Dave Witte (born August 11, 1971) is an American drummer. He is known for his work in numerous

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

bands including

Municipal Waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, a ...

Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock and hardcore punk mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toure ...

Discordance Axis Discordance Axis was an American grindcore band formed in 1991 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Their songs employed themes of inner struggles, science fiction, comic books, anime, and literature. History Discordance Axis was originally formed ...

, Black Army Jacket,

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

Burnt by the Sun ''Burnt by the Sun'' (, Transliteration, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 Russian drama film starring, directed, written, and produced by Nikita Mikhalkov and co-written by Azerbaijani screenwrite ...

, and Deny the Cross among others. He has also played as a session drummer for many other acts.

Early life

Witte is a New Jersey native. He relocated to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

to join

. He has been the drummer on numerous albums since 1990. He plays many styles of drumming while retaining heavy aspects of music in all his projects. Witte was introduced to drumming in grade school by his Uncle Victor.Dave Witte Biography
paiste.com, October 25, 2009 Before he graduated high school he was studying many performances, and had already formed his first band, Human Remains.

Drumming

Witte often plays with multiple bands at once. He is a drummer in the underground scene. Witte says he "loves the speed aspect of drumming". Witte plays Trick drums,

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Switzerland, Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish language, ...

cymbals, and

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. He was also known for his association ...

drumsticks.

Bands

Witte has been in numerous bands since the early 1990s. He has never been in just one band, and he has been in up to five or six bands at once. He has recorded many studio albums with bands, toured with many other bands, or formed his own bands always keeping busy playing music.

Current bands

Municipal Waste (2004–present)

Witte joined Municipal Waste in 2004, after previous drummer Brandon Ferrel left the band. In 2005 Municipal Waste released their first album with Witte on drums,

Hazardous Mutation ''Hazardous Mutation'' is the second album by the American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste. It is also the band's debut on Earache Records. The album's main theme is zombies, other monsters, and partying all tied together with humorous ye ...

. Since then they have released

Massive Aggressive ''Massive Aggressive'' is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Municipal Waste. It was released on August 25, 2009 through Earache Records. The album artwork was done by Andrei Bouzikov, bassist of Deadfall. A music video has bee ...

in 2009. Their most recent album,

The Fatal Feast ''The Fatal Feast'' (also referred to as "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)") is the fifth studio album by American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste. It was released on April 10, 2012, through Nuclear Blast. The album debuted at number 1 on ...

came out in 2012. According to Witte

is the best album the band has done to date.

Burnt by the Sun (1999–2009)

Witte formed

Burnt By the Sun ''Burnt by the Sun'' (, Transliteration, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 Russian drama film starring, directed, written, and produced by Nikita Mikhalkov and co-written by Azerbaijani screenwrite ...

in 1999 along with friend John Adubato. Witte's reason for forming the band was because he was tired of buying records "that failed to deliver what they promised" so they formed their own style of metal using what Witte and the other members felt were missing from heavy music. The band released a demo on

Ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

records. After the demo they released several albums on

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The ...

. After a hiatus Witte claimed it was time to make a third record, but stated the band "can not and will not be full-time". He also stated this will be the last release from Burnt by the Sun.

Deny the Cross (2013–present)

Formed in 2013 by Witte, vocalist Carlos Ramirez, guitarist Dan Lactose, and bassist Ramon Salcido, Deny the Cross is powerviolence band that released their debut album, ''Alpha Ghoul'', in 2016, via

Tankcrimes Tankcrimes is an independent punk rock and heavy metal record label owned by Scotty Heath and operated from his garage in Oakland, California. Tankcrimes currently has over 100 releases. Tankcrimes Day is officially February 1 and is intended to ...

. In addition to Witte, Deny the Cross' members have also been in such bands as Spazz, Agents of Satan, Black Army Jacket, Plutocracy, Funeral Shock, and Lakota.

Birds of Prey (2006–present)

King Generator (2007–present)

Brain Tentacles

Past bands

Witte toured with

for four years. Witte's second band,

, that gained much critical attention after the band had broken up. *Human Remains This was Witte's first band. *

Exit-13 Exit-13 was an American grindcore band from Millersville, Pennsylvania. The band were formed in 1989 by Relapse Records founder and co-owner Bill Yurkiewicz (vocals), guitarist Steve O'Donnell and bassist Joel DiPietro. Their early recordings, ...

* Black Army Jacket A NYC-based

powerviolence Powerviolence (sometimes written as power violence) is a chaotic and fast subgenre of hardcore punk which is closely related to thrashcore and grindcore. In contrast with grindcore, which is a "crossover" idiom containing musical aspects of hea ...

band that released one studio album, and a slew of EPs and compilation tracks. Witte has also collaborated with numerous artists to create: *Hex Machine *Candria *Redrum *Major-burns *Atomsmasher *Phantomsmasher *Anodyne *East West Blast Test *Hope Collapse Witte also rehearsed with

Pig Destroyer Pig Destroyer is an American grindcore band formed in 1997 in Alexandria, Virginia. The band was formed by vocalist J. R. Hayes, guitarist Scott Hull and drummer John Evans. Pig Destroyer is one of the most well-known grindcore bands due ...

with the intention of joining the band following the departure of drummer Brian Harvey but was forced to back out due to a pre-existing wrist injury. Material was written for the band's upcoming album with Witte.

Personal life

On his off-time from recording and touring Witte works in the kitchen of a catering company. Since 2017 he runs, together with his girlfriend, a vegan foodtruck.Dave Witte Interview
club.kingsnake.com, October 4, 2008, October 23, 2009 He is a self-proclaimed beer lover, with Belgian beers being his favorite. He also finished his first triathlon in 2003.

Discography

Anodyne *''Red Was Her Favorite Color'' (2001, Happy Couples Never Last Records) *''The First Four Years'' (2004, Blackbox Recordings) Atomsmasher *'' Atomsmasher'' (2001, Hydrahead Records) Birds of Prey *''Weight of the Wound'' (2006,

) *''

The Hellpreacher ''The Hellpreacher'' is the third full-length album from death metal supergroup Birds of Prey. It was released April 28, 2009 through Relapse Records. Overview ''The Hellpreacher'' is a concept album that gives the listener a first person pers ...

'' (2009,

) Black Army Jacket *''Black Army Jacket/Agathocles'' (1998, Deaf American Recordings) *''222'' (1999, Chainsaw Safety Records) *''Closed Casket'' (2004, Blackbox Recordings) Burnt by the Sun * ''Burnt by the Sun/Luddite Clone'' (2000,

Ferret Records Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by metalcore band NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an i ...

) * '' Burnt by the Sun EP'' (2002,

) * '' Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution'' (2002,

) * '' The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good'' (2003,

) * '' Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival'' (2003,

) * ''Burnt by the Sun/Car Bomb Split'' (2007,

) * ''Heart of Darkness'' (2009,

) Candiria *''

Beyond Reasonable Doubt Beyond (a) reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the standard of balance of probabilities (US English: preponderance of t ...

'' (1997, Too Damn Hype Records) Deny the Cross *''Alpha Ghoul'' (2016, Tankcrimes) Discordance Axis *''Discordance Axis/Cosmic Hurse'' (1992, Pulp Records) *''Discordance Axis/Hellchild'' (1993, H.G.Fact Records) *''V/A World H.C. Compilation'' (1993, Discrete Records) *''Discordance Axis/Capitalist Casualties'' (1994, Pulp Records) *''Discordance Axis/Def Master'' (1994, H.G. Fact Records) *''Ulterior''(1995, Devour Records) *''Discordance Axis/Putocracy'' (1995, Slap A Ham Records) *''Discordance Axis/Melt Banana'' (1995, H.G. Fact Records) *''V/A Oh Great Blue Thing Compilation'' (1996, Oh Great Blue Thing Records) *'' Jouhou'' (1997, Devour Records) *''Necropolitan'' (1997, H.G. Fact Records) *'' The Inalienable Dreamless'' (2000, Hydrahead Records) *''Discordanace Axis/Corrupted/324'' (2001, H.G. Fact Records) *''Our Last Day'' (2005, Hydrahead Records) East West Blast Test *''

East West Blast Test Dave Witte (born August 11, 1971) is an American drummer. He is known for his work in numerous extreme metal or hardcore punk bands including Municipal Waste, Melt-Banana, Discordance Axis, Black Army Jacket, Birds of Prey, Burnt by the Sun, a ...

'' (2000, Slap A Ham Records) *''Popular Music for Unpopular People'' (2006,

Ipecac Recordings Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999, by Greg Werckman (ex-label manager of Alternative Tentacles, ex-lead singer of DUH, ex-employee of Mercury Records) and Mike Patton (Faith N ...

) Exit-13 *''Exit-13/Hemdale'' (1995, Visceral Productions) *''Exit-13/Multiplex'' (1996, H.G. Fact Records) Hex Machine *''Hex Machine'' (2006,

) Hope Collapse *''Year of The Leper'' (2005, Inkblot Records) Human Remains *''Demo'' (1990) *''Demo'' (1991) *''Admiration Most Deep and Foul'' (1992, Cenotaph Records) *''Spoint of Beauty V/A Midnight Offerings'' (1992, With Your Teeth Records) *''Patterns in the Grass'' (1995, Happy Days Records) *''

Using Sickness as a Hero ''Using Sickness as a Hero'' is an EP by American grindcore band Human Remains. It was released in 1996 through Relapse Records. Contrasting with the big budget death metal productions of its era, the EP is considered as an "overlooked classic" ...

'' (1996,

) *''Where Were You When Discography'' (2002,

) King Generator *''King Generator'' (2008,

) Major Burns *''Korea'' (1999, Now or Never Records) Melt-Banana *''

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

'' (2001, Unreleased) No Faith *''Forced Subservience'' (2017, Iron Lung Records) Phantomsmasher *'' Phantomsmasher'' (2002,

) Redrum *''Ghettoblaster'' (1997, Antichrist Propaganda) Municipal Waste *''

'' (2005,

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by r ...

) *''

The Art of Partying ''The Art of Partying'' is the third studio album from the crossover thrash band Municipal Waste, released on June 11, 2007, through Earache Records. A limited edition version was also released at the same time, containing two bonus tracks and ...

'' (2007,

) *''

'' (2009,

) * Toxic Waste split w/

Toxic Holocaust Toxic Holocaust is an American thrash metal band from Portland, Oregon. History Joel Grind founded Toxic Holocaust in 1999. He originally wrote and recorded all of the band's music himself, and after a couple of demo releases (''Radiation S ...

(2012,

) *''

'' (2012,

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

) *''

Slime and Punishment ''Slime and Punishment'' is the sixth studio album by American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste, released on June 23, 2017. Track listing Personnel Municipal Waste *Tony Foresta – lead vocals *Nick Poulos – lead guitar *Ryan Waste – ...

'' (2017,

) *'' Electrified Brain'' (2022,

) Circle of Animals *''Destroy the Light'' (2010,

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witte, Dave American punk rock drummers American male drummers Living people 1971 births 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Drummers from New Jersey Drummers from Virginia