User:Dwdippenaar/SacriFist (Band)

SacriFist
SacriFist
Origin	Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa
Genres	Melodic death metal
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Self Published
Members	Sammy F. Simegi; Michael Kieffer; Shaun Mosely; Dwayne Coetzee; Thomas Postma
Past members	Paul Verster; Jacques Kirsten; Charl du Plessis; Byron Meyers; Andre Liebenberg
Website	www.sacrifist.com

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SacraFist is a South African Melodic death metal band from Kempton Park, Gauteng, formed in 1993. The band's membership has changed several times during it's existence, and has released four studio albums.

History

Early years (1993–1999)

SacriFist formed in 1993 when guitarist Paul Verster (Retribution Denied) and drummer Michael Kieffer, two highschool friends, hooked up to form a band. A three track demo was recorded with Paul assuming duties as vocalist, bassist and guitarist, while Michael recorded the drums.

Shortly after, they recruited Francois "Sammy" Simegi on guitars and Andre Liebenberg on bass. Gigging in the local South African metal scene was a hotly contended arena, with prominent acts such as Voice of Destruction, Metalmorphosis and Jaded Jane already getting all the prime spots.

They recorded their first album, "The Tides have Turned", during 1995, featuring Jacques Kirsten (Dark Matter (band)) on vocals. Jacques is often heralded by long standing fans as the best vocalist that the band has ever had, and is credited as a promotional driving force, responsible for much of SacriFist's early successes. The album was not released until 1997.

In 1997, SacriFist joined Metalmorphosis and Jaded Jane on the "Agony and Ecstasy" tour, backed by Jack Daniel's and Old Kimberly. SacraFist joined Agro on the "Death before Disco" tour later in the year.

December 1997 saw SacriFist headlining "The Summer Blase SA Tour", backed by Nuclear Blast

The band suffered through several periods of turmoil, with much of their new material carrying heartache and turmoil following the death of Sammy's parents. The band split up and was soon re-established by Andre Liebenberg, featuring ****** This lineup was not particularly popular with the fans, as the band members had all sorts of attitude issues, although their professionalism on the stage could not be questioned. The band recorded Liquid Seasons in 1999 and released it on XPlosive Records, limiting the release to 500 numbered copies. Originally titled "Liquid Seasons - The Waters of Life", this album was intended to form part of a series of concept albums, dealing with human emotion. The album mostly featured works composed by the previous lineup.

New lead guitarist and vocalist (2002–2006)

In 2002, the band disbanded again; and Sammy, Michael and Paul decided to resurrect the band once more, recruiting Shaun Moseley on bass. They recruited their sound engineer, Jacques Kirsten (Dark Matter (band)) for vocal duties. Jacques is often heralded by long standing fans as the best vocalist that the band has ever had, and is credited as a promotional driving force, responsible for much of SacriFist's early successes.

2004 saw the departure of founding member Paul Verster, who was replaced by Byron Meyers.

Shortly thereafter, SacriFist entered the studio to record their third album, the first of which was to receive media attention. Jacques was unable to perform in the studio, and Dwayne Coetzee (Serpent Moon, Funeral God) assumed vocal duties for the recording. The band toured extensively throughout 2004 and 2005 with other local acts in support of their new album, garnering a large fanbase all accross the country, all the while receiving international radio play. In 2005, SacriFist signed a distribution deal with Alter Ego Records.

In 2005, Jacques resigned as vocalist, and Charl du Plessis (Miserychord) assumed vocal duties. In 2006, SacriFist embarked on the DestrucTour with Capetown based heavyweights Mind Assault.

2006 saw the departure of Charl from the band to return to his main project, Misericord. Considering Dwayne's performance on their third album, they approached him to fill the vocalist slot on a permanent basis.

International success and fourth album (2007-2009)

Following many months of touring and composing, the band entered the studio once more to record their fourth studio album, "Surrealist Plague". The album was released with yet another local tour, and caught the attention of international event organizers. The album is available for sale to the international market through the SacriFist website, made possible through distribution deals with major players such as iTunes and Amazon.

The band was invited to perform in Germany and Switzerland in 2009, where they were received with open arms and received reasonable media attention.

New lead guitarist and fifth album (2010-2011)

During the early months of 2010, Byron Meyers was diagnosed with a heart condition. Concerned about his health, he decided to bow out of the band. He filled the guitarist position for the following months until a suitable replacement was recruited, found in Tommie Postma (Ancient Influence) in July 2010.

The band entered the studio again in the late months of 2010 to record their yet to be announced fifth studio album.