American Bands

"Their influence can be heard on pretty much any death/doom band worth their salt. Winter were always closer to punk in mindset, even if the music was doom, and their sound lives on not only in those who have ripped them off over the years – that list is long – but in guitarist Stephen Flam’s new project, Göden, too, which takes its name from a Winter track and sees Flam play an array of custom-made guitars he co-designed himself."

"Along with Paradise Lost, New York outfit Winter’s only album Into Darkness helped draw a line for doom between the blues of Sabbath and the more traditional metal leanings of bands like Trouble, and somewhere much, much more grim."

"Singing was really hard on his voice. [...] He just wanted to try something with a more traditional metal singer, because he was a huge fan of bands like Iron Maiden, Manowar and bands like that. I don’t think he ever wanted to stop doing Death full time, because he knew how much that band meant to people. But he was ready for a break."

"Suffocation are like the death metal equivalent of an old roller coaster that still makes your stomach drop even though you’ve ridden it hundreds of times and there are plenty of newer rides that are faster and more jarring. If you were following death metal in the early 1990s, when there was a sudden explosion of technical proficiency across the genre, Suffocation’s work since re-forming in 2002 will probably make you nostalgic for that era."

"Every song that gets written is filtered through our own lens and our life experiences. [...] You can’t help it that whatever glasses you’re wearing are going to filter how you look at history."

"If we were using the music of the local area here, it would sound nothing like a Nile album. In a way it’s a form of escapism. There are a lot of Eastern modalities and tonalities adapted into the guitar playing, but it’s not purely authentic because it can’t be. In the same way that the soundtrack for a Mummy movie or whatever is not all ancient stuff from 5000 years ago, it’s music that puts you in that mindset, which is a different thing. Are you scoring a Hollywood movie, or being a musical preservation society? We’re a metal band, so we lean towards the ‘Hollywood making a horrific Ancient Egypt movie’ [approach]."

"We did kind of leave the religious themes alone, because we were very passionate about that for the first number of records. And once Unholy Cult came out, that was where we branched off. That's where the shift happened, 'cause that was right after 9/11, as you know! I saw it, I went down there, I had family that got killed in the towers, and it was a life-changing event in a lot of ways. And I knew at that point that things would never be the same, in our country or in the world. And that's where the shift happened, and we started to focus more on the darker side of humanity. Which we did already with the religious themes, of course, because that was a very dark part of our history. I mean not to knock anybody who's very passionate about their religion, but in my personal point of view, I've always thought of it as a very controlling and negative force. It serves as a division in our world, it divides people, just like so many other things! So that's where we are, and that's where that shift started, away from religion and into something more socially relevant and looking more deeply at ourselves."

"When we touch on religion with this record [...] I think it’s done in a new and fresh way [...] religion is still a big force in the world, it’s not something I care for, but I see how it impacts people. It’s something we are always fond of exploring, that mindset and how it affects people, and also the institutions themselves and the corruption within and the horrible things done in the name of religion [...] I have a lot of friends and we know a lot of people and fans we’ve met over the years who are pretty blunt and say “Hey, I’m not down with the anti-religious thing, but I get it” – I think they appreciate our take on it because we don’t attack so much the individual spiritualism that people find – we attack more the institutions [...] I respect anybody’s right to believe and feel and listen to and follow or do whatever they want. My only problem is when that creeps into my world and religion becomes a thorn in my side when I’m not a religious person at all. When religion works into how laws are passed and how it dictates certain things in our society – that should have zero place in my world and any who chooses not to believe’s world."

"This comes from a guitar lesson I had with (legendary shredder) Rusty Cooley where we were dissecting two concepts. The first one would be ‘Nephren-ka’; during the years that we were doing the early Nile songs, there was no scale that actually fit those songs, so we had to make what’s called a synthetic scale, which is basically it’s not a scale that exists, but you need one, so you make it up that’s specific to those purposes. So a lot of those songs on that album – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka – use the ‘Nephren-ka’ scale. Because we made it up, necessity is a mother of invention, the ‘Nephren-ka’ scale is a six-note scale. It’s not seven. It’s only got six notes. And it’s kind of like a Locrian mode with no sixth degree. The other part of this story, the ‘Pentagrammathion’ part, is yet another lesson I had with Rusty Cooley, where if you take any five-note scale, through the magic of how those notes are laid out, if you take out any one of those notes, maybe it’s this Note, maybe it’s this note, maybe it’s this note. You’re left with a four-note scale, which just happens to be a quartal minor, 11th chord, no matter which one of these notes you take out, which is kind of fascinating. So if you’re left with this four-note chord, if you add back in a fifth note, and it doesn’t have to be the same note that you took out, it could be a different note. Now we got five notes again, but depending on which note you stick back in there, you get an entirely different mode or tonality and a different set of chords that you can derive from this new artificial five-note mode. This is the pentagrammathion, because there are so many possibilities that it’s kind of like having a dial that’s got five points, and you can spin it around and wherever you spin it and add something random in, you get something new. That concept of yeah, it just changes every time. So ‘The Pentagrammathion Of Nephren-ka’ is where we took the ‘Nephren-ka’ scale and put it inside this pentagram wheel and spun it around and see what chords and tonalities and melodies are derived from, wherever the five-pointed dial ended up."

"Despite their tendon-tearing, odd-time calisthenics, tech-metallurgists Converge are just a bunch of dudes with guitars. Oh, but they're not. They're good at deceiving us: What hits the tongue like straight blitzkrieg metal leaves a peculiar aftertaste."

"As pioneers and groundbreakers of metalcore, Converge maintained consistent status as one of the most original and innovative bands to emerge from the punk underground."

"Like the Dillinger Escape Plan’s Calculating Infinity, Jane Doe succeeds at an almost unmatchable level — the lightning of perfecting your own genre does not strike twice. To this day, Jane Doe remains perhaps the most important and influential metalcore album of the 2000s, helping set in motion a scene that’s become a venerable pillar of heavy music in the two decades since."

"Converge are known as the pioneers of the genre — the widely popular metal style heard throughout modern metal that amalgamates elements of hardcore and metal. [...] While the band’s influence and contributions to heavy and extreme music are greater than their popularity, Converge has one of the most loyal cult followings in the hardcore and metal communities."

"Converge are a world unto themselves. They're one of the first names anyone mentions while trying to sum up "metalcore" in a few words. They're one of the most influential heavy bands of the last two decades. The Jane Doe cover art has created one of the most iconic T-shirts in underground rock music. And crucially, Converge as an entity is bigger than the sum of its parts."

"From the first dissonant notes of “The Saddest Day,” it was undeniable that a new extreme formula had been discovered, blending hardcore and extreme metal together with an ingenious, progressive, chaotic twist. “The Saddest Day” is what a hungry band sounds like — saying “fuck it” to the status quo of their scene and freely experimenting with every dynamic they could conjure up."

"Converge used to call themselves “hardcore kids with leftover Slayer riffs,” and that hasn’t fully described them since solidifying the lineup of J Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Netwon, and Ben Koller that made every album from 2001’s Jane Doe onwards, but it was a pretty perfect descriptor back in the ’90s when Bannon and Ballou were still working their way through different lineups and finding their sound. Converge would go on to become one of the most definitive metal/punk bands of the 21st century, one with a sound too diverse to tie to any one genre, but they fit somewhat neatly into the burgeoning metalcore movement when they released their first three ’90s records."

"No love! No hope!"

"If you're not familiar with this kind of music you might be blown back by the apocalyptic screech of frontman Jacob Bannon's vocals. It's clear with each gritty blast that the guy is screaming out his lungs for you. Naturally, you can't follow a single word but the vox bleed into the furious guitars and it's all acidic corrosion."

"The band’s constant swing between noisy traditional racket and dissonant doom moved away from metal's beats-per-minute arms race and reveled in the bodily weirdness that was at the heart of the genre's growth throughout the ’90s."

""Battery Acid Enema," ' as quoted by"

"Death metal has changed quite a bit since the birth of the genre. Every aspect of sonic extremity that could be conceived has been pushed, be that the tempo, production, level of consonance (what’s usually called “harmony”), chromaticism, vocals, and everything in between. Formed in 1987 in California, Autopsy have seen all of that evolution from the very start and always chose during their formative years to be a part of the group pushing boundaries, ignoring at all times what might prove to be more marketable or trendy to pursue their own form of sonic barbarism and their own always-disgusting horror aesthetic."

"That's where they die That's where they suicide"

"Death metal songs about death are more or less mandatory, but Autopsy attacked the topic with real piss and vinegar. ' introduced the world to a band that took gore seriously."

""Charred Remains," ' (1988) as quoted by"

"Death is not a limited band where I want the same, simple beat through everything. I’m inspired by a lot of bands that aren’t death metal. I’ve got influences that come from different types of music, different types of metal. To say being technical isn’t allowed in this type of band, I just think that’s a narrow-minded statement. It’s coming from someone who doesn’t understand my direction. They don’t have to like it. But if you really wanna get into the reasoning of it, Death isn’t a band that I want to limit."

"Throughout their career, Death proved that there’s more to extreme music than just provocative, gruesome lyrics and blistering fast instrumentals. Lead songwriter Chuck Schuldiner was simply a master of metal songwriting both from an instrumental and lyrical standpoint. [...] The vast majority of Death’s discography is timeless and exudes a prowess of extreme metal songwriting unlike any other band."

"By the late ’80s/early ’90s the primitive, zombie, blood and gore obsessed death metal had evolved to a more progressive style with lyrics delving into the dark side of human nature and suffering. Every one of Death’s albums has a distinct sound, and there were many line up changes over the years. Death’s legacy is heard in many extreme metal bands, and the impact his guitar playing had on the scene and music cannot be overstated. Death is a band that influenced all extreme metal genres, from thrash, and black metal to grind core and prog/djent."

"I can’t believe this band has lasted so long. Maybe the reason we’ve been going for so long is that I still haven’t made the ultimate record. But I’m proud of everything we’ve done along the way. Will we ever get there? I dunno. I doubt that I shall ever be completely happy."

"Like Atheist, Cynic used death metal’s framework as a mere springboard to devise a wholly original, genre-straddling new sound, as alien as the creature gracing their sole full-length of the 1990’s now legendary ‘Focus.’ Vocalist/guitarist Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert had already showcased their skills on Death’s 1991 triumph ‘Human,’ and yet not even that prepared the metal world for this startling mutation, built on unorthodox riff/drum combinations, jazz-like improvisations, and vocal styles that ranged from a death growls, to female and robotic vocals, all intoning esoteric lyrics. Without any hyperbole, the end results were so brilliant that it simply couldn’t last, and Cynic soon disappeared for over a decade."

""Hacksaw Decapitation," ' (1999) as quoted by Jon Wiederhorn of"

""Starring Through the Eyes of the Dead," ' (1994)"

"These guys are hands down, the undisputed kings of death metal."

"It wasn't unusual for mainstream metal and hard rock bands to use keyboards, but it was hardly typical in the underground world of death metal, thrash, and grindcore. Nocturnus, of course, didn't want to be typical, which is why The Key is among the more interesting death metal releases of 1990."

""Hammer Smashed Face," ' (1992) as quoted by"

"The idea of a completely melody free, utterly brutal death metal band that specialize in the most stomach-churning lyrics and imagery ever seen in music -- going on to become million sellers and Hollywood movie stars -- is like something from an alternate universe."

""I Cum Blood," ' (1992) as quoted by"

""Fucked With a Knife," ' (1994) as quoted by"

"Cannibal Corpse is by and large the face of the death metal sub-genre, and they have been ever since they broke out into scene in the early ‘90s. [...] the band’s ferocious songwriting and often comically vile lyrics have lended them to becoming one of metal’s most notorious and celebrated bands."

""Flesh and the Power it Holds" was one of the first tracks I discovered of Death and actually the first song I was able to play on guitar. Pretty good choice, great songwriting and fantastic riffs that itches under your skin. While the whole last album is a classic, the earlier material such as Human got me and since the first listen I have been a fan. "Flesh and the Power it Holds" is a pretty long song, but it never gets boring; it keeps you listening from the first to the last note. Still one of my all time favorites."

""Severed Head Stoning," ' as quoted by"

""Intestinal Crank," ' (2012) as quoted by"

"I am my own self-ruler I need not any ministry I see our music scares you Can't you see that? There's no truth in modern religion A god we do not praise There's no truth in heaven or hell Or what lies in between There's no truth in a man-made Bible So who are they to say? There's no truth, we are our own god And that's the only way People living their lives By something never seen Dreaming all their lives Of a place they've never been Why can't you see you live a lie? Humor yourself until you die We're atheist as you can see We all control our own divinity There's no truth"

"One of the main reasons Atheist ended up being such a strange band was we were trying so hard not to sound like anybody else that we went way overboard. We were outsiders within an outsider's scene so we made it doubly hard for ourselves."

"What man creates Man will surely destroy The rule of thumb In the mouths of little boys Earth spins delight We kill everything in sight To serve the needs And all purple skies will bleed And a bird flies weak Against polluted skies Before it dies And nature becomes illegal According to rules Made by fools"

"Down in Florida, people were listening to Nasty Savage and Savatage as well as shredders like Randy Rhoads before the really heavy stuff started with bands like Celtic Frost, Slayer, Hellhammer and Venom."

"They say you have a lifetime to write your first album and this was the case with Piece of Time. We didn't our entire lifetime creating it, but we spent many hours in a very hot warehouse in South Florida making our best attempt to combine the finesse and technical execution that we heard in Rush, with the ferocity we heard in Slayer and Merciful Fate."

"Arguably the ultimate progressive metal band of their day, Atheist's impossibly Byzantine death-jazz proved too advanced even for committed metalheads to stomach. Over the span of three albums admirably recorded in spite of crippling adversity, the band's inventive but inaccessible style has earned them a lasting respect, but likewise compromised their chances of attaining widespread success."

"Ronnie Galetti used to have all these TV sets onstage that he'd smash, and I remember putting my fist through some of them. Talk about a show, the guy used to roll around in the glass from the TVs, and one night I saw his old lady pulling broken glass out of his back after the gig and I thought, Holy shit, this is the real deal."

"We moved from Miami to Tampa when we were young, and the first people we came in contact with in our neighborhood were the guys in Nasty Savage and Savatage. Those were the two bands that even got us interested in playing music."

"Anyone doubting that Florida’s death metal community represented the absolute cutting edge of metallic invention during the early ‘90s need look no further than Sarasota natives, Atheist, whose experiments in jazz fusion – soon dubbed death-jazz – remain without peer, even today. Led by vocalist and guitarist Kelly Shaefer, Atheist began life as R.A.V.A.G.E. (Raging Atheists Vowing a Gory End) before making a head-spinning first impression with 1990’s ‘Piece of Time’ showcasing the incomparable bass skills of Roger Patterson (hailed by many as Cliff Burton’s heir apparent). But when Patterson was killed in a horrific van crash, the band recruited Tony Choy to give life to his bass lines on the group’s arguable masterpiece, ‘Unquestionable Presence.’"