CATASTROPHIC formed in 1999 by Trevor Peres of Obituary and Keith Devito of Pyrexia during an Obituary tour in late 1997, as Keith was filling in for current vocalist John Tardy. Trevor approached Keith to ask if he would be into starting a new project with him in the future. While working with their current bands back home, Trevor and Keith looked into recruiting the remaining members. These included Pyrexia’s Rob Maresca (drums), Chris Basile (guitar), and Internal Bleeding bassist Brian Hobbie to complete the line-up.
The band worked and rehearsed in NY and Nashville, Tennessee throughout 1999/2000 and debuted at the November To Dismember Metalfest in Dallas, Texas. Grabbing the attention of Metal Blade Records at the festival, CATASTROPHIC signed its first worldwide deal with the label and proceeded to promptly record their debut album.
The Cleansing was recorded in 2001 at Outpost Studios in Sharon, Massachusetts with Jamie Locke, known for his early work with Obituary, VOD, and Madball, at the controls. With a caustic mixture of Trevor’s unique style of classic, pounding Florida Death Metal and the brutal NYDM-style riffs, The Cleansing became a hard-hitting reality.
Shortly thereafter, guitarist Chris Basile left the band to concentrate and pursue Pyrexia, leaving CATASTROPHIC to remain a four-piece for some time.
During the summer of 2001, CATASTROPHIC embarked on their first tour with Diecast for 29 shows throughout North America, followed closely by 16 dates in Europe with Vader, Cryptopsy, Dying Fetus, Kataklysm, and Aborted. During the next several months, CATASTROPHIC would continue to tour in support of their new record, sharing the stage with bands such as The Haunted, Witchery, Manowar, Immortal, DRI, Havochate, and Sworn Enemy.
From 2002 to late 2004, CATASTROPHIC went through myriad changes. They had remained a 4-piece for 3 years until sound engineer/ bassist Joe Cincotta (CEO of Full Force Studios, NY), joined the band. CATASTROPHIC continued to play scattered shows, while concentrating on the writing of their second release. This EP showcased the band’s musical evolution, as they turned toward a more aggressive style.
In March of 2005, CATASTROPHIC released a five-track EP on Bruchstein Records (GER) entitled Born into Bondage. That May, the band headlined the Fuck The Commerce Festival in Leipzig (GER) and embarked on 9-date European tour with Jungle Rot, Incantation, Funerus, and Hexenhammer. The band’s latest offering, Pathology of Murder, offers the true definition of CATASTROPHIC: 40 minutes of some of the most devastating drums, brutal riffs, and blistering lyrics imaginable
Line-Up:
Keith Devito - Vocals
Rob Maresca - Drums
Joe Cincotta - Bass guitars and Backing Vocals
Brian Hobbie - Guitars http://www.myspace.com/catastrophic2001 |
