Top 10 Most Technical Heavy Metal Bands
List and vote on what you think are the most technical heavy metal bands. I'm only going to give a few examples (and I won't even choose the most difficult songs by them or the most technical bands I know). I want YOU to blow me away. Any form of metal is acceptable.There will more than likely be a massive gap between the musicians on this top 10 list (and it will probably be out of order - this is not by accident). Why, you may ask? Well, again, I'm hoping the VIEWERS will fill in the blanks. If I wanted to showcase the most technical bands or artists I know, the list would consist almost entirely of technical death metal, neo-classical metal, and blues shred bands or artists.
I still plan to include a few of these, but all of them would sound almost exactly the same as Brain Drill. Trust me, there are more of these types of bands than you'd think - especially tech-death bands. Hundreds of thousands have popped up in the last couple of years.
I'm happy for YOU to add these bands to the list since they make up the majority of the most technical heavy metal artists, but I'm leaving that task to you. This list is not about "feeling" or "how good it sounds." It's about pure technicality.
There are rules, though. You can't choose a band based on ONE SONG. The band or artist has to consistently be a technical band or artist in general. So no one-off sped-up YouTube videos.
Please refrain from putting bands like Metallica, Pantera, Slipknot, Slayer, Megadeth, or the Spice Girls on here. They're all good (and all, haha), but this is a list of the MOST TECHNICAL BANDS - not your favorite bands.
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later... read more There's really no explanation needed for why Dream Theater is amazing. All you have to do is listen to "The Glass Prison" and "Pull Me Under."
Not the best band out there, but they are technical grandmasters.
Each instrumentalist in the band is the best at what he does on the entire planet. That's enough to describe them.
Nile is an American technical death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, United States, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and ancient art, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft. These guys definitely won't be near the top of the list in terms of technicality, but they are quite different from Brain Drill. Again, I'm hoping you'll fill in the gaps.
Brain Drill is an American technical death metal band formed in 2005 from Ben Lomond, California. They are signed to Metal Blade Records and released their full-length debut album entitled Apocalyptic Feasting on February 5, 2008. In support of their debut, disagreements were engaged and members began... read more Ah, Brain Drill, often criticized for their lack of songwriting ability. But keep in mind just how difficult it is to create an entire album - let alone multiple albums - while playing this many notes in a song (their title track on their second album runs for 16 minutes) without repeating riffs or simplifying the music. It's more challenging than one might think, even for talented players.
Death was an American death metal band formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner. Death is considered to be one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and a pioneering force in death metal. Its debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as the first death metal record, while the band's... read more
Blotted Science is an instrumental technical metal supergroup formed in 2004. It is headed by Ron Jarzombek, bassist Alex Webster and drummer Hannes Grossmann. Tech-death supergroup Blotted Science features members from bands like Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Hate Eternal, and Obscura. They are a very complex band, with music that is often extremely fast yet consistently intricate.
You might be wondering why some of the bands on this list are slower. As I've already stated, I'm purposely including a variety of bands and skipping the majority of ultra-speed tech groups - not because I think they lack "feeling" or "aren't music," but because I want you to engage with this and fill in the blanks.
Another reason is that all of the slower bands I'm choosing are quite technical. They aren't like Metallica or Megadeth, who usually play mid-fast paced, simple riffs in a repetitive fashion. These bands generally play complex songs with little repetition, and that's the point. "Technical" refers to a mixture of speed and complexity.
Coroner is a Swiss thrash metal band from Zürich, formed in the early 80s. They have been called "the Rush of thrash metal" for their increasingly complex style of progressive rock-infused thrash. They garnered relatively little attention outside Europe . Definitely not as technical as the above artists, but these guys deserve a mention. They are easily one of the most technical thrash metal bands, especially in the 80s, other than bands like Watchtower - probably one of the only 80s thrash bands that could compete with Coroner.
Obscura is a technical/progressive death metal band from Germany, founded in 2002. The band became prominent when members of Necrophagist and Pestilence joined Steffen Kummerer to release the critically acclaimed second full-length album, Cosmogenesis. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura... read more
Necrophagist is a German technical death metal band, founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. Riffs are super fast, with a lot of stretching.
Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in 1984 by vocalist, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, engineer, producer, mixer and mastering engineer Jeff Waters and former vocalist John Bates. Yes, I agree with you on the definition of technical (speed + complexity). I considered this combination when comparing Annihilator and Coroner, and I gave preference to Annihilator.
One of the most underrated thrash metal bands.
Spawn of Possession was a technical death metal band from Kalmar, Sweden, founded in 1997. In 2017, the band announced their split up via their Facebook page. This belongs in the top five. If we only had to pick one band to represent technical death metal on this list, Spawn of Possession is it.
I know I said I wasn't going to add many technical death metal bands, but I chose this one because they are not an "ultra-technical death wankery" band.
The Newcomers
Be'lakor is an Australian melodic death metal band from Melbourne, Victoria. The band's name originates from the character Be'lakor the Dark Master, in the Warhammer Fantasy game setting.
Decapitated is a Polish technical death metal band formed in Krosno in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski, bassist Paweł Pasek, and drummer Michał Łysejko.
Decrepit Birth is an American technical death metal band from Santa Cruz, California. They have released two studio albums through Unique Leader Records and one through Nuclear Blast, and a demo independently. A quite technical band, not as fast as many of the others but extremely complex.
Their older songs were faster and more "technical" than their newer material, but they lacked melody and had almost no leads.
As the lead guitarist is influenced by Chuck, their riffs and solos are the best. I love this band.
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Megadeth was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine was fired from Metallica. They have released 15 studio albums to date, and have gone through many lineup changes, with Dave... read more Amazing! Technically proficient and emotive as well - a rare combo. One of the best ever in any genre.
Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1988. The band has sold over 300,000 records. They deserve to be on here. Very skillful, technical, fast, and brutal. They are like a licensed surgeon gone serial killer.
I've always appreciated the faster the better attitude when it comes to technical death metal. Cryptopsy is definitely top-tier!
While somewhat obscure, their album From This Day Forward is the epitome of technical metal.
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy Metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian... read more Almost perfect - nearly every album is worthy of a "deep" introspective listen, especially for aspiring musicians!
They aren't the most technical, but they are very technical. Maiden rules, so that's why I vote for them.
Between the Buried and Me is an American progressive metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2000, the band consists of Tommy Giles Rogers, Jr.
Beyond Creation is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec. They are currently signed to Season of Mist records.
Rings of Saturn is an American technical deathcore band from the Bay Area, California. The band was formed in 2009 and was originally just a studio project. They jokingly dubbed their genre as "aliencore".
Animals as Leaders is an American progressive metal band from Washington, D.C. It is composed of guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes along with drummer Matt Garstka, having been formed by Abasi in 2007. Their musical style has also been described as djent. These guys should be number one. Simple as that.
Origin is an American death metal band from Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1998. They have been recognized by music critics and metal fans alike for combining a harsh sound with a high level of technical skill.These guys will probably end up somewhere near the bottom of the list, but they truly have some ridiculously technical stuff. They're likely one of the more technical modern black metal bands.
Their self-titled first album was recorded with a group of guest vocalists (all instruments are played by Christopher A. Erikson). Just listen to the entire album - there are some technical masterpieces within it.
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michael Lepond.
DragonForce are a British power metal band based in London, England. Formed in 1999, the group are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound.
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor.
Periphery is an American progressive metal band based in Washington, D.C., formed in 2005. They are known for their heavy, progressive sound which employs poly-rhythmic patterns and soaring melodies. They are credited with popularizing the modern djent scene. Over time they have progressed from djent... read more