melodic death metal

[BlutAusNerd]

As usual I had no clue most of those bands existed. The more old Dark Tranquillity I hear the more I dislike Damage Done.

There is a lot of good melodeath out there, but as usual, they tend to not be the bands that rise to the same level of popularity as those who are easily digestible, and/or are heralded for inferior works. That was the point of my post, bands like Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates, and Amorphis are well known, but not always highlighted for what I would consider to be their best albums. More will be posted in the future, but this was a good first step.

[deathstorm]

another good melodeath band is insomnium while we sleep excellent track another thing melodeath is only genre that get away with clean vocals i know some death metal bands use it but they will get killed by purists aka elitist squad

[FatherAlabaster]

Thank you for the shout out, BAN! Great idea to focus on the lesser-known material from the heyday of the genre. Good call on Elegy, too. It's got some of their best melodies. I love their previous two albums as well, and even Tuonela has some decent songs. I haven't listened to Darkane since I was in college, must listen to them again. Edit - I can't tell in Tapatalk, but it looks like some of the links below aren't working. Let me know if any of the videos don't show up, I'll try and update them.

 

A Canorous Quintet - Silence of the world beyond…:

 

A Canorous Quintet - one of my favorite Scandinavian melodeath groups, which is why I post about them frequently. They have some great harmonies, and generally they're pretty energetic, with an influence from medieval music and black metal that I really love. I haven't heard the newer material they've done under a new name, but their recordings as ACQ are worth listening to.

 

 

 

Dark Tranquillity - BAN covered these guys, I just wanted to post this song in particular since I love the main melody. I'm not a fan of anything they did after The Mind's I, but they deserve their spot near the top of the heap in the melodeath pile.

 

 

 

At The Gates - again, I agree with BAN about these guys - The Red In The Sky Is Ours was their high point - but I think the good parts of Terminal Spirit Disease are worth attention. I wish they'd stuck with the epic melodies and more haphazard structures of their earlier stuff.

 

 

 

Sentenced - this is the only album of theirs that I like, but it's awesome. Great vocals, creepy melodies, some nice twists and turns in the songs.

 

 

 

Sacramentum - BAN turned me on to these guys. This album is great, and it's a good example of the crossover between melodic black metal and melodeath in the mid 90s. I'd put this one further towards the black metal end of the spectrum than might be appropriate for this thread, along with Dawn, Vinterland, and early Naglfar, but it's an awesome album and they would develop into more of a melodeath band on their next album. The next few bands are hit and miss in my opinion, but I mostly dig the albums that these songs came from. I wouldn't call any of them "must hear", but they might be of interest to fans of the genre.

 

 

 

Eucharist: Mirrorworlds - this is kind of bog standard melodeath, but it's a consistent album with some very nice melodies. Not as original as the previous album, but also with less lame parts, and far better sound quality.

 

 

 

Gardenian: Two Feet Stand - there's some cool stuff on this album. I don't like what I've heard of their other albums. Again, pretty standard fare - I don't see this becoming anyone's new favorite band - but it's worth checking out.

 

 

Unanimated - they started off as a black metal band before jumping on the melodeath bandwagon, but this album is a good bit more mature than the previous one. Predictable melodies, but not bad for that, and I dig the vocals. It was a favorite of mine in my late teens, hasn't aged that well but I still like it.

 

Moderator's Note: video was unable to be recovered. May be reposted by OP at a later time.

Ablaze My Sorrow - odd and thin-sounding, with a bit more black metal in their sound. The lyrics have too much "woe is me" for my taste, but the guitars have cool stuff going on.

Quote

another thing melodeath is only genre that get away with clean vocals i know some death metal bands use it but they will get killed by purists aka elitist squad

Doom/death, folk/black metal, symphonic death, progressive death, gothic metal... lots of subgenres incorporate clean vox.

[deathstorm]

Thank you for the shout out' date=' BAN! Great idea to focus on the lesser-known material from the heyday of the genre. Good call on Elegy, too. It's got some of their best melodies. I love their previous two albums as well, and even Tuonela has some decent songs. I haven't listened to Darkane since I was in college, must listen to them again.Edit - I can't tell in Tapatalk, but it looks like some of the links below aren't working. Let me know if any of the videos don't show up, I'll try and update them.[YouTube']JGEJrkCikpUA Canorous Quintet - one of my favorite Scandinavian melodeath groups, which is why I post about them frequently. They have some great harmonies, and generally they're pretty energetic, with an influence from medieval music and black metal that I really love. I haven't heard the newer material they've done under a new name, but their recordings as ACQ are worth listening to.9HIH6D5_WbkDark Tranquillity - BAN covered these guys, I just wanted to post this song in particular since I love the main melody. I'm not a fan of anything they did after The Mind's I, but they deserve their spot near the top of the heap in the melodeath pile.eXoZCtjRivcAt The Gates - again, I agree with BAN about these guys - The Red In The Sky Is Ours was their high point - but I think the good parts of Terminal Spirit Disease are worth attention. I wish they'd stuck with the epic melodies and more haphazard structures of their earlier stuff. EChSmX56XccSentenced - this is the only album of theirs that I like, but it's awesome. Great vocals, creepy melodies, some nice twists and turns in the songs.JmtpraIMkvcSacramentum - BAN turned me on to these guys. This album is great, and it's a good example of the crossover between melodic black metal and melodeath in the mid 90s. I'd put this one further towards the black metal end of the spectrum than might be appropriate for this thread, along with Dawn, Vinterland, and early Naglfar, but it's an awesome album and they would develop into more of a melodeath band on their next album.The next few bands are hit and miss in my opinion, but I mostly dig the albums that these songs came from. I wouldn't call any of them "must hear", but they might be of interest to fans of the genre.bb_cBf_7UMsEucharist - this is kind of bog standard melodeath, but it's a consistent album with some very nice melodies. Not as original as the previous album, but also with less lame parts, and far better sound quality.Fu3SzZcPOkkGardenian - there's some cool stuff on this album. I don't like what I've heard of their other albums. Again, pretty standard fare - I don't see this becoming anyone's new favorite band - but it's worth checking out.Yhn30_lXifsUnanimated - they started off as a black metal band before jumping on the melodeath bandwagon, but this album is a good bit more mature than the previous one. Predictable melodies, but not bad for that, and I dig the vocals. It was a favorite of mine in my late teens, hasn't aged that well but I still like it.0EGsGre0Ig8Ablaze My Sorrow - odd and thin-sounding, with a bit more black metal in their sound. The lyrics have too much "woe is me" for my taste, but the guitars have cool stuff going on.Doom/death, folk/black metal, symphonic death, progressive death, gothic metal... lots of subgenres incorporate clean vox.

thanks for reminder buddy

[BlutAusNerd]

Thank you for the reminder, I need to listen to the bands in FA's post when I get some time at work again.

[BlutAusNerd]

Finally got to check out those videos. Of the ones that I was unfamiliar with, A Canorous Quintet was by far the best IMO, that's the kind of melodeath that I really enjoy. I was kind of indifferent to Eucharist and Gardenian, but they were okay. I did enjoy Ablaze My Sorrow though, it seemed more frantic and riff oriented, even if the tone is less heavy. Thanks for those, I'll add them to my list of stuff to pick up.

[FatherAlabaster]

Finally got to check out those videos. Of the ones that I was unfamiliar with' date=' A Canorous Quintet was by far the best IMO, that's the kind of melodeath that I really enjoy. I was kind of indifferent to Eucharist and Gardenian, but they were okay. I did enjoy Ablaze My Sorrow though, it seemed more frantic and riff oriented, even if the tone is less heavy. Thanks for those, I'll add them to my list of stuff to pick up.[/quote'] Like I said, I didn't feel that the last four bands would be anyone's new favorites, but it's nice to have some perspective on just how much was going on in that scene at the time, right before "melodic metalcore" hit big. There were also some really lame things happening, real b-list stuff that I didn't bother with. Eucharist had quite a following among some people I hung out with. I think their drummer was the brother of Adrian from At The Gates. ACQ is fantastic, and I really need to find the stuff they did under a different name afterwards, though I haven't got a clue what it sounds like. I know I mentioned it before, but their vocalist was on the October Tide album Grey Dawn, which I also enjoy.

[Black Milk]

I was much more into melodeath in high school but I still spin some from time to time but I tend to stray away from the Gothenburg style these days. While they aren't my favorite by any stretch, I really think Garden of Shadows' album Oracle Moon was some of the most thorough melodic shit I had ever heard, maybe because it was one of the first ones I heard that broke away from the Gothenburg sound.

[BlutAusNerd]

I was much more into melodeath in high school but I still spin some from time to time but I tend to stray away from the Gothenburg style these days. While they aren't my favorite by any stretch' date=' I really think Garden of Shadows' album Oracle Moon was some of the most thorough melodic shit I had ever heard, maybe because it was one of the first ones I heard that broke away from the Gothenburg sound.[/quote'] That will be on my next video playlist, I love that album as well.

[deathstorm]

Ban do you have The forever endevor On your playlist

[BlutAusNerd]

Ban do you have The forever endevor On your playlist

Most definitely.

[ApparatusUnearth]

I find myself getting more and more bored with standard death metal, especially American stuff. As I distance myself from it I've been getting into Amorphis, both old and new In Flames, Unanimated, Carcass, stuff like that. I like keyboards but I hate symphonic stuff. What do you guys recommend?

[BlutAusNerd]

I find myself getting more and more bored with standard death metal' date=' especially American stuff. As I distance myself from it I've been getting into Amorphis, both old and new In Flames, Unanimated, Carcass, stuff like that. I like keyboards but I hate symphonic stuff. What do you guys recommend?[/quote'] We made some posts up above with video links, and intend to make some more when there is more time.

[RaiCoss]

If you're interested in Melodeath, check at least some of these out. Scar Symmetry (Recommended) Solution .45 (Recommended) Soilwork (Recommended) In Flames (Recommended) Zonaria Archeon Kalmah (Recommended) Skyfire Threat Signal Raintime MyGra1n Norther Noumena Carcass Shade Empire Mors Principum Est (Recommended) Dark Tranquility Before The Dawn (Recommended) Children Of Bodom (Recommended) Naildown (Recommended) Blood Stain Child Catamenia Disarmornia Mundi Imperanon Cadacross Tracedawn Omnium Gatherum Wintersun (Recommended) At The Gates Kotiteollisuus Mokoma Zonaria Disarmonia Mundi Eternal Tears of Sorrow (Recommended) ...and I think that's enough for a start! : )

[BlutAusNerd]

If you're interested in Melodeath' date=' check at least [i']some of these out. Scar Symmetry (Recommended) Solution .45 (Recommended) Soilwork (Recommended) In Flames (Recommended) Zonaria Archeon Kalmah (Recommended) Skyfire Threat Signal Raintime MyGra1n Norther Noumena Carcass Shade Empire Mors Principum Est (Recommended) Dark Tranquility Before The Dawn (Recommended) Children Of Bodom (Recommended) Naildown (Recommended) Blood Stain Child Catamenia Disarmornia Mundi Imperanon Cadacross Tracedawn Omnium Gatherum Wintersun (Recommended) At The Gates Kotiteollisuus Mokoma Zonaria Disarmonia Mundi Eternal Tears of Sorrow (Recommended) ...and I think that's enough for a start! : )

I like some of those bands (mostly early stuff), dislike a number of others, and am unfamiliar with a few as well. I was just about to post another video list when it is done today or tomorrow, I'll try to check some of these out when that is done.

[RaiCoss]

I like some of those bands (mostly early stuff)' date=' dislike a number of others, and am unfamiliar with a few as well. I was just about to post another video list when it is done today or tomorrow, I'll try to check some of these out when that is done.[/quote'] Yeah, bands like CoB aren't what they used to be. I still love Kalmah though. There isn't one song of theirs that I've ever disliked. They're so fucking awesome instrumentally. Each song has a magical little nugget in it somewhere, especially in the earlier albums.

[BlutAusNerd]

Yeah' date=' bands like CoB aren't what they used to be. I still love Kalmah though. There isn't one song of theirs that I've ever disliked. They're so fucking awesome instrumentally. Each song has a magical little nugget in it somewhere, especially in the earlier albums.[/quote'] I don't really think of bands like Kalmah, CoB, Norther, etc... as melodic death metal. Musically, they're just Euro power/speed metal, the vocals are the only thing even remotely death metal about them. Melodic death metal to me is just that, so while even though I dig stuff like Kalmah, I probably won't post it here. In any case, my point was in regards to bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, etc... who just shit the bed completely after producing a couple of good albums. That's far from unheard of with metal or any other kind of music, but their transitions to other sounds have been some of the most offensive to my ears that I have heard.

[RaiCoss]

I don't really think of bands like Kalmah' date=' CoB, Norther, etc... as melodic death metal. Musically, they're just Euro power/speed metal, the vocals are the only thing even remotely death metal about them. Melodic death metal to me is just that, so while even though I dig stuff like Kalmah, I probably won't post it here. In any case, my point was in regards to bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, etc... who just shit the bed completely after producing a couple of good albums. That's far from unheard of with metal or any other kind of music, but their transitions to other sounds have been some of the most offensive to my ears that I have heard.[/quote'] Kalmah aren't melodeath eh?

[FatherAlabaster]

Kalmah aren't melodeath eh?

Kind of like the "metalcore" label got co-opted by a bunch of bands that have basically nothing to do with actual hardcore, a lot of "melodeath" doesn't have much in common with death metal. I love early melodic death metal (including a lot of Gothenburg stuff) but I pretty much hate everything I've heard from the melodeath camp since the late 90s. I'm only getting back into the old stuff recently; I walked away from it for years. Kalmah sounded more Viking to me, if anything, but I haven't heard a lot.

[BlutAusNerd]

Kalmah aren't melodeath eh?

Yeah, I don't hear any death metal riffs or atmosphere in their sound at all. They are my favorite band for that style, but it's really just power/speed metal, the vocals and blast beats don't change that.

[RaiCoss]

Yeah' date=' I don't hear any death metal riffs or atmosphere in their sound at all. They are my favorite band for that style, but it's really just power/speed metal, the vocals and blast beats don't change that.[/quote'] If you say matey.

[BlutAusNerd]

If you say matey.

I will admit to only having 3 of their albums, but I don't remember hearing any death metal in their sound at all. Do you have a song in mind that would be different?

[BlutAusNerd]

I guess I'll do another melodeath list, since I ignored this section for so long and have some catching up to do.

 

Carcass - Heartwork:

 

 

I had neglected to mention Carcass on my list because they seemed like a fairly obvious choice. However, the more that I thought about it, the more that I realized that Heartwork should be included on this list anyway. While it is not my favorite Carcass album, it's still quite good, and an example that if more bands actually followed this formula rather than claiming that they do for no reason, maybe melodeath wouldn't be in such a sorry state. This album seemed to be pioneering more in concept than in execution for that reason, as very few other melodeath albums that I've heard sound like this, but Carcass were always trailblazers, which is part of what made them so special.

 

Dawn of Relic - Serpent Tongues:

 

 

Dawn of Relic are a mostly unknown Finnish band, especially at this stage in their career. Most of the people that I know who have heard of them are familiar with their early gothic/black metal stuff, which is okay, but on their final album, they changed direction for a rather heavy melodeath sound. It's really nothing revolutionary, but it's nice to hear a band crank out some good melodeath in the post In Flames limp-wristed mallcore environment in which it now exists.

Demonoid - Wargods:

 

 

Demonoid was a one off project featuring members of Therion from their time recording Sirius-B/Lemuria. It was largely billed as Christofer Johnsson's return to old school death metal, though while he does sound pretty great here, the music is much more in the melodeath/thrash vein. Still, the results were quite good, there's plenty of aggression to balance out the melodic lines, and the lead guitars are excellent. A followup was never completed, as Christofer went back to Therion, and while supposedly Magus Caligula of Dark Funeral and Hypocrisy joined the band after his departure, no other recordings have materialized. This should appeal greatly to fans of thrashy melodeath, as well as fans of modern death metal who feel that melodeath should leave out all of the pop, electronic, and metalcore elements from their sound.

Dissection - Black Dragon:

 

 

Most everyone in the metal world should at least know Dissection's name, even if they're not familiar with the music itself. The Somberlain and Storm of the Light's Bane are heralded as masterpieces of black metal by many, and rightly so, but their final album Reinkaos was largely panned by critics. Now, I'm not of the opinion that Reinkaos is anywhere near as good as their first 2 albums, but what did people expect after 11 years and long stint in jail? This album is strictly melodeath, no black metal remains in their sound at all, which is mostly the source of disappointment for their older fans, but it's a pretty good melodeath album in its own right. If you close your eyes and pretend that it's not Dissection, you can hear some pretty well developed songs, with original melodies that don't sound like every other 00's Swedish band ripping off Iron Maiden, and very well done instrumentation and vocals. Is it the return to form that everyone was hoping for? Nope. Is it still worth your time to check out if you dig melodeath? I believe so.

 

Edge of Sanity - Darkday:

 

 

Edge of Sanity is a fairly well known entity in the progressive metal and death metal worlds, and I know that we've had a fair bit of discussion regarding their amazing concept album Crimson. I also don't really believe that Edge of Sanity fits in the melodeath tag that they are sometimes given, with their feet planted a bit too firmly in standard old-school Swedeath while drawing melodic elements more from 70's prog than from the more typical Iron Maiden influence on the Gothenburg sound, but like Amorphis, their influence upon that sound was undeniable. This is especially true regarding their third album, The Spectral Sorrows, which is loaded with melodic breaks and harmonized tremolo picking reminiscent of that early melodeath sound that I enjoy so much. Again, not a perfect fit, but definitely influential, and like most of their other early work, it's excellent.

 

Enforsaken - Poison Me:

 

 

Enforsaken seemed to be one of the few American bands in the 00's that could produce an actual melodeath album, as opposed to Swedish sounding mallcore. The Forever Endeavor is a hell of an album too, with an excellent balance of aggression to melody, coming across as catchy and fun, but still very much death metal. The drumming and guitar solos/leads tend to be among my favorite parts of their sound, though the vocals are very well done as well. And then there are those riffs, that lovely barrage of killer riffs that most melodeath bands conveniently forget. Shame on them.

 

Garden of Shadows - Twilight Odyssey:

 

 

Garden of Shadows might just be the best melodic death metal band of all time. Their compositions are just incredible, with moving, heartfelt melodies and amazing epic song craft, they create an amazingly beautiful sound for being one of the most brutal melodic death metal bands ever. Super guttural death growls and lots of double bass drumming and palm muted riffs contrast against the more serene melodies in a way that I've never heard from any other band in the style, or maybe at all. Oracle Moon should not be passed over, check it out at all costs.

 

Hollenthon - Once We Were Kings:

 

 

Hollenthon are one of the more unique sounding bands in metal, let alone in melodeath. The base of their sound could maybe sound a bit typical, but the band incorporates a ton of influences from eastern music and classical, with operatic vocals, eastern instruments, and very epic composition. One comparison would be to relate them to a heavier Therion or a more eastern sounding Septicflesh, but there is much more going on here than that could touch on. It's a bit hard to describe, it may just be best to hear it for yourself. In any case, this is awesome and unique melodeath that should not be ignored.

 

Hypocrisy - Carved Up:

 

 

Hypocrisy is yet another band that many melodeath fans are familiar with, but I seldom see what I would deem to be their best material highlighted. After Hypocrisy transitioned from a raw, black metal influenced death metal sound into more melodic and atmospheric territory, we can really hear them shine for a few albums, but they would take a huge dive following their self titled album. Their atmosphere was an impressive one, even though their albums at this point have an almost formulaic alternating track list between more uptempo tracks and slower numbers, but nearly all of their riffs and melodies at this stage in their career are excellent. This track is not my absolute favorite of their discography, but was included to show one potential source from where melodic metalcore may have taken their breakdown influence from, but the difference is that here it actually fits.

 

In Flames - Stand Ablaze:

 

 

Now, I know it may be difficult to believe, but there actually was once a time when In Flames did not suck. Not only did they not suck in their very early days, I would go so far to say that some of their material was great. My favorite of their releases is the Subterranean EP with Henke Forss from Dawn on vocals, who was clearly the best vocalist of their career. Not only that, the music here is focused, varied, and very well done, and of course they wouldn't keep it up for long. The following release The Jester Race and perhaps the Black Ash Inheritance EP are about as far as I can go with this band, but at least they left us a few recordings to remind us that they were not always worthless. Get rid of your later In Flames recordings and give this a go.

[KSMASH]

So it's getting pretty close to winter, and I'm in the mood for melodeath. This is part 1 of however many. I'll post more later. BTW, these lists will contain some metalcore/melodeath crossover and other oddities due to the sheer sonic qualities of these bands being similar IMO.

 

Beyond the Sixth Seal - A Homicide Divine

 

 

This whole album is pretty great. Powerful vocals, driving tempos, neo-classical melodies incorporated directly into the riffs. Fun stuff from members of the Red Chord and new band Nightkin. There's also a funny secret track, a grindcore song about the sounds animals make. The next album of theirs has more old-skool metal influence, and is a bit more tongue-in-cheek.

 

Neuraxis - ...of Divinity

 

 

This band is more in the tech/prog death metal scene than melodeath, but their first few albums really scratch that melodic itch for me in same way as more typical melodeath bands. This song is probably their most immediate and memorable. Oh and this drummer went on to drum for Despised Icon, eventually taking over vocal duties.

 

Into Eternity - Splintered Visions

 

 

I like this whole album, but this song in particular has a great structure and a little bit less of the "way too many guitar tracks" attack that drags the album down a little bit. Into Eternity is another hybrid band, kinda like tech-melodeath with (arguably) a bit of metalcore influence. IMO, these guys had 3 pretty solid albums, but they couldn't seem to match the intensity of their records in the live setting (at least the one time I saw them). They would probably need 3 guitarists on stage to really make it sound like the recordings.

Into Eternity - Elysium Dream

 

 

Great emotion here, some good neo-classical counterpoint in the guitars and even an acoustic breakdown. This album as a whole sounds a little more honest than their later albums. Maybe it's the production, or the vocals being a little less grandiose. Actually, it seems the whole presentation on this album is less over-the-top than future releases from this band. Probably my favorite Into Eternity album.

 

Arsis - We Are the Nightmare

 

 

I still break out this album from time to time, mostly when I'm in the mood for a really basic listening experience. This is easily the best song on the album, although others have good parts. The music is total melodic and technical overload, so it's really more of a fun album than deep and moody.

 

Darkest Hour - Low

 

 

Yes this is melodeath/metalcore crossover. The best songs on this album tend to be the faster and heavier ones. However, there are some great melodies and leads and the song above seems to mix the two elements of their sound the best.

[GratuitousTK]

Amon Amarth are good at what they do. They aren't particularly original in any way, and they seem to continually release the same album over and over again, and never really take many artistic risks. But they are very good. I guess you could call them the Soundgarden or Alice in Chains of Swedish Melodeath. Though I agree its seems like they are more of a power metal band with harsh vocals. The two best Melodeath albums I've ever heard though are Opeths My Arms Your Hearse, and Dark Tranquility's The Gallery. Great stuff. The Swedes pretty much perfected the genre.