Decapitated is a Polish Technical Death Metal band formed in 1996. Along with Vader, Hate, and Behemoth, they are considered one of the "big 4" death metal bands in the Polish scene. The band has had numerous vocalist changes, having had 3 different vocalists in their 7-album discography. The band is also known for their technical proficiency, particularly the skills of their first drummer, the late Vitek Kieltyka, who died in 2007 at the very young age of 23. While not a mainstream success, the band is one of the most popular in the metal community, with many metal critics giving them top reviews and citing them as a 'band to watch in the 21st century', receiving the most acclaim for their 2006 album Organic Hallucinosis.
They were forced to go on hiatus due to lack of members and recovery after the bus crash that killed Vitek (and resulted in permanent brain damage for Covan). Vogg restarted the band in 2009 with a new lineup, and Carnival Is Forever was finally released in 2011. Since then, they have released two more records, Blood Mantra in 2014, and Anticult in 2017.
In October 2017, all members of the band were charged after allegedly gang-raping a woman on their tour bus. Although the band themselves as well as their lawyer and witnesses deny these claims, the investigation is still ongoing. In January 2018, the band members were released from jail and all charges against them were dropped.
As of September 27, 2019, Vogg has been announced as the new lead guitarist of Machine Head, though he has confirmed that Decapitated is not going anywhere and they will have a new album out in 2020, though it wouldn't be unveiled until 2022. Vogg left Machine Head in 2024, also revealing upon announcing his departure that the band was working on their ninth studio album.
Members:
- Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka - guitars (1996−2007, 2009−present)
- Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski - vocals (2009−present)
- Hubert Więcek - bass (2016-present)
- James Stewart - drums (2021-present)
Notable Past Members:
- Wojciech "Sauron" Wąsowicz - vocals (1996 - 2005)
- Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka(RIP) - drums (1996 - 2007)
- Marcin "Martin" Rygiel - bass guitar (1997 - 2005, 2006 - 2007)
- Adrian "Covan" Kowanek - vocals (2005 - 2007)
- Kerim "Krimh" Lechner - drums (2009-2012)
- Paweł "Pawulon" Jaroszewicz - drums (2012-2013)
- Paweł Pasek - bass guitar (2012−2016)
- Michal "Mlody" Lysejko - drums (2014-2018)
Discography:
- Winds of Creation (2000)
- Nihility (2002)
- The Negation (2004)
- Organic Hallucinosis (2006)
- Carnival Is Forever (2011)
- Blood Mantra (2014)
- Anticult (2017)
- Cancer Culture (2022)
Decapitated provides examples of:
- Blatant Lies: Vogg said Rasta sounded deeper and more experienced on Blood Mantra, but it is near-universally agreed that he sounds no different than he did when he started. However, since then, his voice has actually gotten lower, becoming more guttural by Cancer Culture.
- Career-Ending Injury: Adrian Kowanek survived the bus crash... unfortunately, it left him with severe traumatic brain injuries that have robbed him of his ability to function independently ever again. He will never be able to live without round-the-clock aid again, let alone do anything with music.
- Child Popstar: The members of the band were in their teens when their debut Winds of Creation was recorded in 2000. The youngest was drummer Vitek, who was 15 years of age.
- Cover Version: They've covered "Mandatory Suicide" by Slayer, "Suffer the Children" by Napalm Death and "Lunatic of God's Creation" by Deicide.
- Epic Rocking: Their current longest song is "Carnival is Forever" at 8:49.
- Genre Shift: Starting with Carnival is Forever, they shifted towards a mixture of Death Metal/Groove Metal, while still being rooted in tech-death.
- Gorn: Despite what their name means, this is pretty much averted for the majority of their lyrics, which are mostly dark questionings of humanity.
- I Am the Band: Post-hiatus, Vogg is the only original member left still in the band.
- Instrumentals: "Dance Macabre", "The Calling", "Silence".
- Lead Bassist: Marcin Rygiel was a Type A.
- Lead Drummer: Vitek (due both to his technical skill and his untimely passing) and Krimh (due to, again, his technical skill, plus having a well-known YouTube channel).
- Miniscule Rocking: Instrumentals "Dance Macabre" and "The Calling" at 2:47 and 1:17 respectively (compared to the rest of their stuff), as well as "Symmetry of Zero" at 2:36.
- Misanthrope Supreme/Straw Nihilist/Humans Are Bastards: Their main lyrical theme.
- New Sound Album: Starting with Carnival is Forever, they switched to Death/Groove Metal.
- Protest Song: "Cancer Culture" for online toxicity and cancel culture.
- Revolving Door Band: Not at first, but since the tragic death of Vitek and Covan's injury in the same accident, the band has seen several line-up changes. (Covan was not the band's first vocalist, replacing Sauron, who also had to depart for health reasons, but apart from that the band's lineup had previously been stable).
- Technical Death Metal: Their main style, and while it has not been as prominent compared to their Sauron-era material, it still forms the core of their sound.
- Teen Genius: Vitek could drum better at 15 than most modern metal drummers twice that age can drum today. The other members weren't any slouches on their instruments either.
- Vocal Evolution: When original vocalist Sauron left the band, the new vocalist (and the one after that) had a much higher, less guttural death growl akin to Nergal's.
- Original vocalist Sauron alone is also an example. His voice was low when they recorded Winds of Creation, then got higher for Nihility and a little more for The Negation, though never as much as the new guys.
