Atomizer
Band members
- Final line-up
- Jason Healey (bass, vocals)
- Suds (Aaren Suttil) (drums)
- Former members
- Andrew Lilley (guitar) 2004
- Brent Hodgkins (guitar) 2003 - 2004
- Rick Withoos (guitar) 2003 - 2004
- Jason Saunders (guitar) 2002 - 2003
- Jay Young (guitar) 2002 - 2003
- Justin Allen (guitar) 1998 - 2001
Website
Formed
Melbourne, VIC, 1998
Band information
Atomizer was a black/thrash band from Melbourne that was formed in July 1998 by Healey and Dreadnaught drummer Suds. With Hellspawn's Justin Allen on guitar the band recorded a demo shortly afterwards and the band began playing live in August 1999.
In 2000, Atomizer's first album The End of Forever was released by French label End All Life in a limited vinyl edition of 666 before appearing locally on the Devil's Own label. This album showed Atomizer to be a raw, fast old-school black metal band in the vein of Venom and early Bathory. The End of Forever was re-released as The Death of Forever in 2004 by Agonia Records, with extra tracks. Late in the year, Atomizer featured at Metal for the Brain and also toured New Zealand.
“Gimme Natural Selection” was released in 2001, the first of a series of 7" vinyl releases that the band has produced. This was followed by the release of the second album Death Mutation Disease Annihilation on vinyl in April 2002. Allen was no longer in Atomizer by now and his place had been filled by Sithlord guitarist Jason Saunders. The album was released on CD in September; Atomizer then toured New Zealand once more before taking on Jay Young as second guitarist and supporting Destruction in Melbourne.
In early 2003 the band toured nationally with Pungent Stench before releasing two more limited 7" vinyl issues. “And the Hunt Starts Again” was a split single release with Czech band Root and “Tyrus: The Doom War of the Armoured Angel” featured covers of songs by Australian bands Tyrus, Armoured Angel and WAR.
The Only Weapon of Choice - 13 Odes to Power, Decimation and Conquest was released by Agonia Records in late 2003. By now Atomizer's guitar team was made up of Rick Withoos (ex-Earth) and Brent Hodgkins. This line-up played at Metal for the Brain; Withoos' stay was short and by May 2004 he had been replaced by former Psi.Kore and Infernal Method guitarist Lilley. Around this time, Suds resigned from Dreadnaught to concentrate his efforts on Atomizer; the band was set to tour Europe and Japan in late 2004 but the tour was blown out at the last minute. Healey went to Europe late in the year anyway and recorded a track with Pungent Stench for future release.
Atomizer remained as a duo of Healey and Suds from this point. Further re-issues on picture vinyl appeared throughout 2006 and there was plans for further recording in 2007; however, Suds died on December 27, 2006. Healey has plans to record one final Atomizer album.
Discography
Albums:
| 2000 | The End of Forever | End All Life | |
| 2002 | Death-Mutation-Disease-Annihilation | Drakkar | |
| 2003 | The Only Weapon of Choice - 13 Odes to Power, Decimation and Conquest | Lycanthropic Fervour |
EPs:
| 2001 | Gimme Natural Selection | Nihilist Void | |
| 2003 | Tyrus: The Doom War of the Armoured Angel | Soulseller | |
| 2004 | Songs of Slaughter-Songs of Sacrifice | Hell's Headbangers |
Split:
| 2003 | And the Hunt Starts Again (split with Root) | AJNA Offensive |
Compilation tracks:
| Year | Track Title | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Now That's Fuckin' Evil" | Metal for the Brain 2001 | Metal for the Brain/Chatterbox |
| 2002 | "Hesitation Wounds" | Hip New Sounds | High Voltage |
| 2003 | "When I Die, I Wanna Die Violently" | Barbaric Onslaught: Australian Metal Attack | Decius |