The difference, by ear
Technical death metal has the same virtuosity aimed at brutality rather than at composition - no clean singing, no dynamics, and no interest in a chorus.
Technical death metal is growled or screamed where progressive metal is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 260 bpm against 90 to 180. Songs run longer in progressive metal: usually 6 to 12 minutes, against 4 to 7 minutes in technical death metal. To hear the difference, play Dream Theater next to Death. They share a root in heavy metal, and progressive metal came first, by three years. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Progressive metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Progressive metal
In short
Prog rock ambition with metal weight: odd meters, concept albums and instrumental virtuosity.
How it sounds
- Odd meters and frequent metric shifts, with pieces running eight to twenty minutes.
- Keyboards in a lead role, equal to the guitar, and highly technical bass.
- Concept albums with recurring themes and narrative structures.
Key acts
- Dream Theater
- Queensrÿche
- Opeth
- Tool
Start here
The pickOpeth - Blackwater Park. Growls and acoustic guitar in one song, and nothing forced about it.
Full page →Technical death metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Death metal › Technical death metal
In short
Death metal with jazz harmony, tapping and impossible drumming. The more notes per second, the better.
How it sounds
- Jazz harmony, extended chords and frequent modulation.
- Fretless or slap bass treated as a lead instrument.
- Polyrhythmic drumming and varied blast beats at the edge of what is physically possible.
Key acts
- Death
- Atheist
- Cryptopsy
- Necrophagist
Start here
The pickDeath - Human. The moment the genre became music to study, not just to hear.
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