Best of Technical Death Metal 2021 - CTEBCM: Can This Even Be Called Music?

So, the question on everyone’s lips: who had the craziest chops of 2021?

Number Five: Sleep Terror – Above Snakes

Let’s start with a fun one! Luke Jaeger’s band Sleep Terror released a spaghetti Western-themed tech-death album this year, and it’s great! You get a great show of musicianship from the tech-death side of things, but also from the Country music side of things, with calls to Albert Lee and others! Fantastic job!

Number Four: Ophidian I – Desolate

One of the surprises of the year: Reykjavík’s Ophidian I, with one of the best over-the-top tech-death albums of 2021! Their debut album leaves its mark after it’s done with you. So, expect to hear from them again when they come up with an inevitable follow-up album!

Number Three: First Fragment – Gloire éternelle

You can’t go wrong with Beyond Creation’s bassist and Chthe’ilist’s guitarist, as well as other experiences experts of their instruments. First Fragment surprised the world with Le Serment de Tsion, and on Gloire éternelle, they bring back their Baroque influences on a concept album and riff salad. It’s a dizzying album from start to finish, and that’s why I love it!

Number Two: Archspire – Bleed the Future

Amazing production, killer riffs, but, most importantly, 350 BPM gravity blasts! Archspire have been for some year the spearhead of tech-death, and although their impressive musicianship has lost its novel appeal and surprise factor, it’s still some of the best out there, and it’s endlessly entertaining to listen and try to figure out just how they manage to play it!

Number One: Vitrified Entity – Eternal Vitreous Dissolve

That’s certainly the most impressive album of the year in tech-death. It’s a bit short on production quality and length, but we’re here for the riffs, and those are definitely the wildest riffs of the year, and all played by seventeen-year old Caleb Simard! What an impressive feat! Hopefully, we can expect a long musical career from this guy!

Notable Releases

Hover over foreign scripts for pronunciation and romanization.

Friday, 1 January

Zac Leaser – Ostiārius

48:21
technical death metal
Fort Worth, Texas
Independent

Number Five: Sleep Terror – Above Snakes

Number Four: Ophidian I – Desolate

Number Three: First Fragment – Gloire éternelle

Number Two: Archspire – Bleed the Future

Number One: Vitrified Entity – Eternal Vitreous Dissolve

Notable Releases

Friday, 1 January

Zac Leaser – Ostiārius

Friday, 12 February

Abiotic – 生き甲斐

Friday, 26 March

Sleep Terror – Above Snakes

Friday, 16 April

Intonate – Severed Within

Ophidian I – Desolate

Friday, 23 July

Prognostication – Collapse

Friday, 10 September

Īnferī – Vile Genesis

Friday, 17

Swelling Repulsion – The Severed Path

Saturday, 25 September

Vitrified Entity – Eternal Vitreous Dissolve

Friday, 15 October

Deviant Process – Nurture

Friday, 29

Archspire – Bleed the Future

First Fragment – Gloire éternelle

Primordial Ooze – Parasitic Intoxicant

Friday, 26 November

Palsied – Certain Death Austerities

Friday, 3 December

Dormant Ordeal – The Grand Scheme of Things

Friday, 31 December

Hadal Maw – Oblique Order

Best of 2021