Technical death metal

Technical death metal (sometimes called tech-death or progressive death metal)[1][2] is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures.

Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late 1980s and early 1990s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic.[3] In 1990, Nocturnus released their debut album, The Key, which was followed by Sarcófago's third album, The Laws of Scourge, featuring a change in their musical style from black metal/thrash metal to technical death metal. Atheist's second album, Unquestionable Presence, Pestilence's third album, Testimony of the Ancients, and Death's fourth album, Human, were all released the very next year. Human and later Death albums have proven especially influential on later '90s technical death metal bands.[3] In 1991, New York's grindcore-influenced Suffocation released the Effigy of the Forgotten debut album, which focused on speed and brutality with "sophisticated" sense of songwriting and subsequently became groundbreaking in the genre.[4]

Phil Freeman, ex-editor of Metal Edge, has described the subgenre of technical death metal as "the hidden side of its genre, having more in common with prog-rock and jazz fusion than with the mechanistic, Satan-obsessed grinding that's the music's dominant public image."[3]

List of technical death metal bands

The band Necrophagist performing in Germany in 2010
Band Country Formed Notes
Aeon Sweden 1999 [5]
Allegaeon USA 2008 [6]
Amoral Finland 1997 [7]
Anata Sweden 1993 [8]
Arsis USA 2000 [3][9]
Atheist USA 1984 [3]
Augury Canada 2001 [10]
Becoming the Archetype USA 1999 [11]
Beneath the Massacre Canada 2004 [12][13]
Beyond Creation Canada 2005
Between the Buried and Me USA 2000 [14]
Brain Drill USA 2005 [10][15][16][17]
Burning the Masses USA 2005 [18]
Cephalic Carnage USA 1992 [19]
Coprofago Chile 1993 [20]
Cryptopsy Canada 1992 [3][21][22][23]
Cynic USA 1987 [3]
Darkthrone Norway 1986 [24]
Death USA 1983 [3][25]
Decapitated Poland 1996 [26]
Decrepit Birth USA 2001 [27]
Despised Icon Canada 2002 [28][29]
Dying Fetus USA 1991 [30]
Extol Norway 1994 [31]
The Faceless USA 2004 [32]
Gojira France 1996 [33]
Gorguts Canada 1989 [3][34]
Gorod France 2005 [35]
In Battle Sweden 1996 [36]
Into the Moat USA 2001 [37]
Knights of the Abyss USA 2005 [38]
Man Must Die United Kingdom 2002 [39]
Meshuggah Sweden 1987 [40][41]
Monstrosity USA 1990 [34]
Necrophagist Germany 1992 [3][42]
Neuraxis Canada 1994 [3][43]
Nile USA 1993 [44]
Nocturnus USA 1988 [45]
Obscura Germany 2002 [10]
Odious Mortem USA 1998 [46]
Opeth Sweden 1990 [47]
Origin USA 1997 [48]
Pestilence Netherlands 1986 [49]
Psycroptic Australia 1999 [50][51][52]
The Red Chord USA 1999 [53]
Revocation USA 2006 [54]
Spawn of Possession Sweden 1997 [55]
Suffocation USA 1989 [4]
Trigger the Bloodshed United Kingdom 2006 [56]

Notes

  1. ↑ Simms, Kelley. "Obscura Interview". About.com. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  2. ↑ Schalek, Dave. "Grave, Blood Red Throne, Pathology and Gigan Concert Review". About.com. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 Freeman, Phil. "The Man-Machine Will Rock You: The Existential Paradox of Technical Death Metal". The High Hat. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rivadavia, Eduardo. Effigy of the Forgotten. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  5. ↑ Chad Bowar Aeon Rise to Dominate at About.com
  6. ↑ Greg Burgess
  7. ↑ Ben Varon, Niko Kalliojärvi
  8. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "The Conductor's Departure review". About.com. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  9. ↑ Harris, Chris. "Arsis May Cancel Tour after Trailer Wreck". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Marsicano, Don. "Augury – 'Fragmentary Evidence'". About.com. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  11. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Becoming The Archetype - I Am Review" (WEB). About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  12. ↑ Harris, Chris and Wiederhorn, Jon. "Metal File: Satyricon, Trivium, Heaven Shall Burn, Brutal Truth & More News That Rules". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  13. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Beneath the Massacre". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  14. ↑ Donnelly, Dave. "The Parallax II: Future Sequence - Between the Buried and Me". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  15. ↑ Harris, Chris and Widerhorn, Jon. "Brain Drill Raise The Death-Metal Bar; Plus Iron Maiden, Walls Of Jericho & More News That Rules, In Metal File". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  16. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "February 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs". About.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  17. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Apocalyptic Feasting review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  18. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Mind Control - Burning the Masses". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  19. ↑ Adrien Begrand. "Cephalic Carnage Xenosapien". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  20. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Coprofago". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  21. ↑ Harris, Chris. "Cryptopsy Drummer Dismisses Sell-Out Claims; Plus Sepultura & More News That Rules, In Metal File". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  22. ↑ Robinson, Iann. "Metal File: Hard & Heavy News On Judas Priest, Vader, Fireball Ministry, Children of Bodom, Cryptopsy & More". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  23. ↑ Harris, Chris and Wiederhorn, Jon. "36 Crazyfists Pounding Away On Next Album; Plus Anthrax, Ipsissimus & More News That Rules, In Metal File". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  24. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Darkthrone". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  25. ↑ Pratt, Greg. Symbolic review. Revolver. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  26. ↑ NME. "Decapitated". NME. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  27. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Polarity - Decrepit Birth". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  28. ↑ "Despised Icon". RevolverBlips.
  29. ↑ "Despised Icon review". Allmusic.
  30. ↑ "Dying Fetus Descend Into Depravity Review – Review of Descend Into Depravity by Dying Fetus". Heavymetal.about.com. 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  31. ↑ Born, R. "Extol". MusicMight. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  32. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Meshuggah Tour Dates". About.com. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  33. ↑ Lissa Brennan, With French death-metal pioneers Gojira, the lyrics matter as much as the blastbeats, pittsburghcitypaper.ws, October 15, 2009
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Bowar, Chad. "Top 5 Most Underrated Death Metal Albums from Charles Elliott of Abysmal Dawn". About.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  35. ↑ http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Gorod/44494. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Kingdom of Fear review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  37. ↑ Falzon, Denise. "The Campaign review". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  38. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "The Culling of Wolves review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  39. ↑ Ogle, Ryan. "No Tolerance for Imperfection (Relapse)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  40. ↑ Meshuggah reviews, music, news - sputnikmusic
  41. ↑ Meshuggah - Nothing
  42. ↑ York, William. "Epitaph review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  43. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "The Thin Line Between review". About.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  44. ↑ Harris, Chris and Wiederhorn, Jon. "Metal File: In This Moment, Behemoth, Nile & More News That Rules". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  45. ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Nocturnus". MusicMight. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  46. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Cryptic Implosion review". About.com. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  47. ↑ Sharp-Young, Gary and Yura. "Opeth". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  48. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Antithesis review". About.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  49. ↑ Freeman, Phil. "Resurrection Macabre review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  50. ↑ Unknown. "PSYCROPTIC: Orangevale Footage Available – Apr. 12, 2009". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  51. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Psycroptic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  52. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Ob(servant) review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  53. ↑ Freeman, Phil. "Fed Through the Teeth Machine – The Red Chord". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  54. ↑ Hartmann, Graham 'Gruhamed'. "No. 45: Revocation, 'Dismantle the Dictator' – Top 21st Century Metal Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  55. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Incurso - Spawn of Possession". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  56. ↑ Dan Marsicano, "(...) technical death metal ala Suffocation and Nile", Trigger The Bloodshed – 'The Great Depression' at About.com