Top 10 Greatest Death Metal Songs

#10: Infecting the Crypts (1991)Suffocation

The adjective brutal gets tossed around often when it comes to the world of death metal. New Yorks Suffocation, however, helped codify that term when it came to the U.S. sound of the early nineties. Infecting the Crypts is taken from Suffos first classic, full-length, Effigy of the Forgotten, having been re-recorded from the bands pummeling debut a year earlier. The song starts out blasting before that lurching, Suffocation crawl kicks in around the one minute mark. Its an example of death metal thats significantly more complex than the genres first wave from the mid-to-late eighties, but not yet indicative of the tech moniker of contemporary acts. In other words, it hits that sweet spot thats nostalgic, while also remaining a landmark for genre creativity.

#9: Override of the Overture (1991)Dismember

The legacy of Swedens death metal scene hearkens all the way back to the 1980s, with outstanding demo efforts from the likes of Grave and Dismember. The latters debut album, Like an Ever Flowing Stream, exemplified Swedens chainsaw guitar sound, and stripped down, punk rock-infused ethos. The melodic aspect present within Override of the Overture also speaks to the influence of Iron Maiden to the Dismember camp. Harmonized guitars would be something that would be heavily explored within the Swedish scene, although the overriding theme here on Override is still very much about aggression. That said, theres no denying this songs catchy riffing and epic, anthemic atmosphere.

#8: Blinded By Fear (1995)At the Gates

Hear that? Thats the sound of America taking notes. Specifically, it was metalcore acts from the United States that decided to add breakdowns to the melodic death metal blueprint organized by At the Gates back in 1995. Its impossible to overstate just how revelatory Slaughter of the Soul was for this Swedish band, a group that emerged from their countrys black and death metal scenes to take over the underground. Blinded By Fear strips down all of the overly complex riff arrangements that defined early At the Gates material, replacing it with a more streamlined and direct approach. The end results were still fast and heavy, but now catchier and more infectious than ever before.

#7: Heartwork (1993)Carcass

Britains Carcass is one of those few bands thats managed to influence multiple genres throughout its existence. The groups chaotic early years were formative to the grindcore and gore-grind subgenres, thanks to songs like Corporal Jigsore Quandary. Elsewhere, Carcass 1993 masterpiece Heartwork would add further fuel to the fire of melodic death metal, thanks to the traditionally inspired lead work of ex-Carnage guitarist Mike Amott. The title track of that album exposed the surgical steel of Carcass to more metalheads than ever before, even as others within the underground lamented the bands progression. Still, there was no stopping progress, and Heartwork still kicks ass, all these years later.

#6: World Eater (1989)Bolt Thrower

The sound of war and violence exists within the collective DNA of Britains Bolt Thrower, resounding via every crushing riff. World Eater may feature one of the best of those riffs, too, a simple, yet oh-so-effective chug thats guaranteed to cause chaos. Actually, make that REALM of Chaos, the bands sophomore effort that saw Bolt Thrower dive into heavier realms from their anarcho-punk roots. The intro to World Eater lasts nearly half of the songs five minute runtime, before Karl Willetts harrowing growl begins the first verse. From there, its all blasting and strangulating solos before World Eater returns to that iconic intro section once again for the grand finale.

#5: Chapel of Ghouls (1989)Morbid Angel

Metal fans love debating which album from the 1980s could be considered as the first death metal album. Was it Seven Churches by Possessed? Deaths Scream Bloody Gore? Maybe Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost? The truth is that a lot of bands from a lot of different countries were having similar ideas around the same time, including Floridas Morbid Angel. The latter didnt predate Mantas or Death, of course, but their Bleed for the Devil demo from 86 contained Chapel of Ghouls, a frenzied and chaotic slice of unholy metal. Morbid Angel would eventually cross over into the mainstream with songs like God of Emptiness, but Chapel of Ghouls proved the bands songwriting prowess even at this embryonic stage.

#4: Dead By Dawn (1990)Deicide

Can you remember the last time you were truly scared by an album? It may seem silly to some, but there was a genuine air of malevolence and evil surrounding those early efforts by Floridas Deicide. This Satanic death metal band sounded genuinely sincere in their desire to annihilate all in their path, and their self-titled debut was a towering statement of this intent. Dead by Dawn was inspired, lyrically, by Sam Raimis classic horror film, The Evil Dead, and executes this influence to near perfection. Glen Bentons vocals sound possessed by the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis itself, while the guitars of Eric and Brian Hoffman slice and dice the song to pieces.

#3: Hammer Smashed Face (1992)Cannibal Corpse

Its difficult to ascertain which song would wind up being the national anthem for an imaginary United States of Death Metal. What we do know is that Hammer Smashed Face by Cannibal Corpse would almost definitely be in the running. Its been one of the most consistently popular and enduring examples of the genre, even since it first debuted on the bands Tomb of the Mutilated LP from 1992. Virtually all the traces of Cannibal Corpses thrash roots had been stripped away (pun intended) by this point, leaving behind a death metal sound that felt decayed and rotten to the core. Hammer Smashed Face is technical, but not unapproachable, brutal yet memorable. Simply said: its a death metal classic.

#2: Pull the Plug (1988)Death

The consistent and varied discography of Death means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Chuck Schuldiners creative legacy reached melodic and progressive peaks with songs like Crystal Mountain , although many death metal stalwarts also point to the uncompromising heaviness of Pull the Plug as an early highlight. Schuldiner was a pioneer for this genre with both Death and its forebear, Mantas, and theres no denying the colossal smashing machine that is the opening riff to Pull the Plug. Theres also the matter of that memorable chorus, a shout-a-long-able section with lyrics that proved, even at this early stage, the growth of Schuldiners vision.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Out of the Body (1989), Pestilence

Thrashing Dutch Death

December Flower (1996), In Flames

Melodic Death Metal With One of the Most Spectacular Solos Ever

Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay (1991), Autopsy

Destructive & Doom-Laden Death

Entrantment of Evil (1991), Incantation

Thick, Viscous, Dark & Evil

#1: Left Hand Path (1990)

Entombed

Dead heavy. Dead evil. Death metal. This was the iconic tagline utilized by Earache Records for their advertising of Left Hand Path by Entombed. Its fitting, too, since it was here where all of the demos Entombed had recorded under the moniker of Nihilist came to a head. This truly was an apex of death metals creative journey up to this point, a mountaintop where Entombed songs such as this one and Sinners Bleed from 1991 were changing the game. The influence of horror movies was also felt in a big way with the songs ending coda, an interpolation of the Phantasm theme that may not have been expected at the time, but which has now gone down as a stroke of creative genius.

What sort of sounds, to you, define death metal? Whats the earliest, most authentic album from the genre? Shout out your favorites in the comments!