Cynic

Cynic is a technical death metal band from Florida. They added the influence of jazz fusion to their metal sound. They also used dual vocalists, one with death grunts, one with a robotic-sounding voice produced by a vocoder. Their lyrics are about deep philosophical and religious topics. They recorded one album, Focus, in 1993. They broke up the next year. Some of their members were in other technical/progressive metal groups, such as Atheist, Gordian Knot, Pestilence, and Portal. In 2006, they reunited to tour Europe.

Recommended Albums:
Focus

Official Website
Official Myspace
Veil of Maya at Roadrunner Records
Veil of Maya live
The reunited Cynic play How Could I? live

Napalm Death

Napalm Death is one of the pioneers of grindcore. They started as a hardcore punk band, but began to move toward a more death metal influenced sound. They created a high-speed mix of metal and hardcore which formed the basis for modern grindcore. And did I mention it's really fucking fast? They often tackle political topics in their lyrics. The band has undergone many lineup changes. By the time they recorded side 2 of Scum, they had no original members left. This means that there are a huge number of associated bands and side projects. To name a few, Carcass, Brujeria, Cathedral, and Godflesh were all related to Napalm Death. In recent years, Napalm Death has taken a more progressive deathgrind sound. They remain one of the most influential bands in extreme music.

Recommended Albums:
Scum
From Enslavement to Obliteration

Official Website
Official Myspace
Napalm Death live
Napalm Death covering the DKs' Nazi Punks Fuck Off
You Suffer live (Shortest song ever?)