DEATH METAL

1. Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted

guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming,
minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo
changes.Building from the musical structure of thrash metal and early black metal, death
metal emerged during the mid 1980s.[2] Metal acts such as Slayer,[3][4] Kreator,[5] Celtic
Frost,[6] and Venomwere very important influences to the crafting of the genre.
[2]
 Possessed[7] and Death,[8][9][10]along with bands such
as Obituary, Carcass, Deicide, Suffocation and Morbid Angel are often considered
pioneers of the genre.[11] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal gained more media
attention as popular genre niche record labels
like Combat, Earache and Roadrunnerbegan to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate.
[12]
 Since then, death metal has diversified, spawning a variety of subgenres.[13]

2. Possessed, a band that formed in the San Francisco Bay Area during 1983, was attributed
by Allmusic as "connecting the dots" between thrash metal and death metal with their
1985 debut album, Seven Churches.[21]While attributed as having a Slayer influence,
[22]
 current and former members of the band had actually cited Venom and Motorhead, as
well as early work by Exodus, as the main influences of their sound. [23][24]Although the
group had released only 2 studio albums in their formative years, they have been
described by both music journalists and musicians as either being "monumental" in
developing the death metal style, [25] or as being the first death metal band. [26][27][28] Earache
Records noted that "....the likes of Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel based what they were
doing in their formative years on the Possessed blueprint laid down on the
legendary Seven Churches recording. Possessed arguably did more to further the cause
of 'Death Metal' than any of the early acts on the scene back in the mid-late 80's." [29]Chuck
Schuldiner (1967–2001) of Death, during a 1992 tour in Scotland in support of the albumHuman.

During the same period as the dawn of Possessed, a second influential metal band was
formed in Florida: Death. Death, originally called Mantas, was formed during 1983
by Chuck Schuldiner, Kam Lee, and Rick Rozz. In 1984 they released their first demo
entitled Death by Metal, followed by several more. The tapes circulated through the tape
trader world, quickly establishing the band's name. With Death guitarist Schuldiner
adopting vocal duties, the band made a major impact on the scene. The fast minor-key
riffs and solos were complemented with fast drumming, creating a style that would catch
on in tape trading circles.[30][31] Schuldiner has been attributed by Allmusic's Eduardo
Rivadavia as being "widely recognized as the Father of Death Metal". [32] Death's 1987 debut
 release, Scream Bloody Gore, has been described by About.com's Chad Bowar as being
the "evolution from thrash metal to death metal", [33] and "the first true death metal record"
by the San Francisco Chronicle.[34]. Along with Possessed and Death, other pioneers of
death metal in the United States include Autopsy,Necrophagia, Master, Morbid
Angel, Massacre, Atheist, Post Mortem,[35][36][37] Obituary and Deicide.

3. Master is a death metal band formed in Chicago, USA in 1983 as the band Warcry fell
apart. Shortly after however, the band was put on hold due to internal problems. Paul
Speckmann then formed the band Death Strike, which in 1985 he renamed to Master.
Master is one of the earliest death metal bands along with bands such
as Possessed, Necrophagia, Death and Morbid Angel, however they are quite often
overlooked.

4. The recording with Martinelli and Nickeas was then released as the Speckmann Project.
Speckmann also played, and wrote all the songs for a band called, Abomination and
recorded two albums with them. Currently he is playing bass guitar in the Czech death
metal band Krabathor, as well as keeping Master alive. He also played in the Master-
Krabathor side-project Martyr and released one album with them. The band Krabathor split
up in 2004 and Master was reformed with guitarist Alex Nejezchleba and drummer Zdenek
Pradlovsky. Master has been recording and touring Europe extensively for the last several
years.