It was only suitable that we kick off things in the avant-garde metal week by starting with the genre’s progenitors and capital influences. However, that’s done with, and now we move on to examine a more modern form of this type of music.  Or, to be more precise, one of its modern forms. Without a doubt, avant-garde has seeped into nearly every corner of the metalverse, and it is barely possible to talk of it as an established genre rather than a loosely defined aesthetic. Even if you consider our own playlists, does it really make sense to lump Queen and Gorguts into the same genre? Do they really have anything in common other than breaking boundaries and being ‘weird’?

But break boundaries they do, and so do the countless bands they have inspired. So then, when looking at contemporary avant-garde metal, what would be a good place to start? There might not be a clear one, so instead I’ll just talk about the style that strikes the closest to my heart: death metal. While not as suitable for abrasive experimentation as grindcore or black metal, there is certainly an unhealthy dose of avant-garde death metal that is up for grabs. Heck, there’s probably too much of it to go into detail about every band. That’s why I’ve chosen four albums in particular by the bands that stand out as the weirdest, most unique, and of course, most interesting, in the whole bunch. Hopefully at least one will blow your minds.

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