School me on technical death metal: Atheist, Origin, etc

I've tried and tried to enjoy or even give a fuck about Gorguts, but they've never done shit for me.

Neuraxis were really good for a while.

Decrepit Birth started out super-crisp, but headed into a heavy jazz-metal Atheist zone on their most recent album. So did Job For A Cowboy, believe it or not.

Gorguts arguably only became tech-death on Obscura

I did the latest JFAC, but it's the only one I've heard.

I feel like Colored Sands is probably gonna end up as the only tech death album I'll ever need, it floors me every time

I don't even know how to classify Gorguts, which is probably for the best. Obscura and Colored Sands sound nothing alike and nothing like anything else. I'm sure this has something to do with Luc Lemay's compositional approach -- usually when a band says they're classically influenced they mean "Night on Bald Mountain" or "Ride of the Valkyries." Gorguts sounds more like metal versions of Shostakovich string quartets.

Also, from what I recall Steeve Hurdle's fascination with producing unconventional guitar sounds through unconventional playing techniques had a lot to do with that crazy Obscura sound. I love watching those few live vids from that era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIgyqmda7E&t=322s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIgyqmda7E

one of the few tech death bands i can get into

it feels like a wildly damning indictment of ILM's priorities that Cryptopsy were never mentioned in the initial run of this thread

love Martyr, I have Feeding the Abscess on LP and it totally rules.

Atheist fucking rule!

Ha although I kind of agree with unperson’s take that by Elements things have kinda soured

ok duh reading the liner notes for the unquestionable presence reissue and it’s obvious now why the next album wasn’t so hot. what a terrible tragedy and loss for humanity :-( I’m impressed they were able to find a player to execute roger’s insane magic

Cynic really intrigues me... I really like the compilation of demos but uhhh I need to get used to the robot vocals on focus. I’m curious as to why it took them so long to release their debut album?

Seemed like they were the absolutely fucking tech-iest players, like their bassist was the only one who could handle Roger’s shit for UP + Chuck calling upon 20 year old Paul Masvidal for Human..

Thanks for this thread revive reminding me of Martyr!
Have had a couple of their albums wishlisted on Bandcamp for a few months now--so good, and the fretless bass is some slinky icing on that older-school tech-death cake

Yeah, Martyr are great. They don't get nearly the respect they deserve.

If you like the sound of mid-period Death, older Gorguts, Atheist, Pestilence etc, the French band Mercyless had one called Coloured Funeral that fits right in. I assume Anata listened to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gYzPlXYew

I feel like nobody wants to go as nuts out as Atheist anymore. most tech or prog death these days seems to forget to rock while avant-garding it

"Mother Man" and "Piece of Time" are two of the greatest songs written

Hell yes. Also “On They Slay”. The intro to that one is insane.

I feel like nobody wants to go as nuts out as Atheist anymore. most tech or prog death these days seems to forget to rock while avant-garding it

I would mostly agree, but man, I love Obscura. (The German band, not the Gorguts album.)

I also like Desecravity

Linus Klausenitzer (ex-Obscura bassist) is putting out a solo album in October, and the first song kinda rules in an old-Opeth sort of way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_tKf7Mh8Hc

Atheist were great last night. to be clear, Atheist is basically just Kelly and hired guns at this point (similar to Suicidal Tendencies), and Kelly hasn't played guitar live in over a decade due to hand issues (I think arthritis/tendonitis), but the musicians he put together are top notch. "Unholy War" got a pit going but it was funny, people were basically moshing to outright jazz at points. I'll also stan for Elements - people hate it but it was my first Atheist and I like its nerdy noodliness.

really upset we didn't get the Atheist/Cynic package though. Atheist didn't play any additional songs at their solo headliner show, and I've never seen Cynic (granted I know it's just Masvidal and hired guns at this point).

I'll have to check out that solo album. I don't dislike Obscura, I have a few of their albums, and they're solid, but I realllly have to be in the mood for it (though tbf, same with Atheist).

It's definitely not something I listen to every day, but there's something about Klausenitzer's fretless bass sound in a death metal context that really makes my arm hairs stand up.