Death metal is an extreme metal genre combining the aggression and complexity of thrash metal with more complex song structures, often featuring lyrics about violence, Satanism, Occultism and mysticism.
Death metal music is also famous for its “cookie monster” vocals – low growls coupled with high-pitched rasps that are frequently distorted for emphasis.
In Flames – Subterranean EP
This album and The Jester Race were some of the early In Flames albums to truly resonate and stick in my head. The catchy and memorable riffs captivated my ear while Mikael Stanne’s incredible vocals from At the Gates days shine through here; plus its raw production works well with its catchy riffs – this remains one of my favourite In Flames albums to this day!
Subterranean is an impressive melodic death metal album from The Misery Index that captures their creativity at its height. You can tell they were enthusiastic young musicians eager to take risks and experiment. Their songs are fast, heavy, memorable and the riffs can range from thrash metal-esque riffs all the way into black metal (such as “Stand Ablaze”) with folk music-sounding intermissions in between each track – an example being “Stand Ablaze”.
Drums and bass are of superior quality, while guitar harmonies are simply outstanding – this album stands as an early forerunner to the style of metal that would become increasingly popular during the mid 90s. Additionally, songwriting was strong; you can see how each member had many thoughts swirling through their mind when this record was done before finally turning them into five fantastic songs.
This In Flames release was first issued in June 1995 as their second EP and featured Henke Forss as lead vocalist; Mikael Stanne was still performing sessions with Lunar Strain at this point. Reissued with new tracks added later, making this an all-encompassing EP release.
This album not only boasts lyrics centered around space exploration and astronomy, but it also offers some folk-influenced acoustic songs reminiscent of those found on previous albums – they provide a pleasant change of pace from heavy tracks. Furthermore, instrumental songs showcase their musical diversity.
Some songs start off slowly but build in intensity over time – such as the title track with its unique guitar solo toward its conclusion. Another standout track on this record is “Everdying”, featuring some fast thrashy riffing in there as well.
Morbid Angel – Blessed Are the Sick
Morbid Angel’s second album is an absolute gem; it showcases their mastery of their sound from their debut and managed to sidestep the sophomore slump so often seen among death metal bands. While Blessed Are the Sick may lack Altars of Madness-level epics or pain Divine/Damnation-grade brutality, it nonetheless boasts some of the finest pure death metal ever recorded.
Rapture, for instance, starts off the album with an intense and dark song with an unconventional yet industrial-sounding drum track; not your typical Death Metal intro but still an interesting way to kick things off!
Where the Slime Live, another powerful track from Morbid Angel’s debut record, features vicious vocals and one of Trey’s unforgettable solos. This song showcases their extremely brutal yet disgusting sound perfectly.
This album also contains some slower songs, which may prove somewhat dissatisfying. Eyes to See, Ears to Hear is a good song but doesn’t quite pack as much punch as some of Morbid Angel’s more speedy numbers or slower songs from Covenant like God of Emptiness or Blessed are Sick; perhaps due to being about war rather than talking about killing Christians or Satanism as other slow Morbid Angel songs often do.
Hatework is another fantastic slow song on this album, although it lacks some of the malevolence found elsewhere on it. Perhaps due to being more atmospheric sounding, or being an unfamiliar language version.
Domination is an amazing Death Metal album and should definitely be explored. However, it does not live up to the standard set by Altars of Madness and may be inferior in comparison with either of its two predecessors; nonetheless it should still be included as essential listening material by any fan of Death Metal. Morbid Angel’s last major label album release was Formulas Fatal to the Flesh; an amazing release that proved their mettle beyond just creating standard death metal fare for major labels. They gained even stronger following than before this album had come out!
Vader – Covenant
Before recently, Vader music could only be downloaded through purchasing their albums or CDs. Now fans of this band have access to downloading their entire discography as MP3 files; making listening convenient on computers, tablets and phones without subscription costs or software limitations. Downloads from their official website provide high-quality downloads with no software requirements or subscription costs needed for use.
The soundtrack features drums, electric guitars, bass and an atmospheric synth – an engaging track which will add an exciting and modern sound to any project – from presentations, videos, YouTube vlogs, sports highlights footage to commercials or simply adding an emotional and uplifted element – it can help set the scene!
Star Wars films have long been beloved classics. What many viewers may not be aware of is just how incredible John Williams’ score was for these movies – each instrument playing an essential part in telling their stories and setting mood. Now used throughout Star Wars merchandise and projects alike, its music remains timeless and beautiful today.
Vader are a longstanding Polish death metal act and have recently released Covenant, their latest and 16th overall album. Covenant contains tons of meat-and-potatoes death thrash, complete with crushing riffs and intense drumming that should make this an essential listen for fans of death metal alike.
While this album is solid, it does not stand the test of time. At times, its production can become too overpowering while vocalists can sound repetitive. That being said, there are some standout tracks; such as Shock and Awe’s opening track which starts off slowly before breaking out into aggressive metal thrashing – an excellent introduction that sets the pace for what will follow on this album.
Incineration of the Gods is another great track that should not be overlooked; it starts off with an atmospheric church organ sound before shifting into aggressive death metal. This track demonstrates how this band can still create quality albums without using too many symphonic elements; its only real downside being that this track sounds similar to Prometheus.