Trying to get into Death Metal

[gazinwales]

That trio of killer albums, Damage Done/Character/Fiction is pretty hard to beat in the DT catalogue.

[wolfking]

I have Character in the car at the moment.  I can dig this.  I like Stanne's voice and the riffing is nice and complex.  I do wish there were some guitar solos though.  But this is better than I remembered.

I don’t remember if they have other albums with guitar solos but their latest has solos.

Good to hear.  I have Fiction up next and pretty sure I own at least one of their later ones.  Had 2 listens to Charater and really enjoying the second.

Fiction is probably my favorite. One of the catchiest melodeath albums I’ve heard. Hope you enjoy it.

Looking forward to it.

[twosuitsluke]

This thread has prompted me to also check out one of the classic death metal bands I've never actually listened to. Currently spinning Deicide 

[wolfking]

This thread has prompted me to also check out one of the classic death metal bands I've never actually listened to. Currently spinning Deicide 

I have I think a 5 album box thing from them.  I don't think I've ever listened to it.

[twosuitsluke]

This thread has prompted me to also check out one of the classic death metal bands I've never actually listened to. Currently spinning Deicide 

I have I think a 5 album box thing from them.  I don't think I've ever listened to it.

They're pretty good death metal to be fair. Nothing mind blowing but pretty solid. I remember hearing the Roadrunner United record back in '05, and HATING the song that featured Glenn Benton, which was 100% due to his vocal style.

It's funny how your tastes change as I don't really know what it was a disliked, listening now 

npiazza91, I forgot to say, as you dig Scream Bloody Gore, you should definitely check out Seven Churches by Possessed, if you haven't already 

[wolfking]

That Roadrunner United project was enjoyable.  I really liked it.

[twosuitsluke]

That Roadrunner United project was enjoyable.  I really liked it.

It really is great! It also spawned two of my all time favourite guitar solos. Jeff Waters solo in The Dagger, and Matt Heafy/Corey Beaulieu solos on In The Fire. They are just epic as fuck.

Jeff's: https://youtu.be/UbZUetnCbDU

Matt/Corey's: https://youtu.be/rhyqQkH5zP0

[wolfking]

That Roadrunner United project was enjoyable.  I really liked it.

It really is great! It also spawned two of my all time favourite guitar solos. Jeff Waters solo in The Dagger, and Matt Heafy/Corey Beaulieu solos on In The Fire. They are just epic as fuck.

Haha, yeah, those are my two fav songs on the album.  Both solos absolutely rip.  The solo for the Dagger especially is so well crafted.

I remember not liking the song with Glen due to the vocals too.  I wonder what I'd think now if I go back to it.

It is amazing how your tastes change.  I'm kind of finding that out with Dark Tranquility.

[DoctorAction]

Jeff Waters is an amazing lead player. I have a signed copy of Alice In Hell somewhere. Saw them on their first tour over in the UK.

[wolfking]

Jeff Waters is an amazing lead player. I have a signed copy of Alice In Hell somewhere. Saw them on their first tour over in the UK.

Another band I need to get the old cd's out and rediscover.  I never spent a lot of time on them.

But yeah, he's an underrated player.

[wolfking]

So from DT, I also have the Where Death Comes Alive 2CD/DVD and Construct lol.  Will move onto them after Fiction.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I have Character in the car at the moment.  I can dig this.  I like Stanne's voice and the riffing is nice and complex.  I do wish there were some guitar solos though.  But this is better than I remembered.

I don’t remember if they have other albums with guitar solos but their latest has solos.

Good to hear.  I have Fiction up next and pretty sure I own at least one of their later ones.  Had 2 listens to Charater and really enjoying the second.

Fiction is probably my favorite. One of the catchiest melodeath albums I’ve heard. Hope you enjoy it.

This is exactly why I love Fiction so much. It is just so catchy! Just an extremely fun listen, it's hard to not bang your head to the entire album. 

[wolfking]

I just ran through it, wow, it's a brilliant MDM album.  Great sound, atmosphere, vocals and much more melodic than Character.  Some more lead guitar parts too and enough to make me happy but the songs stack up. I can't believe I've had this in my collection for years and never dived into it.  Really really liked it.  The bonus tracks were great too.  A Closer End being a bonus track is surprising.  Great tune but the whole thing was great.  Gonna run through it again.

[JLa]

Septic Flesh (or Septicflesh) is worthy a shout. They mix it up with orchestras and choirs, but is nothing like e.g. Dimmu Borgir.

I love one of their earlier albums; "Sumerian Demons" from 2003-ish, but their newer stuff is cool too.

[bobzor]

I was never into death metal that much to be honest, but here's my take on the highlights of the genre:

Death (the band) - Scream Bloody Gore, Human, and Symbolic. The first one is really a death metal pioneer and one of the earliest examples of the genre in question together with Possessed - Seven Churches. Human has that classic Scott Burns Morrisound studios sound. One tip for anybody who wants to explore death metal is to check out everything recorded at Morrisound and produced by Scott Burns. Symbolic is more melodic and almost power metal influenced, but still sounds as a trademark Death record.

Morbid Angel - Particularly Altars of Madness and Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. Trey's guitar playing is wicked and this band produced perhaps the most interesting sounding death metal of the 90's.

Deicide - s/t and Once Upon The Cross. Very brutal and unique band, despite being quite simplistic in its expression.

Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated for ultra gory lyrics. Later material with Corpsegrinder as vocalist also cool, especially Bloodthirst and The Wretched Spawn.

Nile - Also a very unique band that takes inspiration from ancient Egypt. Check out In Ther Darkened Shrines or Annihilation of the Wicked. Brutal, fast, but still very catchy.

Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten. The beginning of "technical death metal" or even "slam".

Entombed - Left Hand Path: total classic from Sweden.

Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade: this band is like a panzer tank grinding everything in it's way very slowly and painfully.

Autopsy - Severed Survival. A bit like early Death but somehow more sleazy.

Some newer pretty interesting stuff includes Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites. Kind of "occult" death metal.

[Dream Team]

^ First reply citing actual death metal. Don’t recommend a lot of the lyrical themes though.

[twosuitsluke]

^ First reply citing actual death metal. Don’t recommend a lot of the lyrical themes though.

Objection.

I too recommend Nile, Entombed and Bolt Thrower!

[twosuitsluke]

That Roadrunner United project was enjoyable.  I really liked it.

It really is great! It also spawned two of my all time favourite guitar solos. Jeff Waters solo in The Dagger, and Matt Heafy/Corey Beaulieu solos on In The Fire. They are just epic as fuck.

Haha, yeah, those are my two fav songs on the album.  Both solos absolutely rip.  The solo for the Dagger especially is so well crafted.

I remember not liking the song with Glen due to the vocals too.  I wonder what I'd think now if I go back to it.

It is amazing how your tastes change.  I'm kind of finding that out with Dark Tranquility.

I'm currently relistening to the Roadrunner United All Star Sessions. I've only got 10 out the 18 tracks on my ipod as I clearly cherry picked the ones I liked. Just listened to the Glenn Benton track and I don't know what I had a problem with,  vocals are fine.

In The Fire now  best track on the album!

[wolfking]

I was never into death metal that much to be honest, but here's my take on the highlights of the genre:

Death (the band) - Scream Bloody Gore, Human, and Symbolic. The first one is really a death metal pioneer and one of the earliest examples of the genre in question together with Possessed - Seven Churches. Human has that classic Scott Burns Morrisound studios sound. One tip for anybody who wants to explore death metal is to check out everything recorded at Morrisound and produced by Scott Burns. Symbolic is more melodic and almost power metal influenced, but still sounds as a trademark Death record.

Morbid Angel - Particularly Altars of Madness and Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. Trey's guitar playing is wicked and this band produced perhaps the most interesting sounding death metal of the 90's.

Deicide - s/t and Once Upon The Cross. Very brutal and unique band, despite being quite simplistic in its expression.

Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated for ultra gory lyrics. Later material with Corpsegrinder as vocalist also cool, especially Bloodthirst and The Wretched Spawn.

Nile - Also a very unique band that takes inspiration from ancient Egypt. Check out In Ther Darkened Shrines or Annihilation of the Wicked. Brutal, fast, but still very catchy.

Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten. The beginning of "technical death metal" or even "slam".

Entombed - Left Hand Path: total classic from Sweden.

Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade: this band is like a panzer tank grinding everything in it's way very slowly and painfully.

Autopsy - Severed Survival. A bit like early Death but somehow more sleazy.

Some newer pretty interesting stuff includes Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites. Kind of "occult" death metal.

A lot to chew on here.  Heard Alter of Madness and that is pretty damn good.

[wolfking]

^ First reply citing actual death metal. Don’t recommend a lot of the lyrical themes though.

Thanks for your contribution.

[twosuitsluke]

This thread is giving me the itch to go through all those classic death metal albums I've never heard.

[gazinwales]

New Cannibal Corpse is killer, absolute fist-in-your-face crushing album.
I'm not normally into CC that much, but this one has a lot of energy and is just full on old school DM at it's best.
https://youtu.be/MptVkuh8cQ8

[twosuitsluke]

Death Metal albums I've been spinning this week due to this thread -

Deicide - The Best of Deicide
Nocturnus - The Key
Morbid Angel - Alters of Madness
Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined
Carnage - Dark Recollections
In Flames - Lunar Strain
Atheist - Jupiter
Fleshgod Apocalypse - King
Nocturnus - Thresholds
Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

[wolfking]

Had Death's Leprosy in the car over the weekend.  Hot damn, the old Death is almost as solid as the later stuff if you ask me.

Death Metal albums I've been spinning this week due to this thread -

Deicide - The Best of Deicide
Nocturnus - The Key
Morbid Angel - Alters of Madness
Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined
Carnage - Dark Recollections
In Flames - Lunar Strain
Atheist - Jupiter
Fleshgod Apocalypse - King
Nocturnus - Thresholds
Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

I remember checking that Morbid Angel, when they were brought in on DTF here a year or so ago.  Would appreciate it more now I think.

Have to revisit that In Flames.  It's the only one I don't know, so I'll pull the CD out.

Listening to DT Construct right now.  Like the extra melody that seems to be in here, but Fiction is the best so far.

[twosuitsluke]

Had Death's Leprosy in the car over the weekend.  Hot damn, the old Death is almost as solid as the later stuff if you ask me.

Death Metal albums I've been spinning this week due to this thread -

Deicide - The Best of Deicide
Nocturnus - The Key
Morbid Angel - Alters of Madness
Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined
Carnage - Dark Recollections
In Flames - Lunar Strain
Atheist - Jupiter
Fleshgod Apocalypse - King
Nocturnus - Thresholds
Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

I remember checking that Morbid Angel, when they were brought in on DTF here a year or so ago.  Would appreciate it more now I think.

Have to revisit that In Flames.  It's the only one I don't know, so I'll pull the CD out.

Listening to DT Construct right now.  Like the extra melody that seems to be in here, but Fiction is the best so far.

Death are easily my favourite death metal band, and yes the early stuff (although not as good as the latter) is still amazing.

Morbid Angel is a funny one. My older brother (8 years older) was in his late teens in the early 90s, and exposed me to so much music that formed what I ended up being drawn to years later. The album cover for Alters of Madness takes me back to being like 10 years old and thinking it looked awesone, whilst also being a bit scary! I couldn't tell you what the music was like though as I had no recollection of it. I want to dig a bit deeper into their catalogue.

For some reason I have never listened to Lunar Strain, until today, which is weird as I was big into In Flames from like '06-'10. It was pretty solid and I'll certainly revisit!

I listened to World Demise by Obituary earlier and now I'm listening to Effigy of the Forgotten by Suffocation, so I guess I only listen to death metal now.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

but Fiction is the best so far.

Indeed it is! 

[SoundscapeMN]

Fiction for me was 1 of the most addictive Melodeath albums for me in 2007.

I even own it on Vinyl (the only DT record I do on Vinyl).

[jammindude]

Obituary is really that one death metal band that I consider to be "the AC/DC of death metal".    They only do one thing...it's very basic, and it never changes...but they almost do it better than anyone.   They are "Death Metal 101" to me.   

It doesn't really matter which Obituary album you listen to, because it's hard to tell them apart  but Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death are special just for reasons of nostalgia. 

[wolfking]

but Fiction is the best so far.

Indeed it is! 

Saying that, listened to Construct for a second time and I loved it.  Might enjoy it more than Fiction.  Will have to keep diving into these guys.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Obituary is really that one death metal band that I consider to be "the AC/DC of death metal".    They only do one thing...it's very basic, and it never changes...but they almost do it better than anyone.   They are "Death Metal 101" to me.   

It doesn't really matter which Obituary album you listen to, because it's hard to tell them apart  but Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death are special just for reasons of nostalgia.

I've always considered Amon Amarth the AC/DC of death metal. I've never listened to Obituary before, though, so they might be as well. 

[jammindude]

They were just slightly before my time. I had my brief death metal phase at the beginning of its inception (late 80s) and got burned out about 1992-3 (about the time AA formed) and didn’t listen to anything with Cookie Monster vocals again until BTBAM brought me back to some of it.

[twosuitsluke]

Obituary is really that one death metal band that I consider to be "the AC/DC of death metal".    They only do one thing...it's very basic, and it never changes...but they almost do it better than anyone.   They are "Death Metal 101" to me.   

It doesn't really matter which Obituary album you listen to, because it's hard to tell them apart  but Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death are special just for reasons of nostalgia.

I see your point and mostly agree. I'd argue that a lot of death metal is pretty one dimensional though and there are a lot of bands that never pushed the boundaries of that classic death metal sound.

Thinking about it, my favourite death metal bands are the ones that progressed their sound (Death, Carcass, At the Gates). That does not surprise me at all though. I've only ever really owned a few Obituary albums so I might test your theory and listen through their catalogue.

[wolfking]

Pretty sure I have a 5CD pack of Obituary albums too.  Will check.

[twosuitsluke]

Pretty sure I have a 5CD pack of Obituary albums too.  Will check.

Didn't they release these sort of sets for all big bands signed to Roadrunner Records? Do you have all of them? 

[wolfking]

Pretty sure I have a 5CD pack of Obituary albums too.  Will check.

Didn't they release these sort of sets for all big bands signed to Roadrunner Records? Do you have all of them? 

Those are the ones!  I think just Deicide and Obituary.