Dave Otero

{{Short description|American music producer}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = person | honorific_prefix = | name = | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name =  | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|21|2002}}<ref name=background/> | birth_place = | origin = Denver, Colorado | death_date =  | death_place = | death_cause =  | genre = {{hlist|Extreme metal|rock|EDM|nu metal<ref name=genre/>}} | occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|Audio engineer}} | instrument = | works = | years_active =  | label = | publishers = | current_member_of = | past_member_of = | spouse =  | partner = Chelsea Lowe (engaged since 2024)<ref name=marriage/> | awards = | website = {{URL|daveotero.com}} }}

'''Dave Otero''' is an American music producer known for his work with extreme metal bands, primarily through his studio, '''Flatline Audio'''.<ref name=fest>{{cite news |last=Criado |first=Justin |title=New Extreme Metal Festival to Debut in Denver |url=https://www.westword.com/music/denver-flatline-fest-to-debut-with-extreme-metal-madness-40827206/ |work=Westword |date=8 January 2026}}</ref>

==Early life== Otero's early childhood was spent in Houston, Texas, before moving to Boulder, Colorado when he was fourteen, shortly after his brother enrolled at the University of Colorado. He played in local punk bands in his youth, which included the acts Messy Hairs and Four.<ref name=background>{{cite news |last=Herrera |first=Dave |title=The Beatdown |url=https://www.westword.com/music/the-beatdown-5083275/ |work=Westword |date=3 March 2005}}</ref><ref name=fest/> Otero became more interested in metal after a road trip to the Milwaukee Metal Fest.<ref name=background/> He would eventually move to Denver, and formed the band Serebus with Ivan Alcala.<ref name=background/>

Otero was introduced to audio production when he split the cost of a four-track recorder with his older brother, later using that equipment to record his own band's practices.<ref name=303m>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Mariah |title=Producer Dave Otero Breaks Down the Anatomy of Heavy Metal |url=https://303magazine.com/2021/06/metal-producer-dave-otero/ |work=303 Magazine |date=24 June 2021}}</ref>

==Career== Early in Otero's career, he would record any local bands willing to hire him, supplementing his income through serving at restaurants.<ref name=303m/> His first major recording came in the form of Cephalic Carnage's ''Lucid Interval'', when Otero was 21 years old.<ref name=fest/><ref name=background/> Otero's production business became Flatline Audio, a studio based in Denver, Colorado. The studio has produced albums for multiple extreme metal bands, including Cephalic Carnage (''Anomalies''),<ref>{{cite news |title= Best Nationally Renowned Producer You’ve Never Heard Of |url=https://www.westword.com/best-of-denver/2005/arts-and-entertainment/best-nationally-renowned-producer-youve-never-heard-of-5155052 |work=Westword |date=2005}}</ref> Khemmis, Archspire, Tetrarch,<ref name=303m/> Aborted, Allegaeon,<ref name=marriage/><ref>{{cite news |last=Eyl |first=Eryc |title=The Mile High Makeout: For the love of metal |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2010/01/22/the-mile-high-makeout-for-the-love-of-metal/ |work=The Denver Post |date=22 January 2010}}</ref> Cobalt,<ref>{{cite news |last=Krovatin |first=Chris |title=States Of Metal: Colorado's Scene Thrives Despite Cultural Upheaval |url=https://www.kerrang.com/states-of-metal-colorado |work=Kerrang! |date=19 November 2018}}</ref> Cattle Decapitation, Skinless,<ref>{{cite news |title=Extreme Metal Producer Dave Otero On Making Chaos Sound Organic |url=https://www.kerrang.com/extreme-metal-producer-dave-otero-on-making-chaos-sound-organic |work=Kerrang! |date=23 January 2019}}</ref> Primitive Man,<ref name=genre>{{cite news |last=Hutcherson |first=Ben |title=Zen and the Art of Extreme Metal Production |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/zen-and-the-art-of-extreme-metal-production/ |work=Vice |date=13 December 2017}}</ref> Abigail Williams, and Fallujah.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |title=Producer DAVE OTERO Appears To Be Teasing His Own Festival |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/producer-dave-otero-appears-to-be-teasing-his-own-festival |work=Metal Injection |date=26 December 2025}}</ref> He also teaches audio production through URM Academy courses.<ref name=303m/>

Otero has produced charting albums, including Cattle Decapitation's ''The Anthropocene Extinction'', which placed on the ''Billboard 200'',<ref>{{cite web |title=CATTLE DECAPITATION: The Anthropocene Extinction First-Week Chart Numbers Revealed |url=https://www.metalblade.com/us/news/allegaeon-enters-billboard-and-canadian-charts/ |publisher=Metal Blade Records |date=18 August 2015}}</ref> and Allegaeon's ''Elements of the Infinite'', which ranked on the ''Billboard'' Hard Music Chart.<ref>{{cite web |title=ALLEGAEON Enters Billboard and Canadian Charts For the First Time |url=https://www.metalblade.com/us/news/allegaeon-enters-billboard-and-canadian-charts/ |publisher=Metal Blade Records |date=2 July 2014}}</ref>

In January 2026, Otero announced Flatline Fest, a music festival containing metal bands that Otero has worked with in the past, which is to be hosted at the Oriental Theater. The festival predominantly features musical artists originating from Denver.<ref name=fest/> The festival is co-produced by Otero and his partner, Chelsea Lowe.<ref name=fest/>

==Discography== {{Main|Category:Albums produced by Dave Otero}}

==Personal life== Otero is engaged to his partner, Chelsea Lowe. The pair got engaged during a performance by Aborted at the Brutal Assault festival in 2024.<ref name=fest/><ref name=marriage>{{cite news |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |title=Legendary Producer DAVE OTERO Got Engaged On Stage At Brutal Assault |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/legendary-producer-dave-otero-got-engaged-on-stage-at-brutal-assault |work=Metal Injection |date=9 August 2024}}</ref>

==External links== * [https://flatlinefest.com/ Flatline Fest]

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Living people Category:American record producers Category:20th-century births