Forming in 1999 as Sw1tch, the band played shows around Ohio and released a demo entitled Fuckin' Demo. The songs "Anymore", "Wrongside", "Inside", "Darkening Days", "Last Chance", and "Skins", which appear in their demo versions on this CD, went on to appear on the Subject to Change album. This demo was later re-released on disc two of the "Ghosts in the Machine" album in 2006. Since a funk band already had rights to the name Switch, the band had to change their name to Sw1tched, and was later signed to Immortal/Virgin Records. After recording all of the bass for the Subject to Change album, bassist Shawn May left the band for unknown reasons, and was replaced by Chimaira drum tech Jason French. French did play bass on one song on the album, though, since the band re-recorded the song "Walk Away" before the album was released.
Switched rose to prominence playing at popular festivals such as Ozzfest in 2002 and on the Vans Warped Tour in 2001 and 2002. Their debut album titled, Subject to Change was released via Immortal/Virgin Records in 2002, and went on to sell over 100,000 records worldwide.
Sometime before the band began work on their second album, they fired bassist Jason French for unknown reasons. They then replaced him with former Stereomud/Stuck Mojo bassist Corey Lowery, who would eventually leave the band to join Dark New Day. They also parted ways with drummer Chad Szeliga sometime in this time period, and as a result, most of the drums on the "Ghosts in the Machine" album are programmed. During the recording phase for their second album, the band decided to go on an indefinite hiatus, mainly due to the band's poor relationship with Immortal Records. The hiatus more-or-less signaled that they had broken up, and members of the band went on to other projects.
Former bassist Shawn May, who had left the band in 2001 prior to the release of "Subject to Change", started a custom bass shop in Michigan. Drummer Chad Szeliga joined popular post-grunge group Breaking Benjamin in 2004, bassist Corey Lowery helped form alternative metal group Dark New Day, lead guitarist B.C. Kochmit joined then left hard rock group "Rikets" to form his own projects, called "Tinjen", "Shambella", and "My Alter-Ego Experiment", and is currently the lead guitar player in Dark New Day. Vocalist Ben Schigel found success as a producer working with bands such as Drowning Pool, Chimaira, Breaking Benjamin, Rikets, Bleed the Sky and Allele.
With help from their first manager, Thom Hazaert, now co-president of Californian indie label, Corporate Punishment Records, the group reformed (with a modified lineup) and released their second album titled, Ghosts in the Machine on January 10, 2006. The two-disc album contains rarities, b-sides and demos. The first disc includes eleven tracks that were intended for the band's second Immortal release, while the second disc includes four live songs plus several demos and the unreleased track "She Blinded Me with Science". The quality of the first disc can be described as "rough" as the tracks weren't yet mastered and still in the demo phase.
A repackaged version of Subject to Change was also released which features the b-side track "Spread", the Howard Benson produced alternate versions of "Walkaway" and "Inside" and the Rick Will mix of "Inside". Two videos for "Inside" are also included.
The name SW1TCH also currently belongs to a Cortland, NY artist (Peter Natale) who creates music for clubs.
Switched declared a second hiatus after Ghosts in the Machine but as of January 2010, according to Ben Schigel, there are no plans to continue with Sw1tched. Ben Schigel currently works as a producer at Spider Studios in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. He has produced bands such as Ringworm, Chimaira, Bleed The Sky and Solus Deus; just to name a few.
Bassist Corey Lowery and guitarist B.C. Kochmit have since formed hard rock supergroup Eye Empire with solo artist Dixie Duncan and former members of Submersed singer Donald Carpenter and drummer Garrett Whitlock.
Ben Schigel produces bands at his Spider Studio. He also plays drums for pop rock band SomeKindaWonderful.
Exterminate
Switched Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So shit like this when you pull the plug
Biting, beating, begging you please
But at the drop of a dime
I'll fucking kick you in your fucking teeth
My motivation
Its your own lucky day
Get in or get out
No ones hear
I'm listening
I'm looking for the smoke to clear
Do you get it
Show your scars to me
I can hear you scream by the top of your lungs
Exterminate
Take em down slow
Prolong perfections to induce pain
You better find a way to get through
No ones hear
I'm listening
I'm looking for the smoke to clear
Do you get it
Show your scars to me
I can hear you scream from the top of your lungs
Exterminate
The smoke is clear
Exterminate
Shout it
Starts to me
I can hear you scream
Lungs
Exterminate
The lyrics to "Exterminate" by Switched depict an aggressive and violent persona. The opening line, "I can hear you scream at the top of your lungs" indicates that someone is experiencing extreme pain or distress, and the persona is the cause of this suffering. The lyrics continue to describe the persona as willing to inflict harm through "biting, beating, begging" and even kicking someone in the teeth. The line "My motivation, it's your own lucky day" suggests that the persona derives pleasure and excitement from this violence.
The chorus of the song is the repetition of the word "exterminate", which is usually associated with the complete destruction of something or someone. This intensifies the violent nature of the song and reinforces the aggressive character of the persona. The overall message seems to be one of domination and control, with the persona enjoying the power they have over the subject of their violent actions.
Interestingly, the song is not meant to be taken literally, and the band has stated that it is more of a metaphor for overcoming obstacles in life. The violent imagery is meant to represent the mental and emotional struggles that people face, and the need to "exterminate" these obstacles in order to move forward. The song can be seen as a call to action, urging listeners to overcome their own challenges and not be defeated by them.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear you scream at the top of your lungs
I am aware of your agony and it is very evident and loud.
So shit like this when you pull the plug
When you stop something suddenly, it tends to get messy.
Biting, beating, begging you please
I'll use physical and emotional coercion to get what I want.
But at the drop of a dime
I can change my behavior very quickly.
I'll fucking kick you in your fucking teeth
I'll use violence and intimidation to control you.
My motivation
What drives me to do what I do.
Its your own lucky day
You are fortunate to have me on your side right now.
I take blows for cry of victory
I'll endure pain and hardship as long as I come out on top.
Get in or get out
Either participate fully or leave completely.
No ones hear
Nobody is paying attention.
I'm listening
I'm trying to understand what's going on.
I'm looking for the smoke to clear
I need the chaos and confusion to disappear so I can see what's really happening.
Do you get it
Do you understand what I'm saying and what I want from you?
Show your scars to me
Reveal your emotional and physical wounds so I can use them against you if necessary.
I can hear you scream by the top of your lungs
I am still aware of your pain and suffering, and I'm ready to use it against you.
Exterminate
I will destroy everything in my way.
Take em down slow
I will enjoy inflicting pain and suffering on my enemies.
Prolong perfections to induce pain
I will stretch out my attacks so they hurt even more.
You better find a way to get through
You need to figure out a way to survive my onslaught.
The smoke is clear
The confusion is gone and I can see what's left to destroy.
Shout it
Scream out your agony and give me something to feed off of.
Starts to me
Let me know what's really going on inside your head and heart.
I can hear you scream
Your pain is still very clear and present to me.
Lungs
Keep screaming until you can't anymore.
Exterminate
My goal is still to destroy everything in my path.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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