The difference, by ear
Technical death metal is the direct descendant, and several of these musicians made both - Atheist appear on this list and on that one.
Technical death metal is growled or screamed where technical thrash is shouted, at much the same pace, around 160 to 260 bpm. To hear the difference, play Voivod next to Death. They share a root in heavy metal, and technical thrash came first, by three years. United States and Canada appear in the origins of both.
In figures
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 →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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