Roger Patterson (November 29, 1968 – February 12, 1991) was an American bass player known for his work in the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

technical death metal Technical death metal (also known as tech death) is a musical subgenre of death metal with particular focus on instrumental skill and complex songwriting. Technical and progressive experimentation in death metal began in the late 1980s and early ...

band

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. His playing style is characterized by its speed and complexity.

Alex Webster Alex Webster (born October 25, 1969) is an American musician who is the bassist and a co-founder of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two original remaining members, alongside drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is also the bassist ...

, bassist with

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...

, has acknowledged Patterson as "a big influence", describing his playing on the album ''

Piece of Time ''Piece of Time'' is the debut album by Florida death metal band Atheist, recorded in 1988 and released locally on August 30, 1989 through Active Records, and internationally in 1990 through Metal Blade Records. ''Piece of Time'' is the only ...

'' as "phenomenal". Patterson joined Atheist (then known as R.A.V.A.G.E.) in 1985. The band recorded their first full-length album, ''Piece of Time,'' in 1988, but due to record company issues, it was not released until two years later. As a result, Atheist began preparing for their next album, to which Roger contributed greatly. Before recording, however, the band was involved in a car crash and Roger was killed, on February 12, 1991. Atheist would record and release their next album, '' Unquestionable Presence'', later that year and dedicate it to Roger's memory. The 2005 re-issue version features several previously unheard demo recordings of Patterson performing ''UP'' material. In 1991, the

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...

band

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...

released ''

Mass Appeal Madness ''Mass Appeal Madness'' is an EP by Napalm Death. It was released in 1991 on Earache Records and is dedicated to the memory of Roger Patterson, the bassist of death metal band Atheist who died earlier in the same year. Track listing *The so ...

'' in Roger's memory, as did

Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are m ...

with their album ''

Effigy of the Forgotten ''Effigy of the Forgotten'' is the debut full-length album by New York–based death metal band Suffocation, released in 1991. The album features several tracks that are re-recorded versions of tracks that appeared on the band's ''Reincremation' ...

,'' and members of

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

paid homage to him on their album ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'' (see liner notes).

References

1968 births 1991 deaths American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Road incident deaths in the United States 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-bass-guitarist-stub