Math Metal
Also known as technical metal
A flexible metal label for music that twists heavy riffs through strange meters and sharply interlocked patterns. The term is documented, but it is not a single neatly bounded scene, so the best way to understand it is through the bands and recordings that people have used to anchor it.
Origins and context
The label is documented through late-1990s and early-2000s technical metal coverage rather than a single formal birthplace; Meshuggah’s Swedish scene and The Dillinger Escape Plan’s New Jersey hardcore/metal context are both central reference points in the documented history.
The sound
Characteristics
- Polyrhythmic guitar riffs
- Odd or shifting meter
- Tight syncopation
- Technical drumming
- Distorted electric guitars
- Bass guitar
- Vocals
History
The label shows up in coverage of technical metal from the 1990s onward, and writers have used it to describe bands whose music pairs extreme-metal force with the angularity of math rock and the density of avant-garde composition. AllMusic’s discussion of Lethargy points to a mid-1990s “math-metal” movement, while later writeups use the term for bands such as Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and other technically intricate acts. Meshuggah are especially important to the story: the band formed in 1987 in Sweden, and their official site and artist pages emphasize a long career built on forward-thinking heaviness, while later releases like Chaosphere and ObZen are commonly cited for their polyrhythmic, technically severe sound. The Dillinger Escape Plan, formed in New Jersey in March 1997, became another key reference point for the style’s off-kilter precision and hardcore-derived aggression.
Notable artists
- MMeshuggah
- TDThe Dillinger Escape Plan
- LLethargy
- GGojira
- ATAfter the Burial
- VVolumes
Essential listening
- 1
Meshuggah
- 2
The Dillinger Escape Plan
- 3
- 4
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- AllMusic review of Lethargy – It's Hard to Write with a Little Hand
- AllMusic review of Meshuggah – Destroy Erase Improve
- meshuggah.net
Meshuggah formed in 1987 in Sweden and their official site frames them as long-running forward-thinking metal standard-bearers.
- Apple Music
The Dillinger Escape Plan formed in March 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey, and Apple Music describes their music as metalcore complexity with mathcore roots.
- Apple Music
Apple Music identifies Bleed and Panasonic Youth as key tracks for Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan respectively.
- Spotify
Spotify provides canonical track pages for Bleed and Panasonic Youth.
- Meshuggah biography
- The Dillinger Escape Plan biography