Genre story · Metal
Technical Death Metal
Death metal where demanding guitar and drum writing changes the shape of the song itself.
Technical death metal grew from the early death-metal scene as bands pursued increasingly complex riffs, rhythmic changes and precise playing. Atheist, Death and Cynic provided influential early developments, while Necrophagist later made highly intricate guitar work a defining focus. The style retains Death Metal's harsh vocal and guitar vocabulary, though its rhythms can be unpredictable and its harmonies unusually elaborate. Progressive Death Metal overlaps with this history, yet often places more emphasis on extended forms and broader musical contrasts. They should not be described as mutually exclusive worlds. Technical ability is not the whole definition: what matters is how the musicians use that precision to organize heavy music.
Listening examples
- 1991DeathHuman
- 1993CynicFocus
- 2004NecrophagistEpitaph