Technical death metal

Infobox Music genre
name=Technical death metal
bgcolor=#BB0022
color=white
stylistic_origins =Death metal
Avant-garde metal
Technical metal
Progressive metal
Jazz fusion
nowrap|Classical music (at times)
cultural_origins =Late 1980s, United States
instruments =vocals - Electric guitar - Bass guitar - drums
popularity =Underground
fusiongenres =
regional_scenes =Quebec
other_topics =

Technical death metal (also called tech death for short or also can be known as Progressive death metal), is a term used to describe bands in the subgenre death metal that focus on more complex rhythms and song structures. As death metal bands began further exploring the genre, they experimented with a variety of song structures, tempos, and playing techniques from other genres to create music that changed the style. As a result of such experimentation, such as the works of Cynic and Atheist, the subform of tech death established itself as a complex and varied musical style.

Technical death metal incorporates a variety of influences from genres such as jazz fusion, progressive rock and European classical music into general death metal aesthetics to compose music that is thought to be unexpected, difficult to play and often difficult to comprehend. Songs tend to be written without distinct choruses, with varied or layered time signatures, and sometimes dissonant or atonal guitar riffs.

More technical experimentations in death metal started in the late 1980s and early 1990s by bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Monstrosity, and Atheist. In 1989 Atheist's debut album "Piece of Time" came out followed by Nocturnus's "The Key" in 1990. In 1991 Death released "Human". This album and later Death albums have proven influential on 1990s technical death metal bands. [ [http://www.bnrmetal.com/v2/bandpage.php?ID=Deat Death band page] @ BNR Metal] Other early technical death albums are "Considered Dead" (1991) by Gorguts, "Nespithe" (1993) by Demilich and "Focus" (1993) by Cynic. While Cynic became recognised for their technicality, it wasn't fully understood until the mid 1990s when other bands created music that furthered what were then the borders of death metal.

Bands currently heralded as present-day icons for technical death metal include Nile, Necrophagist, Decapitated, Beneath The Massacre, Spawn of Possession, Psycroptic, Opeth and Anata.

Bands

Some notable bands of this genre include:
*Aletheian [ [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=9397 Aletheian - Dying Vine review @ Metal Review] ] [ [http://www.metalreview.com/viewreview.aspx?ID=1879 Aletheian - Dying Vine review @ Metal Observer] ]
*Amoral
*Anata [ [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=5092 Anata - Under A Stone With No Inscription review @ Metal Observer] ]
*Arsis [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=5819 Arsis band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
* Atheist [ [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=1259 Atheist - Unquestionable Presence review @ Metal Observer] ]
*Beneath the Massacre [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=35773 Beneath the Massacre band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Between the Buried and Me [cite web|url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/united+states/north+carolina/between+the+buried+and+me|title=MusicMight :: Artists :: BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME|publisher=Musicmight|accessdate=2008-10-09]
*Born of Osiris
*Brain Drill
*Carcariass
*Cephalic Carnage [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=910 Cephalic Carnage band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Coprofago [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=5700 Coprofago band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Cynic [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=91 Cynic band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Cryptopsy [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=17 Cryptopsy band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ] [ [http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/review_iss2_25.php Cryptopsy review @ Maelstrom] ]
*Death
*Decapitated [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=114 Decapitated band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Decrepit Birth
*Deeds of Flesh
*Demilich [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=250 Demilich band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Devolved [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=3072 Devolved band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Disavowed
*Edge Of Sanity
*Gojira
*Gorguts [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=1124 Gorguts band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Gorod
*Iniquity [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=211 Iniquity band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Into The Moat
*Inveracity
*Lethargy [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=2945 Lethargy band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Lykathea Aflame [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=2884 Lykathea Aflame band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Meshuggah [cite web|author=Chad Bowar|authorlink=http://heavymetal.about.com/mbiopage.htm|title=Top 10 Heavy Metal CDs Of 2005 @ About.com: Heavy Metal|url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/top_bestof2005.htm|accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web|title=Meshuggah band page @ Metal Storm|url=http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=175|accessdate=2007-06-28] [cite web|author=Ben Mitchell|title=Review of "Nothing" @ Blender|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=49|accessdate=2007-06-28]
*Necrophagist [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=207 Necrophagist band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Negativa [ [http://www.globaldomination.se/reviews/negativa-negativa Negativa review @ Global Domination] ] [ [http://www.lambgoat.com/albums/view.aspx?id=2325 Negativa review @ Lambgoat] ]
*Neuraxis [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=3604 Neuraxis band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Nile [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=139 Nile band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Opeth
*Origin [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=79 Origin band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Pavor [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=13015 Pavor band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Pestilence ("Testimony of the Ancients", "Spheres")
*Polluted Inheritance [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=3147 Polluted Inheritance band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Psycroptic [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=187 Psycroptic band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Quo Vadis [ [http://www.bnrmetal.com/v2/search.php?name=quo%20vadis Quo Vadis band page @ BNR Metal] ] [ [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=7848 Quo Vadis - Defiant Imagination review @ Metal Observer] ] [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=20 Quo Vadis band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
* Scarve
*Spawn of Possession [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=204 Spawn of Possession band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Suffocation [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=119 Suffocation band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Sympathy [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=4573 Sympathy band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Textures
*Theory in Practice [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=178 Theory in Practice band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*Vile
*Visceral Bleeding [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=210 Visceral Bleeding band page @ Encyclopaedia Metallum] ]
*VUVR [ [http://www.librariusmetallicus.com/Band/view/3704?letter=V& Band: Vuvr - Librarius Metallicus ] ]

Notes