Deadline: 10 Interesting Facts You Did Not Know

In case you did not know, Deadline are a 6 piece old school heavy metal band from Pretoria, South Africa. They are driven by power and they pride themselves on a raw, passionate and energetic live show. They aim to bring the spirit of 1987 to today’s metal scene without losing the edge and appeal of this ever changing and dynamic scene.

Deadline was formed in September 2014 as a project to teach their bassist Baz Steel to play a musical instrument. It soon exploded out of the garage and onto a stage playing their first gig the next year.

Led by the effervescent, high flying Frontman Jessy Switchblade, Deadline have undergone a few core changes during the pandemic, but have now solidified their line up around guitarists Judge Mental and The Skullprit (the last original member along with Jessy), bassist Damian Dread and percussionist and back up vocalist Wrighteous Mike.

The quintet is hellbent on bringing the nostalgia, exuberance, and blood thirsty passion of the 80’s without necessarily pigeonholing themselves in one sole genre. Their music transcends genres, it transcends generations, it’s an ode to the decade that changed us forever.

Sit down in your Lamborghini Countach, strap your seat belt, and let their crashing drums, pulsating bass rhythms, bright neon guitar riffs and screeching vocals take you back to your glorious metallic past! Vitriol Inc will be out early 2023!’

Check out the recent Metal Hammer feature hailing Deadline as one of the 10 African Metal Bands Challenging Heavy Metal.

There’s probably a lot that you don’t know about this band, but today I’m changing that…

Here are 10 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Deadline

1. Drummer, Wrighteous Mike is a pastor by day and musician and producer by night.

2. Damian Dread plays bass in Deadline and is the lead guitarist in cosmic horror themed Deathcore band, A Nameless Dread.

3. Judge Mental and Jessy Switchblade first met when the briefly joined and started a Pretoria Thrash Metal act who at the time went by the name Avenge and would eventually go on to become South African Thrash Metal band, Disarmageddon.

4. Strange curiosity but if you walk into the Skullprit’s house you are guaranteed to find a can of deodorant behind every door or cupboard. (Even in the kitchen) At any give visit you could easily find over 60 cans of deodorant at his premises. When quizzed about it Skullprit said that people seems to always give him deodorant as a present. Makes you think…

5. Frontman Jessy Switchblade collects everything from figurines to Funko Pops, from heavy metal and festival shirts to sneakers, from keyrings to fridge magnets, from to caps and socks and he seems to be starting a collection of toy astronauts now. He is in serious danger of becoming a hoarder in is old age.

6. Deadline played their very first gig at a friend’s house on 7 March 2015.

7. There have been six (6) different iterations of Deadline.

8. Every Deadline song has a working title before it gets its final name. The song ‘White Death’ off of their debut album ‘Black Wolf City’ however had three working titles; ‘Force Majeure’, the oddly titled ‘The Great Texas Blood Feast’ and the even more bizarrely titled ‘Wit Brood’ which mean ‘white bread’ in Afrikaans.

9. The first full song the band completed is called ‘King of Fools’ and it has never been recorded or released. It is a glam rock song inspired by Skid Row and Motley Crue and for the first two odd years Deadline would open all their shows with this song.

10. Deadline held a competition once asking fans to suggest a new cover they would play at shows and the winner would win a Deadline shirt. The chosen song was “Burn In Hell’ by Twisted Sister, the fan won his shirt and Deadline learnt the sing but to this day have never played it live.

Well, there you have it, 10 interesting Facts that you didn’t know about Deadline. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.

The band released a new track entitled “Cult of Prometheus” today, check out the video the track below:

Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.