Looking for your top three heavy acts that missed the boat to success and should have been more when compared to other bands of the day. Looking for technical ability, composition strength, originality and overall sound. List them under Death, Thrash, Speed metal etc.

Seeing as I used to be into death metal, the three in that genre that come to mind are:

Nocturnus - Thresholds album
THE best death metal album ever, way ahead of its time, included a keyboard player and guitarists that could shred amazing solos. Crap vocalist though, just a regular death grunt but the lyrics are a brilliant mix of sci-fi and horror. I just focus on the guitar playing and shut him out. The riffs range from really cool heavy grooves to extremely technical neo-classical and the solos are pure genius. If you think Children of Bodom are good, these guys outclass them on every front. Forget their other albums though, this is the one that they spent time on the music and forgot the stupid satanic lyrics.

Sentenced - Amok album
Really catchy riffs, abrasive yet original vocals, great guitar playing - nice solos and an overall classic rock feel.

Cynic - Focus album
Think Death meets jazz guitar. Brilliant mix of two opposing styles, very technical and complicated compositions. Extremely original vocals, sounds like Chuck Schuldiner in one ear and a robot singing through a voice box in the other. Production was a little tinny though, the only slight fault on this otherwise must have cd.