Superheist

Superheist
Origin	Melbourne, VIC
Genres	Hard rock, nu-metal, grind
Years active	1993 - 2004, 2016 - present
Labels	Shagpile, Pivotal, Shock, Dinner For Wolves
Associated acts	Mammal, Full Scale, Truth Corroded, Jericco, Order of the Buzzard, Walk the Earth, In:Extremis, Iconoklast, Screwface:13, Lanstrum, Seizure, Devolved, Rifleman, Arcane Saints, The Lounge Machine, Electrik Dynamite, Dreadnaught, Atomizer
Members	DW Norton, Si Durrant, John Sankey, Keir Gotcher
Past members	Joey Biro, Drew Dedman, Anthony Donath, Rod McLeod, DW Norton, Sean Pentecost, Fetah Sebawi, Ezekiel Ox, Benny Clark, Suds, Adam Messenger, Adrian Sudborough

Band Members

• Line-Up
  • DW Norton (vocals, guitar)
  • Si Durrant (vocals, bass)
  • John Sankey (drums)
  • Keir Gotcher (guitar)

• Former Members
  • Ezekiel Oz (vocals) 2016 - 2020
  • Drew Dedman (bass) 1999 - 2004, 2016 - 2017
  • Benny Clark (drums) 2016 - 2017
  • Joey Biro (vocals) 2001 - 2004
  • Sean Pentecost (drums) 1993 - 1995, 1998 - 2004 (d. 18/8/20)
  • Fateh Sabawi (keys) 1993 - 1996, 1999 - 2004
  • Roderick McLeod (vocals) 1993 - 2001
  • Anthony Donath (bass) 1993 - 1997
  • Aaren Suttill (drums) 1996 - 1997 (d. 27/12/06)
  • Adam Messenger (drums) 1996
  • Adrian Sudborough (bass) 1993

Band Information

Superheist was formed in Melbourne in 1993 as a grindcore-inspired band by Rod McLeod, dw Norton, Sean Pentecost, Fetah Sabawi and Adrian Sudborough. Their first ever live show was opening for Cosmic Psychos. Soon after Sudborough was replaced by Anthony Donath the following year's demo Apocalypse gained wide distribution by Warhead Records. After appearing at the 1995 Metal for the Brain festival, Pentecost left Superheist and Sabawi also departed in 1996. Suds from Dreadnaught replaced Pentecost for that year's Metal for the Brain and also appeared on the Chrome Matrix EP which featured a change of direction to groove-inspired metal. Donath suffered a hand injury in an industrial accident and had to leave Superheist. Barney Hughes replaced him briefly before Si Durrant of In:Extremis took his place.

Sabawi and Pentecost both returned to the band in 1998 and in mid-1999, Superheist toured nationally with Sepultura. Durrant left the band late in the year after an incident in Brisbane and was replaced by Drew Dedman. Late in 1999, Superheist appeared at Metal for the Brain once again. National touring with bands like Non Intentional Lifeform and Damaged met with hostile reception from fans of their older grindcore/extreme metal approach but Superheist continued to develop their nu-metal/alternative metal direction.

The 2000 release 8 Miles High EP was followed later in 2000 by another six tracker, Crank the System. Tracks from both these releases received considerable airplay on the national youth broadcaster Triple J and the song Pulse was included on the station's Full Metal Racket CD. As the key act on Shock offshoot label Pivotal, Superheist tracks also found plenty of exposure on TV sport broadcasts and extreme sport shows. The long awaited debut album The Prize Recruit was released in April 2001 and entered the Australian charts at #12. The following August, the band supported Eminem in Sydney and Melbourne. Showcase gigs in the US followed but interest in the band there dwindled in the wake of 9/11 and late in the year McLeod left/was fired from Superheist after refusing to go on a national tour. Joey Biro was hired immediately after filling in for McLeod on the first night of the tour. In early 2002 the band appeared at the Big Day Out and released Biro's first recording with the band, 7 Years

Identical Remote Controlled Reactions (#20 ARIA chart) was a syncopated melodic modern rock album. Following its release Superheist appeared at all major Australian festivals across the summer of 2002-03. Superheist was named as one of the major bands for Metal for the Brain 2003 but cancelled amid rumours that all was not well in the Superheist camp. Dedman temporarily quit the band and Biro failed to show up to shows. All activity by the band had apparently ceased; six months later, in March 2004, it was officially announced that Superheist was no more. A final album of unreleased and live tracks, New.Rare.Live was released in 2004 with one new song featuring Cam Baines of Bodyjar. In 2006, Norton and Dedman attempted to work on new Superheist material with Skitz from Damaged but the project was abandoned. A reformation featuring Norton/Biro/Dedman/Pentecost in 2008 also didn't eventuate.

Superheist reformed in 2016 with Norton and Dedman being joined by Ezekiel Ox from Mammal and drummer Benny Clark of Electrik Dynamite. Ghosts of the Social Dead was released in October and followed by touring over the summer but in January 2017 Clark was fired and Dedman also left. In February Si Durrant returned to Superheist and John Sankey of Devolved joined the band on drums. Keir Gotcher was brought on as a touring guitarist and Andy Sorensen as live keyboards player. Sidewinder was released in May 2019 and followed by a national tour with 36 Crazyfists. Ox left the band in July 2020 and original drummer Sean Pentecost died on August 20, 2020.

Superheist release their album MMXX in July 2022, almost two years late.

Discography

Albums:

2001	The Prize Recruit	Pivotal
2002	Identical Remote Controlled Reactions	Pivotal
2004	New.Rare.Live	Pivotal
2016	Ghosts of the Social Dead	Dinner For Wolves
2019	Sidewinder	Black Mountain
2022	MMXX	Black Mountain

Singles:

1998	Two Faced	Shagpile
2001	Bullet	Pivotal
2001	Step Back	Pivotal
2004	The Road	Pivotal

EPs:

1997	Chrome Matrix	Shagpile
1999	Karma	Shagpile
2000	8 Miles High	Shagpile
2000	Crank the System	Pivotal
2002	7 Years	Pivotal