The Death Metal thread
 

Posting in the "Extremism before 1992" thread makes me think we should have a thread dedicated to Death Metal. Death Metal has always been my favorite Subgenre of Heavy Metal, and one I am more knowledged in.. not an encyclopedia of knowledge, but enough to get by.

If somebody wants to start a Black Metal thread, that would be good as well. Not that knowledged at all in Black Metal.. so let somebody who is start that one if they need be...


Anyways, so here is a place to discuss Death Metal, an introduction for new comers perhaps. Post what you want, not sure if there are many other Death Metal fans on this board, but I imagine there is enough to at least start something.

I will start by posting an album that I think a new comer may enjoy to get them started..


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mlr9O0o7dq...320/MIASMA.JPG
Changes by Miasma : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music

Miasma was a Death Metal band out of Austria of all places. They released this album "Changes" in 1992.



One of my favorite songs in the style. The acoustic intro is amazing.

First question.

Finland vs. Sweden.

Both places had some great bands. But overall, which do you like more?

For death metal? Neither.

well, that was educational. lol.

Do you listen to much Death Metal? Had to go out, was going to add more to that post. Will edit it soon.

I don't really think of Sweden or Finland as primary places for straight up death metal. The two have hybrids like melodeath, death/doom and folk metal that incorporate chiefly death metal components into their respective sounds. So if those types of hybrid genres count then I'd go with Sweden. Obviously they have the 3 melodeath founders but Katatonia, Opeth, Meshuggah, and Amon Amarth all still put out great records to this day (you'd need to sort through the early releases from Katatonia's catalogue to find the heavier stuff). But you also can't forget the death metal godfathers from Sweden in Entombed, Bathory, and Therion.

It's not my favorite type of metal but, yeah, I listen to a decent amount I guess. I'd say most of the death metal I like tends to be from the US though. Immolation, Suffocation, Death, stuff like that. Though I guess if you count Zyklon as death metal that would be one Norwegian band I like. Same for Behemoth and Poland.

Finland has Demilich, Demigod, Purtenance, Adramelech, Canifex and Convulse... to name a few. All of those I would consider to be more straight up DM...

I like US DM, Florida has some great bands... Death, Massacre, Brutality, Morbid Angel, Ressurection, DVC and others... Florida Death Metal is probably my favorite scene. But Sweden and Finland has some amazing bands as well..

there is already a black metal thread

i don't really listen that much to death metal, and if I do, it's mostly melodic death metal

I honestly don't think I've heard any death metal from Sweden or Finland. Like I mentioned in the edit to my post above (which I think you might have missed) the couple of European bands I like that might be classed as death metal aren't from either of those countries.

I will give you 1 from each which I think are great.

Finland:
http://img.noiset.com/images/album/d...ver-48633.jpeg
Slumber of Sullen Eyes by Demigod : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music


Sweden:
http://www.sevared.com/catalog/image...02CD_large.jpg
Across the Horizon by Utumno : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music

also, if you wanna explore some Finnish Death Metal, start with this one:
http://www.covershut.com/covers/Depr...over-18801.jpg
Silence of the Centuries by Depravity : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music

For Swedish:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eER-8r2oEi...ding+Quest.jpg
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/alb..._ending_quest/

I honestly wasn't overly excited about those first two, but the Depravity stuff I'm listening to on YouTube at the moment sounds pretty good.

Yeah. I love the tone on that album. At only 21 minutes in length to it does not become tiresome either. One of the best to come out of Finland.

Unleashed are probably my favorite death metal band from Sweden; not groundbreaking, but solid riffs and they certainly had an ear for when to turn polyrhythms into monorhythms for effect. Solid band.

Demilich are great, of course; Nespithe is a fun album to wrap your head around. The evil toad vocals are memorable, but I just really enjoy how they took advantage of the three different chanels for three different guitar parts, and a drummer that didn't just ceaselessly kick**** his drum kit.

.....I used to listen to quite a bit of death metal when I was younger, now I listen to more black. What can I say, I found a few albums I thought were the bees knees, and listened to them relentlessly. The newer style, bands like Origin, political Dying Fetus, just don't do it for me unless I'm in a goofy mood, and the throwback bands like Jungle Rot are good and all, but I feel like I've already heard the songs before.

I would love to get my hands on a copy of "Nespithe".. One of the most unique releases I have ever heard in Death Metal, one of my top 5. That and "Psychostasia" by Adramelech top my Finnish Death Metal list.

I don't really know anything about Finnish death metal, but Sweden (specifially Stockholm) is famous for straight up death metal. Nihilist, Grave, Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed, Carnage, etc. They just kinda got forgotten when melodic death metal got so big in Gothenborg. Listen to Bloodbath if you wanna hear a modern band doing some good Swedish death metal.

some Finnish for you to explore:

Adramelech - Psychostasia
Convulse - World Without God
Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes
Depravity - Silence of the Centuries
Demilich - Nespithe
Purtenance - Member of Immortal Damnation

I'll have to put those on my list. Unfortunately I'm sort of on an avant garde/experimental/whatever black metal kick that seems about ready to consume my very soul.

Just got done listening to this:

http://trendcrusher.files.wordpress....pg?w=300&h=297

Nervecell - Psychogenocide (2011)

Pretty standard death metal, which is a shame because after the use of Middle Eastern instruments in the first song, I was expecting more of a blend of styles, however it was not meant to be. Still it's pretty decent modern death metal and the band is from Dubai so if you're looking for a band to showcase the fact that metal exists in countries outside the West, here's a freebie.

^Nice. I'm really digging the drums in that song.

The drumming is really the only thing I'd recommend, everything else just sounds kind of generic. I dunno I think that's the problem I have with a lot of metal bands that just exclusively focus on one genre. It's already been done and in most cases done better. I was pretty disappointed that the band didn't really try and fuse Middle Eastern style music with their metal. I mean if a fat white guy from South Carolina can do it, then a band that's from Dubai has no excuse.

One of my favorite Death Metal bands from a place not known for a lot of Death Metal:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/...57c2b73739.jpg
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/alb...ed_ideologies/


Gangrena were from Portugal. Only released this album, and a couple of demos.

A band you should try out. Download this album:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H9F1DlCd0b...deathmetal.jpg
The Sacred Medicines by Necronomicon : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music


Love this band. Another reason why I say Canada has some of the best Death Metal.... Gorguts, Cryptopsy, Necronomicon, Martyr...

But Necronomicon is great, kinda like Nile but change the Middle Eastern elements of them to more Native American elements and you got Necronomicon.

The album I posted is their highlight so far, worth hearing if you like Death Metal with some cultural elements.

I think the only Canadian death metal band I listen to is Gorguts, but they're pretty amazing. I'll have to check out more stuff from Canada. I'm listening to a Cryptopsy track on YouTube at the moment and that sounds pretty good.

This album is essential to any Death Metal collection:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NLdORsEZsk...over_front.jpg
None So Vile by Cryptopsy : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music

^Heh. That's the exact song I was just listening to. :)

Speaking of Gorguts, "Obscura" is getting a re-release on Vinyl and CD this year ! New album should be out by years end as well.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla...sitemID=152867

Kataklysm is another one of the Canadian death metal legend bands. In fact, a lot of the big Canadian metal band you'll find around the Montreal area, which is kind of funny given the amount of indie pop bands from the same area.

Quebec is known for a hotbed for Death Metal madness... all the bands I mentioned are from that Province.

Cookie monster vocals get old real quick for me, so I tend to prefer progressive death metal much more (Gojira, Opeth).

The death metal band I have been listening to a lot lately is Jungle Rot. They have a sort of corny appeal to them I rarely fall for, but I don't regret it.

Jungle Rot to me was always just kind of a joke band. They are awful, but have their appeal in that regard.

My biggest problem at first was adjusting to the vocals, but once I did I found it better. Have to adjust the ears I feel to appreciate it more, somebody laughed at me once for saying that but I just said, If a person is used to hearing sounds of say Bob Dylan or something of that nature, they will not be able to grip the harsh style of vocals in Death Metal or Black Metal very easy, but if they can train their ears to adjust to those sounds it is easier to appreciate.

There is that cliche cookie monster element of course, but I have learned to accept it.

I do not listen to much lately. The occasional album here and there, but I listened to it none stop for months, just had to try some new sounds.

The cookie monster vocals really do add to the aesthetic of the music, I mean it pulls double duty by delivering the narrative as well as being its own instrument. I guess the same can be said for every genre, but I think it's a little more poignant in death metal.

However I think a lot of people really miss the obvious point of having the guttural vocals. How else could you deliver lyrics like this:

"Carve me up, slice me apart
Suck my guts and lick my heart
Chop me up, I like to be hurt
Drink my marrow and blood for dessert
EATEN...
My one desire, my only wish is to be-
EATEN...
The longer I live the more I'm dying to feel the pain
EATEN...
I would do anything to be-
EATEN...
My one desire, my only wish is to be-
EATEN..."

-"Eaten" - Bloodbath

I mean could you really imagine someone like Rob Halford, Bruce Dickenson, or even James Hetfield signing that in their normal manner? It's called death metal for a fucking reason!

I like this.

^^^ good point. Vocals in Death Metal exist not as an instrument of melody, but of rhythm; so it's not just the method of delivery that is alienating, but how they are used. Compare this to, say, Hip Hop - where vocals are also primarily an instrument of rhythm, but in the context of hip hop they are almost always used to emphasize a monorhythm - whereas in Death Metal they are generally polyrhythmic in intent, aside from crescendos and what have you.

=========

Anyone else here a fan of Order From Chaos? They were a first wave DM band from Kansas City, Missouri, and played Death Metal with what would now be called Black Metal influences..... but the being an early band, the black metal they were influenced by was the 1st & 2nd album Bathory. They also had a rather strong crossover influence, which I rather enjoy.



The first song is "Of Death & Dying", which I think is their highpoint. Terrific energy, and - despite being a demo - the production is pretty damn good. You can hear the bass guitar, for ****s sake.

Alumni from this band went on to form Ares Kingdom, whereas Pete Helkamp went on to start Angelcorpse, amongst other bands.

Cannibal Corpse? Check.
Opeth? Check.
Death? Hell yes.
Embalmer? **** yeah.

I love death metal.

I am really shocked that Obituary are barely mentioned (if at all). One of the most distinctive and consistent Death Metal bands ever. Slowly We Rot is absolutely timeless.

John Trady has one of the most unique voices in all of Death Metal.

"Slowly We Rot" is essential as a debut. "The End Complete" though is their best album to date.

^^agreed and seconded

So who's flying the American death metal banner these days? I don't hear much about straight up American death metal anymore in modern metal circles. It seems like the genre in the U.S. has taken a backseat to its bastard cousin deathcore. Any bands that come to mind when thinking of modern American death metal?