Best Death Metal Bands

OVERRATED! Chuck worship is clearly evident here and also on the best albums list. Bands like Possessed, Necrophagia and Morbid Angel were equally influential to the development of the genre. This band has just two Death metal albums (Leprosy and Spiritual Healing) yet they're sitting at the top while other bands who have churned out superior records are so far down the list. Most of Death fans today are mainstream music lovers and they don't even appreciate the first three records off them they're only into Prog Metal stuffs like Symbolic, Human etc and then they claim to like Death Metal, they can't even differentiate between two sub genres -- it boils my blood. I've no problem with them liking Prog Metal but please don't claim to like Death metal when you don't listen to it. The same thing applies for annoying Bathory fans who only listen to their Viking stuffs but call themselves Black metal fans.

Suffocation, Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Demilich, Gorguts, Immolation, etc etc etc. all of them are in a different league than this mediocre band.

I don't think I've ever met someone with more hatred towards someone they've never met. This is pathetic, you're weak.

Chuck is pretty much my biggest idol ever. I almost cried when I learned of this dudes death, just think about the possibilities had he still been alive. I bet Control Denied would've been only one of many epic side projects and experiments.

Also I consider his voice to be in a whole category by itself, to be honest I'm having a hard time enjoying growl, Chuck's delivery is more of a scream and it's hard to appreciate generic Death Metal vocals having heard Chuck's insane vocal sound, ya know what? I bet that throat bled, which almost makes it all the more impressive and beautiful, poetic even, that's true "art"

One of the most influential metal band.
Best guitar riffs ever, amazing solos, complex lyrics, brutal songs, and progressive elements - this is the Death.
R.I.P Chuck Schuldiner, you live ever in the music history.

Hi, I am mr.robin, telling from Bangladesh, I can't go even for a day, but I must listen songs of cannibal corpse...I love songs of cannibal corpse more from my hear & soul...
I very much like songs such as sentenced to burn, evisceration plague, kill or become, death walk terror, decency defied, devoured by vermin etc. are very very awesome favourite songs to me...thanks to cannibal corpse for giving us these types of songs as nice gifts...thanks a lot to cannibal corpse...

What's the need to mention where you're from? It's always good to hear that someone enjoys Death Metal

The best and the most brutal Death Metal band I've ever heard. Their lyrics are brutal, deep and their music is one of the most heaviest. Chris Barnes had a different kind of vocal, his lyrics were more brutal, but Fisher is also great in lyrics, his style is way more interesting. My favourite band ever. m/ #Hail666

Consistency and always delivering top quality death metal releases. They set the first blueprint for the 2nd wave of death metal with tomb of the mutilated and raised the technical bar with the bleeding. Great to their fans,cannibal corpse is consistently and overall the best death metal band ever.

I'm glad that Death and Cannibal Corpse occupy the top 2. Personally I prefer Cannibal Corpse but it works either way for me. A little annoyed that COB are in it though. COB are a great band don't get me wrong but they're not REAL Death Metal

Created the blueprint... the sound that IS death metal started with Morbid Angel... always remained creative and experimental, as well

Morbid Angel should be number one, I feel Formulas Fatal to the Flesh is one of the greatest albums in all music. A co-inventor of death-metal, they also invented nu-metal and djent without realizing it (God of Emptiness) also a new style of industrial dance metal (Destructos).

It doesn't matter that death or possessed would be considered first ever death metal band. Their rank should not be bumped up due to that. What matters is how good the band is and morbid angel wins for me.

Morbid angel should be at least #2... They have made this genre. Actually death was first true death metal band.. But MA's contribution cannot be ignored.

Although an undeniably great band, they're not death metal in the purest form especially if you take into consideration their 21st century albums releases. Overall, they were an (extreme) Prog Metal band akin to Edge of Sanity.
If you only judge their first 3 records then they fit into the Death/Black Metal category.
Orchid : Prog Metal/Melo Black/Dark Folk
Morningrise : Prog Death/Prog Rock/Dark Folk
My Arms, Your Hearse : Prog Black/ Prog Rock. It's probably their darkest, atmospheric and second least accessible album after Orchid.
Still Life: Prog Metal
...
...
Deliverance : Prog Death.

Prog Metal is common is every one of their albums.

Opeth has the perfect formula...their songs are absolutely gorgeous whether it be a death metal song, prog. rock/metal song, they nail it. Black Rose Immortal, Bleak, Ghost of Perdition are among the best Metal songs I've ever heard. The vocals are very clear despite all the growling..the growling sounds amazing...it's like an instrument itself..

Michael Akerfeldt is the number one death metal singer, and Opeth is simply amazing. Progressively Opeth wipes the floor with all these other death metal bands. Michael Akerfeldt also wipes the floor with all the other death metal singers. Number 1!

Opeths amazing composition and musical skill makes them extremely fun to listen to. They never get boring because of their wide variety of music. A lot of their songs are half heavy and half acoustic. their longest song is 20 minutes, and I feel like that song isn't long enough because it is so damn good

One of the most versatile Death metal bands. Jeff Walker's vocals are truly among the best in the business, and Bill Steer can pull off some amazing riffs and solos. Everybody in this band is a great musician and they really put their skills to good use. Carcass can be brutal, melodic and very technical at the same time.
This band was on the forefront of both grindcore and melodic death metal - and that is truly an accomplishment. Also - they are not dumb jackasses like some others and are actually cool people.

Genre classics (chronologically):
Vomited Anal Tract
Exhume to Consume
Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
Buried Dreams
Heartwork
Tomorrow Belongs To Nobody
Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System

... And all of their albums are very distinct and different from each other, yet it's easy to tell it's still Carcass. Classic Carcass.

This band has everything, whether you like grindcore, melodic death metal, death 'n roll, or just straight up death metal, they have it! They're the band that got me into death metal, and they'll always be my favourite

They are unique. From the initial sick grindcore to the high technical melodic death metal. No one have done so different albums like them. I think they must be in the top 2 position

Carcass redefined (or straight up defined? ) the genre. They also did everything from grindcore to melodic, always with good results. Easily top 3.

Absolutely the best out there! Amon amarth is established band playing over 20 years and they know how to make best riffs ever.. Johan is natural born singer, drummer and his doubekick - rarely you hear that speed and all of it is glued with fantastic lyrics which brings you to old era of vikings - I believe that this band is playing n future at every home over Xmas.. Well my house is full of Amon Amarth! Spread the word, valhalla awaits us all!

I am not a Death Metal fan, yet I ironically find myself enjoying this band quite recently. I like their balance between aggression and melody and their vocalist's growls are actually quite natural for the band's content, which is a pretty good thing. That, and that this band is accessible enough is a bonus point too. They're overall a kickass band I could go back on.

Any band that can create beautiful, sweeping melodies followed by powerful grinding riffs like Amon Amarth is deserving of being in the top five. The atmosphere created by the tales of Norse gods and Viking warriors is unparalleled. Easily my favourite band!

Amon Amarth manage to capture the brutality of death metal while retaining the melodic nature of classic heavy metal acts. The viking theme adds a great level of depth and a grandiose nature that other death metal bands cannot match.

Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade form one of the best guitar duos of all music genres. Combined with Kollias' inconceivable drumming technique and speed, as well as with all of their interest and unquestionable knowledge in the Egyptian lore and mythology, Nile is one of the greatest metal bands of all time and quite frankly the best death metal act. Their live performances and their studio recordings are some of the best I've ever seen in terms of quality, musically as well as overall performances.

Brutal, nerve trampling metal. Insanely precise. Probably the best overall group both in technique and creativity. Also, I think the production and sound quality of Nile has no match in the genre.

Awesome band. Just down right brutalicous. You have to be a real nut job to think Amon Amarth is better than Nile.
Besides, the Norse gods are doom to die. The Egyptian pantheon on the other hand is eternal. Just saying'

For me 1. Death
2. Nile
3. Behemoth

Listen to Cast Down the Heretic or What Can Be Safely Written and tell me this band isn't the epitome of brutality...

Mh.. CoB is technically Melodic Death Metal, but it's so far away from actual Death Metal that I wouldn't even put this on the list. Don't get me wrong, I really like their music (esp. the first 4 albums), but it doesn't really fit here.

CoB's music is basically Power Metal with harsh vocals, and the vocals aren't even Death growls. I think it's fine to categorise them as Melodeath band, since Melodeath nowadays is very broadly used anyway. But when viewing it that way, one must also admit that Melodeath isn't a subgenre of Death Metal, but a very seperate genre then.

So yeah: Either CoB is Melodic Death, but then Melodeath and Death Metal are seperate genres (with little overlap). OR Melodeath for you is a subgenre of Death, but then CoB isn't Melodeath. Either way this band doesn't belong here in my opinion.

This band is my favorite death metal band! But my judgement is not bias and clouded. This band plays exceptional masterpiece! They are like hi breed death metal bands, their solos are one of the best! They may not be the most brutal or fierce but they sure ire things and and let headbangers bang! Listen to mask of sanity, evereytime I die, warheart, follow the reaper. It never gets old!

Children of Bodom honestly has some of the most complex melodies in each instrument, every one of their band members are amazing at what they do, not just Alexi, even though he's the most famous. They totally deserve to be number one because everything they make sounds AMAZING!

This band is one of my top band and I hate death metal music. They are just too awesome for it to be possible to hate them. I love alexi's voice and the sick guitar solos mixed in with some epic keyboard playing. COB will always be the best death metal band.

There are very few death metals whose sound a non-death metal fanatic could distinguish from the herd within seconds. Obituary is one of them.

They are a one-trick pony, no doubt -- but it's a damned good trick.

Also, they sound BETTER live than they do on their records, which is really saying something in this age of live mediocrity.

Finally, unlike most death metal bands, Obituary makes music that is hooky, catchy, approachable, and focuses on solid grooves instead of speed and technicality only for the sake of speed and technicality.

Honestly cannot believe that Obituary isn't at least in the top 10. They are one of the most badass old school death metal bands ever. Along with Death, Morbid Angel, and Malevolent creation they practically created death metal. Go listen to Cause of Death and Slowly We Rot and then tell me that Obituary doesn't deserve to be at least in the top 10.

NOBODY sounds like Obituary and these days they are just a machine in the best sense of the word. Love the old stuff, love the new stuff and dammit if John Tardy isn't about the most instantly recognizable voice in the genre. No easy accomplishment. You don't need blast beats to be arguably the best death metal band out there. They so OWN their sound.

Obituary were always my favourite death metal band growing up, I really liked the idea that you didn't have to do insane blast beat drumming and death growls that you can't really understand to still sound evil and heavy! Still love this band to this day!

It makes me cringe to see some mediocre and pseudo death metal bands above this ruthless and influential band.
Children of Boredom and Amon Amarth above Suffocation, are you kidding me? I bet 10 year olds who have no knowledge of death metal are engaging in serious vote botting.

All opinions aside, Suffocation basically created "technical death metal" with their EP "Human Waste" and debut album "Effigy of the Forgotten," 1990 and 1991 respectively. Absolutely absurd that Children of Bodom or Amon Amarth could possibly be in top 10, but no Suffocation.

The correct top 10 list should include: Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Nile, and Deicide. Any top 10 without them is incorrect.

Lets be honest suffocation and CC are kings of brutal death metal. no top 10 is correct without Death, Possessed, Opeth, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass (kings of grindcore/goregrind, Deicide, Suffocation, Nile, Obituary and of course last but not least a tie between Cryptopsy and Morbid Angel.

What! Suffocation should be in top 3... Nothing is more death metal than this band..
Amon amarth? Children of bodom? Yes I like that band.. But in the terms of death metal, maybe not

Another highly overrated commercial band that sold out very badly. They try way too hard to look and sound evil but come across like bunch of clowns. I loved you at your darkest is an embarrasingly terrible album and they've almost transformed into a pop metal band. They're an absolute disgrace to black metal.

Not exactly a death metal band (they're blackened death metal to be exact), but from the few songs I've heard, they seem like a cool band.

Even though Behemoth is not originally a death metal band. They have great atmosphere in their music, and also has death metal influence in their songs. Also their lyrics is very dark and morbid, powerful and strong.

Why so low? The lyrics, combined with the attention to detail of the riffs, overall atmosphere? come on! Behemoth is just so much better than Children of Boredom... behemoth are black metal not death metal but whatever

Seven churches was released two years after scream bloody gore. The coined the term death metal, it should be #2 to my opinion.

They either need to be #1 or tied with Death for #1. They coined the phrase "death metal" with the song of the same name.

I don't really like Death metal but I have to vote for them as they are at #13 only. They were truly the first.

Easily first. If you look at my lists long enough, I have made a fair few lists about them

I mean, come on. Music by Cattle Decapitation is utterly amazing. They blend the intensity of Grindcore and the brutality of Death metal- then add in melody (as of late)! One thing that keeps people away from this band are their lyrics, but those people are utterly stupid. If everyone thought like them The Anthropocene Extinction (intentional reference) wouldn't be a reality. And of course, there is Travis Ryan, delivering his controlled burps and nasty gutturals into the mic, along with nasty shrieks and melodic screams. Their guitars and Bass deliver an awesome sonic attack of technicality and brutality, and their drummer blast beats his way to stardom. Long live the kings of Metal!

I've gotta say, these guys are perfect matches for each other. They know what to put where and even their lyrics are some of the most meaningful lyrics to ever exist. It shows things from animal cruelty all the way to how stupid people of religion can be (doesn't mean I'm not religious.) And Travis is probably the most talented vocalist I've ever heard. All the way from shrill black metal screeches to raspy cleans to melodic and ear-shattering screams then to a signature low mid that normally drops somewhere in the song all the way to the pits of hell in how low it gets.

Extremely brutal with some unbelievable musicianship and also beautiful melodies. The new album Death Atlas may be one of the greatest death metal albums of all time

My all time favorite. Travis Ryan can do it all! A great death growl, high pitched gutturals, deep slam growls, everything. Great lyrics, energy, just an all around great band.

Why are Entombed not in the top 5? They practically invented Swedish death metal...first as Nihilist, then as Entombed. There is something so unique, raw, and brutal about their style of death metal. Listen to Left Hand Path and Clandestine...you'll see why.

"Left hand path" is to Death Metal what Beatles "sgt Pepper..." is to pop music. This iconic band should definitely be top 5.

Fantastic band. Great riffs, great atmosphere, does not disappoint.

Their first two albums are death metal staples..

I listened to Death Metal for years and believe me, this band is monster. I have never heard such brutality and seen such talent. In my opinion they dominate in this genre. Mikael mutilated, Peter devoured and Nick grinded. They are the perfect Death Metal band... Not growling unrecognizable like Brutal Death Metal bands and not growling too weak. This is and always will be my favourite band.

Death metal supergroup! What's not to like? These guys can duplicate any school of the genre. They manage to bring out the best parts of all the classic scenes, being it Florida or Sweden. Their latest (last? ) album, "Fathomless mastery", is possibly the greatest death metal album to date.

This band is perfect, I don't know why it's not in the Top 10. It's way better than some Top 10 bands (I'm looking at you Cannibal Corpse). I recommend it to all old school swedish death metal lovers (and American! ).
Pure talent!

Listen to the song EATEN by this band people and you will definitely see why I have voted for this band. Be it lyrics, vocal or the music, this band is the most influential band ever.

Proves that French people can still be awesome... Gojira has awesome music with a lot of subtleties that are lost in most death metal- listen to the songs Esoteric Surgery or Flying Whales or Wolf Down The Earth

Gojira is thriving in the metal industry today, have you listened to the L'Enfant Sauvage album? Stuff like that gives hope for the future of metal in this pop corrupted industry

Out of all the Death Metal Bands I'm hearing these days GOJIRA gives me that Brutal Death Feeling. Gojira is Fresh Superheavy, and The Best for me!

They are the heaviest band I ever listened to and at the same time they have meaningful lyrics.
They are the best band here

I would vote Opeth in this rank for sure, but after I have seen Vader so low on the list - man it's a shame that such band is not in top 5 or at least top 10. They are probably the only group in existence with ability to make Slayer song sound even more brutal. Most of their songs are masterpieces of brutality and perfection.

Vader should be in every top "top x death metal bands" list. Pitor's vocals are so unique. If you think you have heard a fast song, listen to Dcapited Saints off the Morbid Reich album. I'm ashamed that as of the moment I'm tying this they are in the thirties. This band should be no lower than 9.

So it is written.

Great Death Metal Band from Poland. Return to the Morbid Reich is my favorite, along with their new single, Triumph of Death. They also did a great cover of Black Sabbath and Raining Blood

Must be something in the water in Poland and these guys probably put it there. In my opinion the best band for having very cool recognizable riffs without sounding too melodic.

How is Necrophagist so damn low? This band's intricate riffs and beats are technically (pun intended) the best I have ever heard. The vocals are nice, the insturmentals are amazing, and no band has ever done or been able to do what they did. We do need that new album, though...

My latest discovery. Necrophagist is one of the coolest tech-death bands I've heard. Easily one of my new favorites

Necrophagist is amazing! I wish they would be a little faster with the releases, but you can't rush perfection!

The most sophisticated death metal band ever existed! They're on a whole different level!

Lyrically they aren't death metal at all, death metal has stuff about murder, dead bodies, necro philia, and is just about anything morbid. But vocally during the max cavalera era they sounded like death metal I'm not so sure about now though because I've personally never listened to it because I love the cavalera era too much.

I think they were more of a thrash metal band (in the cavalera era) with some death metal influences, but I never saw them as death metal band. Nowadays it's some Nu Metal stuff, nothing to do with Death or Thrash even.

Sepultura are practically the creators of Death metal. Max cavalera has one of the best death growls there is and is a pioneer of the vocal style. Beneath the Remains and Arise are two of the greatest death metal albums ever.

They may not be better than Death (when it comes to death metal, not going to comment on which is a better band) Arise is brutal. Amazing opening, and great vocals. And though it's not really death metal, Ratamahatta is an amazing song.

It's a bit of a stretch to call Sepultura a death metal band at all. They inhabit that vague borderline between death metal and speed metal.

This band had an incredibly unique sound and approach to death metal (both musically and lyrically), yet they don't have a whole lot of influence, which is quite sad. They also are one of the few bands that never put out a bad album. My two favorites from this band are Realm of Chaos and Those Once Loyal.

Is there a band which sound and messages are quite different from others, this is Bolt Thrower they must be in first 10 places. that's for sure

Have you heard Killchain...? What a riff. Bolt Thrower should be in the top ten just for the album Those Once Loyal. Awesome stuff.

Bolt Thrower should be at least in the top ten. They released no weak album since today and kept the loyality to their fans.

23? Easily top 10 worthy, they're probably the only old skool death metal band that are still making quality music today. Severed Survival and Mental Funeral are two of the greatest death metal albums of all time, and they're still pumping out classics with Macabre Eternal, The Headless Ritual and Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves.

Severed survival and mental funeral is some of the best death metal albums ever

Easily top 10 material. Enjoy the riffs and vox very much.

Prefer Death, but this definiately should be in top 10

Meshuggah should #1 on this list because they take jazz music and put it in there own deathly way which sounds so really good!

Their legends, I can't believe they're so low on this list.

Yeah they are amazing, not death metal though.

Can't believe they're not on here already.

Come on, COB and In Flames aren't even dm! Cryptopsy is insanely technical and brutal, but catchy at the same time. They deserve the top spot.

Hey you! Listen to cryptopsy! Why is children of bodom so high? They are good but not that good.

None so vile is a masterpiece and with no doubt the greatest technical death metal album

The person who made this list is clearly a moron this band is beyond amazing

Atheist are cool, but they are barely death metal. In my eyes, they are a thrash metal band with some death metal elements thrown into it.

One of the most technical bands ever. Unquestionable Presence is easily one of the best death metal albums of all time

Most technical instrument lines, and some of the most original songwriting

Guys deserve top 20 at least. I can't believe they're all the way down here.