Atheist

Atheist is a progressive death/thrash metal band from Florida, USA, founded in 1984, whose music was technical and sometimes reminiscent of

Atheist is a progressive death/thrash metal band from Florida, USA, founded in 1984, whose music was technical and sometimes reminiscent of jazz. They combined brutal riffs with subtle latin music arrangements and jazz breakdowns. Their second album, Unquestionable Presence, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music), has been regarded by some critics as one of the most influential technical death metal albums of all-time.

The band was founded in 1984 in Florida, USA, firstly under the name Oblivion and later R.A.V.A.G.E. (which stands for Raging Atheists Vowing A Gory End). They recorded their debut album, Piece of Time, in 1988, which was not released until 1990. In 1991, bassist Roger Patterson perished in a car accident and Atheist recruited Tony Choy to record their second album, the now classic Unquestionable Presence. Atheist disbanded for the first time in 1992, reuniting in 1993 and recording their last album Elements, fulfilling their contractual requirements, before disbanding for the second time.