Death Metal thread

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

I know there is probably one already but oh well I nice new one. Just use this to discuss Death metal or give each other new bands and such...enjoy

[RLP4ever]

Don't even start me talkin', Symps.

I could talk death metal with ya all day long, I reckon. As for 'recs', they'd run like a river if I were start trotting them out.

Seriously, in my eyes, there's actually been literally tons of terrific death metal albums and awesome acts, over the last twenty plus years of the genre's existence. And hey, I've already given you a bunch of recommendations.

What are the dm bands you have heard, and probably liked, most recently?

I think I've always loved Brutal-DM best, overall. And most (not all) melodic dm, the least.

As for a few new recommendations:

You might wanna check out Hate Eternal's latest disc, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes

Decapitated's new one, Carnival Is Forever

Devourment (US) ~ Unleash the Carnivore

Pestilence's latest, Doctrine

Origin's Entity

^ these are all new albums by these great old bands. Find out which ones among these wow you much.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

lol I basically started this thread because me and you always seem to end up chatting death metal. I have heard Pestilences new one and also Hate Eternal's they are actually two of the main bands that got me into the genera but I haven't had time to check the others out yet so I will do so today. I'm listening to alot of Obscura because i'm seeing them live soon and Ive never gave 'em a proper listen but they are really great

[RLP4ever]

^ Yea, we should be on the phone then...or maybe meet in some manic mosh pit sometime.

Seriously, Symps, this has hardly ever been the forum for death metal die-hards. But we both, and anybody else who cares to post, can always drop by on this thread and talk death metal as much as we want to.

Obscura is a band that I discovered only about 2 years ago. I think they are a pretty cool tech-death act. And I don't mind some of the obviously 'prog' angles to their playing and overall sound. This year's latest disc, 'Omnivium' is an impressive record that I liked very much. You must listen to it, if you haven't already.

You might wanna also try somewhat similar top-notch tech-death acts like Psycroptic, Gorguts, Atheist, Anata, The Red Chord, The Faceless, etc..etc.. And, of course, there're the likes of mighty Nile, and Decapitated and Origin and many more. Death Metal just rules!

[Sabbathman]

Well I just did what I should have done 3 years ago - I got the remastered & reloaded double CD editions of the BENEDICTION albums "Subconscious Terror" & "The Grand Leveller" and "Trancend The Rubicon" & "The Dreams You Dread". Benediction is one of the first death metal bands I've heard in my life, I remember how I first heard them on a C-cassette compilation made by my friend, it was back in early 1993...the first song was from "Trancend The Rubicon", the powerful "NIGHTFEAR". The song and the band stuck.

After the initial listens, many years went by, never had the money to buy the first edition CDs of any Benediction albums...then I managed to get some Benediction albums as mp3 copies (the only way) and sort of reintroduced myself with the band all over again. I remembered correctly - Benediction is one hell of a death metal band.

Then in 2008 Nuclear Blast reissued all of the classic albums as double CD editions, reloaded with bonus songs (including the entire "Dark Is The Season" EP & the massive Anvil cover "FORGED IN FIRE" which is more than suitable for a Midlands band like Benediction - I think this song should have been made by Benediction originally!!!)...still time went by, so many CDs to choose from...but NOW I have these death metal gems in my possession as real, physical albums - at long last.

It's mindblowing to think that I was only 13 (amidst a horde of grunge people) when I first heard THIS...

My path with death metal was settled there and then. Now, 18 years later I have a great collection of many death metal albums. It was my destiny.

[RLP4ever]

Yea, Sabbathman, I gotta agree about Benediction being a darn good old-school death metal band. The only one I think I haven't heard is 'The Grand Leveller'. Of the rest, hard to pick a favourite, cos they are all actually ace albums, all round. The last one, 'Killing Music', though, was a slight let-down for me. I guess the reason I even first checked out Benediction was when I heard that 'Barney' Greenway (Napalm Death) briefly did vocals, before he joined ND. And then there was Dave Ingram (later in Bolt Thrower) who also did Benediction much good.

Mate, do you listen to at least some death metal, daily? I sure do! Sometimes a lot of it, too.

[Sabbathman]

Yea, Sabbathman, I gotta agree about Benediction being a darn good old-school death metal band. The only one I think I haven't heard is 'The Grand Leveller'. Of the rest, hard to pick a favourite, cos they are all actually ace albums, all round. The last one, 'Killing Music', though, was a slight let-down for me. I guess the reason I even first checked out Benediction was when I heard that 'Barney' Greenway (Napalm Death) briefly did vocals, before he joined ND. And then there was Dave Ingram (later in Bolt Thrower) who also did Benediction much good.

Mate, do you listen to at least some death metal, daily? I sure do! Sometimes a lot of it, too.

Well, lately it's been a combination of 2 album themes, Scorpions 1978-2010 (for the show this Saturday) and Candlemass 1986-1989 (this year's new acquaintance, a band that I should have first listened to years ago, a band that just waited like a storm to be unleashed upon me right from the very first experience that I had in the last days of March)...but let's say not a week goes by without some death metal, the genre is so powerful and diverse, so generous and inspiring that it can't be denied nor avoided. I can promise that as the skies darken for the autumn, I'll make decent return to the realms of death metal...I've been planning to begin that journey with themes of Death and Benediction, but the very opening song of that autumn theme will be this MASTERPIECE (also found on my first extreme metal C-cassette compilation '93) which is a perfect reminder of the times to come...

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

I'm listening to Suffocation,Monstrosity and Cancer alot lately very great bands

[RLP4ever]

Which Suffo album, specifically? Or do you listen to several random songs?
I'm a big fan of 'nydm'. As you continue to move further into dm territory, check out Suffocation's fellow New York legends like Immolation, Incantation, Malignancy, Morpheus Descends and Skinless. I love 'em all.

Monstrosity is really good. All their albums are a cool combination of ample aggression and a tasteful, non-wussy melodicism And 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher sure sounded great in his two albums with the band. Btw, do you listen to, and like Cannibal Corpse?

Cancer should have gone on to become a great band. But their comeback disc, 'Spirit in Flames' (2005), failed to float my boat the way stuff like the classics of the early-'90s, 'Death Shall Rise', 'To the Gory End', and 'The Sins of Mankind' did. But this is definitely a very over-looked dm band, even among some of the avowed 'old-school' crowd.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

For Suffocation I really enjoy the first 2 albums. And ya Monstrosity is really great and yea I listen to Cannibal Corpse but i'm not to into them but I enjoy a few albums and some random songs. And ya Cancer is great but I agree the comeback wasn't very good I like it but well ya.

---------- Post added at 03:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:01 PM ----------

I don't know if you use Last.Fm you probably do so here is my account http://www.last.fm/user/mynameisjoehann

[Drago]

Count me in being a huge Death Metal fan as well. I absolutely love Benediction with The Dreams You Dread being my favorite CD and song by them. I really liked Dave Ingram's voice quite a bit. I have all of their CD's except for Organised Chaos. I need to still pick it up. I really liked Killing Music actually. Better than I was hoping for. RLP, pick up The Grand Leveler. You will really dig it.

What makes Death Metal such an amazing Genre is that I seem to like the much more melodic DM bands which is the opposite of RLP but with it being such a diverse (yes I use that word to describe DM) genre we can be both huge fans and different ends of the spectrum.

Here are some of the DM bands that I love:

Benediction
Dismember
Grave
Unleashed
Jungle Rot
Arch Enemy - Fronted by Johan
Asphyx
Entombed
Amon Amarth
Kataklysm
Amorphis
Barren Earth
Carcass
Death
Crematory
The Crown
Hail Of Bullets
Hearse
Hypocrisy
Insomnium
One Man Army and the Undead Quartet

There are so many others that I am not including because I am not sure it would fit the DM category but I would personally include it. I didn't include the whole NWOSDM category which is about my favorite type of music. Also the whole Beauty and the Beast style which I like a lot as well (Check out the new Draconian CD). Also bands that started out DM (Therion, Tiamat Etc.) but aren't so much anymore.

Looking forward to discuss Death Metal in more depth!! Amazing style of music.

[NoJobRob]

I used to listen to death metal a lot when I was younger. I still listen to it once in a while. Back in 8th grade I discovered Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, and Morbid Angel. I still like those guys too. I also got into Death, Monstrosity, and Cryptopsy. But then I just got busy with life and couldn't keep up with all the new bands that came out. Getting old and responsible has it's pitfalls. LOL But lately I've been wanting to spend more time listening to new (new, as in unknown to me) music. I feel like I've neglected my love of music for the last 10 years or so and got left behind in the dust. :( LOL

[RLP4ever]

So cool to see two more dm fans, Drago and NoJobRob, drop by here and let their own feelings be known.

@Drago
Too many people --- critics and non-fans---seem to delight in denigrating death metal, and one of their recurrent criticisms is that the genre is extremely one-dimensional, lacks any 'diversity', with most bands allegedly sounding just the same. Well, they exaggerate greatly, and are mostly wrong in their assumptions. You're right to stress the diversity to be found in death metal, cos it's actually very true; there's sufficient variety in dm to cater to the tastes of all sorts of extreme music enthusiasts. As you pointed out the example of us both, i.e. you (like legions of other fans) mainly leaning toward the generally more melodic dm bands, while I've always been sold on predominantly brutal-dm. But we're both big fans of death metal. And I'm guessing that you do like some brutal/tech death, just as I do some melodic/prog dm. There's an entire gamut of different styles and hybrids within the genre, which is surely a great thing for us fans.

One thing I instantly notice about your list, Drago, is that it's replete with several non-U.S dm bands. Again, we differ slightly here. Among the shiploads of dm bands I have ever heard, and especially the ones I really love, I gotta say that a slight majority of them are American, from coast to coast. I haven't heard anything by three of the bands on your list. One Man Army and the Undead Quartet, Barren Earth, and Hearse. The rest of them are pretty good-to-great bands, no question. My common liked bands off your list are: Asphyx, Carcass, Benediction, Entombed, Unleashed, Grave, Jungle Rot, Kataklysm and Death.

Since you dig melodic dm, you could (if you haven't already) check out other related acts like: Despised Icon, Dissection (Sweden), Dark Tranquility, Edge of Sanity, At the Gates, Arsis, Paths of Possession, Vehemence etc...

@NoJobRob
Your situation actually sums up the reality for a lot of us metal-mad males everywhere , as we get on in age, have increasing responsibilities, lead stressful and complicated lives, and just the sheer lack of time to properly indulge in our passion for music, the way we did as teenagers and twenty-somethings. I don't know how, despite my considerable workload, frequent travel, family commitments (in spite of being a never-married single guy), and everything else going on in my life, I've luckily somehow still found a way to constantly seek out new and old music, buy cd albums, and steal the leisure time to actually listen to an album or two, everyday. And oh, also read and post here on this forum, regularly.

You ain't 'left behind in the dust', mate..cos love for music, and time spent listening to it and enjoying it isn't exactly a competitive sport, you know.

Rob, I really hope that since you seem to genuinely regret missing out on the pleasures of so much of the terrific old and new music of the past decade and more, you can get back on track by reading some of the threads on this forum, and get up and go get yourself some of the swell metal (or non-metal) stuff that grabs your interest. You can make up for the 'lost' decade of your life spent sans music, by rediscovering your love for quality music and finding a way to fit that into your daily life. And, of course, we all will have a new member and friend on this forum. cheers!

*why not start with Black Sabbath, and take it from there.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Any body like Children of Bodom? I like some of the older Bodom stuff

[cwilder86]

Currently Death and Opeth are the only death metal bands that I am a big fan of and unfortunately for me Death is no more obviously with the passing of Chuck in 2001 and Opeth has let me down by turning into a pure prog band and getting rid of their death metal roots. Other than that I have a very small handful of blackened death metal acts (Dissection), I'm into but I almost consider them more black metal so it looks like I need to become a fan of some new death metal bands. Some death metal bands that I'm aware of that I think I could really sink my teeth into but just haven't had the time to sit down and stream their albums and let them soak in are Morbid Angel and Possessed, but I'm always open to more suggestions gentlemen. RLP, I believe this is your field of expertise my friend. lol Oh has any body here checked out Swedish death metalers Bloodbath? It has Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth on vocals but it's really nothing like Opeth as in no prog.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Some Death metal you sould check out man

Morbid Angel- Probably my favorite
Possessed
Autopsy-(One of my favorites)
Suffocation
Cannibal Corpse
Monstrosity
Deicide
Hate Eternal
Pestilence
Immolation
Grave
Malevolent Creation-(Another favorite)
Benediction
Nile
Origin
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Septic Flesh
Decrepit Birth
Vader-(another fav)

[RLP4ever]

@cwilder
Buddy, I thought you were gonna spend much more time in black metal country, first before wading into death metal. But hey, you really can dive into both genres, simultaneously.

There's a whole bunch of different sorts of top-drawer dm bands that I have already named on this thread. And now Symptoms has posted a very good list of his own.

You mentioned Bloodbath. Ace band, no kidding. I think even devstorm cited them in the Opeth thread. In the Swedish dm scene, Bloodbath is one of my few favourites. All their three albums and an EP, while sounding somewhat samey-samey here and there, are nevertheless excellent death metal worth any fan's time and money. There's a very recently-released DVD, Bloodbath Over Bloodstock that I've got and quite enjoyed.

wilder, if you like Bloodbath, you really ought to also check out Vomitory. That's another equally cool Swedish heavy-hitter. There's just loads of swell dm on offer, that I'm spoiled for choice making recommendations for beginners. But you could either choose to begin with the old-school masters like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Malevolent Creation, Obituary, Deicide, Vital Remains, Bolt Thrower and others, or get into much newer contemporary bands. One band that pops to mind that I think you'll readily like is Poland's Vader. In any case, you must listen to the pioneers of the genre to really get a genuine feel and affinity for what death metal really means, and how it's evolved over the years, to this day. Once you're hooked, there's no going back.

edit: belated B'day wishes to Symptoms. And if it isn't too much trouble, Symps, I'm kind of really curious to know what are your most favourite albums (name just one) by each of the bands you just listed above.

[NoJobRob]

Forgot to mention Carcass, although I think they fall under the Grindcore category. At the Gates has some good stuff too from what I remember. Again, not sure what exact category they fall under. I get confused when bands aren't obviously one or the other. I used to keep up with all the sub-genres, but after so long it got tiring and I just said "Fuck it, if it's good it's good, and that's that." LOL

[RLP4ever]

^ yea, if it's good, it's good, and it's still death metal.

Carcass, especially on their first two trail-blazing, terrific albums, Reek of Putrefaction and Symphonies of Sickness, were definitely mainly 'grindcore' (or 'goregrind', with their lyrical content). But yes, even on those albums they had a few death metal elements too, in their sound. At any rate, as distinct as dm and grind are from each other in a number of ways, they are also very similar in several ways. 'Death-grind' (merger of the two styles), that many bands have perfected is something that I've always especially enjoyed.

If you seriously like Carcass, Rob, I wonder if you've ever properly heard Repulsion, Terrorizer, Assuck, Brutal Truth, Nasum, Exhumed, Impaled etc. If you haven't, you really should.

At The Gates is best described as 'melodeath' i.e. melodic death metal. I reckon you'd like Sweden's Dismember a lot.

[cwilder86]

@cwilder
Buddy, I thought you were gonna spend much more time in black metal country, first before wading into death metal. But hey, you really can dive into both genres, simultaneously.

There's a whole bunch of different sorts of top-drawer dm bands that I have already named on this thread. And now Symptoms has posted a very good list of his own.

You mentioned Bloodbath. Ace band, no kidding. I think even devstorm cited them in the Opeth thread. In the Swedish dm scene, Bloodbath is one of my few favourites. All their three albums and an EP, while sounding somewhat samey-samey here and there, are nevertheless excellent death metal worth any fan's time and money. There's a very recently-released DVD, Bloodbath Over Bloodstock that I've got and quite enjoyed.

wilder, if you like Bloodbath, you really ought to also check out Vomitory. That's another equally cool Swedish heavy-hitter. There's just loads of swell dm on offer, that I'm spoiled for choice making recommendations for beginners. But you could either choose to begin with the old-school masters like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Malevolent Creation, Obituary, Deicide, Vital Remains, Bolt Thrower and others, or get into much newer contemporary bands. One band that pops to mind that I think you'll readily like is Poland's Vader. In any case, you must listen to the pioneers of the genre to really get a genuine feel and affinity for what death metal really means, and how it's evolved over the years, to this day. Once you're hooked, there's no going back.

edit: belated B'day wishes to Symptoms. And if it isn't too much trouble, Symps, I'm kind of really curious to know what are your most favourite albums (name just one) by each of the bands you just listed above.

Well I felt like I kind of had reached my limit with black metal. I've checked out tons and tons of bands and I feel like I've compiled a fairly long list of bands that I really liked and felt stood out that I will be making purchases from in the near future. I wanted to move on to DM and do the same thing in order to compile a list. I'll begin with the bands in your list and Symptom's list here. Thanks.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

@cwilder
Buddy, I thought you were gonna spend much more time in black metal country, first before wading into death metal. But hey, you really can dive into both genres, simultaneously.

There's a whole bunch of different sorts of top-drawer dm bands that I have already named on this thread. And now Symptoms has posted a very good list of his own.

You mentioned Bloodbath. Ace band, no kidding. I think even devstorm cited them in the Opeth thread. In the Swedish dm scene, Bloodbath is one of my few favourites. All their three albums and an EP, while sounding somewhat samey-samey here and there, are nevertheless excellent death metal worth any fan's time and money. There's a very recently-released DVD, Bloodbath Over Bloodstock that I've got and quite enjoyed.

wilder, if you like Bloodbath, you really ought to also check out Vomitory. That's another equally cool Swedish heavy-hitter. There's just loads of swell dm on offer, that I'm spoiled for choice making recommendations for beginners. But you could either choose to begin with the old-school masters like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Malevolent Creation, Obituary, Deicide, Vital Remains, Bolt Thrower and others, or get into much newer contemporary bands. One band that pops to mind that I think you'll readily like is Poland's Vader. In any case, you must listen to the pioneers of the genre to really get a genuine feel and affinity for what death metal really means, and how it's evolved over the years, to this day. Once you're hooked, there's no going back.

edit: belated B'day wishes to Symptoms. And if it isn't too much trouble, Symps, I'm kind of really curious to know what are your most favourite albums (name just one) by each of the bands you just listed above.

Thanks for the B'day wishes man

Morbid Angel-Altars of Madness
Possessed-Seven Churches
Autopsy-Mental Funeral
Suffocation-Effigy Of The Forgotten
Cannibal Corpse-Eaten Back to Life
Monstrosity-In Dark Purity
Deicide-Once Upon the Cross
Hate Eternal-I, Monarch
Pestilence-Consuming Impulse
Immolation-Here in After
Grave-As Rapture Comes
Malevolent Creation-The Ten Commandments
Bendiction-Subconscious Terror
Nile-In Their Darkened Shrines
Origin-Echoes of Decimation
Fleshgod Apocalypse-Oracles
Septic Flesh-Communion
Decrepit Birth-Polarity
Vader-Litany

Hope this helps any new Death metal fans find something they enjoy!

[RLP4ever]

^^ Thanks a lot for this, mate. I was curious to know, and you were kind enough to oblige.

I notice that there are a few top fave albums on your list that are identical to mine. Just to let you know, my run-down of #1s from these specific death metal bands are:

Morbid Angel ~ Covenant
Possessed ~ Seven Churches
Autopsy ~ Mental Funeral
Suffocation ~ Effigy Of The Forgotten
Cannibal Corpse ~ Butchered at Birth
Monstrosity - Millennium
Deicide ~ Legion
Hate Eternal ~ I, Monarch
Pestilence ~ Consuming Impulse
Immolation ~ Unholy Cult
Grave ~ As Rapture Comes
Malevolent Creation ~ Retribution
Benediction ~ Transcend the Rubicon
Nile ~ Annihilation of the Wicked
Origin ~ Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas
Fleshgod Apocalypse ~ Oracles
Septic Flesh ~ Ophidian Wheel
Decrepit Birth ~ ....And Time Begins
Vader~ Litany

[NoJobRob]

I used to have a cassette of some death metal band and I can't remember what it was. It was kind of slow and doomy, but had the guttural vocals. I remember one song had some piano in it. I used to listen to it in high school while delivering pizzas. That was in the late 90's. Any ideas what it was? I think the name of the band started with an A or M, though I'm not 100% certain on that.

[cwilder86]

So far (and bear in mind this is after giving one run through an album in most cases and it's usually the debut album)

I am really liking the following death metal bands

Bloodbath
Possessed
Morbid Angel
Vital Remains
Vader
Malevolent Creation
Deicide
Obituary

and a couple that haven't been listed here yet that I discovered on my own and enjoy

Zyklon (My interest was peaked in this one since it features Emperor members Samoth and Tyrm)

and Hypocrisy.

Speaking of Hypocrisy and Zyklon any body else into these guys?

[RLP4ever]

^ cwilder, very cool to know that you actually gave all those great dm bands a proper listen, and think that you really dig them all. Especially Vader and Vital Remains (which I remember strongly recommending to you, earlier). And heck, you already know what a big Deicide fan I am. I'm also happy to see Malevolent Creation on your list of liked bands, among the death metal crowd you're currently checking out.

I've heard only two Zyklon songs, I guess. And I don't quite remember them. Maybe I should try them out anew.

As for Hypocrisy, I predictably enjoy their early straight-up death metal phase much more than their rather too 'melodic' dm albums, later. I'd say the first three albums, 'Penetralia', 'Osculum Obscenum', and 'The Fourth Dimension' are my most-liked ones. Of the ones that followed, I've heard 3-4 of the albums, liking perhaps 'Abducted' best. 'Into the Abyss' is another pretty decent outing that you should try out, wilder.

I also think that you should listen to Sweden's Dismember.

I used to have a cassette of some death metal band and I can't remember what it was. It was kind of slow and doomy, but had the guttural vocals. I remember one song had some piano in it. I used to listen to it in high school while delivering pizzas. That was in the late 90's. Any ideas what it was? I think the name of the band started with an A or M, though I'm not 100% certain on that.

Ha, this ought to be great quiz question for a fan like me. Lol Alas, I honestly can't figure out the answer, man. Though I do know how there are plenty of pretty cool dm bands with names starting with either 'A' or 'M'....And yea, definitely 'D', too.

[Sabbathman]

Speaking of Hypocrisy...

Only the album "The Arrival" is missing from my collections...the latest album "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" is a masterpiece in my ears, challenging any album of the more melodic death metal genre. Of course the early albums "Penetralia", "Osculum Obscenum" and "Fourth Dimension" are some of the greatest of the whole old school death metal genre, but I would strongly recommend to anyone the more melodic albums, the awesome "Abducted", the strong "The Final Chapter", the majestic & multi-dimensional "Hypocrisy", the magnificent & fierce "Into The Abyss", the catchy "Catch 22" (the original version rocks better for me) and "Virus".

How about the great Edge Of Sanity? The other Swedish master Dan Swanö...Take the first three albums "Nothing But Death Remains", "Unorthodox" and "The Spectral Sorrows"...you can't miss those!!! Plus of course the twin magnum opus "Crimson I & II"...

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

The New Fleshgod Apocalypse has leaked

[devstorm]

Oh has any body here checked out Swedish death metalers Bloodbath? It has Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth on vocals but it's really nothing like Opeth as in no prog.

I posted on them in your Opeth thread. They are easily one of the best DM bands to arise in the last 12 years. I like their first two releases a lot. But they took a major leap for me with Nightmares Made Flesh. Even though it's Tatgren from Hypocrisy on vox the riffs are ungodly, and Eaten from this album has to be one of the best songs of the 00s. Check out the live performance of it on the Wacken Carnage, Akerfeldt completely owns it.

One of my absolute favz of 2008 is their Unblessing the purity Ep. its amazing. I wasn't as big a fan of Fathomless Mastery when I first heard it but its grown on me and I rate it as high as Nightmares or Ressurection through Carnage.

AWESOME band. I vow some day to venture to one of the Euro-fests so I can finally Witness this band live.

[cwilder86]

I posted on them in your Opeth thread. They are easily one of the best DM bands to arise in the last 12 years. I like their first two releases a lot. But they took a major leap for me with Nightmares Made Flesh. Even though it's Tatgren from Hypocrisy on vox the riffs are ungodly, and Eaten from this album has to be one of the best songs of the 00s. Check out the live performance of it on the Wacken Carnage, Akerfeldt completely owns it.

One of my absolute favz of 2008 is their Unblessing the purity Ep. its amazing. I wasn't as big a fan of Fathomless Mastery when I first heard it but its grown on me and I rate it as high as Nightmares or Ressurection through Carnage.

AWESOME band. I vow some day to venture to one of the Euro-fests so I can finally Witness this band live.

I spent the majority of my work day last night listening to their entire discography on my iPod. Fucking love their music even more with each listen. It's weird but even though I prefer MA's vocals over Peter (but Peter is still damn good!), but Nightmares Made Flesh may be my favorite album by these guys. I eagerly look forward to their next release. Oh and totally agree about the song Eaten. That song is so fucking brutal. It sounds like it would fit perfectly on the sound track of a zombie movie. Cancer Of The Soul really owns me too.

[Totentanz]

Speaking of Hypocrisy and Zyklon any body else into these guys?

I like both these bands - Zyklon are a bit patchy, but when they're 'on' they are great.

Overall I'm not much of a DM fan, but I do enjoy some bands: Bloodbath, Vital Remains, Fearer, Death... But equally some bands leave me kind of indifferent, I've bought albums by Malevolant Creation, Immolation, Obituary, Morbid Angel... and maybe I've just got the wrong albums, but I liked a few tracks but never got heavily into these bands.

So I'm probably not much of a DM 'fan', but I kinda consider myself a 'friend' of the genre nonetheless. I tend to prefer Thrash and Black Metal, but a few Death elements thrown in are always welcome, and for some reason a few DM bands do appeal.

[cwilder86]

So I'm probably not much of a DM 'fan', but I kinda consider myself a 'friend' of the genre nonetheless. I tend to prefer Thrash and Black Metal, but a few Death elements thrown in are always welcome, and for some reason a few DM bands do appeal.

You and I may have very similar musical tastes when it comes to the more "extreme" side of metal. There have been several bands suggested to me in this thread and a problem I've ran into with many of them that I have come to realize is I am very picky about my death metal vocals. I realize that I tend to prefer the black and thrash metal vocal styles over death metal vocal style by a huge margin as I haven't really ran into too many black metal and thrash metal vocalists that I didn't like. It's difficult to explain but a lot of death metal vocalists seem to remind me heavily of the cookie monster while I tend to prefer a more sinister sound. But I still can say that I have come to enjoy around 10 death metal bands so not all death metal vocals are bad obviously, but I definitely have more love for thrash and black metal.

[Sabbathman]

Speaking of death metal, I made a joint mail order with my friend, acquiring the following items, 3 missing items and 1 upcoming release...

[RLP4ever]

^ Sabbathman, I can confirm that those are four very worthy buys. Both the Vader discs are dynamic death metal; the Bloodbath album is clearly something that a few of us on this thread claim to love hugely. My favourite Bloodbath, though, is Resurrection Through Carnage and the Unblessing the Purity EP. The remaining one, Morbid Angel's live album, 'Entangled in Chaos, while having its cool moments, sporadically, it still felt to me like a let-down, overall. I'll leave you to judge it for yourself. There are blatantly better 'live' dm albums available for the committed fan.

Overall I'm not much of a DM fan, but I do enjoy some bands: Bloodbath, Vital Remains, Fearer, Death... But equally some bands leave me kind of indifferent, I've bought albums by Malevolant Creation, Immolation, Obituary, Morbid Angel... and maybe I've just got the wrong albums, but I liked a few tracks but never got heavily into these bands.

Fearer didn't wow me too much, though they're clearly quite skilled players. 'Confession to Hate' was the album that I probably liked most. Germany has better (thrash) bands than the death metal. Bloodbath, Vital Remains (especially), and Death all belong in my league of numerous favourites.

tanz, if those masters and legends (Malevolent Creation and peers) have left you unmoved and unimpressed, then it's hard to imagine you easily relating to and relishing a lot of other reputed death metal music out there. Fans have their firm favourites, when it comes to the actual albums by their dm idols. Immolation, at least, simply hasn't ever made a 'bad', 'wrong' album. It sounds like a stretch, but I reckon it's totally true. The rest, Malevolent Creation, Obituary, and Morbid Angel have definitely put out a few less-than-stellar albums, but still more than decent dm. But overall, these bands have several superb records. Malevolent Creation (my faves: The Ten Commandments, Retribution, Eternal, Envenomed, The Will to Kill, Invidious Dominion). Obituary (Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death, The End Complete, World Demise, Darkest Day). Morbid Angel (Altars of Madness, Blessed Are The Sick, Covenant, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh). I just think it takes a few years for any eager new dm fan to actually discover and get to listen to a veritable variety of death metal, to be able to properly figure out what's hot, and what's not, for him.

So I'm probably not much of a DM 'fan', but I kinda consider myself a 'friend' of the genre nonetheless. I tend to prefer Thrash and Black Metal, but a few Death elements thrown in are always welcome, and for some reason a few DM bands do appeal.

Among a sea of cynical, ignorant critics, I'd say death metal (indeed all extreme metal) needs to be cut some serious slack, and "friends of the genre" are always warmly welcomed and acknowledged. But hey, fair enough that you know you prefer and Thrash and BM. Hopefully someday, you'd begin to dig death metal a whole lot more than you now do. As for 'death elements thrown in are always welcome', I'm guessing that you might just like the 'death-thrash' styles of a few bands. Or indeed the so-called 'Blackened Death' hybrids that have their share of avid followers.

You and I may have very similar musical tastes when it comes to the more "extreme" side of metal. There have been several bands suggested to me in this thread and a problem I've ran into with many of them that I have come to realize is I am very picky about my death metal vocals. I realize that I tend to prefer the black and thrash metal vocal styles over death metal vocal style by a huge margin as I haven't really ran into too many black metal and thrash metal vocalists that I didn't like. It's difficult to explain but a lot of death metal vocalists seem to remind me heavily of the cookie monster while I tend to prefer a more sinister sound. But I still can say that I have come to enjoy around 10 death metal bands so not all death metal vocals are bad obviously, but I definitely have more love for thrash and black metal.

Oh, that's an interesting revelation, wilder. You say you're "very picky" about dm vocals. What type of dm vocals (among what you've heard so far) do you think you're likely to enjoy, or already enjoy? I also think that it's actually pretty rare to find the supposedly 'cookie-monster' vocals in dm. Fuck, I don't even think there is such a thing as cookie monster vocals in death metal with any quality Or maybe I simply haven't heard (a majority) of my death metal that way. All that apart, I know that I normally love brutal-dm best, and the kind of consistently ultra-low pitched, very indecipherable growling typical of that style. I also really dig many bands with dual (occasionally multiple) vocalists, on any given song. 'Multi-tracked' vocals (a la Glen Benton in Deicide) is also really cool, when not overdone. Alternating between very low, deep, guttural growling, and a higher-pitched scream and snarling is another approach that always appeals to me. There's sometimes nearly as much variety among dm vocalists, as there's in the mighty music itself. Too bad that too many among the genre's implacable detractors are too prejudiced and lazy to recognise and admit at least that much.

cwilder, it's encouraging to know that you already know you really like at least ten different dm bands. I hope that, with patience and with any luck, you'd find loads more dm bands that you dig a whole lot. And I'm guessing that in many cases, the vocals will be a big part in influencing you into liking the band.

I'll confess to liking most thrash vocalists, to varying extents, obviously. But BM's vocals is something that I've always been more ambivalent about. I sure like some of it, but don't care much about most of it. Again, we simply differ on this, i.e. I've forever preferred death metal (as a genre), and its vocalists much more than I do BM. Thrash is a different story to me, though if forced to cruelly choose only one, I'd be swayed by DM.

[cwilder86]

Oh, that's an interesting revelation, wilder. You say you're "very picky" about dm vocals. What type of dm vocals (among what you've heard so far) do you think you're likely to enjoy, or already enjoy? I also think that it's actually pretty rare to find the supposedly 'cookie-monster' vocals in dm. Fuck, I don't even think there is such a thing as cookie monster vocals in death metal with any quality Or maybe I simply haven't heard (a majority) of my death metal that way. All that apart, I know that I normally love brutal-dm best, and the kind of consistently ultra-low pitched, very indecipherable growling typical of that style. I also really dig many bands with dual (occasionally multiple) vocalists, on any given song. 'Multi-tracked' vocals (a la Glen Benton in Deicide) is also really cool, when not overdone. Alternating between very low, deep, guttural growling, and a higher-pitched scream and snarling is another approach that always appeals to me. There's sometimes nearly as much variety among dm vocalists, as there's in the mighty music itself. Too bad that too many among the genre's implacable detractors are too prejudiced and lazy to recognise and admit at least that much.

cwilder, it's encouraging to know that you already know you really like at least ten different dm bands. I hope that, with patience and with any luck, you'd find loads more dm bands that you dig a whole lot. And I'm guessing that in many cases, the vocals will be a big part in influencing you into liking the band.

I'll confess to liking most thrash vocalists, to varying extents, obviously. But BM's vocals is something that I've always been more ambivalent about. I sure like some of it, but don't care much about most of it. Again, we simply differ on this, i.e. I've forever preferred death metal (as a genre), and its vocalists much more than I do BM. Thrash is a different story to me, though if forced to cruelly choose only one, I'd be swayed by DM.

I feel like a slight tool for saying this but I found myself being slightly turned off to Vital Remains after repeated listens. (The music is exceptional metal, but I was being turned off by the singer for some reason) Then I realized that I enjoy Deicide but both these bands share the same singer. Is there some sort of different technique he uses in Vital compared to Deicide because I find him much much more tolerable in Deicide then I do in Vital Remains. Another good example of a band that vocals messed me up on was Behemoth. (While I know they are techncially not a pure DM band and fall more into the classification of blackened death metal.) Once again some great sounding metal that I feel is slightly lost on me due to the vocalist. As far as some of my favorite death growlers I would have to go with Mikael Akerfeldt and Peter Tatgren (if I spelt his name right...? Hypocrisy singer?). I dunno what it is but I seem to really enjoy the swedish death metal vocalists a lot. Gotta give some highly honorable mention to David Vincent of Morbid Angel though. And Chuck Schuldiner. Both American DM vocalists that I think are just great! Hope that didn't come out too much like I was slagging death metal. I am definitely a friend of the genre, but I think I am certainly more partial to black metal at the moment, but I am still discovering and checking out bands within the genre.

[RLP4ever]

I feel like a slight tool for saying this but I found myself being slightly turned off to Vital Remains after repeated listens. (The music is exceptional metal, but I was being turned off by the singer for some reason) Then I realized that I enjoy Deicide but both these bands share the same singer. Is there some sort of different technique he uses in Vital compared to Deicide because I find him much much more tolerable in Deicide then I do in Vital Remains. Another good example of a band that vocals messed me up on was Behemoth. (While I know they are techncially not a pure DM band and fall more into the classification of blackened death metal.) Once again some great sounding metal that I feel is slightly lost on me due to the vocalist. As far as some of my favorite death growlers I would have to go with Mikael Akerfeldt and Peter Tatgren (if I spelt his name right...? Hypocrisy singer?). I dunno what it is but I seem to really enjoy the swedish death metal vocalists a lot. Gotta give some highly honorable mention to David Vincent of Morbid Angel though. And Chuck Schuldiner. Both American DM vocalists that I think are just great! Hope that didn't come out too much like I was slagging death metal. I am definitely a friend of the genre, but I think I am certainly more partial to black metal at the moment, but I am still discovering and checking out bands within the genre.

Hey, you can be turned off by any band, in whatever ways you will....you just needn't feel like a "tool" at all for that. There are other fans of Vital Remains who say they didn't really like Glen Benton's vocals, on the two albums he's been with the band. I'm a big fan of both bands, i.e Deicide and Vital Remains, and I dig Benton's vocals with them both. It's just that, with Deicide, Glen sounds much more prominent, powerful and varied in his vocals, at least to me. On both Dechristianize and Icons of Evil (two very good albums), Glen often sounds rather hoarse, somewhat too samey-samey, and is, sadly, sort of drowned out by the sheer, relentless velocity and blast beat fury of the music accompanying him. But still, I thought he was pretty good on most of the songs. I noticed how you said that you find G. Benton "more tolerable" (in Deicide than in VR). Ha, that strongly suggests that you don't really like Benton's vocals much anyway.

Anyhow, cwilder, for a more nuanced and gripping version of Vital Remains, I'd definitely recommend to you their earlier albums which I've always preferred more, i.e. Let Us Pray, Dawn of the Apocalypse, Into Cold Darkness, and Forever Underground. On LUP and ICD, the vocalist was Jeff Gruslin who really impressed with his uniquely grisly, gruff growling that perfectly suited the menacing atmosphere and aggression of VR's brand of death metal. Joe Lewis, the bass player, handled vocals on the other two albums. Another thing about VR albums is their length: they normally average 60+ mins

Now, you say you have a problem with Behemoth's singer, as well. Again, I differ, cos I've always liked Nergal (the vocalist, from the beginning), very much. Btw, Behemoth isn't necessarily 'blackened death' really. I mean, most people recognise that the band was BM on an early EP, and their first two albums mainly. After that, although they clearly incorporated a few bm elements into their sound, Behemoth were largely DM. I think their best albums are: Satanica, Thelema.6, Zos Kia Cultus (possibly my favourite), and Demigod. The Apostasy (2007) was also an above-average outing, though their last one, Evangelion was a bit of a let-down. Another Polish dm powerhouse that I like even better than Behemoth is Decapitated. I'm not sure if you'd like them like I do, because of your particular pickiness regarding dm vocalists. I have mostly always loved American DM best, and I'm guessing that my A-list of DM vocalists would likely be slightly skewed toward the American growlers.

Lastly, I'm glad that you're currently abuzz with both DM and BM. If you feel that you like BM more, fair enough, and so be it. Just be aware that DM is chock full of very many cool bands. So, stay the course and I can guarantee that you'd find loads of other acts you'd tell me that you really dig.

And oh, it's Peter Tagtgren. Damn these Europeans and their funny names and spellings.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Anybody else hear the new Fleshgod Apocalypse album?

[RLP4ever]

Anybody else hear the new Fleshgod Apocalypse album?

I have, and I love it lots. I probably still like Oracles better, but Agony isn't far behind at all, in terms of FA's terrific tech-death songs and all.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Just got Autopsy's 'Mental Funeral on Vinyl such a great album! :D

[RLP4ever]

Yea, the album's so darn doomy too. So there's ample aggression and atmosphere, as well. I sure like Mental Funeral a bit more than I do Severed Survival. I wonder if you have heard their other two less-liked (but I like them a fair bit) albums: Acts of the Unspeakable and Shitfun. Shitfun is very different from the rest. And oh, Symps, what about the latest disc, Macabre Eternal? Have you heard it yet? I liked it a lot.

July was great for me, with new Dying Fetus, Decapitated, Exhumed, Toxic Holocaust, and Jamey Jasta's solo record. And up in August now, I'm still desperately waiting for upcoming albums from Vader, and Chimaira. And of course, I've already got hold of Fleshgod Apocalypse.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Ya I have heard all of Autopsy's releases, I liked all of them but Shitfun and Acts Of The Unspeakable were kinda weak I liked acts quite alot though but Shitfun was kinda meh for me...and also is the new Toxic Holocaust good? :D