Xenosis - Hermetic Transmutaiton (2026)

With this fifth album, Hermtic Transmutation, released with Transcending Obscurity, a label that keeps growing and excelling, the US death-metal band Xenosis are making a big impression. Very technical and progressive while keeping brutality on a high level. What the songs may lack in clear direction they more than compensate with the awesome musicianship and the many very inspired moments. Highly recomended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Somium de Lycoris - In The Failing Hour (2023)

Somium de Lycoris is a solo project from Japan (here with a few guests, like Christian Muenzner, rings a bell?), In The Failing Hour is a nice piece of technical death metal, with many neoclassical elements, piano included, at turn very melodic or frankly brutal, combining excellent musicianship and songwriting. Spectacular and entertaining stuff!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

The Scalar Process - Agnomysticism (2026)

The Scalar Process is a young French band and after an already excellent first album they confirm their quality with a second one (released by Transcending Obscurity) called Agnomysticism, which also is a fine piece in progressive and technical death metal. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Archspire - Too Fast To Die (2026)

I have mixed feelings with Archspire new album, Too Fast To Die, I just feel the songs are a bit less memorable and jaw-dropping, but I remember I was disapointed when Bleed The Future came out, and found it great when I listened to it the other day, so... I guess Archspire music is so dense you need time to "digest" it and get all its intricacies. Anyway I already enjoy Toos Fast To Die, no time needed to hear that Archspire intensity and musicianship is still really hard to match. At the same time brutal, technical and melodic (neoclassical style) death metal at its most over the top.

 

The BC page. 

 

Emulsified - Apocalypse (2022)

Released three years ago, Apocalyse, from US band Emulsified concentrates nearly every side of modern death metal (except pure slam). It definitely is brutal, but also quite technical, and there are even a few more progressive moments. It's very intense but not at the expense of diversity and the band is mastering everything they do. Maybe they would need something a bit different to distinguish themselves to be among the very best, but they sure know how to craft a strong death metal album, Apocalypse won't stay as the most memorable from these years, but it's a really a good enjoyable album, I recommend it.

 

The BC page. 

 

Floating - Hesitating lights (2025)

Before listening to Floating I did not know prog/tech death-metal blended with post-punk was a thing, but in the form of their second album Hesitating Lights not only it exists, but it's also one of the best and most interesting album I listened to in at least a couple of years. Those typical post-punk basslines and riffs actually combines very well with a prog/tech and dissonant kind of death metal. A nice surprise that I really recommend!

The BC page.

 

Eschaton - Techtalitarian (2025)

I discovered Eschaton ew line-up after discovering their new album Techtalitarian (on Transcending Obscurity records), and I'm not very surprised to find they have Christian Muenzner (ex Necrophagist and ex Obscura) on guitar and Darren Cesca (ex Deeds of Flesh) on drums, among a crew of all experienced musicians. The quality and technicality is obviously very high. What about the music? Technical death metal, for sure, yes, but what I especially like is that they manage to craft song that are faster and more brutal than is usually melodic tech death, while staying very melodic (including some neoclassical elements), they manage to hold all this, fast and brutal and melodic as well, cohesively together. Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Cytotoxin - Biographyte (2025)

Biographyte is the fifth album from German death-metal band Cytotoxin, and another excellent one. On Biographyte their technical death-metal find a good balance between melodies (especialy the guitar leads) and brutality. Maybe a tad generic, but at a so high level of musicianship and songwriting skill that it's still a very strong album nevertheless.

The BC page.

 

Vulvodynia - Entabeni (2024)

Blending every shades of modern death metal, from slam to technical and progressive death metal isn't an easy task, but Vulvodynia are more and more successful at achieving it, as you can hear on their new album Entabeni (with one of their guitarist replacing the former singer, and African mythology replacing alien entities as lyrical inspiration, and released by Unique Leader Records). And they manage to do this mix while keeping their own specific sound (especially the guitar playing that is very special). Perfect for anyone enjoying both the impact and groove of slamming brutal death and the subtleties of tech/ prog death metal. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Fleshbore - Painted Paradise (2025)

With their second album Painted Paradise (released by Transcending Obscurity Records, who you can trust for good death metal) Fleshbore have delivered an awesome piece of technical death metal, both brutal and melodic/progressive. It can evoke both Archspire and Obscura (but I think Painted Paradise is better than the new Obscura album) and stand as the death metal album to beat in 2025. Good luck!

 

The Bandcamp page.

 

 

Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy (2024)

Chronicles of Lunacy is the seventh album from Defeated Sanity (more than 30 years after their beginnings), and, maybe except a slightly rawer production, not much has changed. But that's fine with me, they didn't really improve over their previous albums, but still, what they deliver is more than enough to keep them among the apex predators of brutal and technical (very brutal and technical) death metal. Obviously recommended.

 

The BC page.

Black Hole Deity - Profane Geometry (2024)

Profane Geometry is Black Hole Deity (from alabama) first album, and their music is already excellent. They play some modern technical death metal that also includes elements evoking Morbid Angel and Nile atmospheres and massive epicness. Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Gigan - Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus (2024)

I won't compare Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus with Gigan previous four albums, because I'm discovering them with this one (No, I don't live under a rock, but previous album was seven years ago and by that time I was still mostly sticking to the old school death metal). But what I can say is that it's an awesome album, the embodiment of how mind-blowing technical death metal can be. Gigan is tech death at it's most radical, dissonant and abstract, but also progressive and catchy in it's very special kind of unhuman groove. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere (2024)

Chances are, a death metal album named Absolute Elsewhere won't be a basic death metal album. And a Blood Incantation album has zero chance to be a basic album. Their previous (and excellent) two tracks release was a good indication of what to expect : the progressive/technical and with a Morbid Angel feel death metal of their first two albums, but with also elements from their synth/ambient in a Tangerine Dream/Popol Vuh vein album, to push their death metal further into strange territories, able to go from Morbid Angel to Pink Floyd in the same song. And as usual with Blood Incantation, it sounds at the same time very natural and very special. Certainly one of the most memorable album this year and highly recommended! 

The BC page.

 

Fabricant - Drudge to the Thicket (2023)

Drudge to the Thicket is Fabricant first album, but the Californian band have been around for 15 years. And we can definitely hear all the time and efforts they put into the album. It is an excellent piece of technical death metal, full of interesting and memorable songs.I just hope they won't need another 15 years to make it! Even if albums of this caliber are worth some waiting... Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

 

Hideous Divinity - Unextinct (2024)

Unexctinct is the Fifth album from Hideous Divinity and they sure make clear that as long they will be releasing albums like these, brutal & technical death metal will stand tall. Once again, they provide a good example of how intense death metal can be. Took me a bit longer to really get into this one than with Simulacrum and Adveniens, but that's probably because it doesn't benefit from the initial shock anymore. In any case it's another excellent album.

The BC page.

 

Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All (2024)

See that whirlwind of unfathomable brutality on the cover ? This depict perfectly what Nile music is, and if you forgot how powefull their technical and brutal deah metal can be, The Underworld Awaits Us All will be a merciless reminder. After some good (the average Nile album is still above 99% of the other bands releases...) but a bit disapointing albums, this is a spectacular return to form and maybe their best album after their early classics. You know what you have to do... listening is mandatry, and if you don't, expect to be "Hung Upside Down on A Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes". You've been warned!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Wormed - OMEGON (2024)

Only knew Wormed by name, because their previous album was five years ago, and, while I got into death metal around the time they released their first album (1999), up to a few years back I wasn't interested in the more modern and technical side of death metal. So I can't compare OMEGON with their previous works, but what I can say is that it's indeed excellent : often clearly leaning on the most brutal side of tech death, even bordering goregrind by some aspects, they also can also venture, with equal success, into more progressive territories. I recommend it (and will definitely check all their albums!).

The BC page.

 

Ulcerate - Cutting The Throat of God (2024)

Cutting The Throat of God is the seventh album from Ulcerate and with it they push their tech/dissonant but atmospheric death metal further in a melodic and progressive direction. And since the album is so good that's totally fine for me, no question asked, I just enjoy it. Again, and again... 

The BC page.

 

Exocrine - Legend (2024)

Legend is Exocrine fifth album (and first one for Season of Mist, after having released albums with Unique Leader Records), and for sure it is strenghtening the French band (from Bordeaux) place among the very best tech death bands. Definitely technical, but with also songwriting skills enabling them to be as catchy as they are brutal. Legend is a worthy candidate for best technical death metal album of the year.

The BC page.