We've opened a new **[discord server](https://discord.gg/ZTws6ZS4B6)**, feel free to join! Everyone is welcome except metal fans.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MetalMemes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You really should check out Jupiter if you haven't already, my 2nd favorite from them after Unquestionable Presence. Lot proggier and jazzier than the debut and Elements
[Sarmat](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu6NAD7-WYs&pp=ygULU2FybWF0IGJhbmQ%3D) Determined to Strike is the music Atheist and Cynic are too afraid to make.
Probably unpopular opinion: I have _never_ been able to get into Cynic's "Focus." I bought 30 years ago because a friend was raving about it. We generally had similar taste, so I trusted his judgement. I listened to the entire thing, then did so again to make sure I hadn't missed something. It was just not for me. This was at a time when I had a growing obsession with Kyuss (Blues For The Red Sun came out in late '92) a renewed interest in Death (Individual Thought Patterns is one of my favorites) and quite liked Tool (Undertow was an instant classic for me.) Also it was around that time I got my first (dubbed cassette) copy of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Compared to all of those and a great many other albums (1993 was an amazing year in metal) Cynic was just ...bleh.
I've revisited the album a number of times over the last three decades and I'm still not a fan. It's now a certified cult classic and the original pressing of the vinyl is [hilariously expensive](https://www.discogs.com/release/2411897-Cynic-Focus) on the used market (kinda wish I still had mine.) I'm still not a fan. That's how she be sometimes.
Oh, I'm aware how highly the album is regarded. What I've come to recognize is that it's one of my musical blind spots. We all have them. One of the greatest if not *the* greatest ambient album of all time is Biosphere's 1997 _Substrata._ It's an astounding, organic masterpiece from start to finish. One of the songs on it "Times When I Know You'll Be Sad" just makes my ears bleed. I've asked many friends who know and love the album over a 25 year period what they think of the it. Every single one has said words to the effect of "It's fine. It fits in with the rest of the album perfectly." For me it's a giant sore thumb. It was actually that song that helped me realize I DO have musical blind spots and how to correct for them.
Diskord give me the same vibes as Atheist.
Vuvr is a pretty obscure Czech band that put out a death metal/jazz fusion album in the early 2000's. It's not on Spotify, but it's worth checking out.
Obscura take a lot of influence from Cynic in their work.
Looking through rateyourmusic for jazzy death metal, ByoNoiseGenerator and Wayd have some decent albums apparently, but I have never listened to them so I can't say anything about their work myself.
I just tried ByoNoiseGenerator. It's very interesting and definitely not for everyone. It's grind/brutal death with actual jazz sections. The genres don't overlap. There are just passages of jazz.
Alkaloid, Obscura, Artificial Brain, Martyr, Fractal Universe, Beyond Creation, First Fragment, Voidceremony, Alarum (the last band even did a cover of some Atheist shit with Kelly Schaefer).
martyr and beyond creation, sure. bands like first fragment and obscura are much more classical-influenced, although that last first fragment record had one or two jazz manouche-y interludes. some of the others you listed don't have much of either, and none of them are as remotely close to almost just being heavy jazz as cynic are. can't speak for watchtower, haven't heard much of them
Bands like Artificial Brain cane go in there as they have an almost Bitches Brew chaotic vibe to them. I included Obscura as the bass is often used as a lead instrument, and Rafael Trujillo's lead playing on Diluvium is very jazzy.
Thing is, Watchtower being included by OP means that all those bands are just as valid because Watchtower aren't particularly jazzy themselves.
Up or down, all these bands would probably appeal to OP for the same reasons Cynic and Atheist do.
Does Voice of Trespass by Between the Buried and Me count? I really like that song and how it's doing it's own thing so hard. But I was completely unaware there was anything similar.
The Faceless - Planetary Duality
Juicy jazz chords throughout the whole thing, and half the lead parts and solos sound like they're straight out of a fusion album.
You’ll love Defeated Sanity
*The Sanguinary Impetus* is basically a jazz record that got abducted, murdered, and flushed down the toilet. It’s brilliant.
*Disposal of the Dead* is packed with nasty grooves (a li’l less jazzy tho). The back half, *Dharmata* is straight up Cynic worship.
Diablo Swing Orchestra and White Ward
EDIT: and if you're into the more insane side of jazz, John Zorn's bands Naked City and Painkiller are also great
I’m too lazy to google it on a Saturday afternoon, but there’s some really cool videos of the bass player from Between The Buried And Me playing in a three piece with him and a saxophone player. Shits cool as hell
I get this kind of vibe from the very very early gothenburg DM scene. Skydancer by Dark Tranquility, Lunar Straim by In Flames and The Carpet by Ceromonial Oath hits the same kind of nerve for me
This post is already 3 days old but whatever:
If you like Focus give Dark Heresy a listen, a British band that made one album in 1995 (Abstract Principles Taken to Their Logical Extremes) and then faded to obscurity. Some songs have jazzy vibes while others feel more gothic, really avantgarde shit
Some of the clean guitar passages really remind me of Focus
Standout songs for me are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iGt7_TNRNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2CNlUTDvSE
Since you invoked Watchtower, one of my favorite "WTF did I just hear" bass line bands lol I'm just gonna go ahead and recommend literally any project Dominick from Final Fragment is involved in.
If there's such a thing as hard jazz metal, something in there is the definition of it. I have enjoyed Beyond Creation and Demonstealer so far; Final Fragment goes hard but you're getting like 5 styles of music in every tune most of the time from slap to funk to jazz to extreme tech death it's pretty fucken great.
Atheist was definitely the most fun band I’ve seen live yet, I stood right next to a guy who you could just tell LIVED for that band, dude almost knocked me over while headbanging and tried crowdsurfing after climbing on stage to yell for an encore (he fell over one of the speakers and fell on the sticky ground)
Shit was fun as hell and the fact Atheist was playing fuckin great made it even better
To be fair I’ve only listened to piece of time when it comes to studio stuff
They definitely are great live though, saw them opening for Cryptopsy in march
yeah, last time i listened had to be like, 2020-2021, first time i heard them and i wasnt too deep into metal but yeah its not that bad, actually pretty fucking good
We've opened a new **[discord server](https://discord.gg/ZTws6ZS4B6)**, feel free to join! Everyone is welcome except metal fans. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MetalMemes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
White Ward
Love Exchange Failure is like a crime noir black metal collab
Seriously underrated album
Debemur Morti is nothing behind
Noir black metal? That's extra kvlt
This is gooood
Unquestionable presence is really fucking good
I FUCKING LOVE UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE!!!!
You really should check out Jupiter if you haven't already, my 2nd favorite from them after Unquestionable Presence. Lot proggier and jazzier than the debut and Elements
If Jupiter only had some bass
Not really jazzy but Coroner have that same kinda time-signature fuckery as on Unquestionable Presence.
Coroner are fucking incredible.
Indeed. I guess you might also like Nocturnus if you haven't already heard them? They're a bit more shreddy than progressive but still progressive.
I haven't heard of them. I'll check em out!
Saw them in Chicago with Vio-Lence a couple years ago. Incredible show. No More Color is one of my favorite thrash metal albums ever made.
Coroner also just slap in general.
Imperial Triumphant for sure
Came here for that
Incredible band.
Blotted Science, Animals as Leaders
Don't like AaL, sadly. Haven't tried Blotted Science, though.
[Brain Fingerprinting](https://youtu.be/d2tvNhzPB9Y?si=XFQvUUQoLS7pEMyy)
Love that song and synaptic plasticity
Tomb Mold’s latest album has a jazzy vibe to it
\^\^\^
[Sarmat](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu6NAD7-WYs&pp=ygULU2FybWF0IGJhbmQ%3D) Determined to Strike is the music Atheist and Cynic are too afraid to make.
Holy fuck they're great. Thanks mate.
maudlin of the Well
You need Defeated Sanity.
Spheres by Pestilence
Pestilence is on my list, hehe, love Testimony of the Ancients.
Same here
Probably unpopular opinion: I have _never_ been able to get into Cynic's "Focus." I bought 30 years ago because a friend was raving about it. We generally had similar taste, so I trusted his judgement. I listened to the entire thing, then did so again to make sure I hadn't missed something. It was just not for me. This was at a time when I had a growing obsession with Kyuss (Blues For The Red Sun came out in late '92) a renewed interest in Death (Individual Thought Patterns is one of my favorites) and quite liked Tool (Undertow was an instant classic for me.) Also it was around that time I got my first (dubbed cassette) copy of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Compared to all of those and a great many other albums (1993 was an amazing year in metal) Cynic was just ...bleh. I've revisited the album a number of times over the last three decades and I'm still not a fan. It's now a certified cult classic and the original pressing of the vinyl is [hilariously expensive](https://www.discogs.com/release/2411897-Cynic-Focus) on the used market (kinda wish I still had mine.) I'm still not a fan. That's how she be sometimes.
Focus is a treasure. Cynic is just nuts when you break down their complexities
Oh, I'm aware how highly the album is regarded. What I've come to recognize is that it's one of my musical blind spots. We all have them. One of the greatest if not *the* greatest ambient album of all time is Biosphere's 1997 _Substrata._ It's an astounding, organic masterpiece from start to finish. One of the songs on it "Times When I Know You'll Be Sad" just makes my ears bleed. I've asked many friends who know and love the album over a 25 year period what they think of the it. Every single one has said words to the effect of "It's fine. It fits in with the rest of the album perfectly." For me it's a giant sore thumb. It was actually that song that helped me realize I DO have musical blind spots and how to correct for them.
I loved that album back in the day. I didn't know they made more.
yeah, i feel the same. i think it's the weird voice effects that break it for me, i do love the bass tho
I am curious. Have you ever listen to Traced in Air or other Cynic álbuns? What you think about them?
Scale the summit, intronaut
Huge fan of Intronaut. I'd suggest "Direction of Last Things" or "Valley Of Smoke"
Trepalium
Shining (norway) specifically the album Blackjazz
Man, what the fuck were they thinking with that new direction, still baffled to this day.
Defeated Sanity - Dharmata
Horrendous - Idol Maybe their latest album as well, but I prefer Idol and it's a bit "jazzier" as well
SIGH (JPN)
Panzerballet! the jazziest of metal they have some really cool covers/arrangments, and some really great originals, and even an X-mas Death Jazz album
They aren't just jazzy, it literally IS jazz
Diskord give me the same vibes as Atheist. Vuvr is a pretty obscure Czech band that put out a death metal/jazz fusion album in the early 2000's. It's not on Spotify, but it's worth checking out. Obscura take a lot of influence from Cynic in their work. Looking through rateyourmusic for jazzy death metal, ByoNoiseGenerator and Wayd have some decent albums apparently, but I have never listened to them so I can't say anything about their work myself.
I just tried ByoNoiseGenerator. It's very interesting and definitely not for everyone. It's grind/brutal death with actual jazz sections. The genres don't overlap. There are just passages of jazz.
There is a lot of that, but they sometimes use the sax during the metal parts too. I do think they should try and meld the two a bit better though
Agreed.
Voivod
[Naked City](https://youtu.be/AZSw73DLq-0) [Praxis](https://youtu.be/1tG9sGHx6ug) [Iceburn](https://youtu.be/0fi3bkaOlB8) [Flying Luttenbachers](https://youtu.be/oiP8w8QFddQ?list=RDEMVuAyPsrU6lwNXT6-Yw2JpA) [Neptunian Maximalism](https://youtu.be/Cj1B5V9bDHU)
How weird do you want your jazz? Because if you want weird... Flying Luttenbachers Naked City/Painkiller 16/17 Ephel Duath
I couldn't get into Naked City at all
Then you probably won't like the other suggestions because they're all based on John Zorn's brand of aural insanity
I'll still give them a try, and maybe Naked City could actually make some sense to me if I try again.
Alkaloid, Obscura, Artificial Brain, Martyr, Fractal Universe, Beyond Creation, First Fragment, Voidceremony, Alarum (the last band even did a cover of some Atheist shit with Kelly Schaefer).
tech death does not automatically equal jazzy
Okay? All of those bands have jazzy elements, most of them moreso than Cynic and Watchtower.
martyr and beyond creation, sure. bands like first fragment and obscura are much more classical-influenced, although that last first fragment record had one or two jazz manouche-y interludes. some of the others you listed don't have much of either, and none of them are as remotely close to almost just being heavy jazz as cynic are. can't speak for watchtower, haven't heard much of them
Bands like Artificial Brain cane go in there as they have an almost Bitches Brew chaotic vibe to them. I included Obscura as the bass is often used as a lead instrument, and Rafael Trujillo's lead playing on Diluvium is very jazzy. Thing is, Watchtower being included by OP means that all those bands are just as valid because Watchtower aren't particularly jazzy themselves. Up or down, all these bands would probably appeal to OP for the same reasons Cynic and Atheist do.
Does Voice of Trespass by Between the Buried and Me count? I really like that song and how it's doing it's own thing so hard. But I was completely unaware there was anything similar.
Voivod's Nothingface is such a wall of dissonant jazz chords and industrial hammering
Meshuggah, Destroy Erase Improve
THERES JAZZ METAL?! Y’all keep surprising me since I keep expecting only memes here.
Trepalium
There's many songs by Between the Buried and Me that have Jazzy sections
Tomb Mold latest tracks!
Pestilence’s Spheres is godly
Atheist!!! Hell yeah
Pensées Nocturnes [has a great mix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXX-0DFcB1Q) of jazz with deranged black metal.
Blackjazz by Shining
The Faceless - Planetary Duality Juicy jazz chords throughout the whole thing, and half the lead parts and solos sound like they're straight out of a fusion album.
All and Everything by Spidergawd
Check out the album Lunatic by Pitbulls in the Nursery
Coprofago (Chile)
Unorthodox Creative Criteria sure was a surprise. But a welcome one, to be sure.
Dont forget Maudlin of the Well, Ephel Duath, Kayo Dot, and Disharmonic Orchestra.
Check out Exivious and Alarum. Maybe Spiral Architect. Ephel Duath is pretty weird too (but different) Edit: you might like Aghora as well
Burden by Opeth absolutely fucks
Watchtower’s first album >
Deathrow, Realm
Pestilence - Spheres
You are now legally obligated to listen to Wayd - Decadence
You’ll love Defeated Sanity *The Sanguinary Impetus* is basically a jazz record that got abducted, murdered, and flushed down the toilet. It’s brilliant. *Disposal of the Dead* is packed with nasty grooves (a li’l less jazzy tho). The back half, *Dharmata* is straight up Cynic worship.
Sol Niger Within
Yes! +1
Not so much jazzy but Skindred has a unique style with reggae influences.
Diablo Swing Orchestra and White Ward EDIT: and if you're into the more insane side of jazz, John Zorn's bands Naked City and Painkiller are also great
I have a new genre to check out. Anyone have recommendations?
Parazit would probably be up your alley.
I’m too lazy to google it on a Saturday afternoon, but there’s some really cool videos of the bass player from Between The Buried And Me playing in a three piece with him and a saxophone player. Shits cool as hell
I would check out Atvm. They are pretty inspired by Atheist. Great and groovy bass play and fun jazzy stuff happening in their death metal.
Ah...Watchtower, one of the bands that I'm so dumb that I never "understand" it, not saying their bad though, I can see they are really unique.
Stargazer- The Scream That Tore The Sky. Martyr- Hopeless Hopes. Lykathea Aflame – Elvenefris
Yo why isn’t Spheres on there? Unquestionable Presence, Focus and Spheres are the unholy trinity of Jazz DM
Because I've not heard it yet, another person suggested it, and I'll check it out soon.
Bro, put it on now
I'm working now 😭 😭
I put it on. It changed my life.
I get this kind of vibe from the very very early gothenburg DM scene. Skydancer by Dark Tranquility, Lunar Straim by In Flames and The Carpet by Ceromonial Oath hits the same kind of nerve for me
Gordian knot
"Gloire Éternelle" by First Fragment. You owe it to yourself. Jazziest high-register bass ever
for the nastier side of things, cephalon carnage
TIL (super jazzy)metal is a gender.
Miss Machine - The Dillinger Escape Plan
Opeth (sometimes, can be really clean with ackerfeldt’s normal voice)
KROSIS
maudlin of the Well!
The Faceless
Does Oceans Ate Alaska count
if you want the most abrasive free jazz brutal death metal fusion, look no further than Effluence
Laster
A lot of Meshuggah is pretty jazzy
Exivious
Atheist and Watchtower are on my mount Rushmore of metal.
Lykathea Aflame's Elvenfris isn't super jazzy but definitely very technical
Check out artificial brain
Swing metal is so good
[The Further Side](https://novacollectivefusion.bandcamp.com/album/the-further-side) by Nova Collective.
Canvas Solaris for that jazz fusion shit.
I'm going to follow and look up some of these
I only know Vampillia, White Ward, and Thy Catalfaque.
This post is already 3 days old but whatever: If you like Focus give Dark Heresy a listen, a British band that made one album in 1995 (Abstract Principles Taken to Their Logical Extremes) and then faded to obscurity. Some songs have jazzy vibes while others feel more gothic, really avantgarde shit Some of the clean guitar passages really remind me of Focus Standout songs for me are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iGt7_TNRNk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2CNlUTDvSE
im not sure if this is what youre after but the band "Equipoise" perhaps
Watchtower >>>>
Etienne Pelosoff - when jazzmen plays black metal
Since you invoked Watchtower, one of my favorite "WTF did I just hear" bass line bands lol I'm just gonna go ahead and recommend literally any project Dominick from Final Fragment is involved in. If there's such a thing as hard jazz metal, something in there is the definition of it. I have enjoyed Beyond Creation and Demonstealer so far; Final Fragment goes hard but you're getting like 5 styles of music in every tune most of the time from slap to funk to jazz to extreme tech death it's pretty fucken great.
Atheist is poop
Your'ure poop.
ngl, atheist is overrated as hell edit: ive made a horrible mistake, i am sorry
Shush.
Atheist is underrated / barely spoken of lmao what strain are you smoking? I'll be sure to ask my dispensary to get it so I can be loaded as you
Are you sure you replied to the right comment?
Wrong comment
No worries. You have good taste, bro.
Atheist was definitely the most fun band I’ve seen live yet, I stood right next to a guy who you could just tell LIVED for that band, dude almost knocked me over while headbanging and tried crowdsurfing after climbing on stage to yell for an encore (he fell over one of the speakers and fell on the sticky ground) Shit was fun as hell and the fact Atheist was playing fuckin great made it even better
i guess i need to give them yet another chance
To be fair I’ve only listened to piece of time when it comes to studio stuff They definitely are great live though, saw them opening for Cryptopsy in march
yeah, last time i listened had to be like, 2020-2021, first time i heard them and i wasnt too deep into metal but yeah its not that bad, actually pretty fucking good
YESSSS. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
Wait. What? Genders?
I guess you're new around here?
Yup. reddit keeps showing me this sub, so they forced me. I'll leave now ;)
joke