Fretless bass in metal

[alinbassplayer]

I always found that DiGiorgio, whilst a pivotal sound in Death's development to a Progressive Death metal band, i always found that it was a bit farty sounding, especially on Human  not really drowned, just the frequencies not the right level, but it got better sounding

There's quite a few fretless players nowadays, especially in metal and in the new tech death genre, similar to Obscura's stuff with Jeroen, i would recommend Beyond Creation and Augury, basically any project that Dominic Lapointe was in, he has a very characteristic tone. Quo Vadis from Canada put out an album in 2004 called Defiant Imagination, the legend says that DiGiorgio recorded bass on the album, but Lapointe played it live and on their DVD Defiant Indoctrination.

There's another younger player who took Lapointe's place in Beyond Creation Hugo Dodon, who is also a fretless aficionado, and he plays a fretless Kiesel with fret markers(not a big fan of markers, i love me an unmarked slab of wood)

And another bassist i know of and follow that just slays on fretless is Joe Lester from Intronaut, the guys is good.

in more recent tech death bands there's a tendency to use more fretless, usually 5-6 strings, it is more melodic, less to no clank(not like Webster from Corpse), and i think that's the appeal. i could talk about this for hours, most of the bands i listen to now have implemented at least a little fretless in their sound in recent years.

 

 

[Graham]

Minor annecdote - I helped the bassist from Beyond Creation (I assume it was Dodon) jump the food queue at Damnation Festival last year as he didn't realise he was allowed as an artist. He seemed nice, said "man" a lot.

I will check out some of those acts, like you, I'm just loving the tonality and playing style of fretless in metal.

[PriZeMaN]

Check out Hugo from Beyond Creation !

[HazBeen]

On 19/11/2018 at 12:04, MacDaddy said:

'The beach on Bass', played fretless in Rockbitch.

ok, the profanity filter changed that. Her chosen moniker was 'The B1tch on Bass'.

Thank goodness Rockbitch is long forgotten history

[HazBeen]

On 23/11/2018 at 17:07, alinbassplayer said:

I always found that DiGiorgio, whilst a pivotal sound in Death's development to a Progressive Death metal band, i always found that it was a bit farty sounding, especially on Human  not really drowned, just the frequencies not the right level, but it got better sounding

There's quite a few fretless players nowadays, especially in metal and in the new tech death genre, similar to Obscura's stuff with Jeroen, i would recommend Beyond Creation and Augury, basically any project that Dominic Lapointe was in, he has a very characteristic tone. Quo Vadis from Canada put out an album in 2004 called Defiant Imagination, the legend says that DiGiorgio recorded bass on the album, but Lapointe played it live and on their DVD Defiant Indoctrination.

There's another younger player who took Lapointe's place in Beyond Creation Hugo Dodon, who is also a fretless aficionado, and he plays a fretless Kiesel with fret markers(not a big fan of markers, i love me an unmarked slab of wood)

And another bassist i know of and follow that just slays on fretless is Joe Lester from Intronaut, the guys is good.

in more recent tech death bands there's a tendency to use more fretless, usually 5-6 strings, it is more melodic, less to no clank(not like Webster from Corpse), and i think that's the appeal. i could talk about this for hours, most of the bands i listen to now have implemented at least a little fretless in their sound in recent years.

 

 

Joe Lester, good call re a modern fretless master. Great player

[Graham]

I didn't realise he was a fretless player - when I saw them, I thought it was a fretted, probably down to the aforementioned lines.

Unfortunately, the sound on the stage they were playing sucked and I could barely hear the bass so I gave up fairly early on in their set, I did like the coordination they had though - all of them playing headless Kiesel guitars/bass, all on wireless into AxeFxes, and on wireless IEM - it made it look very coordinated.

Unfortunately the sound guy still didn't mix it well.

[Steve Woodcock]

On 17/11/2018 at 08:03, Graham said:

Then one of my favourite players Sean Malone of Cynic

Here's the man himself playing through one of their classics

 

Sean Malone is a fantastic player, he's had a huge influence on me and is the reason I took up both fretless and Chapman Stick. I was fortunate enough to have a lesson with many years ago actually, whilst he was here in London recording with Bill Bruford for the second Gordian Knot album (I have also had the honour of playing Chapman Stick for Cynic a number of times back in 2008).

If you like Cynic, Death, Spiral Architect etc. you might like my old band Linear Sphere, I play fretless (and Stick) on the album throughout:

 

 

If you are a fan of Steve DiGiorgio be sure to check out his own band Sadus, their '92 album A Vision Of Misery was Steve's first fretless* outing as Human was all recorded on his black fretted Rickenbacker. Whilst I am in geek mode, the bass on the Spiral Architect album is all fretted too, Lars played a Steinberger Q4 back then!

 

*Edit: actually Autopsy's Fiend For Blood EP came out a couple of weeks prior to A Vision Of Misery so that was his first fretless release!

Edited April 23, 2020 by Steve Woodcock

[Graham]

That's some brilliant information Steve, thanks very much 😀

I did think of you when posting originally, but couldn't find a video of you playing with Linear Sphere, I saw them supporting Cynic on the reunion tour, but I don't think you were playing with them then.

Manvantara is great, definitelythe better of the two 😉

Did your work with Xerath get released?

[Steve Woodcock]

46 minutes ago, Graham said:

That's some brilliant information Steve, thanks very much 😀

I did think of you when posting originally, but couldn't find a video of you playing with Linear Sphere, I saw them supporting Cynic on the reunion tour, but I don't think you were playing with them then.

Manvantara is great, definitelythe better of the two 😉

Did your work with Xerath get released?

No problem Graham! That era of stuff is a favourite subject of mine ☺️

Yep, that would have been me with Linear at the Dingwalls show - they hadn't played any shows before I joined. Glad you like Manvantara, I agree it's a  step up from the first record (and not because I wasn't on that one, haha!)

I only recorded a couple of tracks with Xerath before they called it a day, one got uploaded to Youtube as a farewell (on which I played Stick) but the other has still to see the light of day (shame as that was a fretless track!). I am however now playing for The|HAARP|Machine...

[kendall]

Best topic on here for a while......some really great info here.  Sean Malone - wow!

[Graham]

I'm really enjoying the first Beyond Creation record at the moment, particularly the last two songs that lead into each other

Elevation Path isn't especially metal, but the bass playing is outstanding

[kendall]

As a result of this thread, I have discovered Obscura and Beyond Creation. I have been blasted their latest two albums a lot over the last few weeks.  Thanks to Graham and Alinbassplayer........

[Graham]

4 hours ago, kendall said:

As a result of this thread, I have discovered Obscura and Beyond Creation. I have been blasted their latest two albums a lot over the last few weeks.  Thanks to Graham and Alinbassplayer........

Obscura are touring over here next month and have First Fragment supporting.

The bassist in First Fragment is Forest who played on the first Beyond Creation album and is also in Augury, so lots of fretless action there.

London is the nearest for me, may have to wait and see how the kids are being closer to the date

[alinbassplayer]

10 minutes ago, Graham said:

Obscura are touring over here next month and have First Fragment supporting.

The bassist in First Fragment is Forest who played on the first Beyond Creation album and is also in Augury, so lots of fretless action there.

London is the nearest for me, may have to wait and see how the kids are being closer to the date

WIsh i could go see them but have tickets to Behemoth the same night in London...:( next time though

[Frank Blank]

I'm such an ar53, I clicked on this thinking I was going to find fretless basses constructed of metal....

[alinbassplayer]

1 minute ago, Frank Blank said:

I'm such an ar53, I clicked on this thinking I was going to find fretless basses constructed of metal....

Hahahaha, that would be amazing, i think they would sound very metal, and metallic  

[PriZeMaN]

BEYOND CREATION and Exivious!

 

[Graham]

In a surprising move, everyone in Obscura apart from the vocalist/guitarist have been fired  "parted company" with the band, due to that old chestnut "musical differences"

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRealmOfObscura%2Fposts%2F10158214828353545%3A0&width=500

These three have started a new band called Obsidius, and look like they'll have new music out soon

Edited April 22, 2020 by Graham

[JimBobTTD]

Hmm. In the couple of interviews I have seen with the chap, I can understand. He seems very driven and very passionate. 

Their music is excellent. I shall keep an eye and ear out for what the other members do. 

[Graham]

Some seven string fretless action from the now former Obscura bassist

 

[Guest]

Full support for Steve DiGiorgio and Sadus! One of my favourite bands. Also please for the love of god do not sleep on the album Severed Survival by Autopsy! My second favourite death metal album of all time and a masterful performance on fretless by our man Stevo:

The story behind this one is that apparently the bass was mixed too high "by mistake" but to me it sounds like perfection! Also I'm no fretless buff but sometimes his intonation is not 100% bang on and it adds a little "sludge" to the tone, an absolute masterpiece! It's a killer album for sure.

 

Damon Good from the Australian prog death metal band StarGazer is also amazing, lots of flashy fretless bass playing on all their material. Killer band with lots of weirdo off kilter bits but I love them:

 

Two of my favourite bands in death metal at the moment are Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice and both feature the same fretless bass player, Jeff Barrett. Blood Incantation is really killer slightly prog leaning weirdo tech death in the vein of Demilich and Timeghoul, and Spectral Voice is crushing, heavier-than-the-moon death/doom with lots of old school Finndeath influence. The latest Blood Incantation album and the Spectral Voice demo are my favourite releases but all of their work absolutely slays!

 

Another one of my favourite current bands is the Chilean death/thrash band Ripper, featuring some masterful technical fretless bass work. Their style of aggressive death/thrash with lots of South American bestial energy is my favourite style of music full stop, with hefty Sadus influence from earlier. Their bass player is also a genius, clearly really loves Jaco and plenty of flashy stuff on all their work (even a Chromatic Fantasy cover - clearly a Jaco diehard!)

 

 

The former fretless bass player in Ripper has now left I believe but joined a new band called Suppression who play the same sort of stuff - unhinged death/thrashing metal madness. They only have one EP out so far but it's absolutely killing stuff with lots of flashy bass:

 

 

[Steve Woodcock]

5 hours ago, razor5cl said:

Full support for Steve DiGiorgio and Sadus! One of my favourite bands. Also please for the love of god do not sleep on the album Severed Survival by Autopsy! My second favourite death metal album of all time and a masterful performance on fretless by our man Stevo:

The story behind this one is that apparently the bass was mixed too high "by mistake" but to me it sounds like perfection! Also I'm no fretless buff but sometimes his intonation is not 100% bang on and it adds a little "sludge" to the tone, an absolute masterpiece! It's a killer album for sure.

That's actually a fretted Rickenbacker - the first release with Steve playing fretless wasn't until Autopsy's Fiend For Blood EP in 1992, followed quickly by Sadus's A Vision Of Misery.

 

[Graham]

That new Blood Incantation album is spectacular, love so much about it - the space vibe, the production, the artwork.

Didn't realise he was a fretless player though, when I was watching their recent Saint Vitus set on YouTube it looked fretted?

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Steve Woodcock said:

That's actually a fretted Rickenbacker - the first release with Steve playing fretless wasn't until Autopsy's Fiend For Blood EP in 1992, followed quickly by Sadus's A Vision Of Misery.

 

Huh, I never knew that! Is there a source for this? I thought he played fretless right from the beginning.

1 hour ago, Graham said:

That new Blood Incantation album is spectacular, love so much about it - the space vibe, the production, the artwork.

Didn't realise he was a fretless player though, when I was watching their recent Saint Vitus set on YouTube it looked fretted?

Agreed, their latest album is amazing, really showcases their evolution as a band quite a bit. My #2 album of 2019 for sure. 

The bass player in the clip I linked is actually not him but Damon Good from StarGazer on that EP, where you can very clearly hear the fretless. I'm 99% sure Jeff plays fretless though, he's confirmed it in the band's AMA on the Metal Subreddit recently, and I've seen Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice (x3!) and I'm almost certain it's fretless. On the latest album you can hear the fretless slides in places, like here:

 

 

[Graham]

Can definitely hear the fretless in the first Blood Incantation track you posted from the EP, the playing is less obviously fretless on Hidden History.... looking back at the live video, you could well be right and I just hadn't clocked it was a fretless