METANOIA WAS STARTED IN 199O BY STEVE BENNETT WITH A VISION OF REACHING THE YOUTH THAT WERE INVOLVED IN HEAVY METAL AND WOULD NEVER STEP INTO A CHURCH. THE AIM WAS TO DELIVER A POSITIVE MESSAGE OF THE LOVE OF GOD.
STEVE BENNETT STARTED THIS VENTURE SINGING AND SOON REALISED THAT THE OTHER MUSICIANS DID NOT HAVE THE SAME VISION. STEVE STARTED TEACHING HIMSELF GUITAR AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 26 IN 1986. WE NEEDED A BASS PLAYER, SO LISA SPUD WAS HANDED A BASS GUITAR AND WITH SOME GENTLE PERSUASION SHE STARTED LEARNING.
IN 1990 METANOIA RECORDED A DEMO IN THEIR LOUNGE ROOM AND THAT WAS THE START TO BIGGER THINGS.IN LATE 1994 METANOIA RECORDED THE 'SCREAMING FETUS' DEMO AND STARTED TO SEND IT AROUND. THE 'SCREAMING FETUS' DEMO WAS VOTED IN THE TOP 20 UNSIGNED BANDS IN AUSTRALIA BY AN AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE "HOT METAL". IN 1995 METANOIA RECORDED ITS HEAVIEST MUSIC EVER IN THE DEMO 'AKELDAMA', THESE SONGS ALSO ENDED UP ON THE ROWE COMPILATION 'RAISE THE DEAD'. SOON AFTER THIS STEVE ROWE MADE CONTACT AND METANOIA SIGNED A THREE ALBUM CONTRACT WITH ROWE PRODUCTIONS.
SONGS IN THE EARLY YEARS WERE WRITTEN EXCLUSIVELY BY STEVE BENNETT. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR OTHER INFLUENCES IN ORDER TO CREATE A DIFFERENT AND DIVERSE FEEL TO OUR MUSIC. INPUTS HAVE COME FROM MANY SOURCES LYRICALLY, STEVE AND TARN SPARROW, STEPHEN FREWEN-LORD, JASON KUKULKA, BRENT SUTCHING BUT MOST OF ALL FROM OUR OWN YOWIE. NOW THAT STEVE SPARROW HAS JOINED METANOIA HIS INFLUENCE MUSICALLY HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. WE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE DROP D TUNING FOR A NEW SONG CALLED 'I FEAR NO ONE'. IT SOUNDED SO GOOD THAT MANY OF OUR SONGS WILL BE WITH THIS TUNING, AS IT SOUNDS AWSOME.
IN OCTOBER 1999 WE WILL BE HEADING DOWN SOUTH TO PLAY AT AUSTRALIA'S PREMIER CHRISTIAN EVENT,'BLACKSTUMP', A FOUR DAY MUSIC AND TEACHING FESTIVAL. WE WILL PLAY WITH BANDS LIKE MORTIFICATION, RETLAW, AUDIO ADRENALIN, CALLUS, DAY OF ATONEMENT, BEAN BAG AND DEPENDANT JUST TO NAME A FEW. THIS WILL BE OUR FOURTH BLACKSTUMP OUR 3RD IN A ROW OUR 1ST BEING BACK IN 1991.
WE DO NOT LIKE BEING CALLED A DEATH METAL BAND THOUGH WE DO PLAY SOME, JUST LIKE WE PLAY BLACK, PUNK, THRASH, CLASSIC, SPEED, GROOVE ETC. WE PREFER TO BE KNOWN AS AN 'EXTREME' METAL BAND.