Trying to get into Death Metal

[npiazza91]

I’ve tried many times to get into it from thrash, because I love thrash, but right when I hit that wall between thrash and death I get turned away. It’s even hard for me to get into Kreator’s PTK album because I just have a lot of trouble getting into that type of sound (though strangely enough, I love Endless Pain).

So I figure that I should try getting into melodic death metal. I love melody in my music so maybe the melodic elements can “soften the blow” so to speak for the actual death metal aspect and I can slowly get into it that way.

Anyway, I figure I’d give In Flames a shot. I listened to their first album and...holy shit I love it. That album is amazing. It’s such a beautiful, dark, raw, dirty banger of an album. So I listened to their other stuff and...yeah I hate it. Every album after the first I just cannot get into. The Jester Race is alright, but that first vocalist was amazing, and the riffs were so much better. Later In Flames becomes straight metalcore, which I hate (no offense to those who like it, I can’t stand metalcore at all, to me it’s basically pop disguised as death metal).

So yeah I was hoping I had found a new favorite band. But at least I know I can really get into some raw death metal. Was hoping you guys could give me some suggestions of bands. I like Arch Enemy’s Nemesis, but I’ve heard some other stuff by them and...meh. I don’t really want modern polished death metal, it sounds fake to me. I like the raw shit. But any time I go to listen to one of the “must listens” for classic death metal, like Death’s first album, Cannibal Corpse, etc, I’m just like “nope” because it’s too much. So I’m trying to find that bridge band, to bridge that gap. The only reference point I have right now is In Flames’ first album, like I said, because I loved that shit.

Before you recommend Opeth, I’ve tried listening to their first album and I didn’t like it at all.

[wolfking]

Interesting, In Flames' debut didn't do a lot for me.  The Jester Race trumps it all day and the three after that are brilliant too.

Soilwork is one you can check.  The Chainheart Machine is all growls but one of my fav albums of all time.  If you want some cleans, go Natural Born Chaos or A Predators Portrait.  Great mix of growls and cleans.

Try later Death also.  Individual Thought Patters, Human, Symbolic and Sound of Perserverance.  Brilliant almost technical death metal.

Insomnium are a more modern one but are amazing.  Try Above the Weeping World or One For Sorrow.

Children of Bodom are one band that got me into harsh music.  Follow the Reaper and Hatebreeder are the ones to check.

Also, a few others;

Carcass - Heartwork
At the Gates - Slaughter to the Soul
Edge of Sanity - Crimson
Be'lakor - Vessels
Arch Enemy - Stigmata (different to their later stuff with a different singer.)
Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live (more modern but just all round excellent)
Tribulation - Down Below (More black metalish but amazing band)

[gazinwales]

In Flames first album has Mikael Stanne on vocals who recorded one album.
He then switched to Dark Tranquillity, where he has been ever since, they are a highly recommended band.

[wolfking]

In Flames first album has Mikael Stanne on vocals who recorded one album.
He then switched to Dark Tranquillity, where he has been ever since, they are a highly recommended band.

I have a few DT albums but they were one that never really stuck with me.  What's regarded as their best album?

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Before you recommend Opeth, I’ve tried listening to their first album and I didn’t like it at all.

Opeth's first album is probably the worst place to start with them. Try Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries. Completely different sound.

As far as coming from thrash and enjoying melody in your music try Woe of Tyrants - Kingdom of Might.

Based on your love of In Flames first album, the next logical step would be just about anything from Dark Tranquillity. I prefer their albums Character and Fiction.

[wolfking]

Before you recommend Opeth, I’ve tried listening to their first album and I didn’t like it at all.

Opeth's first album is probably the worst place to start with them. Try Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries. Completely different sound.

As far as coming from thrash and enjoying melody in your music try Woe of Tyrants - Kingdom of Might.

Based on your love of In Flames first album, the next logical step would be just about anything from Dark Tranquillity. I prefer their albums Character and Fiction.

I think I have both those.  I'll dig them out.  From memory I think it was the lack of solos back in the day that was an issue for me.  Probably not as much of an issue now though.

[SoundscapeMN]

love the cloudy synths in DT's Fiction.

[jammindude]

I was super into death metal when the craze first started in the early 90s, but I burned out on it really fast. I still think Obituary’s first two albums are amazing if you prefer the more straight forward simplistic approach. But Death IMO was the first death metal band to take the genre to a whole new level of complexity. I never cared much for their first album, but Human and Spiritual Healing are nearly perfect OG death metal albums...and then they just took it to a whole new level with Human, Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic, and The Sound of Perseverance.

Then Opeth (even though I really dislike their spiritistic/occult themes) pretty much reinvented and perfected the genre. If you can’t get into Blackwater Park, then death metal just may not be your bag. And that’s fine.

[npiazza91]

Interesting, In Flames' debut didn't do a lot for me.  The Jester Race trumps it all day and the three after that are brilliant too.

Soilwork is one you can check.  The Chainheart Machine is all growls but one of my fav albums of all time.  If you want some cleans, go Natural Born Chaos or A Predators Portrait.  Great mix of growls and cleans.

Try later Death also.  Individual Thought Patters, Human, Symbolic and Sound of Perserverance.  Brilliant almost technical death metal.

Insomnium are a more modern one but are amazing.  Try Above the Weeping World or One For Sorrow.

Children of Bodom are one band that got me into harsh music.  Follow the Reaper and Hatebreeder are the ones to check.

Also, a few others;

Carcass - Heartwork
At the Gates - Slaughter to the Soul
Edge of Sanity - Crimson
Be'lakor - Vessels
Arch Enemy - Stigmata (different to their later stuff with a different singer.)
Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live (more modern but just all round excellent)
Tribulation - Down Below (More black metalish but amazing band)

Thanks for the recommendations man! So I went ahead and listened to some later Death and I actually knew one of those songs. Bite the Pain was one I already knew and loved, completely forgot about it. Yeah their later stuff is sick. After checking some more of them out, I bit the bullet and went straight into their first album (haven’t attempted to listen to it in about six months or so). Well...I think I like it.

Holy shit what a heavy album. I mean this album is HEAVY. I’m still not completely sold on that death metal “sound”, but tbh I think In Flames’ first album really did help. I’m getting into the sound a lot more now than I was, and it doesn’t seem like a mess of noise to me. Am I wrong or do I hear a little bit of thrash in Scream Bloody Gore? Almost in the same way you can hear NWOBHM on Slayer’s Show No Mercy. The riffs on SBG are insane, the drumming is insane and I actually like the singer (though I still prefer him on their later albums). I still prefer their later stuff, but I can tell this is a kickass album even if I’m not fully into the genre yet. I only listened to half the album, I can’t do the full thing straight yet lol. That was intense man. My favorite song so far is probably Zombie Ritual, but all of them have been sick so far. I’ll be honest, by about song four or five I was getting a bit tired of that “taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap” rhythm of the drums and that Pleasure to Kill style of riffs, I just wish there was more variety (is that something that takes time to get used to?). So yeah I had to take a break. Gonna finish it later. That might sound lame to you, but when you’re not used to listening to death metal at all...it’s a lot. I’m honestly excited to get into a new genre of metal, seeing as there’s so many amazing death metal bands out there. Gonna give Death’s second album a try next, then I think I’m gonna go on to Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness since everybody says it’s like the best death metal album. But I wanna listen to a bit more Death first since I am digging it.

Another thing, dude I had completely forgotten about Carcass’ Heartwork. I know that song and I love it. I remember that song was most brutal type of metal I could get into. Anything further than that song was too much for me. Hopefully I’ll change that. Btw this is random but have you ever noticed that Heartwork sounds a lot like People of the Lie by Kreator? The choruses are pretty much identical.

[wolfking]

Mate, it is exhausting when you are first getting into the genre, so totally understand needing a break here and there.

I haven't listened to SBG for a long time but I can hear what you mean with the trash influence, definitely.

I'll check that Kreator.  To be honest, I only really know modern Kreator.  The last few albums have been awesome so I should check some older stuff.

Glad to hopefully help too! 

[gazinwales]

In Flames first album has Mikael Stanne on vocals who recorded one album.
He then switched to Dark Tranquillity, where he has been ever since, they are a highly recommended band.

I have a few DT albums but they were one that never really stuck with me.  What's regarded as their best album?

Hard to single any individual album out as they are all pretty consistent.
But if I had to pick one it would be 'Damage Done' from 2002.

[wolfking]

In Flames first album has Mikael Stanne on vocals who recorded one album.
He then switched to Dark Tranquillity, where he has been ever since, they are a highly recommended band.

I have a few DT albums but they were one that never really stuck with me.  What's regarded as their best album?

Hard to single any individual album out as they are all pretty consistent.
But if I had to pick one it would be 'Damage Done' from 2002.

I'll check that one out too mate.

[gazinwales]

I'm once again going to pimp my all time fave MDM band Kalmah 
Take Me Away https://youtu.be/Qrw0UUqr4vk
Blood Ran Cold https://youtu.be/LyOm55DW3HY
12 Guage https://youtu.be/9L4rHQu3npQ

[twosuitsluke]

I was going to recommend a few albums but Wolfking beat me to it! Namely, The Sound of Perseverance, Heartwork and Slaughter of the Soul.

I was a pretty big In Flames fan back in the mid to late noughties, and my all time fave albums by them are Colony, Clayman and Come Clarity. I get it though, they moved in a direction that you aren't in to. I don't think I ever checked out their debut so I should probably do that.

On the subject of Dark Tranquility, I really need to revisit. I know I checked them out back when I was first getting into all those bands from the Gothenburg  scene, but nothing really stood out to me.

As far as the classic death metal sound goes, my pick.is Death, and you seem to be digging their debut, so that's awesome. I'm also going to give Damage Done a spin.

One album I want to add, and i literally only discovered this band/album yesterday, is The Key by Nocturnus. It came out in 1990, so it has that kinda crossover sound of 80s death metal, with 90s metal. After one spin I really dig it and think it's worth checking out for any death metal fan.

I'll have a think, see if any other bands spring to mind.

Edit: Just went through my ipod and wanted to add the following.

Bolt Thrower: Honour - Valour - Pride/Those Once Loyal
Cynic: Focus
Entombed: Wolverine Blues (you could also go Left Hand Path)
Nile: Annihilation of the Wicked

[mike099]

Try Rivers of Nihil ‘Monarchy’ and ‘Where Owls Know My Name’

[wolfking]

I was going to recommend a few albums but Wolfking beat me to it! Namely, The Sound of Perseverance, Heartwork and Slaughter of the Soul.

I was a pretty big In Flames fan back in the mid to late noughties, and my all time fave albums by them are Colony, Clayman and Come Clarity. I get it though, they moved in a direction that you aren't in to. I don't think I ever checked out their debut so I should probably do that.

On the subject of Dark Tranquility, I really need to revisit. I know I checked them out back when I was first getting into all those bands from the Gothenburg  scene, but nothing really stood out to me.

As far as the classic death metal sound goes, my pick.is Death, and you seem to be digging their debut, so that's awesome. I'm also going to give Damage Done a spin.

One album I want to add, and i literally only discovered this band/album yesterday, is The Key by Nocturnus. It came out in 1990, so it has that kinda crossover sound of 80s death metal, with 90s metal. After one spin I really dig it and think it's worth checking out for any death metal fan.

I'll have a think, see if any other bands spring to mind.

Edit: Just went through my ipod and wanted to add the following.

Bolt Thrower: Honour - Valour - Pride/Those Once Loyal
Cynic: Focus
Entombed: Wolverine Blues (you could also go Left Hand Path)
Nile: Annihilation of the Wicked

Same deal with DT for me mate.  I'll check those other ones you mentioned, don't know them.  Milf are pretty good though but haven't really explored them.

[Lonk]

Try Rivers of Nihil ‘Monarchy’ and ‘Where Owls Know My Name’

Currently listening to this 

I'm not too attached to genres, I just listen to anything and if I like it, I stick with it. Monarchy and Owls are both such great albums in their own unique ways.

[Grappler]

Anyway, I figure I’d give In Flames a shot. I listened to their first album and...holy shit I love it. That album is amazing. It’s such a beautiful, dark, raw, dirty banger of an album. So I listened to their other stuff and...yeah I hate it. Every album after the first I just cannot get into. The Jester Race is alright, but that first vocalist was amazing, and the riffs were so much better.

This was exactly my experience about 22 years ago.  I got into The Jester Race, and the melodic and catchy music helped me get into the death metal growled vocals.  I really focused on bands in the Gothenburg scene:  older In Flames (through Clayman), Dark Tranquillity (Haven) and Soilwork  Natural Born Chaos).  At the Gates (Slaughter of the Soul) was evcentually another band and album in that scene that I discovered.

Eventually I branched out and got into more straight-up death metal bands like Death, Bloodbath (whose albums ape certain styles and eras of death metal), Vader and lately Asphyx.  I dislike brutal death metal bands where the vocals are just GOR GOR GOR GOR GOR, and I really like vocalists that enunciate the growls (Mikael Stanne, Dan Swano, Paul Kuhr from Novembers Doom).

The best thing to do is just scour youtube and metal archives.  Search for big-name bands and albums and see if you like them.  Youtube has been a useful tool for me to discover and learn about music since it became popular - you can find just about any music you want on it and it's free.

[Ben_Jamin]

I think you'd really enjoy Allegaeon.

They're Progressive Death Metal.

At The Gates are amazing as well...

I don't really enjoy Death Metal, but when I do, I listen to those bands...

Others mentioned are In Flames up to Clayman. I don't consider any In Flames past that to be Death Metal at all, and more Pop-Metal.

Dark Tranquility are another one I really enjoy immensely. Great Melodic Death, and when Mikael Stanne does clean vocals they compliment the music, especially with that death metal tone and sound, his vocals are in the lower range.

The lower clean range, I think, fits Death Metal extremely well. I like when it's used, like in Insomniums At Winters Gate.

I don't know how you'd feel about Cynic, mainly the album Focus.

[kirksnosehair]

For my money Opeth's albums running from Blackwater Park through Watershed (their last album in the genre) is what I like.  I've listened to some Dimmu Borgir and some of the other bands already mentioned so I won't bother mentioning them again, but this is a genre I don't really listen to very much at all.  In fact, I'd say "very rarely" but without exception, whenever I do listen to death metal I put on Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Ghost Reveries or Watershed.


For me I just can't take the vocal style and I like that Opeth integrate a lot of clean vocals in some of their death metal albums.  I know other groups do this too, I just never found myself interested in hearing more and the relentless growling is too much for me, that's why I consider Opeth to be sort of a "Gateway" band for the genre. 


Anyway, happy trails on your exploration of death metal.  There is a lot out there for sure.

[gazinwales]

Dimmu Borgir NOT death metal, their roots are in black metal, which is a totally different genre.
Although they've turned into Nightwish with black metal vocals on their last album 

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Amorphis.
Definitely a band that could be a gateway into the genre, although they are now decidedly more progressive.
But their growls/cleans are so good and they have extreme metal's best vocalist in Tomi Joutsen.

[kirksnosehair]

Well, there you go, that tells you exactly how much I know about the genre     I'll shut the fuck up now 

[SoundscapeMN]

In Vain - The Latter Rain

outstanding progressive Blackened Death Metal

[Luoto]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Amorphis.
Definitely a band that could be a gateway into the genre, although they are now decidedly more progressive.
But their growls/cleans are so good and they have extreme metal's best vocalist in Tomi Joutsen.

Considering the OP calls the better produced and sleeker melodeath "fake", I'd rather recommend Tales from the Thousand Lakes. Even that might not be what npiazza is looking for.

Another one I haven't seen yet is The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity. I'm not a huge fan of it myself but it's a classic.

EDIT: I'll also second wolfking's shout for Crimson (Edge of Sanity).

[gazinwales]

I'm a bit of what you might call an audiophile, quite picky about equipment, sound production and mix.
So I'm not into anything old school or raw sounding.
Possibly the only thing close would be Bloodbath, they have a slightly rawer sound and old style death metal with a modern feel.

[wolfking]

Dimmu Borgir NOT death metal, their roots are in black metal, which is a totally different genre.
Although they've turned into Nightwish with black metal vocals on their last album 

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Amorphis.
Definitely a band that could be a gateway into the genre, although they are now decidedly more progressive.
But their growls/cleans are so good and they have extreme metal's best vocalist in Tomi Joutsen.

I thought Amorphis but that might have been sliding into that modern style the OP was referring.  No excuse not to mention the old stuff though.

[wolfking]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Amorphis.
Definitely a band that could be a gateway into the genre, although they are now decidedly more progressive.
But their growls/cleans are so good and they have extreme metal's best vocalist in Tomi Joutsen.

Considering the OP calls the better produced and sleeker melodeath "fake", I'd rather recommend Tales from the Thousand Lakes. Even that might not be what npiazza is looking for.

Another one I haven't seen yet is The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity. I'm not a huge fan of it myself but it's a classic.

EDIT: I'll also second wolfking's shout for Crimson (Edge of Sanity).

I really love Crimson II also.  I think that's a wonderful follow up.

[ozzy554]

Im still a bit of a novice on the subject but The sound of perseverance by Death is the album that got me more interested in the Genre. The guitar work is fantastic and there is a kick ass cover of Painkiller on it.  Also Opeth's first album is not a great place to start with them. My personal favorite is Still Life. I'm Picky when it comes to death metal. For me Good production is a must and the vocals have to be mostly understandable.

Some other ones I recommend

Buried in Oblivion & The Scattering of Ashes by Into Eternity
Symbolic by Death
L'Enfant Sauvage & From Mars to Sirius by Gojira
Arktis by Ihsahn (okay it's more on the black metal side but I think it sounds great)
Slaughter of The Soul by At The Gates
Purgatory Afterglow by Edge of sanity
Obsidian by Paradise Lost

[Nachtmerrie]

Orbit Culture - Nija

A mix of Death & Trash with Gojira style grooves and some progressive elements

[DoctorAction]

Death Breath - Stinking Up The Night

Great fun.

[wolfking]

Orbit Culture - Nija

A mix of Death & Trash with Gojira style grooves and some progressive elements

I liked this but the novelty wore off quick.  I was amazed how every clean vocal melody was the same.

[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.

[NoseofNicko]

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.

[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.

[NoseofNicko]

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.