Numerous metal subgenres have generated heated debate due to their lyrics, often due to them reflecting personal ethics, religion or political ideologies.
Natural disasters like flooding and fires have the power to displace thousands of people and completely disrupt livelihoods, as well as represent the uncertainty and chaos caused by climate change.
Bathory – Call From The Grave
Bathory (named for Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory) was one of the early pioneers of Black Metal. Their early albums are widely credited with inspiring an entire generation of extreme metal bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and Satyricon – to name only a few. Furthermore, they’ve become classics within Viking Metal itself!
“Under the Sign of the Black Mark” proved the true power of Bathory in 1985. This masterpiece remains one of black metal’s highest points despite not featuring as many raw moments as their self-titled debut or their previous release “The Return…”
Quorthon’s raspy anguished croak can still be heard throughout, yet his increasingly musical guitar solos and occasional use of more eerie synthesizer intros or accents show that the band was expanding beyond their early primitive thrash LPs. On “Equimanthorn”, they explore themes related to Hell, Norse mythology (including Odin’s eight-legged black stallion Sleipnir), as well as exploring esoteric concepts like Hell.
Music from their previous works remains fast and chaotic; notable tracks are “Call from the Grave” which depict a woman feeling as though she has died repeatedly but continues living, but wondering why and if God will answer her prayer.
This album is essential listening for anyone interested in extreme metal. The riffs, atmosphere and sense of terror present here have yet to be replicated by another album.
As such, it has become a part of history and one of the most iconic death metal songs mp3 free download. Indeed, this song has become so beloved that it has been featured in movies and TV shows, not to mention still being one of fans’ favorites today – being covered by bands such as Slipknot, Korn and The Dead Tones themselves!
Celtic Frost – Abolism Of Death
This song has become one of the most iconic death metal songs mp3 downloads for free, thanks to its powerful sound and lyrics that have inspired numerous bands to cover it and gain wider exposure for their music. Cover versions have been recorded by famous artists such as Xasthur, Behemoth and Mayhem and its music video has been watched over 1 Million times on YouTube alone! Featuring a straightforward structure but an impactful message – Satan overpowering all things good in our world through violence; dark yet violent but ultimately upbeat; making this a must-listen for death metal fans of any sort!
Following his departure from Hellhammer, Tom Warrior found success with Celtic Frost. Between 1984 and 1987, this band released several groundbreaking albums that stretched the boundaries of extreme metal. Their debut effort “To Mega Therion” started off strong by covering Hellhammer demo “Power of Satan”, then progressed with death-metal rage (“Jewel Throne”) and gothic electronica (“Into the Pandemonium”).
No song could better represent their band than its title track, with its hard riffing, apocalyptic imagery, and morbid lyrics making this one of the most significant death metal songs free download ever released by Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath have had an enormous influence on black metal and extreme metal as an entire movement; their album being featured in many movies and television shows featuring this particular track as its centerpiece.
Cannibal Corpse have always been well known for their extreme nature in death metal music. While their albums might not sell as well as some of their peers, they’ve managed to sustain a core following due to their sinister blackened brand of death metal, with songs like “Procreation of the Wicked” giving them longevity that few groups in this genre have achieved; songs from Cannibal Corpse have even been covered by bands as disparate as Sepultura, Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus!
Behemoth – The Satanist
Behemoth had released their sinister opus Demigod five years prior, and by all accounts it was time for its sequel. Frontman Nergal had gone public with his battle with leukaemia while publicly mocking Christianity onstage while spending years fighting blasphemy charges in court; all while showing that not only were he and his band the embodiment of evil but that they had the strength to overcome any opposition they might encounter along the way.
As such, expectations for The Satanist were sky high – and justified by their previous work which felt overwrought and flat. Luckily for underground metal purists, Nergal and his bandmates seem up to the task!
The Satanist marks an impressive turn in sound for Polish blackened death powerhouse Evangelion. Gone is its blinding speed and technicality in favor of an expansive sound reminiscent of their earlier work – most noticeably with Nergal’s vocals taking on a rawer, more human quality than before.
Behemoth truly excels on tracks such as ‘In the Absence of Light. While much of their album rides a strong bass groove and showcases epic, symphonic elements, this track takes things up another notch with huge swathes of guitar playing combined with dark choral accents that form an utterly breathtaking wall of sound sure to send any metalhead reeling!
Behemoth’s most accessible release to date, Symphonic Arranges makes its mark as an accessible offering while not diluting its potency. Songs like ‘Messe Noire’ and the album closer ‘O Father O Satan O Sun!’ still feature some aggressive riffing and blast beats while offering something different: there is an obvious rock influence here you wouldn’t normally expect from Behemoth in past releases.
Mayhem – Freezing Moon
“Freezing Moon,” one of Mayhem’s best-loved songs, paints an unsettling scene replete with death and darkness. Narrator recalls an altered state of consciousness where sinister shapes float past in darkness – this haunting tune perfectly captures black metal music’s grimness.
This song boasts an instantly catchy, riff-based melody that blends power and dexterity, creating an excellent tune to bang your head to. As such, its popularity has led to it being covered by bands such as Vader, Cradle of Filth and Behemoth, with this piece setting an example for how black metal music can still remain heavy while remaining melodic at the same time.
The song also showcases Mayhem vocalist, Attila Csihar’s incredible versatility as an artist, switching seamlessly from harsh and guttural singing styles to melodic vocalizations – giving this track its signature sound and making it stand out amongst other black metal tracks.
“Freezing Moon” is an iconic track for anyone interested in black metal music. A mournful dirge with spoken narrative, “Freezing Moon” marked a groundbreaking moment in black metal history as the first song ever to use this technique and has since been covered by multiple bands – most notably Darkthrone!
Euronymous’ gratuitous solo is an incredible display over drummer Hellhammer’s swinging rhythms; an unabashed celebration of Mayhem’s suffering that they had endured and would continue to endure in future performances, it should be required listening for any black metal fan. This track should not be missed!
Owing to its exceptional sound quality, this recording should still be considered essential listening for Dead fans. It features only two studio tracks ever recorded with his bandmates – and gives an intriguing glimpse of what De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas might have been had he been alive – though unfortunately some parts of Dead’s voice may sound off in some places; nonetheless this record remains an essential listening experience.