Top 10 Death Metal Bands Whose Lyrics Aren't Gory
Not every band in this subgenre is like Cannibal Corpse and actually some of the best death metal bands don't have gory lyrics although death metal is an extreme genre and lyrical themes are still dark.Some bands changed their lyrical style - for example, early Death (80s) was gory, but their 90s songs weren't.
Opeth is a Swedish progressive death metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by David Isberg, who invited Mikael Akerfeldt into the band as a bassist. Isberg ended up leaving the band, which lead to Mikael becoming the band's vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter, and driving force. Along with Edge of Sanity, Opeth is credited with being the first progressive death metal band, although they now play progressive rock. Akerfeldt is good friends with Jonas Renkse of Katatonia, and Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. Lyrical themes: Nature, Death, Love, Heartbreak, Sorrow, Seasons, Occultism
Genre: Progressive Death Metal, Progressive Rock
Blackwater Park is a masterpiece.
Obscura is a technical/progressive death metal band from Germany, founded in 2002. The band became prominent when members of Necrophagist and Pestilence joined Steffen Kummerer to release the critically acclaimed second full-length album, Cosmogenesis. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura. Their lyrics are poetry about the Universe and life - it includes philosophy, physics, astrophysics, quantum physics and astronomy.
Their album Omnivium (2011) is based on Friedrich Schelling's "On Nature's Connection to the Spirit World".
Subgenre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal (from Germany).
I made a list - Top 10 Lines from Obscura Songs
Insomnium is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Joensuu, Finland. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. Lyrical themes: Darkness, Mourning, Loss, Pain, Nature, Mysticism, Individualism
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Children Of Bodom was a melodic death metal band from Espoo, Finland. Formed in 1993, the final lineup consisted of Alexi Laiho, Janne Wirman, Henkka Seppälä, Jaska Raatikainen and Daniel Freyberg. Lyrical themes: Death, Hate, Lake Bodom, Anger, Antagonism
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Gojira is a progressive metal band from Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and rhythm guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on lead guitar, and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass. Lyrical themes: Life, Death, Spirituality, Ecology/ Environment
Genre: Progressive/Groove/Death Metal
Lyrical themes: Science, Spirituality, Government, War, Society, Politics, Corruption, Aliens
Subgenre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal (from Canada).
Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom. Their lyrics are mostly about the Vikings, their Gods and Norse Mythology (pagan Gods).
But Vikings were warriors so in the songs about battles there is some blood but to me it isn't "gory", not more than in the history movies and documentaries.
Lyrical themes: Vikings, Warfare, Mythology, Destruction
Subgenre: Melodic Death Metal
Persefone is an Andorran progressive melodic death metal band formed in October 2001. The band's name is derived from Persephone, a figure in Greek Mythology. Lyrical themes: Feelings, Darkness, Death (early), Spirituality, Eastern Philosophy (later)
Genre: Progressive/Melodic Death Metal
Brain Drill is an American technical death metal band formed in 2005 from Ben Lomond, California. They are signed to Metal Blade Records and released their full-length debut album entitled Apocalyptic Feasting on February 5, 2008. In support of their debut, disagreements were engaged and members began to leave, which led to rumors that Brain Drill was disbanding on March 19, 2008. They play Brutal/Technical Death Metal but lyrics aren't gory.
Lyrical themes: Death, Society, Armageddon
Edge of Sanity was a Swedish progressive death metal band that, alongside Opeth, is commonly regarded as being the first to fuse extreme metal styles like death and black metal with progressive rock. Their sound is often described as "Progressive Melodic Death Metal". Lyrical themes: Death, Fantasy, Conceptual, Anti-religion, Evil
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Ne Obliviscaris (Latin for "forget not") are an extreme progressive metal band from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2003. Lyrical themes: Life, Death, Mythological stories, Battles, Grief
Ne Obliviscaris prefer to be labeled extreme progressive metal and not death metal but in some interviews journalists called them death metal and the band members didn't correct the journalists so I really don't know what to think about this.
On the Metal Archives (EM) they are labeled Extreme Progressive Metal. But I think they are progressive death metal because part of their vox are growls and the instrumental part of their music is prog death metal. Their clean vox are soft and proggy (similarly to Opeth).
Origin is an American death metal band from Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1998. They have been recognized by music critics and metal fans alike for combining a harsh sound with a high level of technical skill. They have some gore songs, but there's not to much
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in Bradford, England in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released twelve full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release.
Gorod is a technical death metal band from Bordeaux, France. They formed in 1997 under the name Gorgasm releasing their debut album Neurotripsicks on Deadsun Records in 2004. They changed their name to Gorod in 2005 to avoid confusion with an American band also called Gorgasm, re-releasing their debut ...read more.
Quo Vadis was a technical melodic death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 1992 by Bart Frydrychowicz, Yanic Bercier, and Arie Itman, named after the novel by Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz. Lyrical themes: Life, Belief
Subgenre: Technical Melodic Death Metal
I made a list about them with details and samples - Best Songs on Quo Vadis' Defiant Imagination
Hypocrisy is a death metal band from Sweden. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika, Sweden by Peter Tägtgren. You love aliens? Here's a death metal band for ya.
Lyrical themes: Satanism (early), Aliens, New World Order, Science fiction (later)
Genre: Death Metal (early), Melodic Death Metal (later)
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg formed in 1989. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene.
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987 by bassist and vocalist Glen Benton and drummer Steve Asheim. They are known for their blasphemous and satanic lyrics which have resulted in bans, lawsuits and criticisms from religious groups and the public. Frontman Glen Benton is also known for being a theistic satanist, even going as far as to repeatedly branding an inverted cross into his forehead on at least 12 different occasions. Not gory at all! Listen to their first couple of albums for great death metal experience.