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Brief History
Born in Australia, Pete began playing the drums at the age of sixteen, in the upper Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Fed on a healthy diet of the elite bands in the rock and metal genres, it soon found its purpose through his instrument and his passion for drumming grew, as did his ambitions and dreams.
The hobby of playing the drums soon gave way to a dedicated and more sophisticated approach to his instrument. Pete’s brother Matthew played guitar, and their love for the same styles of music allowed his talent to grow in a very practical and ideal environment. On occasion six to eight hours a day of practice wasn’t unheard of, and before long he out grew the local bands he performed with, musically and more importantly, dedication wise.
Performing on the local scene on a semi-regular basis was the next chapter of Pete’s career, and a move to Melbourne for a small stint played its part as well. It was at this point he made the decision to learn to play the guitar specifically for the purposes of song writing. His idea of creating a band of his own was in full swing by now, and relocating back to Sydney was needed for this to come to fruition.
Along with Pete’s commitment to his primary instrument, he began to also focus his attention on song writing and recording skills. As his talent with the guitar grew, so did his song writing techniques and knowledge of multi track recording. Soon a collection of songs had been written and his awareness of the importance of drumming for the song became apparent, as he learnt how best to incorporate his drum parts within the context of the song.
While the fine tuning of the songs began, Pete started his search for appropriate musicians to form a band with. Musicians were found, but some were gone as soon as they had appeared. Through the course of trying to set up the band, he became frustrated at other musicians lack of dedication and focus, which forced his sole attention on creating a product on his own. After numerous recording sessions at top facilities throughout Sydney, including the renowned Studios 301 and a very nice complimentary comment from a Mr Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil) at a particular city studio, the 7 track album was released almost twelve months later and a distribution deal with Warhead Records was inked. Titled ‘Cement Head’ under the name of Geared 4, all instruments on the album were performed by Pete, with other duties such as lead guitar and vocals hired out to various musicians.
By the end of 99’ Pete became frustrated with his native country’s seemingly lack of dedicated musicians, which forced a move to London England, and the sole intention of setting up Geared 4. Pete made his home in the North London borough of Barnet and it wasn’t long before a band by the name of Dragonheart (now Dragonforce) acquired the services of a drummer. Though Pete never performed live with the band, in April of that year he finished his time with the power metal band by laying down the 5 drum tracks that would appear on their ‘Valley of the Damned’ demo at Thin Ice studios UK with Karl Groom at the helm (Threshold, Arena, Pendragon). The drumming on the album was like no other power metal band at the time, with its display of high velocity thrash drumming and relentless double bass drum work. The ‘Valley of the Damned’ demo ultimately saw the band get signed to Sanctuary Records, and kick start their very successful career.
Geared 4 was up and running in its infancy by mid way through the year. The core of the band consisted of Pete and Glenn Abel (Area 54) on vocal and bass duties. Committed guitarists proved to be a problem at first, but before long the talented Seamus Griffin joined the band and in early 2001, the album ‘Natural Selection’ was recorded at Phillia studios UK, with a reputable Dave Chang (Stampin’ Ground, e.t.c.) on production duties. Labelled as a thrashcore offering it was a stellar production, with the drums providing a mixture of styles, predominately thrash, though hardcore and groove elements also played their part. It gained great reviews within the UK and worldwide. The band gigged steadily off the back of the album as a 4 piece, performing throughout the UK.
Later that year a chance meeting with fellow countryman Matt Schnu in a renowned London venue started up the second phase of the Australian band Razor of Occam. Matt, a guitarist/vocalist had released a mini EP previously in Australia, but was now looking to continue the band in the UK. The band initially consisted as a three piece, and after lengthy rehearsing and song writing sessions, the outcome amalgamated into the EP ‘Pillars of Creation’, recorded at the same above said Phillia Studios in 2002. Pete’s powerful drumming built a foundation for the rest of the album to work upon, and in the end it was a very dark and raw soundscape in the black/thrash genre and guest lead work was performed by Ian Gray (Shrapnel) of Destroyer 666. It would not be to the following year that ‘Pillars’ was released via French label Circle of Tyrants.
Geared 4 was still going strong on the live scene, with magazine reviews and songs featured on compilations alongside names such as, Halford, Arch Enemy and Killswitch Engage. At the end of the year the band performed at the Iron Maiden day (Clive Burr aid) at the Ruskin Arms with a host of great London bands. New songs were currently in the process of being written, yet in a somewhat different style as the band was toying with its identity, and a recording was loosely planned for the not too distant future. In the spring of the following year Seamus Griffin felt his time with the band had come to an end, and with the band already reduced to a three piece prior to his leaving, it left them in a very awkward situation. The song writing continued though and a new recording was planned for the mid way point of that year.
Razor of Occam’s ‘Pillars of Creation’ was released and an intensive European tour went ahead with fellow Australian’s Gospel of the Horns and Sweden’s In Aeternum.
Upon return to the UK the Geared 4 recording was looming. Pete and Glenn had recruited a new guitarist in Ian Colley, and Matt from Razor of Occam opted to help with axe duties for the foreseeable future, thus returning the band to a comfortable 4 piece once again. The recording went ahead at Mastertone studios in Liverpool with veteran producer Pete ‘pee wee’ Coleman (AC/DC). The result was a shorter intended EP, ‘Breaking the Mould’, which produced a heavy stomping feel, rich in groove and full of anthem styled choruses. With new members currently joining the ranks Pete felt it necessary to complete guitar duties himself on more than half of the EP’s duration. His drumming on this occasion, though still brutal in its right, was a little more controlled and constructed, and had an altogether more refined approach.
With the Razor of Occam camp enlisting the permanency of Ian from D666, Pete and the lads set about writing the follow up to ‘Pillars’, and this wasn’t going to be a quick fix either. The rest of the year saw Geared 4 working hard towards dominating the UK scene in their genre, with appearances at gigs and fests throughout the country alongside heavy promotion.
The start of 2004 began with Pete taking a short trip to Los Angeles where he promoted Geared 4 and to a lesser extent himself as a session player. Three months later he returned to the UK where Geared 4 was a 3 piece again! With Matt Schnu still onboard, Seamus Griffin was asked to join the ranks temporarily for a show at the prestigious London venue, The Mean Fiddler LA2. The show was a success and was filmed by Slave A productions.
Pete wanting to keep busy as usual searched for drummer vacancies amongst London’s metal elite, eventually finding himself on the drum stool for up and coming South London metal/death/industrial act ‘Axis of Evil’ (now New World Terror) near the end of the year. The band gigged London and its vicinity relentlessly, with the odd show outside of that area. Pete recorded a two track demo, and a promo video for the track ‘Battle of the Proles’ was also released. The band also made several reality styled TV appearances in an obvious way to employ shock tactics upon what they conceived as a less than satisfactory music industry in terms of the rock and metal genres.
Pete and Geared 4 saw out the end of 2004 relatively slowly, though a DVD of Geared 4’s recent filmed LA2 show was produced by Slave A productions. Titled ‘Bootlegs and Bullshit’, it delivered exactly what it said on the tin, and proved it had its fair share of comedic value as well. Finding new blood at the end of the year in guitarist Phil Steere was a godsend, and back as a four piece they took hold of the New Year and approached the future with new vigour.
An attempt to lift the profile of Geared 4 via the mainstream media not long after the year had begun was unsuccessful and Pete also departed ways with Axis of Evil. In May of that year Matt Schnu ended his time with the band as a more than suitable replacement was found in Mariek Knowles who was recruited into the ranks. Geared 4 began writing in earnest, and with the knowledge that they possibly had the best line up to date, they were working on songs that they hoped would realise their potential in becoming the band they were always meant to be.
Razor of Occam performed one off shows in the UK and appeared at festivals in Germany and Ireland in the same year, along with their continuous rehearsals and song writing sessions on the follow up to ‘Pillars’. Meanwhile, Pete pushed his song writing skills to the limit with the proposed full length Geared 4 album that was showing more and more signs of becoming the creation that the band wanted...and needed. With the song writing now awfully close to its last and final stages, Geared 4 began to play the circuit more frequently again, testing some of the new material on the live audiences. But in December of 2005, yet another blow to the band came when Mariek Knowles had to leave in sudden circumstances. Geared 4 had seen its fair share of ups and downs, though possibly one too many downs. The decision was made to put the band to rest, and though Pete and Glenn’s long time musical partnership came to an end, their friendship didn’t. Looking back on the band’s lifetime, many mistakes were made in regards to the direction and promotion of the band, yet both of the core members of the band agree that the new batch of songs were the songs that always needed to be written. Pete wrote the majority of the new songs and has plans to release them sometime in the future with the most suitable medium.
With 2006 came a transformation in focus for Pete. The exertion of heading a band did have its downsides, so a break from the running of a band was indeed a refreshing change. He concentrated solely on his drumming endeavours and by March of that year has was in the ranks of old school veterans, Marshall Law from Birmingham. It wasn’t until the midway point of that year that the band started to hit the scene and a small headlining UK tour was embarked upon, culminating in the Bloodstock Festival in Derby. Bloodstock was a complete success and a new album ‘Razorhead’ was in the making. Rehearsals went ahead in Birmingham and Pete made the lengthy haul from London every fortnight or so for the extended song writing sessions. A small two track recording was made to test the progress of the songs and the signs were all there for a classic release. Pete’s trademark drumming was stamped all over the songs, new and old, and he gave the band energy from behind the drum kit, the likes Marshall Law had never experienced before. Sadly, the new album was not to be made with Pete behind the drums and a difference in musical directions and other priorities proved to be too much to overcome and he parted ways with Marshall Law towards the end of the year. The split was amicable and both parties wished the other success.
Christmas came and went, and the New Year approached...yet again. Pete started drum tutoring on a part time basis and joined another South London band called Stinkweed (now Bio-mortal), which was placed firmly in the metal/industrial genre. The hauls across London had proved to be fatal with the other South London band, Axis of Evil, but in this case, trips were made from south to north and vice versa. Working towards an album release was in mind, yet progress was slow and a full line up had only just been acquired due to the bands infancy. Logistical problems did arise and three months after Pete had joined, he and the band decided to go their separate ways. A little unfortunate as the band showed promise up until then and still does.
Brighter things were on the horizon when Brummie lad Dave Silver contacted Pete after hearing of his exiting from Marshall Law, and told him of his plans to move to London and start a thrash band off the back of his recently folded act, Headless Cross. The songs were not just written, but were actually recorded and awaiting release. Pete accepted the invite and by mid 2007 the London band Savage Messiah was born. Razor of Occam was offered another slot on the Festung Open Air festival in Germany and other shows in London and Finland, whilst the bands ongoing complicated song writing rehearsals seemed to morph into one year after the other. Matt Schnu by this time had joined the D666 ranks and the busy rotating band rosters proved very difficult in progressing Razor of Occam’s new material at a satisfactory rate. Savage Messiah didn’t take long in securing a permanent and suitable line up and was soon being offered headlining shows all over the UK. They performed there thrash assault with the songs which appeared on the ‘Spitting Venom’ album for the rest of 07’. Reviews of the album were way and above what the band had expected.
Late in the year, Deviant, a Singapore metal/hardcore act contacted Pete to lay down eight drum tracks for an upcoming release. With Pete’s newly acquired recording equipment, he was able to produce quality drum tracks from the UK and forward the individual drum tracks to the band. The recordings were deliberately completed in a timely and well organised process that lasted well into the following year. The band was more than pleased with the brutal drum takes Pete had created and in the meantime had also acquired the services of Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry, ex Carnal Forge) to complete guest lead guitar on the album. The album is awaiting release but promises to be a crushing lesson in the metal/hardcore genre.
On the back of the success of ‘Spitting Venom’, Savage Messiah didn’t let up and song writing sessions took place in early 2008 where a new batch of songs began to take shape. The band also kept busy with a steady amount of shows all over the UK. Razor of Occam’s own writing sessions eventually saw the light of day, and in early July the band entered Necromorbus studios in Sweden to record the long awaited album. A pure extreme outing from start to finish, the well produced album, ‘Homage to Martyrs’ has Pete playing the skins at blistering speed, with his renowned tom fills and machine gunning legs, the eight tracks are some of his most complicated and captivating drum patterns to date.
Australia, Pete’s homeland began to beckon after almost a nine year absence. A decision was made that had been awaiting an answer for sometime...he would return home. His time in the UK had been very rewarding, yet at the same time, lessons had been learnt. Another phase of his life would begin back in his native country, and the music would be the priority it always was. With Razor of Occam at a stable point in their career and the new album enabling them to sign to Metal Blade Records, he left the Aussie guys in good stead as a new drummer was found and Pete felt comfortable in the knowledge that the band could move on in their recent success. So was the same with Savage Messiah, as Pete departed the band only once they had found a new drummer, and even filled in on short notice with the last couple of shows while the drummer learnt the set list that was required of him. It wasn’t long before the ‘Messiah’ was back doing what they do best...delivering their thrash beating upon the hungry UK fans.
In late 2008 Pete made his move back home and is currently setting up a drum tutoring program to teach to others what he loves so much...the joy of playing the drums! He is also eagerly incorporating plans that will allow him to start a music business which will cover all facets of the music industry that Pete has experience in.
There are also no doubts that Pete will be back on the live scene in some shape or form.
Located in Western Sydney I am available for tutoring, and also for live and studio session work specialising in the rock and metal genres. I’m always looking to meet new people in and outside the industry, so feel free to email or message me.
Recording
- Razor of Occam Homage to Martyrs 2008
- Axis of Evil Battle of the Proles Video 2005
- Geared 4 Bootlegs and Bullshit DVD 2004
- Axis of Evil Battle of the Proles demo 2004
- Geared 4 Breaking the Mould 2003
- Razor of Occam Pillars of Creation 2002
- Geared 4 Natural Selection 2001
- Dragonforce Valley of the Damned 2000
- Geared 4 Cement Head 1998
Equipment
Drumkit: Tama Rockstar Deluxe Gun Metal Grey
2 x 22 Bass Drums
1 x 18 Floor Tom
1 x 16 Floor Tom
1 x 14 Hanging Tom
1 x 13 Hanging Tom
1 x 12 Hanging Tom
1, 14 x 8 Tama Artwood - Snare Drum
1, 14 x 5 Tama Brass - Snare Drum
Cymbals: Soultone Brilliant & *Extreme
1 x 21 Ride
1 x 19 China High
1 x 19 Crash
1 x 18 Crash
1 x 10 Splash*
1 x 13 Hi Hats
Hardware: Tama
Tama Titan Boom Cymbal Stands
Tama Iron Cobra Bass Drum Pedals
Tama Snare, Hi Hat and Stool Stands
Protection Racket soft drum & hardware cases
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