System Divide is a multinational Melodic Death Metal band formed by Aborted front-man Sven de Caluwé and his (now ex) wife, Miri Milman, formerly of the Gothic Metal band Distorted. The band was mostly kept at a lower profile until the rest of the members were being revealed.
They recorded a four track EP that would be released independently in Ohio, three of the four tracks which would reappear on the debut album, The Conscious Sedation, under Metal Blade Records. After a few shows that they played, bassist Andrew Lenthe had left the band, with Andrei Aframov taking over. Eventually, Michael Wilson had left as well.
In 2012, they announced that a followup, named The Cult of Indifference, which would be aiming for a release in the same year, and although album artwork and a single have been officially released, the album was delayed to a 2014 release before a very messy divorce between Sven and Miri resulted in the dissolution of the band and the (ostensible) shelving of the album, though the spirit of the band will live on as Oracles.
The lineup will consist of Sven, Mendel, Steve, Andrei, and Ken in their respective spots plus Sanna Salou on female vocals. A full-length was released in 2016.
After several years of inactivity, the band reunited under their original name as a separate project in 2020 minus any Aborted members returning. They released the single "Rise Again" the same year, with Miri Milman resuming clean vocal duties and Mark Jansen of Epica providing session growls.
Current lineup (Oracles):
- Sven de Caluwé - harsh vocals (2008–2014, 2015-present)
- Sanna Salou - clean vocals (2015-present)
- Mendel Bij de Leij - guitars (2011–2014, 2015-present)
- Steve Miller - guitars (2012–2014, 2015-present)
- Andrei Aframov - bass (2011–2014, 2015-present)
- Ken Bedene - drums (2013–2014, 2015-present)
Notable Past Member(s):
Discography (as System Divide):
- The Collapse (EP) (2009)
- The Conscious Sedation (2010)
- The Cult of Indifference (shelved and then repurposed as Oracles debut)
Discography (as Oracles)
- Miserycorde (2016)
These Two Bands Provide Examples of the Following
- Lighter and Softer: More-so than Sven's main band. Justified as they play Melodic Death Metal rather than Aborted's Brutal.
- Melodic Death Metal: Not unlike DEADLOCK, an example that has both a male and female vocals.
- Soprano and Gravel: Sven did the harsh vocals, Miri did the cleans. Sven himself shifts from lower roars to high screams.
- Black and Nerdy: Mendel.
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Creator Couple: Sven and Miri were married. Their divorce spelled the end for System Divide. - Epic Rocking: "Stagnant Progression" is 7 minutes long.
- Genre Roulette: So far, the music makes use of Melodic Death Metal, Gothic Metal, and Groove Metal.
- Revolving Door Band: They only released one album, but the constant lineup changes alone has been the reason a followup to their debut has been delayed so much. With Sven and Miri's divorce, it was indefinitely shelved and will likely never see the light of day.
- Special Guest: Cult was slated to feature guest solos from Ryan Knight, Jeff Loomis, James Murphy, and Per Nilsson. Those spots will all be on the Oracles full-length (as it is functionally the same album with a new female vocalist), though Murphy will not be on because he missed the deadline.
- Start My Own: Miri left Distorted as a result of forming the band with Sven.
- Theme Naming: Both the albums as well as the EP start with some variation of The *any C word*. Oracles broke the trend.
- We Are The Band: Sven and Miri. Not anymore, though.
- Cover Version: The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
- Darker and Edgier: Miserycode
- Updated Re-release: Minus the "rerelease" part (because it was shelved), the Oracles debut is basically The Cult of Indifference with a new female vocalist and an updated mix.
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Spiritual Successor: Oracles. It's basically the same band with a different female vocalist; Sven likely chose to make it a fresh start as a way of getting the bad taste that System Divide left out of his mouth.
