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Featured Genre #1 – Technical Death Metal

When Possessed released ‘Seven Churches’ in 1985, with the proto-growls of death metal and named their track 10 ‘death metal’, a whole new genre was born; death metal. Death metal has a very prominent sound, quick, palm muted chords, usually over a progression, the bassline is usually more noticeable than in other genres, then drums are very fast and often incorporate blasts into their beats (i.e hitting the snare, kick, and a cymbal at the same time at a rapid pace). But the most prominent thing about death metal, and really what separates death metal from other genres is the vocals. Instead of being sung, they are ‘growled’, often described as ‘cookie monster vocals’. Lyrical themes usually range in the gore field, but they can be about all types of things, like religion (Deicide), philosophy (later Death), fantasy (Lykathea Aflame) and even science (Wormed).

Some important albums in the death metal genre:

Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (1989)
Deicide – Deicide (1990)
Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back to Life (1990)
Immolation – Dawn of Possession (1991)
Suffocation – Effigy of the Forgotten (1991)

In this particular FG I will be focusing on the technical side of death metal. It can range from the brutal (Cryptopsy, Theory in Practice) to the jazz influenced (Atheist, Cynic) to the downright experimental (Demilich, Obscura-era Gorguts). Musicianship is on an even higher scale than regular death metal, and some have a classical or jazz-trained background. The songs are usually more experimental than regular death metal, rarely repeating the same song structure. Probably one of the biggest differences is the way technical death metal plays a lot more riffs than regular death metal. You’ll find that in regular death metal the songs mainly consist of chord changes, with one or two riffs (I’m being very general here), listen to a Death ‘Sound of Perseverance’ song and you probably couldn’t count the riffs on one hand, there are that many. And lyrical themes tend to stray a lot from the gore and brutality, apart from Necrophagist, Gorguts and Cryptopsy on the following list, all the other albums do not discuss gore in their themes (I think).

Some great albums in the field of technical death metal:

Anata – Under a Stone with no Inscription (2004)
Atheist – Unquestionable Presence (1991) *highly recommended*
Cynic – Focus (1993)
Cryptopsy – None so Vile (1996)
Death – Human (1991)
Death – The Sound of Perseverance (1998) *recommended*
Demilich – Nespithe (1993)
Gorguts – The Erosion of Sanity (1993) *highly recommended*
Gorguts – Obscura (1998)
Lykathea Aflame – Elvenefris (2000) *highly recommended*
Miasma – Changes (1992) *recommended*
Mithras – Worlds Beyond the Veil (2003)
Necrophagist – Onset of Putrefaction (2000)
Pavor - A Pale Debilitating Autumn (1994)
Pestilence – Spheres (1993)
Theory in Practice – Colonizing the Sun (2002)

Good/recommended listening:
Atheist – Unquestionable Presence
Cryptopsy – Slit Your Guts
Death – Scavenger of Human Sorrow
Gorguts – Orphans of Sickness
Lykathea Aflame - Bringer of Elvenefris Flame
Necrophagist – Extreme Unction
Theory in Practice – Clockwork that Counts Aeons

Here is a brief, final overview of the genres of technical death metal:

Jazz/death metal
Musicianship is probably the highest in this genre, often mindblowing. We have seen many brilliant musicians come out of this genre (Paul Masdival, Tony Choy, Sean Malone, Sean Reinert, Kelly Shaefer, Jeroen Paul Thesseling). There are a lot of jazzy, softer breakdowns in this style, and the songs incorporates jazz structure. The ‘death metal’ bits really aren’t that death metally, but the vocals are growled/harsh. Key bands: Alarum, Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence.

Brutal technical death metal
Can be similar to brutal death, but often goes off in long instrumental sections with fast technical riffs. The solos are of better quality, because of the better musicianship. Key bands: Cryptopsy, Gorguts (early), Necrophagist.

Experimental death metal
Totally disregard of all theory and music knowledge, this type of stuff is quite hard to listen to. Most of it is very dissonant, there are long instrumental sections here and there, and time sig changes are everywhere. Non-metal instruments are also used frequently. Key bands: Gorguts (Obscura), Demilich, Miasma.


Download Section

[url=http://s20.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=03TIG62F95ACY3R20IKRV519YL] Atheist – Unquestionable Presence[/url]
[url=http://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=26OIYEQQARVS420PU66329K8MY]Cryptopsy - Slit Your Guts[/url]
[url=http://s30.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1WWNJ3QOF42UA2DZ9N9R6JADKS]Death - Scavenger of Human Sorrow[/url]
[url=http://s24.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0BYPWF32H8XC50GOM9J22MNNKH]Gorguts - Orphans of Sickness[/url]
[url=http://s28.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2I1MRYAWHWL233UI57UERXD0R8]Lykathea Aflame - Bringer of Elvenefris Flame[/url]
[url=http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3JFZBS61E3PVD3VYS8KDCCWDQR]Necrophagist - Extreme Unction[/url]
[url=http://s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2Z38S9KFKS8VY0UW3DV9PHNKQH]Theory in Practice – Clockwork that Counts Aeons[/url]
[url=http://s21.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1NX19A9XUREOI3AY4BSSZVVM40]Cynic - Veil of Maya[/url]