Necrophagist (/nɛkroʊˈfæɡɪst/nek-roh-FA-gist) was a Germantechnical death metal band founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. The band usedbaroque music-influenced compositions paired withextreme metal drumming.

Necrophagist
Necrophagist performing in 2010. Left to right: Stephan Fimmers, Muhammed Suiçmez, Romain Goulon (behind) and Sami Raatikainen.
Background information
Origin	Gaggenau, Germany
Genres	Technical death metal[1]
Years active	1992–2010
Labels	Relapse Willowtip
Past members	(See below)
Website	necrophagist.de

The name originates from the Greek roots νεκρο-nekro- ("dead (body)")^[2] and -φαγος-phagos ("eater of").^[3] This figuratively translates toeater of the dead; literally theeater of dead bodies.

Necrophagist's debut albumOnset of Putrefaction has been out of print for years. The percussion on the album was handled by a drum machine. Eventually, a new edition with drum samples recorded byHannes Grossmann was created. All of the old guitar, bass guitar and vocal tracks were mixed along with the brand new drum samples. The re-release also features two songs from Necrophagist's 1995 self-titled demo tape. The whole album was also engineered by long-time Necrophagist engineer andproducer Christoph Brandes atThe Iguana Studios. It was mastered by Bob Katz at "Digital Domain",Orlando, Florida. The re-release was issued in 2004 by Willowtip in the United States/Canada andRelapse in the rest of the world. In August 2001, Necrophagist performed at theBrutal Assault open air festival in the Czech Republic. The band also returned to perform in the years 2003, 2005 and 2010.

On 10 February 2006, it was announced thatChristian Münzner had departed the band due to scheduling conflicts. Later on, he joined the death metal bandObscura. A replacement guitarist was found,Sami Raatikainen, who is fromHelsinki, Finland. Sami also plays in the band Codeon.

In 2006, the band undertook an American tour called "Carving North America's Epitaph". Necrophagist was joined on this tour byArsis,Alarum,Neuraxis,Ion Dissonance,Cattle Decapitation andThine Eyes Bleed. They, along withDying Fetus, supportedCannibal Corpse on their U.S. tour in the fall, which also included some Canadian venues.

In 2007, the band announced on itsMyspace profile that after the 2007 California Metalfest, drummer Hannes Grossmann would leave the band. Hannes stated that he was unable to commit to the band's full-time touring schedule.Marco Minnemann (who has played with Paul Gilbert, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman) was the official permanent replacement for Hannes.

Necrophagist was a headlining act forThe Summer Slaughter Tour in 2007, which featured a wide variety of other extreme metal bands includingDecapitated,Arsis,The Faceless,Cephalic Carnage,As Blood Runs Black andCattle Decapitation.

In April 2008, Necrophagist announced thatRomain Goulon would be joining the band as their new drummer, replacing Minnemann, who would still be working with Suiçmez on a side project.^[4]

Necrophagist played in the "Pillage the Village Tour" in 2008 from 26 August 2008 to 10 September 2008 with death metal bandsDying Fetus andBeneath the Massacre. Shows in some areas also includedCarcass,Suffocation,1349 andAborted.

In 2008, Necrophagist began work on its next album with new drummerRomain Goulon.^[5] According to rumours, two possible names were "The Path to Naught" and "Death to the Faithful". Suiçmez stated that the band would be usingseven-string guitars on the album.^[6] Muhammed himself will be recording with a new custom shopIbanez Xiphos guitar with seven strings, as well as 27 frets.^[7] Sami Raatikainen is anIbanez guitar endorser, using a 7 String RG-Series guitar on stage.

As of 2012, it was unknown if Necrophagist were still active, or had plans to release a follow-up toEpitaph. This had led to a large amount of speculation on the part of fans, bewildered by the album's long wait. However, in a statement made in August 2012, former drummer Marco Minnemann stated there was indeed progress on a new album, saying "I know people are waiting for the new Necro album so bad. Muhammed is a very close friend of mine and I know he's really concerned about delivering the best album possible. But I personally know there's progress....hang on in there, I'm sure he'll deliver the goods."

On 11 September 2013, drummer Romain Goulon issued a statement that Necrophagist were still active and attempting to record a new album, however, there was no indication of when it would be released.^[8] Then on 4 April 2016, Goulon replied to a Facebook comment and stated "We're looking for a coffin to mourn the dead", saying that Necrophagist would not be moving forward as a band, and thus were done.^[9]

Final lineup

• Muhammed Suiçmez – guitar, vocals(1992–2010)
• Stephan Fimmers – bass(2003–2010)
• Sami Raatikainen – guitar(2006–2010)
• Romain Goulon – drums(2008–2010)

Former members

• Jochen Bittmann – bass(1992–2001)
• Jan-Paul Herm – guitar(1992–1995)
• Matthias Holzapfel – guitar(1995–2000)
• Raphael Kempermann – drums(1992–1995)
• Daniel Silva – drums(1995–1998, 2001–2003)
• Shahram Naderi – drums(1998–2001)
• Mostafa Karami – guitar(1998–2001)
• Mario Petrovic – guitar(2000–2001)
• Slavek Foltyn – drums(2000–2001)
• Björn Vollmer – guitar(2001–2002)
• Julien Laroche – bass(2001–2003)
• Christian Münzner – guitar(2002–2006)
• Heiko Linzert – bass(2003)
• Hannes Grossmann – drums(2003–2007)
• Marco Minnemann – drums(2007–2008)

Studio albums

• Onset of Putrefaction (1999)
• Epitaph (2004)

Demo tapes

• Requiems of Festered Gore (1992)
• Necrophagist (1995)

• Official website
• Necrophagist discography atDiscogs