Separatist (band)

Separatist was a technical death metal band that formed in 2003 in Australia and is now a one-man project.

History
Separatist began in 2003 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia as a full band consisting of Sam "Disho" Dishington on vocals, James Brady and Dave Gilbert on guitars, Luke Ranson on bass and Matt Carter on drums. The band released a full-length album in 2008, titled The Motionless Apocalypse. In April 2011, the band split up. Dave Gilbert left the band, and James Brady was later removed, following personal disagreements with Disho. The band subsequently lost what would have been their second album to a computer malfunction and disbanded. Disho left the band and the band broke up shortly afterwards.

In 2014, Disho took up the mantle of Separatist but as a solo project, with him recording all vocals, bass, and guitar and programming all the drums. After Disho took control of the project, he released a double album, under the titles Closure and Motionless. The albums' profits were donated to the A21 Campaign, a campaign to support the war against human trafficking. The songs were all original compositions from their original second album. Disho is currently working on a band called Departe, with a former member of the band, which is now signed to Season of Mist.

Musical style
Several sites have described the band as being able to create fans for itself instantly. According to the Metal Injection, the band is a wonder in musical talent. Here is their full quote: "Never before have I heard a record where I can go five minutes and hear soaring cleans with angelic choruses behind them, guttural lows that make slam look like One Direction, black metal sections that legitimately creep me right the hell out and technicality that I can hum along to and remember once it's over. The writing on Closure has obviously been paid close attention to down to every last note and hit on it, almost as one composes an intricate symphony. You know what? Let's go there- Closure is the death metal symphony I've wanted to hear and never really got to this capacity. If you're looking for amazingly well written songs that find a way to be mindlessly heavy while paying mind to the projected mindlessness, then this is for you."

No Clean Singing also expressed a love for the band, stating: "This disc [Closure] has become something of an obsession...Closure, despite its relatively feel-good ending, is a violent-as-all-get-out disc. If there’s anything that the region from which Separatist hails has mastered, it’s the suffocating, all-encompassing weight, the cavernous and bass-heavy album mix — creating music that sounds like it was recorded at the ends of the Earth during the apocalypse — which fits well with the themes and concept of Closure and its predecessor Motionless."

Members
Current
 * Sam "Disho" Dishington - Vocals (2003-2011, 2014-present), guitar, bass, programming (2014-present)

Former
 * James Brady - Guitars (2003-2011)
 * Dave Gilbert - Guitars (2003-2011)
 * Mitch Golding - Guitars (2007-2011)
 * Luke Ranson - Bass (2003-2011)
 * Matt Carter - Drums (2003-2011)

Discography
Studio albums
 * The Motionless Apocalypse (2008; Reverb Productions)
 * Closure (2014; Independent)
 * Motionless (2014; Independent)

Compilation appearances
 * Christian Deathcore Volume 3 (2014; Christian Deathcore)
 * Mother of Deathcore Vol. 3 (2014; Mother of Deathcore)
 * Christian Deathcore Volume 4 (2015; Christian Deathcore)