Biography
While metalcore remains predominantly associated with North American acts, Western Europe has produced its share of contributors to the style, among them Germany's ferocious Deadsoil. In common with U.S. outfits such as Hatebreed, Throwdown, Brick Bath, Himsa and NDE, the group pursues an uncompromising stance. Their combination of screamed vocals and crushing sonic density delivers a deliberate assault on the senses; citing Hatebreed and Slayer among their chief influences, the German provocateurs fuse metal and punk into a sound defined by its harsh, violent, punishing, angry and relentlessly vicious character. Guitarist Boris Pracht and drummer Christian Bass assembled the band in late 2002, recruiting lead singer Marcel Strötter, guitarist Jan Olejnik and bassist Stefan Eutebach to complete the original five-piece. Prior to Deadsoil, the members had accumulated experience across various German metal, punk and hardcore projects: Bass had performed with Night in Gales, whose releases appeared on Nuclear Blast and Massacre, as well as Bloodred Bacteria; Pracht had played in Copykill, Surface, End of Days and Spawn; Eutebach's background included Six Reasons to Kill, April and Gomorrha; and Strötter had been involved with Drift and Bloodstring. Retaining that initial Pracht/Bass/Strötter/Olejnik/Eutebach configuration, the band tracked its debut EP, Forever the Enemy, in May 2003. The five-song release first appeared in Western Europe via Poisonfree.com Records before Tribunal Records issued it in the United States in early 2004. Subsequent personnel shifts, typical within metalcore, followed the EP's completion. Pracht, Eutebach and Bass stayed on, yet Strötter departed and was succeeded by vocalist Bastian P., whose earlier work spanned multiple groups and included participation in Germany's hip-hop community. Bastian P. remained only briefly and contributed no recordings; Friedrich Weber eventually took the frontman role. Olejnik also exited after Forever the Enemy, with Jens Basten—another former Night in Gales member alongside Bass—joining on guitar. Once Weber and Basten had integrated, the revised Pracht/Eutebach/Bass/Weber/Basten lineup traveled to Sweden to record the full-length The Venom Divine, issued by Germany's Lifeforce Records in September 2004.
Albums
