This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Mike Spreitzer" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Mike Spreitzer | |
---|---|
Spreitzer performing with DevilDriver in 2016 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Michael Colin Spreitzer |
Born | (1981-02-10) February 10, 1981 (age 43) Torrance, California, U.S. |
Origin | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer, engineer |
Instrument | Guitar |
Formerly of | DevilDriver, No Love Lost |
Website | veronaonvenus |
Michael Colin Spreitzer (born February 10, 1981) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the former lead guitarist of heavy metal band DevilDriver. He was the second-longest lasting member following the departures of all original members except vocalist Dez Fafara. He replaced original lead guitarist Evan Pitts in 2004. Spreitzer performed on DevilDriver's albums The Fury of Our Maker's Hand (2005), The Last Kind Words (2007), Pray for Villains (2009), Beast (2011) Winter Kills (2013) Trust No One (2016), Outlaws 'til the End: Vol. 1 (2018), Dealing with Demons Vol. 1 (2020), and Dealing with Demons Vol. 2 (2023)
Career
In 2001, Spreitzer joined a local heavy metal band from Santa Barbara called Grolby alongside future DevilDriver band mates John Boecklin, Jon Miller, and Jeff Kendrick. Unfortunately, Grolby broke up eight months after Spreitzer joined. At this point, Spreitzer went on to form an industrial metal band called No Love Lost with friends Cliff Ross and Dan Bellinger. Although an album's worth of material was written and recorded, nothing was ever released.
In April 2004, DevilDriver was about to embark on their first European tour opening for Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. Two days before the tour began, DevilDriver's guitarist Evan Pitts was forced to withdraw from the tour for personal reasons, leaving the band without a second guitar player. At the time, Jon Miller and Jeff Kendrick lived with Spreitzer when not touring with DevilDriver. When Spreitzer heard that Pitts would not be going on the European tour he immediately offered to fill in temporarily for the duration of the tour. Shortly after DevilDriver returned to Santa Barbara, Pitts had decided not to continue with the band and Spreitzer became a permanent member.
After Spreitzer joined DevilDriver in 2004, he would tour with the band and contribute on the albums The Fury of Our Maker's Hand, The Last Kind Words, Pray for Villains, Beast, Winter Kills, Trust No One, Outlaws 'til the End: Vol. 1 and Dealing with Demons Vol. 1 and 2.
On November 20, 2023, Michael announced his new musical project Verona on Venus. The debut album Popular Delusions was released on January 19, 2024.
On September 3, 2024, Mike Spreitzer announced that he left DevilDriver after 20 years.
Equipment
- ESP Guitars
- Fractal Axe FX
- Fishman Pickups
- EMG Pickups
- SIT Strings
- REVV Speaker Cabinets
- Mesa Boogie Speaker Cabinets
- Driftwood Amplifiers
- Maxon Effect Pedals
- Get'm Get'm Guitar Straps
- Pig Hog Cables
Discography
DevilDriver
- The Fury of Our Maker's Hand (2005)
- The Last Kind Words (2007)
- Pray for Villains (2009)
- Beast (2011)
- Winter Kills (2013)
- Trust No One (2016)
- Outlaws 'til the End: Vol. 1 (2018)
- Dealing with Demons Vol. 1 (2020)
- Dealing with Demons Vol. 2 (2023)
Verona on Venus
- Popular Delusions (2024)
Other work
Studio albums
Year | Artist | Title | Label | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Esoterica | Nothing Left to Loose | Esoterica & Trak Records | Guest guitarist | Track 8 |
2012 | Give Zombies the Vote | Dominions | — | Producer, mixer, mastering | |
2012 | Final Curse | Way of the Accursed | — | Mixer | |
2013 | Collapse | Arms and the Covenant | Transcend Music | Mixer | |
2013 | Vendetta of the Fallen | Malice | — | Mastering | |
2018 | Heaven Below | Good Morning Apocalypse | Broken Halo | Engineer | |
2018 | DevilDriver | Outlaws 'til the End: Vol. 1 | Napalm | Engineer | |
2018 | Tortured Saint | Message to the Throne | — | Mixer, mastering | |
2019 | PIG | Stripped & Whipped | Armalyte Industries | Guest guitarist | Track 4 |
2019 | Wednesday 13 | Necrophaze | Nuclear Blast | Producer, mixer, engineer |
EPs
Year | Artist | Title | Label | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Synthetic Breed | Zero Degrees Freedom | Rogue Records America | Mastering | |
2013 | Thrown into Exile | Thrown into Exile | — | Producer |
Singles
Year | Artist | Title | Label | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Synthetic Breed | Xenogenesis | Rogue Records America | Mastering |
Compilations
Year | Artist | Title | Label | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Various artists | Terror Metal | Extreme Music | Producer, engineer, mixer, writer |
References
- "Longtime DEVILDRIVER Guitarist MIKE SPREITZER Announces His Departure: 'I Have Decided It Is Time To Go My Own Way'". Blabbermouth.net. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
DevilDriver | |
---|---|
| |
Studio albums |
|
EPs |
|
Singles | |
Related bands |