Segression
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founder | Christiaan Rand, Sven Sellin, James Broadbent, John Buckley |
| Headquarters | Wollongong , Australia |
| Products | Heavy metal music albums and performances |
| Website | www |
Segression is a heavy metal group originating from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, established in 1990 under the original name Eezee. Their 2000 release, Smile, stands as one of the top-selling metal records in Australia despite facing industry obstacles. Their most recent album, Painted in Blood (2014), showcased artwork by blood artist Rev Myers and was released independently.
Formation and early period
The band initially operated as Eezee, releasing an EP in 1993 followed by the 1995 album Rise from Darkness. They shared stages with prominent bands such as Morbid Angel, Machine Head, and Deicide. The founding lineup consisted of Christiaan Rand handling bass and vocals, Sven Sellin on guitar, James Broadbent on guitar, and John Buckley on drums.
In 1994, their sound transitioned towards thrash metal, prompting a name change to Segression—a term combining "segregated" and "aggression"—which was publicly announced on January 1, 1996. By that time, Shane Partridge had replaced Broadbent on guitar, although some of Broadbent's contributions remained on their debut album. Following a Sydney performance alongside Fear Factory and extensive touring across regional areas, they unveiled L.I.A. (standing for lesson in aggression) in October 1996.
The year 1997 saw Segression embark on a national tour supporting Mortal Sin and release their sophomore album, Fifth of the Fifth, in September. This record incorporated elements of nu metal and established their reputation within the Australian metal community.
In 1998, Segression supported Ozzy Osbourne during his national tour. After drummer John Buckley departed due to personal reasons, Adrian Herbert took over the drums. The band toured with Strapping Young Lad, headlined the Australian Metal Festival Metal for the Brain, completed a nationwide tour with Fear Factory, and performed extensively throughout Australia. The latter part of 1999 was primarily dedicated to composing and recording their next album, with limited live shows during this period.
Developments in the 2000s
At the start of 2000, Segression toured alongside Soulfly, culminating in Chris joining them on stage for "Bleed" at Sydney's Big Day Out. Their album Smile was released through Roadrunner Records' Australian imprint Dark Carnival amid a national tour supporting Slipknot. Although their relationship with Roadrunner was strained, the exposure from the Slipknot tour helped Smile become Segression's most commercially successful album and one of Australia's best-selling metal albums. The band followed with extensive touring and earned awards for Best Live Band, Best Guitarist, and Best Vocalist in a leading music magazine’s poll. Although initially confirmed for that year’s Metal for the Brain festival, Segression withdrew and announced intentions to relocate to the United States after completing a nearly sold-out Australian tour.
In early 2001, Segression relocated to Chicago where they performed club gigs alongside bands such as Hatebreed and Shadows Fall, while concentrating on writing and recording new material at Groove Master Studios—known for collaborations with Disturbed and Sevendust. They returned to Australia in May to support national tours with Pantera and Corrosion of Conformity. Due to commitment issues, bassist Adrian Herbert departed and was replaced by Keith Owen.
Their fourth album, titled Segression, was released in June 2002. Following an extensive touring schedule, the band played a final show in December in Wollongong before entering the studio to work on a subsequent album that marked a stylistic shift, ultimately resulting in an unofficial hiatus.
2003: Side Effect X and hiatus
Towards the end of 2003, Segression declared an indefinite break from activities. With the addition of bassist Michael Caruana, the members formed Side Effect X, a band focusing on melodic heavy rock. This new project was introduced at the 2003 Musicoz Awards and subsequently participated in the 2004 Live 'n Local unsigned bands contest broadcast on Channel Ten's Video Hits. Side Effect X launched the single "Turn the Page" along with the album Life, which included music videos for "Get Off Me," "Waste of Time," and "Golden Skies." Despite limited promotional efforts and a few live performances, the group eventually disbanded, resulting in both Side Effect X and Segression becoming inactive with no intentions to tour or perform.
Since then, the album Life has been recognized as part of Segression's official discography.
2009: Return and current
In mid-2009, the band signaled their comeback through new Myspace and Facebook pages. The lineup featuring vocalist/bassist Chris Rand, guitarist Shane Partridge, and drummer Adrian officially revived Segression, announcing a sold-out comeback performance at Sydney’s Gaelic Club on 30 November 2009.
Following this successful return, Segression resumed full-time operations, welcoming guitarist Michael Katselos (of Fozzy). Meanwhile, longtime guitarist Sven Sellin stepped away to concentrate on his other projects, Veil and Sentient. In November 2010, Segression was confirmed as special guests for Fozzy’s December tour along Australia’s east coast, which included WWE star Chris Jericho and guitarist Rich Ward.
Their album Never Dead was released through Riot/Warner on 22 April 2011, with the lead iTunes single "Hero Anthem" debuting at number two. Produced by Chris Rand, this release embodied the band’s core sound and achieved commercial success by topping iTunes charts and selling out retail stores. Although their touring schedule was limited, Segression performed selected shows to enthusiastic audiences.
The video for "Blood Lace Black Day" earned the #21 spot on ABC’s RAGE top 50 clips for 2011.
In 2012, guitarist Sven Sellin rejoined the band, taking over from Shane Partridge.
In January 2013, Segression commenced recording their sixth studio album titled Painted in Blood. However, progress slowed when drummer Adrian Herbert found it challenging to adapt to the band’s heightened intensity. Early in 2014, Adam (Adz) Bunnell—who had previously collaborated extensively with Sven in Veil, Fuelled Within, and Raising Bodhi—joined as drummer and immediately resumed recording sessions.
By March 2014, tracking was completed and the album entered mixing and mastering stages. Scheduled for early spring release, Painted in Blood was anticipated to be their most unified and aggressive record to date.
Originally planned for release on 4 October 2014, the launch was postponed to 10 October. Presale orders started on 27 September. The official music video for the title track premiered on 7 November.
External links
- Segression on Facebook
- Segression on Myspace
- Segression on YouTube