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{{EngvarB|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{short description|Australian metal band}}
{{about||the wrestler|John Nord|other uses|Berserker (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Berzerker
| image =
| alias =
| origin = [[Melbourne]], Australia
| genre = [[Cybergrind]], [[death metal]], [[grindcore]], [[industrial metal]], [[speedcore]]
| years_active = {{hlist|1995–2010|2021–2023}}
| label = {{hlist|Berzerker Industries|[[Earache Records]] (1995–2007)}}
| website = [http://www.theberzerker.com/ www.theberzerker.com]
| current_members = Luke Kenny<br />Ed Lacey<br />Matt Wilcock<br />Sam Bean<br />Jason V.
| past_members = Patrick Beaudoin<br />Chris Valagao<br />Matthew Racovalis<br />Gary Thomas<br />Fillip Rutherford<br />Adrian Naudi<br />Dave Gray<br />Todd Hansen<br />Damien Palmer<br />Martin Germ Bermheden<br />Tim Aldridge|<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
}}
'''The Berzerker''' are an Australian/British [[death metal|industrial death metal]] band from [[Melbourne]] formed in 1995. The band's music, heavily influenced by older [[death metal]] and [[grindcore]] bands such as [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]], [[Obituary (band)| Obituary]], and [[Napalm Death]], can be characterised as a fusion of these with [[speedcore]], and [[gabber]].<ref>Liz Ciavarella, "The Berzerker: Sonic Discontent," ''Metal Maniacs'', vol. 26, no. 2, February 2009, p. 80–81.</ref> The band's founding member Luke Kenny described the band's style as industrial death metal.<ref name="Power of Metal">{{cite web|url=http://www.powerofmetal.dk/interviews/berzerker.htm|title=Interview with Luke|website=Powerofmetal.dk|accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref>
The Berzerker has produced five full-length albums, ''[[The Berzerker (album)|The Berzerker]]'' (2000), ''[[Dissimulate (album)|Dissimulate]]'' (2002), ''[[World of Lies (album)|World of Lies]]'' (2005), ''[[Animosity (The Berzerker album)|Animosity]]'' (2007) and ''[[The Reawakening]]'' (2008). These were released through [[Earache Records]], with the exception of the last album, which was self-released through Berserker Industries. During the early part of their career as a live act, band members were identified only as The Vocalist, The Guitarist, The Bassist and The Drummer, distinguishable on stage only by the masks they wore. However, the group eventually abandoned this device, after the masks became unhygienic with age, and to avoid unfavorable comparisons with [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]].<ref name="Power of Metal" />
A DVD documentary, ''The Principles and Practices of The Berzerker'' (2004), includes several hours of live concert footage, as well as the first public images of the band members without their masks.
Most of the band's music videos have been banned from broadcast for reasons such as the possible [[epileptic seizure]]-inducing imagery contained in the video "Forever", and the horrific imagery of "Reality".<ref name="The Gauntlet">{{cite web|url=http://www.thegauntlet.com/bio/474/Berzerker-The|title=The Berzerker Biography and Band Info|website=Thegaunlet.com|accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref> The latter features graphic images of cadavers and body parts.
== Biography ==
=== Beginnings and the first album (1995–2000) ===
The Berzerker gained the attention of worldwide metal audiences through remixes of songs by death metal bands [[Deicide (band)|Deicide]] and [[Morbid Angel]]. They did this by remixing the song with the screams of mentally ill patients with their good friends Stalaggh. Earache signed the act, then consisting only of Luke Kenny as a one-man DJ/programmer. Kenny had previously been a drummer in various Melbourne bands, including an early death metal group called Mystic Insight,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luke Kenny - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Luke_Kenny/5820 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=www.metal-archives.com}}</ref> but after suffering injuries in a motor vehicle accident which involved twenty 18-wheeler trucks{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}, was forced to give up playing. [[Earache Records]]' website suggests that the album was supposed to be recorded at [[Devin Townsend]]'s [[Vancouver, Canada|Vancouver]] studio with contributions from well-known metal artists [[David Vincent (musician)|David Vincent]] (Morbid Angel), Kevin Sharp ([[Brutal Truth]], [[Damaged (band)|Damaged]]), [[Dan Lilker]] (Brutal Truth, [[Nuclear Assault]]), and [[Jed Simon]] ([[Strapping Young Lad]], [[Zimmers Hole]]) until they were all injured in a mysterious event.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} After disagreements and financial issues, Kenny returned to Australia and worked with friend Sam Bean, who recorded guitar parts, as well as backing vocals. Also enlisted was another Sam contributing backing vocals, dubbed "Toby" due to Bean's seniority. Guitarists Jason and Ed Lacey from local metal band The Wolves were also recruited, and after a lengthy recording session, the band's first album, ''[[The Berzerker (album)|The Berzerker]]'', was released. The album received wide praise in underground metal magazines, and the band was compared to [[Napalm Death]] and [[Strapping Young Lad]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theberzerker.com/reviews.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206204200/http://www.theberzerker.com/reviews.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2000|title=REVIEWS|date=6 December 2000}}</ref> The band's masks and live performances earned them further publicity. Videos for the songs ''Reality'' and ''Forever'' were released, but were rarely aired on MTV and other mainstream outlets. MTV refused after they received threats for "heads to roll."
=== New members, the second album and touring (2001–2003) ===
The Berzerker had their first full U.S. tour after performing fewer than half a dozen shows, touring with other underground bands [[Dying Fetus]], [[Gorguts]] and [[Skinless]]. Although the shows were well received, the band did not function through the rigors of touring as a unit and at the end of the tour the session musicians, drawn from Melbourne band [[Alarum (band)|Alarum]], departed. For some months it seemed doubtful that The Berzerker would last for long. There had been constant setbacks at every stage and any momentum gained was now lost with the departure of the live act. However, the arrival of two replacement members injected new life into the band – drummer Gary Thomas from [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] band Plague and guitarist Matt Wilcock from Melbourne death metal band [[Abramelin (band)|Abramelin]], currently in [[Akercocke]].
With the arrival of these new members The Berzerker set about recording their follow up album ''[[Dissimulate (album)|Dissimulate]]''. The song 'No-one Wins' was also released as a video. It was claimed that Thomas' drumming on this song was considered for submission to the [[Guinness Book of Records]] as fastest drumming performance and while the band has since dismissed this as a fan-fuelled rumour, it was included in official press releases at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=827 |title=The Berzerker – Encyclopaedia Metallum |publisher=The Metal Archives |date= |accessdate=17 November 2016}}</ref> Around this time the band's dragon logo was redone by designer Ivan Kenny-Sumiga. The band celebrated by playing live shows which resulted in onstage violence in Melbourne for months {{Citation needed|date=July 2007}} before heading off for a world tour lasting from 2002 to 2003.
After covering Australia, The Berzerker toured the US with [[Immolation (band)|Immolation]], [[Vader (band)|Vader]] and [[Origin (metal band)|Origin]], then travelled to the UK for a headlining tour with Labrat, Insision and [[Red Harvest (band)|Red Harvest]]. This culminated in an infamous Earache Christmas Party appearance, where the band terrorised both record label and the audience. This exceptionally violent and drunken performance was captured on the DVD ''Principles and Practices of The Berzerker''. The band continued on to the US after a brief Christmas break to do another full US tour with [[Nile (band)|Nile]], [[Napalm Death]], [[Strapping Young Lad]] and [[Dark Tranquillity]]. Disaster struck in New York however when Thomas had an altercation with a bouncer that resulted in a broken foot and cracked vertebrae. The band could not pull out of the tour as there was still a week left, and each show had to be played to allow them to afford to make plane flights to the next tour because members of the band were poor. To solve the problem, Kenny took on playing the drums as well as vocals. Nile drummer Tony Laureano played the [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]] cover "Corporal Jigsore Quandary" each night. The footage of this would later be added to the DVD "The Berzerker".
At the end of that tour, the band spent ten days in [[Florida]] before their headline tour of the UK and Europe began. With no drummer, auditions were organised and the band selected a local drummer to take on tour. The new drummer was required to learn the full headlining tour set in six days{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}}. The Berzerker hit the UK for its next round of headlining shows featuring snuff footage, locals being abducted, and audiences getting punched in the face, then headed out to Europe for their first-ever appearance there. Finally after five months of touring the band headed home.
=== First DVD, unmasked for the first time (2004) ===
Luke Kenny decided to focus the downtime into compiling all the footage he had recorded of the band, producing a DVD titled ''The Principles and Practices of The Berzerker''. This DVD ended up being over four hours long, consisting of one professionally shot show, another concert-worth of assorted bootleg footage, backstage recordings, band rehearsals, and touring. Also included was documentary-style footage of the recording of both albums (including many unflattering incidents), full interviews with band members, the making of the masks and artwork, and contributions from fans, including one who had tattooed the dragon logo onto her back. The DVD was recommended by ''[[Kerrang!]]'' for aspiring metal bands{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}.
The DVD brought with it a change in The Berzerker – for the first time, the band members' faces were unmasked. Following this, a decision was made to lose the masks altogether.
=== ''World of Lies'' (2005–2006) ===
With Thomas healing in Perth and Wilcock moving to the UK to join Akercocke, The Berzerker decided to record the third album ''[[World of Lies (album)|World of Lies]]'' over Christmas 2004 with the original line-up from the debut album. It was recorded spontaneously over a week, with no prior planning in direct opposition to how they had created albums in the past. In other changes, all guitar tracks were recorded directly into a laptop via an [[analogue-to-digital converter]] without a guitar amp and no live drumming featured on the album. Subsequent live performances featured Dave Gray of Akercocke taking over drumming duties. The album was well received by many critics and one said that "it is a masterpiece of work, that was created in only a matter of minutes".
=== ''Animosity'' (2007–2008) ===
A year after the release of ''[[World of Lies]]'', The Berzerker released their fourth studio album ''[[Animosity (The Berzerker album)|Animosity]]'' on 12 February 2007. This recording saw the band return to their older style of music with a drum machine included for the drum parts as well as a faster tempo in most of the tracks compared to the previous album. A special edition version of this album was also available which included a bonus live CD by the band recorded at London Dome on 16 December 2006 featuring the then new track "Heavily Medicated", a selection of tracks from their previous albums, as well as several covers of songs by [[Morbid Angel]] and [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]].
=== ''The Reawakening'' (2008–2009) ===
Animosity was the last record the band were contracted with Earache Records. For the next album ''[[The Reawakening]]'' the band released it through their own label 'Berzerker Industries'. The album was only available through their official online store. Following the release they toured extensively in several parts of the world sharing the stage with other acts including [[Satyricon (band)|Satyricon]], Napalm Death, Suicide Silence, and [[Zonaria]].
=== Hiatus and break-up (2009–2010) ===
2009 would be the last known year where the band were actively touring the world and playing shows. After October 2009 the band ceased updates. No new tours or future plans were announced. The band appeared to be on hiatus for just over a year, and in late 2010 it seemed the band had indeed split up following several status updates on their Myspace profile referring to 'It's Finally Over' and 'Last Berzerker show in Melbourne'. Furthermore, Kenny has stated that he had lost interest in carrying on with the band and has since moved on to a photography job for ''Evokke'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/the-berzerker-frontman-no-longer-working-with-sweaty-men/|title=THE BERZERKER Frontman No Longer Working With 'Sweaty Men'|date=30 July 2011|website=Blabbermouth.net}}</ref> Since the break-up, former bassist, Sam Bean has released an album with his new band, The Senseless. He also stated in an interview that The Berzerker were on "indefinite hiatus", adding that this "is the best way to describe it."{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
=== Potential return (2019–present) ===
According to the official Facebook page of the band, The Berzerker said a new album would be released in 2020, but as of September 2021, no album has been released.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/OfficiallyTheBerzerker/|title=The Berzerker|website=Facebook.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157065500142547&id=584397546|title=New Berzerker Album coming March 2020!|website=Facebook.com}}</ref> However a cover of [[All the Things She Said]]
by [[pop music|pop]]/[[rock music|rock]] duo [[t.A.T.u.]] was released in 2020 via the band's [[MySpace]] with a music video.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Berzerker - All The Things She Said (TATU Cover) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDFFMIVGqOw |access-date=27 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref> however it was deleted due to MySpace's decline. The Berzerker have since posted an update in December 2023 regarding the future of the band and possible new studio album on their official Facebook page, stating that because of personal issues the album has been postponed indefinitely.
== Lineup ==
=== Current members ===
*Luke Kenny – vocals, programming (1995–2010, 2019–present)
*Sam Bean – bass, guitar, vocals (1999–2007, 2019–present)
*Jason Lacey (II) – guitar (1999–2007, 2019–present)
*Edward Lacey – guitar (1999–2010, 2019–present)
*Matt Wilcock – guitar (2002–2007, 2019–present)
=== Past members ===
*Chris Valagao – vocals (1998–1999)
*Patrick Beaudoin – guitars (1998–1999)
*Adrian Naudi – guitars (2005)
*Martin Bermheden – guitars (2008–2010)
*Tim Aldridge – guitars (2008–2010)
*Damien Palmer – bass (2007–2010)
*Matthew Racovalis – drums (2000–2001)
*Gary Thomas – drums (2002–2003)
*Fillip Rutherford – drums (2003)
*David Gray – drums (2006–2007)
*Todd Hansen – drums (2007–2010)
=== Timeline ===
<timeline>
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1995 till:2020
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:Lines1 value:black legend:Studio_release
LineData =
at:2000 color:Lines1 layer:back
at:2002 color:Lines1 layer:back
at:2005 color:Lines1 layer:back
at:2007 color:Lines1 layer:back
at:2008 color:Lines1 layer:back
BarData =
bar:Kenny text:"Luke Kenny"
bar:Valagao text:"Chris Valagao"
bar:Beaudoin text:"Patrick Beaudoin"
bar:Lacey text:"Ed Lacey"
bar:Wilcock text:"Matt Wilcock"
bar:Jason text:"Jason V."
bar:Naudi text:"Adrian Naudi"
bar:Bermheden text:"Martin Bermheden"
bar:Aldridge text:"Tim Aldridge"
bar:Bean text:"Sam Bean"
bar:Palmer text:"Damien Palmer"
bar:Racovalis text:"Matthew Racovalis"
bar:Thomas text:"Gary Thomas"
bar:Rutherford text:"Fillip Rutherford"
bar:Gray text:"David Gray"
bar:Hansen text:"Todd Hansen"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Kenny from:1995 till:2010 color:vocals
bar:Lacey from:1999 till:2010 color:guitar
bar:Wilcock from:2002 till:2007 color:guitar
bar:Jason from:1999 till:2007 color:guitar
bar:Bean from:1999 till:2007 color:bass
bar:Bean from:1999 till:2007 color:vocals width:3
bar:Kenny from:2019 till:end color:vocals
bar:Lacey from:2019 till:end color:guitar
bar:Wilcock from:2019 till:end color:guitar
bar:Jason from:2019 till:end color:guitar
bar:Bean from:2019 till:end color:bass
bar:Bean from:2019 till:end color:vocals width:3
bar:Valagao from:1998 till:1999 color:vocals
bar:Beaudoin from:1998 till:1999 color:guitar
bar:Naudi from:2005 till:2006 color:guitar
bar:Bermheden from:2008 till:2010 color:guitar
bar:Aldridge from:2008 till:2010 color:guitar
bar:Palmer from:2007 till:2010 color:bass
bar:Racovalis from:2000 till:2001 color:drums
bar:Thomas from:2002 till:2003 color:drums
bar:Rutherford from:2003 till:2004 color:drums
bar:Gray from:2006 till:2007 color:drums
bar:Hansen from:2007 till:2010 color:drums
</timeline>
== Discography ==
=== Albums ===
* ''[[The Berzerker (album)|The Berzerker]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Dissimulate (album)
* ''[[World of Lies]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Animosity (The Berzerker album)|Animosity]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Reawakening]]'' (2008)
=== Live albums ===
* ''The Berzerker – Live and Rare'' (2000)
* ''The Berzerker – Live in London'' (2010)
=== EPs ===
* ''Archie Campbell'' (Website EP – 4 mp3 tracks) (1995)
* ''No?'' (EP) (1996)
* ''Full of Hate'' (EP) (1996)
* ''Inextricable Zenith'' (EP) (1998)
* ''Broken'' (EP) (2000)
* ''Animosity EP'' (2006)
* ''The Reawakening EP'' (2008)
=== Demos ===
* ''Demos 1998'' (2000)
=== Appearances on compilation albums ===
* ''This Is Terror 11 – Mixed by the Sickest Squad & Frazzbass'' ("Her Fear Was a Lie" exclusive song for T.I.T. Records) (2008)
=== DVDs ===
* ''The Principles and Practices of the Berzerker'' (DVD) (2004)
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==
*[https://www.facebook.com/OfficiallyTheBerzerker/ Official website]
*[https://www.discogs.com/es/artist/18529-The-Berzerker The Berzerker] at [[Discogs]]
*[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-berzerker-mn0000042540 The Berzerker] at [[AllMusic]]
*[https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c064d097-4a1e-4e81-bd6f-22ba86ee2904 The Berzerker] at [[MusicBrainz]]
{{The Berzerker}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1995]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Australian death metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Deathgrind musical groups]]
[[Category:Masked musicians]]
[[Category:Earache Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical quintets]]
[[Category:Hardcore techno music groups]]
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