# Which bass players should I be listening to? [Death Metal]



## DavidLopezJr (Jun 14, 2012)

So what bass players are worth listening to in Death Metal? Not just those who follow the guitars lol Looking for good counterpoint skills and just those who know when to back off of following every note the guitarist play.

Here is who I'm currently loving
Alex Webster - Cannibal Corpse
Dominic "Forest" Lapointe - Beyond Creation
Brandon Giffin - Cynic, Ex-The Faceless
Rikard Persson - Soreption
Jeroen Paul Thesseling - Ex-Obscura
Erlend Caspersen - Deeds of Flesh/Spawn Of Possession


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## iRaiseTheDead (Jun 15, 2012)

Mike Tiner - All Shall Perish does some nifty stuff. Not in ALL of the songs but when he does its pretty cool


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## Necris (Jun 15, 2012)

Rainer Landfermann, known mainly for his vocals on Bethlehems album Dictus Te Necare.


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## Mwoit (Jun 15, 2012)

Tony Choy, Atheist.


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## cGoEcYk (Jun 15, 2012)

All of those guys are super good. I think the cat from Brain Drill keeps up pretty well.


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## Mwoit (Jun 15, 2012)

I guess also check out Steve DiGiorgio (Death) and Sean Malone (Cynic), although Sean's playing isn't quite death metal.


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## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns (Jun 15, 2012)

Not sure, but I think Cryptopsy have a pretty decent bass player...


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## GenghisCoyne (Jun 16, 2012)

b1gm3 said:


> Not sure, but I think Cryptopsy have a pretty decent bass player...



eric langlois, youre correct hes sick.


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## heilarkyguitar (Jun 16, 2012)

Dream Theater:John Myung


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## guitarister7321 (Jun 16, 2012)

Steve DiGiorgio and Sean Malone for sure.

EDIT: Didn't see Mwoit said the same thing.


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## Mwoit (Jun 16, 2012)

While John Myung is great at bass, I don't think Dream Theater quite cut it as a Death Metal band.


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## prashanthan (Jun 16, 2012)

I'll second Atheist, with Roger Patterson/Tony Choy. Check out the album Unquestionable Presence. And yeah, Steve DiGiorgio is also a ridiculous bassist. Possibly Evan Brewer from The Faceless as well? I haven't really heard anything by The Faceless, having said that, but his solo stuff is great.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jun 16, 2012)

I was about to say Dying Fetus but...



Steve DiGiorgio is a given. Even outside his Death Metal bands. 

Although while outside death metal in general, also check out Cliff Burton's playing. Alex Webster's reminds me of Cliff a lot actually.


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## Mwoit (Jun 16, 2012)

Also, with Alex Webster, his playing in Blotted Science is mad.

Hopefully when Gorguts release their next album with Colin Marston, the bass playing will be mental.


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## Thep (Jun 16, 2012)

Not the virtuoso type, but Derek Boyer is one of my favorite musicians. He's such a nice dude and has so much stage presence. If he makes playing Suffocation and Decrepit Birth songs fun and easy.


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## vampiregenocide (Jun 16, 2012)

Not death metal, but Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne is utterly insane, especially on their first album L.D 50.


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## hairychris (Jun 18, 2012)

Mike Flores/Origin is pretty crazy....


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## Winspear (Jun 18, 2012)

Stephan Fimmers and Linus Klausenitzer!


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## GSingleton (Jun 19, 2012)

1+ for spawn of possession. That guy is insane.


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## HaMMerHeD (Jun 20, 2012)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> I was about to say Dying Fetus but...



But what?

Sean Beasley is boss.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jun 20, 2012)

HaMMerHeD said:


> But what?
> 
> Sean Beasley is boss.


 
Agreed. Because the OP states:



DavidLopezJr said:


> Not just those who follow the guitars lol Looking for good counterpoint skills and just those who know when to back off of following every note the guitarist play.


 
The vid you posted is a prime example of what the OP was trying to avoid.


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## Cremated (Jun 21, 2012)

The bassist from Cephalic Carnage is pretty sick. There's a song on Misled by Certainty that starts with some (what sounds like) bass sweeps. It's pretty sick. Nothing to add other than what's already stated. The dude from Beyond Creation is amazing, and I'm a huge fan of Derek Boyer/Suffocation.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jun 21, 2012)

Focus by Cynic and Unquestionable Presence by Athiest.


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## Varcolac (Jun 21, 2012)

Sean Malone and Jeroen Thesseling for sure.

As a slightly less death-y example, who definitely comes from the same school of extended fretless badassery, I'd check out a London band I've been fortunate enough to share the stage with a few times: De Profundis. Their bassist, with the gloriously Celtic name of Arran McSporran, does deliciously jazzy things with a 6-string fretless. They're not death metal though, it's more blackened proggy doom-death. They do have some unison playing here and there, but largely his bass lines are adding something to the music besides simple low-end 'thump.'

As an extreme metal bassist I find it's important to branch out of metal for inspiration. Thesseling and Malone, as well as McSporran, have obvious jazz and world music credentials and influence. Bringing these influences back into metal is definitely a way to push your music forward and find a voice for yourself in metal's sea of dissonance.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jun 21, 2012)

Opeth's Morningrise is chock full of counterpoint stuff, definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in counterpoint melody.


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## RideFour15 (Jun 29, 2012)

Cremated said:


> *The bassist from Cephalic Carnage is pretty sick.* There's a song on Misled by Certainty that starts with some (what sounds like) bass sweeps. It's pretty sick. Nothing to add other than what's already stated. The dude from Beyond Creation is amazing, and I'm a huge fan of Derek Boyer/Suffocation.



I think he's in Job For A Cowboy now, on Demonocracy and Gloom EP. He is indeed awesome.


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## asilayamazing (Jun 30, 2012)

black dahlia murder? i thought "deflorate" he really up'd his bass skills. the end of "eyes of thousand" was pretty br00t.


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## Metalus (Jun 30, 2012)

The bass player in this band is a good friend of mine as well as one of the most ridiculous bassists ive ever seen


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## Divinehippie (Jun 30, 2012)

not death metal at all but Arif Mirabdolbaghi from Protest the Hero shreds bass in all the right ways. taps/sweeps/slaps/pops he does it all. has a good sense of when to get technical and when to sit back in the pocket. one of my favorite bassist in todays scene for sure.


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## iron blast (Jul 1, 2012)

Varcolac said:


> Sean Malone and Jeroen Thesseling for sure.
> 
> As a slightly less death-y example, who definitely comes from the same school of extended fretless badassery, I'd check out a London band I've been fortunate enough to share the stage with a few times: De Profundis. Their bassist, with the gloriously Celtic name of Arran McSporran, does deliciously jazzy things with a 6-string fretless. They're not death metal though, it's more blackened proggy doom-death. They do have some unison playing here and there, but largely his bass lines are adding something to the music besides simple low-end 'thump.
> 
> Thank you so much for posting this band. I have been listening to them non stop since reading this post. I love finding new fretless metal bassist.


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## HotelEcho (Jul 1, 2012)

I'm really loving Jean-Michel Labadie from Gojira at the minute.

Really tasteful groovy playing, usually pretty simple stuff that sounds _just right _under their complicated guitar parts.

If you check out people doing bass covers of Gojira songs on youtube, they're usually miles off the mark by trying to match what the guitars are doing. Labadie leaves enough space for the groove to breathe, if that makes any sense.


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## Tyghor (Jul 3, 2012)

Maybe not as death metal as you may like, but Dan Briggs from between the buried and me. He does a lot of groovy melodic basslines, probably one of my favorite bassists. You should listen to the album "colors", that where he does the most interesting things on the bass.

Also, i'm pretty shure it has already been mentionned, but Evan Brewer from The Faceless. His basslines on Planetary Duality are sick!


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## Dr. Von Goosewing (Jul 3, 2012)

Adding to the list I would recommend Stargazer (later stuff!) & Wicked Innocence


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## Ninjahat (Jul 8, 2012)

Tyghor said:


> Maybe not as death metal as you may like, but Dan Briggs from between the buried and me. He does a lot of groovy melodic basslines, probably one of my favorite bassists. You should listen to the album "colors", that where he does the most interesting things on the bass.
> 
> Also, i'm pretty shure it has already been mentionned, but Evan Brewer from The Faceless. His basslines on Planetary Duality are sick!



Evan wasn't on Planetary duality bro, he joined post-PD


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## BucketheadRules (Jul 8, 2012)

Brandon Giffin played on Planetary Duality - and yes, he is absolutely insane.

Definite +1 to the guys who said Stefan Fimmers, Rainer Landfermann etc.

If you're looking for counterpoint and stuff, then you just have to check out Pete Perez from Spastic Ink... he's not really death metal, but he's one of the very best bassists I have ever heard. There's also an amazing bass solo in this track.



Again, not really death metal (there are flashes of it here and there, perhaps) but Tony Dunn from Mr Bungle is just ridiculous. In particular the riff at 3:53 is just stunning. So much groove and power, and he seems to be adaptable to so many different styles.




Finally, to bring it back to death metal, Benoit Claus from Gorod is fantastic, check out what the bass is doing at 2:55-ish.

The bassline through the solo section (which starts at 1:40) is great too - not too showy most of the time, but just very tasteful and solid. He's also doing some rather nice classically-inspired triads here and there as well. And he can keep up with the mad riffs the guitars are doing too.


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## holy ghost (Aug 8, 2012)

Dr. Von Goosewing said:


> Adding to the list I would recommend Stargazer (later stuff!)



Cheers mate, A Work Of Great Ages/A Great Work Of Ages has some really exceptional bass playing on it. Great album!! 

I have to second (or third, or fifth or twenty-fifth) Obscura with Thesling as well, he is such a great player. Particularly on Omnivium, there is some really incredible stuff going on there.... really excited to hear more from the new guy!!


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## Brill (Aug 9, 2012)

The bassist from the Arusha accord is really good.


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## Kwampis (Aug 12, 2012)

BucketheadRules said:


> Again, not really death metal (there are flashes of it here and there, perhaps) but Tony Dunn from Mr Bungle is just ridiculous. In particular the riff at 3:53 is just stunning. So much groove and power, and he seems to be adaptable to so many different styles.



_Trevor_ Dunn, but I highly recommend checking him out even though he doesn't play death metal. I don't normally have favorite musicians per se, but he might be my favorite bassist. He's tremendously versatile, his technique is great, and he always knows where to be. His stuff with Mr Bungle, John Zorn, Fantômas, and Trio-Convulsant are all good.


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## Scattered Messiah (Sep 23, 2012)

One of the bass players I cannot recommend enough is Colin Marston.
check out dysrithmia, and the new Gorguts [should they happen find a label in the existent future] - plus, IF you are into totally crazy stuff check out Behold ... the Arctopus!.


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## Mwoit (Sep 24, 2012)

Scattered Messiah said:


> One of the bass players I cannot recommend enough is Colin Marston.
> check out dysrithmia, and the new Gorguts [should they happen find a label in the existent future] - plus, IF you are into totally crazy stuff check out Behold ... the Arctopus!.



YES.

Dysrhythmia just released a new album 'Test Of Submission' earlier in August and BTA are releasing their sophomore album later next month I think.


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## SuperMutant (Sep 24, 2012)

HaMMerHeD said:


> But what?
> 
> Sean Beasley is boss.




First time I saw him sweep picking I was in shock.

Whatever bassist Obscura has is boss as well.


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## MrPepperoniNipples (Sep 24, 2012)

SuperMutant said:


> Whatever bassist Obscura has is boss as well.



Just came in here to mention just that!
Jeroen Paul Thesseling & Linus Klausenitzer


I really like Pete Perez, too


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## unadventurer (Sep 24, 2012)

Jeroen Thesseling and Joe Lester from Intronaut top it for me these days although Intronaut isn't really death metal at all. I'm a slut for fretless grooves. Dan Briggs did some amazing stuff on the new BTBAM record too.


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## tm20 (Sep 26, 2012)

listen to this band O____O the bass in the beginning....holy chit


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## DarkWolfXV (Sep 30, 2012)

This guy


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## Dan_Vacant (Oct 4, 2012)

I agree on the guy from Cephalic Carnage he is nuts


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