Technical death metal

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Technical death metal
Stylistic origins	Death metal, progressive metal
Cultural origins	Late 1980s, United States
Typical instruments	vocals - Electric guitar - Bass guitar - drums
Mainstream popularity	Underground
Regional scenes
Quebec
Other topics
Mathcore

Technical death metal (sometimes called tech death) is a subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. As death metal bands evolved, some experimented with elements from a variety of genres. As a result of such experimentation, exemplified by Suffocation, Cryptopsy and Gorguts, the subgenre of technical death metal established itself as a complex and varied musical style. Phil Freeman, ex-editor of Metal Edge, has described it 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."^[1]

Technical experimentations in death metal began in the late 1980s and early 1990s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic.^[1] In 1989 Atheist's debut album Piece of Time was released, followed by Nocturnus's The Key, in 1990. In 1991, Death released Human. This and later Death albums have proven influential on 1990s technical death metal bands^[1]. Other early technical death metal albums include Considered Dead (1991) by Gorguts and Focus (1993) by Cynic.

[edit] List of technical death metal bands

Band	Country	Formed	Notes
Arsis	USA	2000	[1][2]
Atheist	USA	1984	[1]
Augury	Canada	2001	[3]
Beneath the Massacre	Canada	2004	[4][5]
Brain Drill	USA	2005	[6][7][8][9]
Cannibal Corpse	USA	1988	[10]
Cryptopsy	Canada	1992	[1][11][12][13]
Cynic	USA	1987	[1]
Death	USA	1984	[1][14]
Decapitated	Poland	1996	[15]
Despised Icon	Canada	2002	[16][17]
Dying Fetus	USA	1991	[18]
The Faceless	USA	2004	[19]
Gorguts	Canada	1989	[1][20]
In Battle	Sweden	1996	[21]
Into the Moat	USA	2001	[22]
Meshuggah	Sweden	1987	[23]
Monstrosity	USA	1990	[20]
Necrophagist	Germany	1992	[1][24]
Neuraxis	Canada	1994	[1][25]
Nile	USA	1993	[26]
Nocturnus	USA	1988	[27]
Obscura	Germany	2002	[28]
Origin	USA	1997	[29]
Pestilence	Netherlands	1986	[30]
Portal	Australia	1994	[31]
Psycroptic	Australia	1999	[32][33][34]
Suffocation	USA	1989	[35]

[edit] Notes

v • d • e Death metal Sub-genres Melodic death metal · Technical death metal Fusion genres Goregrind · Deathgrind · Blackened death metal · Death/doom · Deathcore · Death 'n' roll

v • d • e Extreme metal Genres Black metal - Death metal - Doom metal - Thrash metal Sub-genres Black metal: Ambient black metal - Industrial black metal - Symphonic black metal - Viking metal - Black/Doom Death metal: Brutal death metal - Melodic death metal - Technical death metal - Death/Doom Fusion genres Blackened death metal - Crossover thrash - Crust punk - Deathcore - Drone metal - Funeral doom - Grindcore - Sludge metal