Why the cheesy image? Because I don’t take myself seriously, and neither should you. Welcome to my weekly feature where I’m normally drunk and/or hungover, and write some garbage about music in a way that makes me sound more knowledgeable than I really am. Or maybe I just fail at that..
The topic for this week: Death Metal. Admittedly, not my favorite genre, but one that fascinates me all the same. Death Metal is an extreme sub-genre of Metal (no, really?) that began in America (particularly Florida) in the 1980s. But I’m not fucking Wikipedia and this isn’t no history lesson, I’m just here for the music, and so should you be, so get your Death dosage after the jump. Don’t worry, an overdose won’t lead to death. Only awesomeness.
Straight Death
Basically, no debates, no arguments, this stuff is just straight Death Metal. The stuff that gave birth to a wide array of other types of Metal.
Morbid Angel – Rapture
Taken from Morbid Angel‘s third album, Covenant, just about the only one to have “professional” production and yet still sounds like shit, Rapture remains a classic Death Metal track. Some argue that this is the band’s corporate sell-out album, but that’s a load of crap. How can this be a corporate sell-out album? I hear no auto-tune, no clean singing, and see no groupies. And that last one is a shame, because I love groupies.
Deicide – Dead by Dawn
Deicide‘s debut album is allegedly the best selling Death Metal album of all time, which must mean it sold at least 20 or 30 copies. This album basically defines the sound of pure evil, which is fine by me. Evil is good. And now, because I’m lazy, I’m going to allow someone else sum up this track for me. Niall from The Metal Observer described the song Dead by Dawn as “simplistic yet so powerful in its delivery that you can’t help but be taken aback by its ferocity.” Wikipedia FTW!
Decapitated – Spheres of Madness
Decapitated were one of the best Death Metal bands in the 21st century, originally forming in 1996. Spheres of Madness from the band’s second album, Nihility, beats the shit out of your ears, turns your stomach and leaves you breathless. A bit like sex with my girlfriend. Ex girlfriend once she reads this… Don’t worry BTW, that’s just a joke. My girlfriend can’t see. How else would I get her to go out with me?
Melodic Death
Melodic Death Metal AKA “not Death Metal at all” supposedly takes the raw brutality and aggression of Death Metal and combines it with melodic elements of British Heavy Metal. The sub-genre was one of the biggest and fastest growing in Metal not long ago.
At The Gates – Slaughter of the Soul
Often considered the forerunners of the sub-sub-genre (and this is why I sometimes hate labelling bands), At The Gates were the prototype for the so-called Gothenburg sound, as well as all the US Metalcore bands you get these days just blatently ripping them off. Slaughter of the Soul is one of my favorite albums of the last 20 years and features some fantastic guitar work. The title track from said album remains an undisputed classic.
In Flames – December Flower
Before In Flames sucked dick, they released an album that was actually a close masterpiece. The Jester Race, released in 1996 remains as one of the only In Flames albums I actually really like. I’m not sure what went wrong, but oh well. Listen to December Flower and you’ll hear the band at their best.
Grindcore
Mixing the sounds of Hardcore punk with … Grind? Or Death Metal. Napalm Death pretty much invented this genre, and they also pretty much rule. Today, a bunch of lame scenekids have kidnapped and abused the Grindcore genre. A shame really.
Napalm Death – The Silence is Deafening
As Napalm Death progressed as a band they became more Death, and less pure Grind. The song structure also really came along. One of my favorite albums by them is The Code is Red… Long Live the Code, with The Silence is Deafening being a real standout track for me.
Blackened Death
Blackened Death Metal takes the power of Death Metal and combines it with the stupidity and Satanism of Black Metal, for an awesome mix of aggression and Black Metal theatricals. Or some shit anyways. Akercocke are awesome, and so are Behemoth. You need not no anymore. Unless you want to, in which case you should use just use your pal Google.
Akercocke – Verdelet
Akercocke always seemed like a great band to me. They were like Opeth on crack, and that could only be a great thing. On top of that, they knew just how to push the right buttons in order to piss off ignorant conservative Christians and ‘soccer moms’ to the max. It’s a shame, however, the band have been completely silent now for well over a year. I can only hope that they haven’t called it a day.
Behemoth – At the Left Hand of God
Behemoth are awesome. Everyone knows that of course.
