Band Info / Biography

Sweeping Death was formed in 2012 under the name "Order of Priority" by vocalist Elias Witzigmann and guitarist Simon Bertl. At the beginning, the focus was on the shared passion for making music together, and the band played mainly cover songs by bands like Metallica, Manowar, and Motörhead.

The ambition to create their own music rose steadily, but not all members of the band wanted to head in that direction. Consequently, Tobias Kasper was welcomed into the band as the new drummer in 2014, Markus Heilmeier as the new guitarist in 2015, and Andreas Bertl as the new bassist in 2016. Mid-2016 can be considered the band's official starting point; the name was changed from "Order of Priority" to "Sweeping Death," and the first original songs were written. In August 2016, six of these first original songs were professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered. The quintet garnered numerous reviews and consistently positive press for their debut work "Astoria." Metal Hammer dubbed Sweeping Death "Heroes of Tomorrow" in April 2017, and Guitar Magazine stated: "Musically, the disc is nothing less than an incredibly strong release!"

In 2018, the band won the Metal Only e.V. contest, winning a studio session at Empire Studios in Bensheim, where their first LP "In Lucid" was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rolf Munkes (Crematory). IN LUCID was released on October 5, 2018. The music video for "Horror Infernal" was released on September 14, 2018.

In 2020, the idea for the EP "Tristesse" was born, which was recorded independently in the winter of 20/21, mixed by Ola Ersfjord (including Tribulation, Primordial), and mastered by Chris Common in El Paso, Texas. The famous artwork was created by the renowned artist Eliran Kantor (Testament, Bloodbath, Satan, and many others). The EP was released digitally and as a digipack on September 9, 2021. Music videos were released for "The World As Will" and "Alter The Rift."

And so the band is far from finished! After playing over 150 live shows, including with scene giants such as Destruction, Tribulation, Death Angel, Tankard, and Skull Fist, as well as a self-organized mini-tour through Sweden, the second long-player is currently in the works.