 2002. Switchblade began working together on original material, however only a few short months into rehearsals, Sway would permanently damage his vocal cords and was forced to leave. Switchblade was once again looking for a suitable frontman. During this downtime Najdek began using a seven-string guitar
, and tuning much lower than he previously did. As a result of this the band's musical style moved away from its thrash metal
and death metal
core and took on a much more groove metal
approach, similar to bands like Pantera
, Machine Head
and Fear Factory
.
Switchblade again found themselves recording another instrumental demo at the end of 2002, the first of the new material written completely on a seven string guitar. Sway got a copy of the demo and was compelled to return to the band. Inspired by this new sound, Sway quickly wrote lyrics for the new Switchblade material, recorded his vocals on the instrumental tracks, and Switchblade's 2003 demo Incoming was released in early 2003.
, Sunk Loto
and Dungeon
. Meanwhile, Piccolotto also briefly joined local thrash metal
band Descend, who disbanded shortly after, and Najdek became a member of local power metal
band Friar Rush.
In mid 2004 the band realised its musical output was limited by only having one guitarist, so a second guitarist was added in Scott Bernasconi, who played his first show with Switchblade on 19 June 2004. The band's material was re-worked to make room for a second guitarist. Soon after, Switchblade played a string of shows with now Los Angeles
based tech-metal outfit Devolved, Sydney band Daysend, and Machine Head. Switchblade then booked themselves into the studio to record their debut album with Astennu
producing.
was released on 12 March 2005, showcasing a more melodic and technical approach than previously.
Switchblade then began a series of shows around Australia to support the album, but Bernasconi and Sway left the band after a final performance Sydney
on 29 October 2005. During the final song of the set, Sway was joined on stage by a good friend of the band, Adam Helmrich, who was asked to join Switchblade almost immediately.
In late 2007 Bernasconi was the temporary live guitarist for industrial
death metal band The Amenta
on their 2007 Australia
and New Zealand
tour, replacing Psycroptic
guitarist Joe Haley.
over the Easter
weekend. Two weeks before the show Bessant relocated to Perth
and cut off all contact with the band. Symon Alhaddad, guitarist for Sydney death metal/thrash metal band Vaticide temporarily filled in on bass guitar, eventually joining Switchblade permanently.
With the band's lineup now solidified, Switchblade went on to play a number of key local shows including the 2006 Come Together Music Festival
, and a show at the Marquee, Sydney, which was filmed and recorded for a future live DVD. The band ended 2006 by appearing at Metal for the Brain
and then supporting Nevermore
in Sydney on the same day.
At the start of 2007, Switchblade had originally planned to cease all live shows however they were then offered the opening spot on a tour by Trivium
. To capitalise on this appearance, Switchblade then played some tour dates around the country and featured on a national touring metal event billed as the Festival of the Dead.
. They also revealed that Alhaddad would be leaving the band, replaced with Gerard Dack of Infernal Method
.
Invictus Infinitum was released in Australia on 6 June 2009 on Melbourne-based label AmpHead Music, and was supported by a national tour which included shows with Psycroptic, The Amenta, Daysend, Alarum
, Frankenbok
and many more. The album was mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Neil Kernon
in the US and featured Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis
on the track "Reflective Curse."
On 15 October 2009 Switchblade capped off a massive year by supporting thrash metal band Slayer
, for their one-off Australian performance of the seminal album Reign in Blood
. It was also announced that the band would be supporting the newly reformed Wollongong-based band Segression
, who were one of the most prolific Australian metal bands during the 90's, but had broken up in 2002.
In 2010 Switchblade played a small number of select shows including a Sydney festival for the 30th anniversary of long-running heavy metal store Utopia Records, with bands such as The Amenta
, Daysend
and more, and also supported thrash metal legends Exodus
in Sydney. Soon after it was announced that the band was working on a new release due in 2011, and would be taking a short break from live shows.
In May 2011 the band posted an official announcement stating the members of Switchblade were parting ways, and moving on to other musical projects. Andrew Najdek and Gerard Dack are members of new Sydney melodic death metal band "Icon of Deceit" and Delvecchio plays in Sydney black/melodic death band "Sanctium
".
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, formed in 2001 and ending in 2011. Switchblade were the support act for bands such as Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
and Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
during their respective Australian tours and released two albums. They also appeared at Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain was Australia's largest heavy metal music festival. The event was held in Canberra annually, usually towards the end of the year, and featured Australian bands almost exclusively...
and the Come Together Music Festival
Come Together Music Festival
Come Together is an all-ages Australian music festival performed at Luna Park Sydney. Beginning in 2005, it was originally two separate events, one in April and one in September. In 2006, a two-day festival was held in June , and the festival was again on the same long weekend in 2007...
.
Formation (2001–2003)
Switchblade was formed by guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Andrew Najdek, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mat Piccolotto and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Ben Bessant in 2001. The trio spent the better part of their final high school years playing metal cover songs and writing a handful of originals which would become early Switchblade demos. Vocalist Chris Apps joined the band prior to the recording of the band's very first demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, but split from the group directly following the recording.
In early 2002 Switchblade recorded a new and much heavier demo and began to audition vocalists. The auditions were unsuccessful, and the group struggled to find a frontman until Piccolotto answered an internet messageboard post by vocalist Colin "Sway" Druery, who shared a similar musical vision and joined the band in 2002. Switchblade began working together on original material, however only a few short months into rehearsals, Sway would permanently damage his vocal cords and was forced to leave. Switchblade was once again looking for a suitable frontman. During this downtime Najdek began using a seven-string guitar
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
, and tuning much lower than he previously did. As a result of this the band's musical style moved away from its thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
core and took on a much more groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
approach, similar to bands like Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
and Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
.
Switchblade again found themselves recording another instrumental demo at the end of 2002, the first of the new material written completely on a seven string guitar. Sway got a copy of the demo and was compelled to return to the band. Inspired by this new sound, Sway quickly wrote lyrics for the new Switchblade material, recorded his vocals on the instrumental tracks, and Switchblade's 2003 demo Incoming was released in early 2003.
Incoming (2003–2004)
Switchblade then began doing the rounds on the Sydney metal scene and was soon touring interstate and supporting higher profile local bands like DaysendDaysend
Daysend was a metalcore/melodic death metal band from Sydney, Australia, assembled in 2002. Their debut album, Severance, was released the following year.-History:...
, Sunk Loto
Sunk Loto
Sunk Loto was an alternative metal band from Queensland, Australia. The band's members were vocalist, Jason Brown, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Luke McDonald, drummer Dane Brown and Sean Van Gennip who was the bass player in the band from 1998 until 2006...
and Dungeon
Dungeon (band)
Dungeon was a melodic power metal/thrash metal band based in Sydney, Australia, considered by some sources as one of Australia's leading metal bands...
. Meanwhile, Piccolotto also briefly joined local thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Descend, who disbanded shortly after, and Najdek became a member of local power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Friar Rush.
In mid 2004 the band realised its musical output was limited by only having one guitarist, so a second guitarist was added in Scott Bernasconi, who played his first show with Switchblade on 19 June 2004. The band's material was re-worked to make room for a second guitarist. Soon after, Switchblade played a string of shows with now Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based tech-metal outfit Devolved, Sydney band Daysend, and Machine Head. Switchblade then booked themselves into the studio to record their debut album with Astennu
Astennu (musician)
Astennu is the professional name of Australian heavy metal musician Jamie Stinson. His name is derived from a creature in Egyptian mythology.-Biography:...
producing.
The End of All Once Known (2005)
The End of All Once KnownThe End of All Once Known (album)
"The End of All Once Known" is the debut album by Sydney based melodic death metal band Switchblade. It was recorded, produced and mixed by ex Dimmu Borgir guitarist Astennu at Amethyst Studios, Sydney, and mastered by Steve Smart at Studio 301, Sydney, Australia.- Track listing :- Credits :* Colin...
was released on 12 March 2005, showcasing a more melodic and technical approach than previously.
Switchblade then began a series of shows around Australia to support the album, but Bernasconi and Sway left the band after a final performance Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 29 October 2005. During the final song of the set, Sway was joined on stage by a good friend of the band, Adam Helmrich, who was asked to join Switchblade almost immediately.
In late 2007 Bernasconi was the temporary live guitarist for industrial
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
death metal band The Amenta
The Amenta
-History:The band originally formed in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales in 1997 as Crucible of Agony. They initially played black metal and released two demos in 1999 under the name...
on their 2007 Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
tour, replacing Psycroptic
Psycroptic
-External links:**...
guitarist Joe Haley.
Comeback (2006)
Following the departure of Sway and Bernasconi, Switchblade took a break to focus on finding a second guitarist. With Helmrich already confirmed as new vocalist, Anthony Delvecchio was announced as the new Switchblade guitarist in early 2006. The new lineup was then booked to make its first appearance at the annual Metalstock Festival, held in Scone, New South WalesScone, New South Wales
Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 4,624 people. It is located on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydney, and is part of the Hunter and Upper...
over the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
weekend. Two weeks before the show Bessant relocated to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and cut off all contact with the band. Symon Alhaddad, guitarist for Sydney death metal/thrash metal band Vaticide temporarily filled in on bass guitar, eventually joining Switchblade permanently.
With the band's lineup now solidified, Switchblade went on to play a number of key local shows including the 2006 Come Together Music Festival
Come Together Music Festival
Come Together is an all-ages Australian music festival performed at Luna Park Sydney. Beginning in 2005, it was originally two separate events, one in April and one in September. In 2006, a two-day festival was held in June , and the festival was again on the same long weekend in 2007...
, and a show at the Marquee, Sydney, which was filmed and recorded for a future live DVD. The band ended 2006 by appearing at Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain was Australia's largest heavy metal music festival. The event was held in Canberra annually, usually towards the end of the year, and featured Australian bands almost exclusively...
and then supporting Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
in Sydney on the same day.
At the start of 2007, Switchblade had originally planned to cease all live shows however they were then offered the opening spot on a tour by Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
. To capitalise on this appearance, Switchblade then played some tour dates around the country and featured on a national touring metal event billed as the Festival of the Dead.
Invictus Infinitum (2008 - 2011)
In 2008 Switchblade opted to put all live shows on hold and focus on the writing and recording of the new album. In a 30 July 2008 MySpace blog, Switchblade revealed the title of their follow-up album to be Invictus InfinitumInvictus Infinitum
"Invictus Infinitum" is the second album by Sydney based melodic death metal band Switchblade. It was recorded and engineered by ex Cryogenic drummer Darren Jenkins at LA Studios, Sydney, mixed by Grammy Award winning producer and engineer Neil Kernon in Chicago, USA, and mastered by Alan Douches...
. They also revealed that Alhaddad would be leaving the band, replaced with Gerard Dack of Infernal Method
Infernal Method (band)
Infernal Method was a melodic death metal band from Sydney, Australia. Despite the volatility of its line-up, the band was a dominant presence on Sydney's live metal music scene between early 2002 and late 2006 and notable for featuring an array of members who came from or later joined other bands...
.
Invictus Infinitum was released in Australia on 6 June 2009 on Melbourne-based label AmpHead Music, and was supported by a national tour which included shows with Psycroptic, The Amenta, Daysend, Alarum
Alarum
Alarum are a 4-piece progressive technical metal jazz-fusion band from Melbourne, Australia. They are stylistically quite similar to early-90's pioneers Atheist and Cynic. They are also known to play Death covers in live shows—another band which influences them greatly...
, Frankenbok
Frankenbok
Frankenbok is a Heavy Metal band from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Frankenbok were founded in 1997 by guitarist Aaron Butler and vocalist Adam 'Hutch' Glynn and have since released three full-length albums and one EP...
and many more. The album was mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon is a musician/record producer/mixer/recording engineer - from London, England.He has worked with a number of artists over the last 30 years, but may be best known for his work with Hall & Oates on three of their most important albums - 1980's Voices, 1981's Private Eyes, and 1982's H2O...
in the US and featured Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...
on the track "Reflective Curse."
On 15 October 2009 Switchblade capped off a massive year by supporting thrash metal band Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, for their one-off Australian performance of the seminal album Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
. It was also announced that the band would be supporting the newly reformed Wollongong-based band Segression
Segression
Segression is a heavy metal band from Wollongong, Australia. Originally known as Eezee and playing sleaze metal, the group decided to change its name after moving into in a thrash direction in mid-1994.-Early years:...
, who were one of the most prolific Australian metal bands during the 90's, but had broken up in 2002.
In 2010 Switchblade played a small number of select shows including a Sydney festival for the 30th anniversary of long-running heavy metal store Utopia Records, with bands such as The Amenta
The Amenta
-History:The band originally formed in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales in 1997 as Crucible of Agony. They initially played black metal and released two demos in 1999 under the name...
, Daysend
Daysend
Daysend was a metalcore/melodic death metal band from Sydney, Australia, assembled in 2002. Their debut album, Severance, was released the following year.-History:...
and more, and also supported thrash metal legends Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
in Sydney. Soon after it was announced that the band was working on a new release due in 2011, and would be taking a short break from live shows.
In May 2011 the band posted an official announcement stating the members of Switchblade were parting ways, and moving on to other musical projects. Andrew Najdek and Gerard Dack are members of new Sydney melodic death metal band "Icon of Deceit" and Delvecchio plays in Sydney black/melodic death band "Sanctium
Sanctium band
Sanctium are a melodic death metal band from Sydney, Australia. They were formed in 2007 by Mathew Sorrensen , David Pietersz and AntiChris Lahoud...
".
Last Active Lineup
- Adam Helmrich – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(2006–2011) - Andrew Najdek – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(2001–2011) - Mat Piccolotto – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2001–2011) - Anthony Delvecchio – guitar (2006–2011)
- Gerard Dack – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2008–2011)
Past members
- Sway – vocals (2002–2005)
- Scott Bernasconi – guitar (2004–2005)
- Ben Bessant – bass guitar (2001–2005)
- Chris Apps – vocals (2001)
- Symon Alhaddad – bass guitar (2006–2008)
Discography
- Incoming (EP, 2003)
- The End of All Once Known (2005)
- Invictus InfinitumInvictus Infinitum"Invictus Infinitum" is the second album by Sydney based melodic death metal band Switchblade. It was recorded and engineered by ex Cryogenic drummer Darren Jenkins at LA Studios, Sydney, mixed by Grammy Award winning producer and engineer Neil Kernon in Chicago, USA, and mastered by Alan Douches...
(2009)