The difference, by ear
Technical thrash is still recognisably thrash however strange the chords. This is frequently not recognisably metal at all for minutes at a time.
Technical thrash is shouted where avant-garde metal is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 240 bpm against 60 to 200. To hear the difference, play Arcturus next to Voivod. They share a root in heavy metal, and technical thrash came first, by five years. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Avant-garde metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Progressive metal › Avant-garde metal
In short
Metal that imports anything - jazz, cabaret, electronics - and refuses to settle into a shape.
How it sounds
- Borrowings from jazz, cabaret, electronics, classical music or folklore, with no hierarchy.
- Unpredictable structures with abrupt stylistic shifts inside a single song.
- Vocals used across many registers, including operatic, spoken and distorted.
Key acts
- Arcturus
- Mr. Bungle
- Sigh
- Unexpect
Start here
The pickArcturus - La Masquerade Infernale. Black metal, cabaret and opera on one album.
Full page →Technical thrash
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Thrash metal › Technical thrash
In short
Thrash with dissonant chords, odd meters and bass up front. The bridge between thrash and progressive metal.
How it sounds
- Dissonant chords and unusual intervals, with the bass in a contrapuntal role.
- Odd meters and structures that never repeat.
- Riffs assembled like puzzles, demanding high individual technique.
Key acts
- Voivod
- Watchtower
- Coroner
- Atheist
Start here
The pickVoivod - Nothingface. It includes a Pink Floyd cover that makes perfect sense.
Full page →