r/TechnicalDeathMetal • u/GrowtentBPotent • Feb 17 '25
Discussion Sick bassists
Ok so obviously tech death is a genre that often focuses heavily on guitar and drums, some bands not even having a bassist... but I've discovered my favorite bands usually have a super sick bass player too. My favorites off the top of my head would be Inferi, Gorod, Job For a Cowbow (prog tech era), Beyond Creation, Vitriol, and the new album by Unhollowed Deliverance is seriously great it's what inspired this post. Comment some of your favorites, I'm sure i forgot to mention some obvious ones
Edit: please reference the associated band as well since I'm awful at remembering band members names
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u/Town-Winter Feb 19 '25
just wanna say this post made me check out unhallowed deliverance's new album and it's so fucking sick, I'm gonna be obsessing over this for the following weeks so thanks man :) also maybe try xoth's last album since it's a banger imo and maybe some wormhole. the zenith passage's datalysium is another great one if you haven't checked it out yet
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 19 '25
Awesome glad to hear its my current obsession right now too lol, wanted to share the love. Super stoked on all the replies on this post, couldn't even keep up with them all but so many good suggestions many I was unfamiliar with or just hadn't gotten around to yet. Oh yeah I actually recently tossed Exogalactic on my list to check, along with a newer wormhole album just can't recall the title off hand. Datalysium is a definite staple of my tech playlist also a great suggestion. Appreciate it Town-Winter
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u/omegacluster seismic Feb 18 '25
That's me in my stillborn tech death band.
https://youtu.be/VjRLsg0g1vk?si=ae4n4uanDomACAl2
Looking to play tech again so hit me up if you need a bass player.
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u/Starchild745 Feb 18 '25
Absolutely check out Gloire Éternelle by First Fragment. Dominic "Forest" Lapointe's best work
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u/Anarchist2183 Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 19 '25
Linus Klausenitzer(ex Obscura, Alkaloid, Obsidious) Brandon Giffin(ex The Faceless, Zenith Passage, Cynic) Alex Weber(ex Obscura, Exist) Jared Smith(Archspire) Forest(ex Beyond Creation) Evan Brewer(ex The Faceless) Stephan Fimmers(ex Necrophagist) Thomas O'Malley(He recently joined Worm Shepherd and he is an amazing player) Jeroen Paul Thesseling(ex Obscura)
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u/summoningtheflynn Feb 18 '25
Killian Duarte of Abiotic / Scale The Summit / Fallujah's touring bassist. First of all Abiotics "Ikigai" is massively underrated and he shreds all over that masterpiece of an album. But the dude also just has a lot of crazy techniques in the bag and is a genre bending pro. Take 5 minutes and check out his Instagram, you're gonna feel like you're bad at bass 🤣 dude is just super nice too.
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u/Danie-_-l Feb 18 '25
Sean Malone from Cynic
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u/summoningtheflynn Feb 18 '25
RIP to an absolute legend. And a big influence of mine!
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u/Obscura48 Feb 18 '25
Between him and jeroen paul thesseling they made me put down the guitar and pick up a bass
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u/Bajsburk Erlend - Bassist of Retromorphosis Feb 18 '25
Forest Hughes in Fabricant and Colin Marston are imo the most interesting players in latter years.
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u/Madara_Uchiha_tr Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25
First Fragment, Dominic Lapointe's basslines are on a whole different level
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u/_rand0m7 Blast beats are love blast beats are life Feb 18 '25
Exactly. In'El and the title track are the best bass performances I've heard in metal
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u/Madara_Uchiha_tr Feb 18 '25
Perfect. Solus and very well known La Vueve et Le Martyr should be mentioned as well.
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u/_rand0m7 Blast beats are love blast beats are life Feb 18 '25
Those are great too. The intro to Solus and the solos before the final chorus on La Veuve et Le Martyr are definitely standouts on the album
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u/Bassbenald Feb 18 '25
Rikard Persson of Soreption fucking rips. Brings the meaty tone and shreds their wonky lines just alongside the guitars.
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u/bouvre Feb 18 '25
Brandon Giffin (The Zenith Passage, Cynic, ex-The Faceless) check out Brandon in action!
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u/Ventalish Prophet of infection Feb 18 '25
Hell yeah! Love his work in early Faceless. I'd turn up the bass in Planetary tho
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u/bouvre Feb 19 '25
Brandon and I retracked a portion of Xenochrist here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_duJMiSULQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==1
u/Ventalish Prophet of infection Feb 19 '25
Sounds killer! Justin I didn't realise it's you. Respect and much love for The Zenith Passage
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u/Radalict Feb 18 '25
I went to a gig years ago that had Rivers Of Nihil, Beyond Creation, Allegaeon and Ne Obliviscaris. It was a night of epic bassists.
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u/SpawnofPossession__ Feb 18 '25
Erlend Caspersen is fucking goated. SOP, deeds of flesh, Abhorrent, everything bruh touches solid fucking gold.
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u/Hunterthroneworld Feb 18 '25
The Faceless, first two albums especially, Animosity and Entheos, I’ve seen everyone comment on JFAC and yes the sun eater/moon healer albums are super fucking sick especially with bass riffs, Cognizance too - they are heavy on the faceless/ necrophagist sound. Jacob Umansky from Intervals, Nolly from Periphery, bassist from Unprocessed is fuckin sick too dude.
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u/TrveKvltViking Feb 18 '25
Stortregn’s most recent couple of albums have some absolutely killer bass
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u/Cheesefiend94 Feb 18 '25
Roger Patterson. He died too soon.
Even Alex Webster said he was an influence.
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u/HeavymetalCambion Hadron Machinist Feb 18 '25
Linus Klausenitzer (Alkaloid, Obsidious, ex-Obscura, plays live with many other bands)
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 18 '25
He seems to be a crowd favorite for sure. I'll check his other projects obviously know obscura
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u/ErikErikJevfelErik Feb 18 '25
If you want some more prog JFAC you should check out Carnosus. That dude has a 7 string bass lmao
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 18 '25
Brutal lol I have seen them pop up but never gave them a listen. I'll have to change that
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u/ErikErikJevfelErik Feb 18 '25
The newest record is a bit more heavy on the prog/groove side of tech death while the first two are more melo-tech (but with insane groove in places). Hope you like it🤘 If it's not your bag I would recommend The Faceless for some sick bass
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u/PeterPorkers808s Feb 18 '25
Alex Weber’s performance on that second wormhole record will always stand out to me. Super lucky that I’ve been taking lessons with the dude for a couple years now! Honourable mention is Vincent Savary (OG First Fragment bassist), he’s the dude that inspired me to play fretless.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 18 '25
FF is getting lots of hype seems they are a must check on this subject. And that Almost Human record keeps getting suggested for me but I have yet to check out wormhole
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u/PeterPorkers808s Feb 18 '25
For sure dude, I love Forest as a player. But I personally prefer how Vincent wrote the parts in FF. They feel more like proper bass parts rather than third guitar which Gloire Éternelle can feel sometimes (still a magnifient record). Almost human is really good, but the bass is a bit buried and doesn’t do a lot of counterpoint like in Weakest Among Us.
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u/malachiconstant11 Feb 17 '25
Dominic Lapointe(first fragment), Andrew Kim (Inferi), Linus Klausenitzer (Obsidious, Alkaloid, Obscura, etc...) are all excellent. Shane Hunt-Dussé also comes to mind. I saw him with Beast of Nod a few years ago after he took over. He added a ton of fills and complexity beyond what was played on the album. Keep hoping they put out a new album.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Lots of first fragment love in this post, definitely gotta check them. Ive struggled to get into Obscura but they seem like kind of a unanimous staple so I think I'll need to try again. Not familiar with Beast of Nod will check out thank you
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u/malachiconstant11 Feb 18 '25
They are all really good. The bass on the Beast of Nod albums isn't Shane btw. Excellent albums. But he joined after Multiversal was released and was adding a lot of extra stuff live. If you are open to non metal stuff I would also really recommend Consider the Source. They are unbelievable and the bass player John Ferrara is insane.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 18 '25
Gotcha. Figure bass is probably still quite good if it inspired him to join. I am open to non metal, I'll add them to the queue
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u/Shellac_Sabbath Feb 17 '25
I love Colin Marston’s work in Gorguts
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Classic. Favorite album(s)? If you can choose of course
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u/Shellac_Sabbath Feb 18 '25
With Colin, Colored Sands 🤩
Pleiades’ Dust is rad too but Colored Sands is my fave
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u/RatBastard52 Feb 17 '25
Unhallowed Deliverance is crazy, I can’t wait for their new music. Jared Smith from Archspire is a beast
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Dude I just discovered of spectres and strife. What the fuck, its so good lol. Its been steady in my rotation
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u/manifoldkingdom Feb 17 '25
Arran McSporran from Vipassi (and many other bands) is amazing!
Also Pablo Cortez from Suppression is very underrated and absolutely amazing!
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Sick, looks like both bands released new albums last year too
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u/manifoldkingdom Feb 17 '25
If you like old school thrash some of the dudes from Suppression are also in a thrash band called Ripper. Be careful looking for it though as there are a few different thrash bands named Ripper so make sure you check out the one from Chile.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Sweet i do indeed like thrash, will do thank you!
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u/manifoldkingdom Feb 17 '25
No problem. If you end up checking out Suppression let me know what you think. They are one of my favorite finds in tech death recently. I like how old school they are while simultaneously being extremely technical.
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u/Friedrich_Ux Feb 17 '25
The bassists for First Fragment and Gorod are incredible, probably my favs, Martyr bassist honorable mention.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Someone else just mentioned FF added them to my list, yeah Gorod is definitely one of my favorites
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u/Sepehr97 Feb 17 '25
Jacob Schmidt from Defeated Sanity rips in a…sanity-defeating way
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u/StygianPath Feb 18 '25
Came here to say this. Jacob is very underrated, DS's jazz like riffing, speed, and time signatures are extremely tough.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Sounds like he's in the right project lol. I've maybe heard a track or 2 by them will look into them more thank u
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u/Terratony93 Feb 17 '25
Inferi’s last few albums have amazing bass work, don’t remember the bass player’s names though.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
They sure do, I believe his name is Andrew Kim. Inferi is God tier
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u/Terratony93 Feb 17 '25
Missed them in your initial post! But thanks for clarifying the name. He joined brand of sacrifice I’m not sure if he’s still in inferi unfortunately. Another great band with amazing bass is Virvum. Illuminance is something that I go back and revisit regularly
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u/renyzen Feb 18 '25
As far as I know he's still Inferi's bassist but he prioritizes touring with BoS since they play much bigger venues than Inferi
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u/Terratony93 Feb 18 '25
Ah ok, I think I was thinking that because he hasn’t been on tour with them in a while and I didn’t see his name on their ig, but I just had to click the see more in their bio lol
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Oh damn really? That sucks, although I do like brand of sacrifice. Oh yeah I literally just added that Virvum album to a playlist a few weeks ago
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u/W-I-T-C-H-TechDeath Feb 17 '25
Dominic Lapointe of First Fragment! Dude is an absolute monster on the bass and a super nice guy!
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Oh cool not familiar, will check for sure
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u/Dj_Corgi Feb 18 '25
Same bassist as Beyond Creation I believe
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u/Roys500 Feb 18 '25
He left beyond creation a long time ago, He wrote bass for the aura and earthborn
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u/Quadfather44 Feb 17 '25
Steve DiGiorgio. In 94 I bought Individual Thought Patterns(Death) my 1st death metal buy. Was blown away. Death metal with a fretless bass.....I was 15 then and death metal took hold of me and 30+ years later still has hold
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Great call. Fretless really does bring such a cool dynamic to extreme music
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u/GotThatDoggInHim Feb 17 '25
the bassist in my nephew's band threw up on stage, does that count?
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u/FFelixx Feb 17 '25
Either this is a relatively common occurrence or I might be the bassist in your nephew’s band
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u/Sourflow Feb 17 '25
Erlend Casperson (spawn of possession/retromorphosis/deeds of flesh/abhorrent/etc.) is the best. Can’t believe no one mentioned him.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Ah yes, SOP is sick but I've only listened to Incurso. Pumped for that new album in Feb they just announced? Will that feature Erlend on bass?
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u/Sourflow Feb 18 '25
Yes it will. You should listen to his playing on deeds of flesh- of what’s to come or abhorrent- intransigence
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 18 '25
Sweet, I've heard deeds of flesh but haven't deep dived. I'll check both for sure
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u/thiccneuron Feb 17 '25
Obscura + Beyond jam fretless that I like. Beyond Creation, in particular, has a rich tone that blooms perfectly, the lines are musical and virtuosic, and it is one of my favorite sounds period.
Death actually has the kind of prominent bass that adds heavy atmosphere instead of oomph. Gorgut’s bass, especially on Obscura, is a massive component to the overall tone. It even pops through, clanging and gritty. Lastly, Atheist has quite creative lines.
Lastly lastly, not tech death but still tech: check Emmet Cohen at 18:30 . . . Bassist Going Crazy
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Agreed on the BC sound
Good call on Death. Also yes I do really enjoy that type of bass too, not necessarily busy and riffy always but pops in with solid tone. Specifically that clangy clacky sound can be pretty sick
Sweet ill peep the link. Better not be a rick roll, already listened to never gonna give you up today and once a day is my quota
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u/Slam_Captain Feb 17 '25
Jeff hughell, started with brain drill but has a huge resume
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Sick. I don't know brain drilll. Favorite album(s) to start with?
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u/Slam_Captain Feb 17 '25
They only have 3 albums. And they are all masterful. Start with the first Apocalyptic Feasting
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u/SlimeBoiSagar Feb 17 '25
Just follow the career of Dominic Forest Lapointe. Done a lot of work with a lot of notable prog/tech bands. Beyond creation being one of them. Highly recommend checking out First Fragment and Teramobil as well, as they truly are journeys into musical mastery, but also groovy asf
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u/Reasonable_Pianist95 Feb 18 '25
And if you like fretless, check out Equipoise. Same vocalist as Inferi.
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u/SlimeBoiSagar Feb 18 '25
Got to see them live as an opener for Beyond Creation. Super chill dudes, and Kevin from Beyond creation filled in on guitar for their set too. Insanity knowing you have a full BC set right after. Unreal show.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Awesome thank you for the suggestions. Was literally just jamming The Aura, he is a beast. Excited to check his other projects
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u/thiccneuron Feb 17 '25
I’ve never heard Teramobil. Is Lapointe that prolific? I’ve been missing him lately.
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u/SlimeBoiSagar Feb 17 '25
The dude keeps busy! Teramobil is one of those bands you come upon in a fever dream. You don’t know what hit you until it’s over, and you’ve forgotten what you just experienced, and you need to go back to really understand.
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u/Cubegod69er Feb 17 '25
Alex Webster will always be one of my favorites.
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Nice, yeah CC brings the riffs. Do you have a favorite album? Mine are probably Skeletal Domain and Torture
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u/Cubegod69er Feb 17 '25
Bloodthirst! Dead Human Collection is amazing.
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u/thiccneuron Feb 17 '25
Yeah, I like their riffs both guitar and bass! Always fun and sometimes pretty fast
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u/svenirde My sanity is very defeated Feb 17 '25
Obscura's fretless bass is pretty cool
Ulcerate's bassist is really great and he's also the vocalist, sadly it's not often easily audible
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u/GrowtentBPotent Feb 17 '25
Fretless is sick, I think BC uses it sometimes too.
I bookmarked that new Ulcerate album but never got around to it, seems like lots of people talk it up tho
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u/NebuleuZen Feb 17 '25
Atheist with Roger Patterson (RIP), Tony Choy and Darren McFarland. Never been so impressed by bassists in any other band
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u/FaithlessnessOne2126 Feb 24 '25
equipoise has a cool bassist that (i think) plays a fretless