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The Official Death Metal Recommendations Thread


RelentlessOblivion

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Re: suggestions?

Lots of good stuff in here. If nobody mentioned it yet, Assuck's "Anticapital" is a bit of a hidden gem. More grind than death. Also, -1 on The Faceless. Their name suits them perfectly.
I've been looking for Assück's stuff for a while, pretty hard to find and/or pricey. Definitely more grind than death though, as you said. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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  • 3 weeks later...

Still bored, let's see what else I can do here:

Cannabis Corpse - Tube of the Resinated:

The humorously named Cannabis Corpse sound as though they should be a joke band. Indeed, their whole schtick is using Cannibal Corpse (and now Deicide and Morbid Angel as well) song titles as their own, only changed slightly to reference weed. Not only is it hilarious, their songs are actually good, better than the band they're spoofing by a long shot IMO. The music reminds me a bit of Blood Red Throne, nice riffy, thrashy death metal, nothing too original, but done very well. Serious music, not so serious image, it makes for a lot of fun with enjoyable music to backup the laughs.

 

Carnage - Dark Recollections:

Carnage is more than just an interesting footnote in metal history. Dismember had a short breakup period in 1990, and some of the members merged with the grindcore band Carnage. Soon after recording their debut album, they split up, with Mike Amott joining Carcass, and the rest of the members reformed Dismember. Some of the songs on Carnage's album were Dismember songs from their demos, and the sound here is largely akin to early Dismember. Huge guitar tone, awesome riffs and vocals, dark and heavy songs, this is Swedish death metal, you know the sound.

 

Cemetary - An Evil Shade of Grey:

Cemetary are more than just another early 90's Swedish death metal band. Despite the guitar tone and the basic style sounding familiar, their songwriting and overall approach was darker, creepier, and more original than many of their contemporaries. They would eventually become a gothic metal band, and traces of those gothic melodies are coming through here, but for this debut album, they were just awesome dark death metal. Awesome leads and riffs and excellent songwriting make this one of my favorite Swedish death metal albums.

 

Centinex - Transcend the Dark Chaos (EP):

Centinex are a Swedish death metal band that are too often glossed over, and I can't really figure out why. Their sound is akin to old Dismember, though generally more melodic, they have released a slew of good albums, and the band members have all been a part of other Swedish death metal bands that are well known and/or well respected. Whatever it is about Centinex that keeps that off of people's radar, ignore it, because they are pretty great. They did become full on melodeath in the early 00's, but they were much better (and heavier) than most of their contemporaries. Really, any album is a good place to start, all of the ones I've checked out are well worth owning.

 

Cianide - The Dying Truth:

Cianide were one of the first doom/death bands in the US, alongside Autopsy, Winter, etc... Cianide tends to fall a bit more on the death metal side of the equation, like Obituary or Asphyx, which is why I placed them here. The music here is deeply influenced by Celtic Frost, in addition to many other early extreme metal pioneers like Slaughter, Master/Death Strike, etc..., but the music here is much slower than those bands. Chunky, gloomy, and really fucking heavy old-school doom/death, what's not to love?

 

Comecon - Converging Conspiracies:

Man, it's starting to seem like this post is weighted heavily towards Swedish death metal. Comecon is a Swedish band, but aren't really like any of their contemporaries. They're more of a one man project with a different guest vocalist on each album, LG Petrov of Entombed on their first album, Martin Van Drunen here, and Marc Grewe of Morgoth on their final album. Their music is also atypical as it is has plenty of thrash and progressive/weird tendencies in the sound, which when paired with excellent vocals makes for a winning combo in my book. Check this out if you're in the mood for something different.

 

Convulse - World Without God:

Convulse were one of the earliest Finnish death metal bands, and also one of the most vile sounding. These guys are almost like Finland's Incantation (oddly appropriate considering my song choice, that was not intentional), really low vocals, grimy riffs, lots of transitions from tremolo to groovy/doomy sections, the whole time sounding really gruesome. I didn't really appreciate this album when I first got it, but now I can't get enough of it.

 

Corpus Rottus - Rituals of Silence:

Corpus Rottus was until recently a largely unknown death metal band from Delaware. They released a few demos and an extremely limited album on King Fowley's label, and not much else was heard from them. The internet age is great at unearthing albums like this that didn't get enough circulation (Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death being another), and after the drummer's passing, King decided to reissue this album on CD. It's a mystery why the band didn't have a bigger following, as the music here is awesome. Great riffs with lots of transitions, excellent drumming and vocals, and a nice dirty sounding atmosphere that fit their sound well.

 

Crematory (SWE) - Denial (compilation):

Yep, another Swedish death metal band, and this one is another of my favorites. These guys are different than many of their contemporaries for not embracing the traditional Swedish death metal sound, rather a more brutal approach that owes a bit to Carcass and American death metal, but the Swedish sound is still here. There are just so many riffs on offer here, I love the unrelenting nature of the music. These guys only released one EP and some demos, but luckily for us, Necroharmonic reissued their whole discography on CD. Be sure not to get the first pressing though, there was an issue with the master and the sound is really messed up, the second version corrected the problem.

 

Cryptopsy - None So Vile:

Ah Cryptopsy, one of the most divisive, yet influential brutal/technical death metal bands ever. Some people love them, some hate them, I can see both sides of the story, but I belong in the former camp. Everything about them (at least on their old stuff) is sick, the drumming is fucking outstanding, the guitars are absolutely insane, the vocals are sick and depraved, it can all be a bit overwhelming at times. I usually play this song to try and convert people, as it is one of their most melodic, and helps break down the barrier of the chaos to hear what they're trying to accomplish. The rest of their music makes more sense after hearing this song, so if you're not a Cryptopsy fan, at least give this song a shot and then see what you think.

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Re: suggestions?

Great thread and thanks for dropping the link in the other thread I created. Slightly off topic question......whatever happened to Centurion??
I'm not sure which band you mean either. The only one I'm familiar with is the Dutch Centurian, they disappeared for a bit because they changed their name to Nox and released a couple of albums under that name, but just this year released a new album again under the Centurian name. I don't have any albums from either band (nor the much sought after Inquisitor album), but I have liked everything I've heard from them. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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Re: suggestions?

And then there's a Centurion from the USA that I think was associated with the white power scene... Actually looking at it now, Metallum lists seven bands called Centurion. Herm. Good luck. The Corpus Rottus and Cianide tracks from the post above were really cool, BTW! Haven't listened to all of the others yet.
I would advise checking out any bands you're not familiar with, as I have posted quite a few by now. Cianide is cool, definitely on the raw death side of doom/death, but really heavy and with lots of great riffs. Corpus Rottus are one I just discovered recently, recommended by some guy on another forum. Conveniently, King Fowley reissued the album on CD right before Deceased went on tour this year, so I grabbed a copy from him while he was in town. I'm glad I did, they remind me of that old Northeastern death metal sound that wouldn't sound out of place next to Dawn of Possession or Goreaphobia's early work, but they don't really sound like anyone else. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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Re: suggestions?

I will get back to this list eventually. Thanks to my guitar teacher though I now have a craving for black metal. Due to that I suspect I'm about to blow quite a bit of cash trying to snare Beherit's Oath Of Black Blood
It shouldn't be too tough to find. That one is awesome for being just raw and nasty, but I like Drawing Down the Moon's more ritualistic feel better. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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Re: suggestions?

May snare both' date=' just a matter of ensuring I don't get ripped off in the process but I dig that really raw, nasty sound from Oath.[/quote'] Totally. Despite that "album" being just a collection of a demo and an EP, it was really influential, and is one of the filthiest slabs of black metal violence ever. They definitely took a lot of cues from Sarcofago and Blasphemy, and I feel its sloppiness gives it some charm. I still like Drawing Down the Moon better though, it's more focused and more evil sounding, though in a different way. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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Due to increased demand, it looks like I'll be doing another video post here next. EDIT: It looks like I got a nice mix of new and old bands/albums, with 5 released in the last 5-10 years, and the other 5 are now at or over the 20 year mark from when they were released.

 

Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos (demo):

Cruciamentum is a fairly new UK death metal band that's been making all kinds of waves in the underground. I'm definitely on board with that, as these guys are fucking great. Their sound is fairly old school, but also somewhat modern, mixing riffs and feeling you might have heard on an old Bolt Thrower album with something entirely darker and more murky. Super heavy, great atmosphere, and pummeling riffs for days with some doomy overtones to accentuate their ominous tone. Excellent.

 

Darkified - A Dance on the Grave:

Darkified was an extremely short lived Swedish death metal footnote, but a footnote that I very much enjoy. They only released an EP and some demos, which were later collected onto compilations, but it's fantastic dark death metal with some black metal overtones. The members of this band would go on to join the likes of Marduk, Pan.Thy.Monium, Allegiance, etc..., but they're all in absolutely top form here as well. Great songwriting with lots of pacing/tone changes and great riffs, you would think that with the names involved here and the quality of the material on display, more people would know who they were.

 

Dead Congregation - Purifying Consecrated Ground:

Dead Congregation are one of the best bands that modern death metal has to offer. Their sound is heavily influenced by the likes of Immolation, Incantation, and Morbid Angel, but the way they combine their elements into an extremely potent and ugly package sets them apart from the pack. Great songwriting and playing, evil atmosphere, and awesome vocals show why these guys are so highly revered despite only ever releasing an album and an EP.

 

Demilich - Nespithe:

Demilich are a band that I talk about a lot, but for some reason I have never posted a video of theirs here. Talk about a unique entity, this band is truly one of most unique in all of death metal. Weird, almost backwards sounding riffs, some of the lowest and strangest death growls you've ever heard, extremely technical composition, and one of the most bizarre and otherworldly atmospheres ever to appear on a metal album. They couldn't even print their lyrics normally in the booklet, all of them were encoded and you had to know the cipher to read them (not that hard to figure out, but still, it's the idea that counts). Beside all of that though, the music here is just fantastic, a must listen for any fan of unique death metal, or music in general.

 

Demonical - Death Infernal:

It's no secret that there are tons of throwback bands paying homage to the Sunlight Studios Swedish death metal sounds of old. It's a style I like, so I tend to not mind the hero worship, but many bands come off as a bit dull, like they possess many of the characteristics of the sound, but they're missing something. Demonical is not one of those bands, and it could help that they have had a roster full of veterans of the scene, having been founded by members of Centinex. The sound here is nothing unexpected, but these guys are doing everything right and succeeding with this sound, whereas most are merely passable. A worthy addition to the collection of any Swedish death metal fan.

 

Denial - Catacombs of the Grotesque:

Denial is a Mexican death metal band made up of many veteran members of the scene. What they have created with Catacombs of the Grotesque is among my very favorite modern death metal albums, a huge and crushingly heavy sound with all kinds of great ideas. The songwriting here is great, with styles ranging from brutal to doomy death metal, but usually with a unique riffing flair that recalls Demilich at times. This album takes you on a pretty dark journey, the wild leads and solos jump at you while the huge vocals and riffs pin you down with a savage onslaught. Very highly recommended.

 

Depravity - Silence of the Centuries (compilation):

Depravity tend to be one of the most highly revered Finnish death metal bands, at least among those who know them. Finnish death metal tends to carry a reputation of being dark and murky sounding, in addition to almost always possessing some weirdness and/or unusual melodies. This is definitely the case here, and while certainly not as weird as Demilich, the melodies here are original and top notch. Depravity is not as crushingly heavy as others, but focuses largely on atmosphere, and I feel that they are very successful at immersing the listener into their world. And yes, the sound quality is a bit better on the recent remaster/discography reissue.

 

Deteriorate - Rotting In Hell:

Deteriorate were one of the more underground Northeastern death metal bands of their day, but still released an excellent debut album before changing gears to black metal with their second album. This is neither as heavy, nor as brutal as the -tion bands that people tend to associate with the area, but I find their songs to be oddly engaging. This is just some well done early death metal that fans of bands like Brutality, Goreaphobia, and Corpus Rottus would probably enjoy.

 

Dies Irae - The Sin War:

Dies Irae is a band captained by Novy, a mainstay in the Polish death metal scene, playing bass for bands like Behemoth and Vader. The sound here is not too far removed from the latter, though not without some differences. The bass here tends to be a bit more adventurous here (as can be the case with bands led by bass players), and the songs tend to have more pacing changes than Vader, making for a more varied listen. Pretty good stuff, I don't always think of these guys first for some reason, but I'm always glad when I play them.

 

Disharmonic Orchestra - Expositionsprophylaxe:

Disharmonic Orchestra were a band that were frequently evolving, beginning as a grindy death metal band using some bizarre rhythms, chords, and structures (as seen here), quickly evolving into an extremely adventurous avant-garde band, soon losing most of their metal characteristics. This was the album that I chose to represent them, as this is a death metal thread, but you can definitely hear shades of what's to come in the strange drum beats and song shifts. I love weird shit like this though, so I can understand that it may not be for everyone, but if you like your death metal unique like I do, these guys should be a welcome addition to your collection. Really good stuff, I wonder why Austrian death metal isn't talked about more.

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Ok - my interest in Death Metal has peaked this year because I have made some great discoveries and I think that 2013 has been a cracking year for DM. Some of my favourites: Grave Upheaval - their full length is untitled and has no tracklistings (just numbers). It's primitve, stripped back, suffocating and molesting DM that smothers you. Production spotters need not apply.

Mitochondrion - Antinumerology EP. Moving on from the brilliant "Parasignosis" album in 2011, Mitochondrion add some dissonance in amongst the swarming chaos. Their are some real structures in there too.

Antediluvian - Logos. I only discovered Antediluvian quite recently - Logos is their current release and is a vicious little bastard of a record.

Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius. Big, big, big looming DM.

Vastum - Patricidal Lust. Absolute filth! Patricidal Lust | 20 Buck Spin Wormed - Exodromos. Technical and brutal at the same time. Astonishing stuff with pig grunts.

Ulcerate - Vermis. Quite possibly album of the year for me. Again techincally brilliant but has a polished brutality about it too.

Gorguts - Coloured Sands. Another contender for album of the year, admirable for it's crisp sound and the twang of bass rumbling through at all times.

Portal - Vexvoid. The technical older brother of Grave Upheaval, GU is it's younger brother with learning disabilities. Again AOTY material.

Moderator's Note: Unfortunately none of the videos posted here could be retrieved.

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Fuck yeah, dude. I hadn't heard Abyssal or Antediluvian before. Abyssal in particular is fucking ruling right now, awesome riffs. Been meaning to check out Vastum as well. In addition to Ulcerate and Gorguts, I've been listening to a lot of Dead Congregation and Disma, and just found that band Grave Miasma yesterday - you into them at all? They're British, after all...

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I actually still prefer the previous one, but that's probably because I've listened to it a lot more. They're fantastic. I hear a lot of the same dissonance in the Abyssal album that Macabre posted, you might dig the music though not the production. No idea what the lyrics are, though given the band name I doubt they're very optimistic.

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