Necrophagist
Encyclopedia
Necrophagist is a German death metal
band, founded and fronted by Muhammed Suiçmez
; a German-born, Turkish guitarist and vocalist. The band is known for its rapid and technical compositions.
The name originates from the Greek
roots νεκρο- nekro- ("dead") and -φαγος -phagos ("eater of"). Which literally translates to "eater of the dead".
was created. All of the old guitar, bass guitar, and vocal tracks were mixed along with the brand new drum samples. The re-release also features two songs from Necrophagist's 1995 self-titled demo tape. The whole album was also engineered by long-time Necrophagist engineer and producer
Christoph Brandes at The Iguana Studios. It was mastered by Bob Katz at "Digital Domain", Orlando, Florida
. The re-release was issued in 2004 by Willowtip
in the USA/Canada
and Relapse
in the rest of the world.In August 2001, Necrophagist performed at the Brutal Assault
open air festival in the Czech Republic
. The band also returned to perform in the years 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010.
On February 10, 2006 it was announced that Christian Muenzner had departed the band due to scheduling conflicts. Later on, he joined the death metal band Obscura
. A replacement guitarist was found, Sami Raatikainen
, who is from Helsinki
, Finland
. Sami also plays in the band Codeon.
In 2006, the band undertook an American tour called "Carving North America's Epitaph". Necrophagist was joined on this tour by Arsis, Alarum
, Neuraxis, Ion Dissonance
, Cattle Decapitation
and Thine Eyes Bleed
. They, along with Dying Fetus
, supported Cannibal Corpse
on their U.S. tour in the fall, which also included some Canadian venues.
In 2007, the band announced on its Myspace
profile that after the 2007 California Metalfest, drummer Hannes Grossmann would leave the band. Hannes stated that he was unable to commit to the band's full-time touring schedule. Marco Minnemann
(who has played with Paul Gilbert, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman) was the official permanent replacement for Hannes.
Necrophagist was a headlining act for The Summer Slaughter Tour
in 2007, which featured a wide variety of other extreme metal bands including Decapitated
, Arsis, The Faceless
, Cephalic Carnage
, As Blood Runs Black, and Cattle Decapitation
.
In April 2008, Necrophagist announced that Romain Goulon would be joining the band as their new drummer, replacing Minnemann, who would still be working with Suiçmez on a side project.
Necrophagist played in the "Pillage the Village Tour" in 2008 from August 26, 2008 to September 10, 2008 with death metal bands Dying Fetus
and Beneath the Massacre
. Shows in some areas also included Carcass
, Suffocation
, 1349
, and Aborted
.
Necrophagist has begun to work on its next album with new drummer Romain Goulon. According to rumors, two possible names are "The Path to Naught" and "Death to the Faithful". Suiçmez stated that the band would be using seven-string guitar
s on the album. Muhammed himself will be recording with a new custom shop Ibanez
Xiphos guitar with 7 strings, as well as 27 frets. Sami Raatikainen is now an Ibanez
Guitar endorsee, using a 7 String RG-Series guitar on stage.
Former members
Death metal
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....
band, founded and fronted by Muhammed Suiçmez
Muhammed Suiçmez
Muhammed Suiçmez is a German-Turkish guitarist and the frontman of the technical death metal band Necrophagist.-Biography:Muhammed Suiçmez was born in Karlsruhe to Turkish Muslim immigrants. Around the age of 10 he began listening to death metal, and took up an interest in music.At the age of 14,...
; a German-born, Turkish guitarist and vocalist. The band is known for its rapid and technical compositions.
The name originates from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
roots νεκρο- nekro- ("dead") and -φαγος -phagos ("eater of"). Which literally translates to "eater of the dead".
History
Necrophagist's debut album Onset of Putrefaction has been out of print for years. The percussion on the album was handled by a drum machine. Eventually, a new edition with drum samples recorded by Hannes GrossmannHannes Grossmann
Hannes Grossmann is a German drummer who plays for German death metal band Obscura and US technical extreme metal band Blotted Science. His drumming is also heard on the Necrophagist album "Epitaph".-Early life:...
was created. All of the old guitar, bass guitar, and vocal tracks were mixed along with the brand new drum samples. The re-release also features two songs from Necrophagist's 1995 self-titled demo tape. The whole album was also engineered by long-time Necrophagist engineer and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Christoph Brandes at The Iguana Studios. It was mastered by Bob Katz at "Digital Domain", Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The re-release was issued in 2004 by Willowtip
Willowtip Records
Willowtip Records is an independently owned and distributed heavy metal record label headquartered in Zelienople, Pennsylvania.-Background:Willowtip Records was founded in 2000 by Jason Tipton with a partner named Willosin, who is no longer involved with the label. The combination of the two names...
in the USA/Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Relapse
Relapse Records
Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
in the rest of the world.In August 2001, Necrophagist performed at the Brutal Assault
Brutal assault
Brutal Assault is an extreme metal open-air music festival taking place in the 18th century army Fortress Josefov in Jaroměř, Czech Republic. It takes place each August traditionally on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the beginning of the month. The festival was started in 1995 featuring mostly...
open air festival in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The band also returned to perform in the years 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010.
On February 10, 2006 it was announced that Christian Muenzner had departed the band due to scheduling conflicts. Later on, he joined the death metal band Obscura
Obscura (band)
-History:Obscura was founded in 2002 by Steffen Kummerer. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura. In 2006 Obscura self-released their debut album Retribution and toured alongside Suffocation within Europe. A European headlining tour through East and South Europe followed in 2007...
. A replacement guitarist was found, Sami Raatikainen
Sami Raatikainen
Sami Raatikainen is a Finnish guitarist who plays for the German technical death metal band Necrophagist. He joined Necrophagist in 2006 after the departure of Christian Münzner...
, who is from Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Sami also plays in the band Codeon.
In 2006, the band undertook an American tour called "Carving North America's Epitaph". Necrophagist was joined on this tour by Arsis, Alarum
Alarum
Alarum are a 4-piece progressive technical metal jazz-fusion band from Melbourne, Australia. They are stylistically quite similar to early-90's pioneers Atheist and Cynic. They are also known to play Death covers in live shows—another band which influences them greatly...
, Neuraxis, Ion Dissonance
Ion Dissonance
Ion Dissonance is a Canadian mathcore/deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They're known for their technical mathcore style but changed to a more heavy, groove based style with the release of their 2007 album Minus the Herd.-History:...
, Cattle Decapitation
Cattle Decapitation
Cattle Decapitation is an American deathgrind band from San Diego, California, formed in 1996.-History:Originally founded in 1996, Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals as well as the abuse of the environment. Lyrics may also focus on subjects such as...
and Thine Eyes Bleed
Thine Eyes Bleed
Thine Eyes Bleed is a melodic death metal band from London, Ontario, Canada. They released their first album In the Wake of Separation in 2005. And on April, 15th 2008 released their follow up album, Thine Eyes Bleed.-Members:...
. They, along with Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their outspoken political views, and for being one of the few death metal bands who follow a political nature. Earlier lyrics showcased the common death metal trait of explicit violence...
, supported Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
on their U.S. tour in the fall, which also included some Canadian venues.
In 2007, the band announced on its Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile that after the 2007 California Metalfest, drummer Hannes Grossmann would leave the band. Hannes stated that he was unable to commit to the band's full-time touring schedule. Marco Minnemann
Marco Minnemann
Marco Minnemann is a German-born drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Lake Elsinore, California.-Biography:...
(who has played with Paul Gilbert, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman) was the official permanent replacement for Hannes.
Necrophagist was a headlining act for The Summer Slaughter Tour
The Summer Slaughter Tour
The Summer Slaughter Tour is an annual death metal tour originally held in the United States, but now in Europe and as of 2009, Australia and New Zealand.It is dubbed "The Most Extreme Tour of the Year"....
in 2007, which featured a wide variety of other extreme metal bands including Decapitated
Decapitated (band)
Decapitated is a death metal band that formed in Krosno, Poland in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski and Austrian drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Decapitated have gained recognition as one of the genre's most widely respected...
, Arsis, The Faceless
The Faceless
The Faceless is an American technical death metal band from Encino, California. They released their debut album, Akeldama in November 2006, and a follow-up, Planetary Duality, in November 2008.-History:...
, Cephalic Carnage
Cephalic Carnage
Cephalic Carnage is an American grindcore band formed in 1992 in Denver, Colorado. The band comprises vocalist Lenzig Leal, guitarists Steve Goldberg and Brian Hopp, drummer John Merryman and bassist Nick Schendzielos...
, As Blood Runs Black, and Cattle Decapitation
Cattle Decapitation
Cattle Decapitation is an American deathgrind band from San Diego, California, formed in 1996.-History:Originally founded in 1996, Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals as well as the abuse of the environment. Lyrics may also focus on subjects such as...
.
In April 2008, Necrophagist announced that Romain Goulon would be joining the band as their new drummer, replacing Minnemann, who would still be working with Suiçmez on a side project.
Necrophagist played in the "Pillage the Village Tour" in 2008 from August 26, 2008 to September 10, 2008 with death metal bands Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their outspoken political views, and for being one of the few death metal bands who follow a political nature. Earlier lyrics showcased the common death metal trait of explicit violence...
and Beneath the Massacre
Beneath the Massacre
Beneath the Massacre is a Canadian death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Their debut album, Evidence of Inequity, was released in 2005, under Galy Records. In early 2006, the band signed with Prosthetic Records and has since released their first full-length album, Mechanics of...
. Shows in some areas also included Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
, Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
, 1349
1349 (band)
1349 is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1997. Their name comes from the year the Black Death reached Norway.- History :1349 formed in 1997 and comprises several former members of the band Alvheim...
, and Aborted
Aborted
Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in Waregem, Belgium in 1995. The group comprises vocalist and founder Sven de Caluwé, guitarists Eran Segal and Mike Wilson, bassist J.B. Van Der Wal, and drummer Ken Bedene. The band members of Aborted are from Belgium, France, Israel, United Kingdom,...
.
Necrophagist has begun to work on its next album with new drummer Romain Goulon. According to rumors, two possible names are "The Path to Naught" and "Death to the Faithful". Suiçmez stated that the band would be using seven-string guitar
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
s on the album. Muhammed himself will be recording with a new custom shop Ibanez
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
Xiphos guitar with 7 strings, as well as 27 frets. Sami Raatikainen is now an Ibanez
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
Guitar endorsee, using a 7 String RG-Series guitar on stage.
Members
Current members- Muhammed SuiçmezMuhammed SuiçmezMuhammed Suiçmez is a German-Turkish guitarist and the frontman of the technical death metal band Necrophagist.-Biography:Muhammed Suiçmez was born in Karlsruhe to Turkish Muslim immigrants. Around the age of 10 he began listening to death metal, and took up an interest in music.At the age of 14,...
– vocals, lead guitar (1992–present) - Stephan FimmersStephan FimmersStephan Fimmers is a proficient German bassist who plays for the German technical/brutal death metal band Necrophagist. He joined Necrophagist in 2003 and followed the work of Heiko Linzert who left the band shortly before the album Epitaph was recorded and released in 2004.-Playing...
– bass guitar (2003–present) - Sami RaatikainenSami RaatikainenSami Raatikainen is a Finnish guitarist who plays for the German technical death metal band Necrophagist. He joined Necrophagist in 2006 after the departure of Christian Münzner...
– rhythm guitar, lead guitar (2006–present) - Romain Goulon – drums (2008–present)
Former members
- Jan-Paul Herm – guitar (1992–1995)
- Raphael Kempermann – drums (1992–1995)
- Daniel Silva – drums (1995–1998, 2001–2003)
- Mario Petrovic – guitar (2000–2001)
- Slavek Foltyn – drums (2000–2001)
- Björn Vollmer – guitar (2001–2002)
- Julien Laroche – bass guitar (2001–2003)
- Christian MüenznerChristian MüenznerChristian Muenzner is a German metal guitarist, best known for playing for technical death metal band Necrophagist from 2002 until 2006, appearing on their 2004 release Epitaph. Prior to being in Necrophagist, he was in the German death metal act Defeated Sanity, featuring on their debut promo,...
– guitar (2002–2006) - Heiko Linzert – bass guitar (2003)
- Hannes GrossmannHannes GrossmannHannes Grossmann is a German drummer who plays for German death metal band Obscura and US technical extreme metal band Blotted Science. His drumming is also heard on the Necrophagist album "Epitaph".-Early life:...
– drums (2003–2007) - Marco MinnemannMarco MinnemannMarco Minnemann is a German-born drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Lake Elsinore, California.-Biography:...
– drums (2007–2008)
Discography
- Onset of PutrefactionOnset of PutrefactionOnset of Putrefaction is the debut album by German technical death metal band Necrophagist. It was recorded almost solely by the band's founder, guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. He recorded all the vocal tracks and programmed the drum tracks with the help of a computer...
(1999) - EpitaphEpitaph (Necrophagist album)Epitaph is the second studio album by German death metal band Necrophagist released by Relapse Records on August 3, 2004. Unlike on Onset of Putrefaction, guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez recorded the album alongside a group of live musicians....
(2004)