Top 10 Best Melodic Death Metal Bands

This was the first actual death metal band that I really got into and the reason why I have become such a big fan of them for three different reasons. One is basically at the time I was not into death metal but Children of Bodom was the first actual death metal band I really enjoyed. Two is the fact that they did a Brittany Spears cover of oops I did it again is insanely awesome and even sounds better than the original version itself. And three is because of Alexi Laiho. He is a master on the guitar and vocals. Why? Because he is obviously our generations death metal good and they have had billboard 200 success and have recently done a Kenny Loggins cover of Danger Zone on their 2015 album I worship chaos which is amazing.

CoB is musically one of the best around. Nearly every song is great. And, very important, great musicians. They sound live the same as on their cd's without the corrective mixing. And Alexi... well... playing as he does while singing at the same time. Not to mentions his songwriting and lyrics... he's the man! I listen to a lot of melodic metal, but CoB stands out.

Whenever I feel the BOREDOM streaking and striking through me... Well BODOM comes to my rescue... As a 15 year old I seem to be the only one nowadays not listening to Justin beiber or lady gaga... I am listening to real, pure and true music and I am proud of it! Metallica and bodom forever m/

Nearly every Song is epic, being original And different And being based on neocalssical Music makes them something different from The remaining notable Groups, Their Style is unique And original, adding that Alexi is one of The Best composers in this world... Just listen To The riffs And solos, And his vocals are so Good... Just perfect

Without a doubt the best and as others said their discography is by far the most complete in terms of quality. Plus they stayed true to the mdm sound which their only competition, in flames, couldn't seem to do past the year 2000 or clayman. Damage done is their true masterpiece to me and character almost equaled it. Construct blew me away also when I heard it the first time. I was thinking how can a band that's been around for almost 20 years keep up the creativity needed to make this quality of music without having to reinvent themselves. Pure genius.

This is the greatest band of all time. The other bands in this genre are so inconceivably beneath this band. Indeed, a feeling of tranquility comes over me, my hands come together at the front of my face, my brain sends out the vibrations which then come back to me in waveform. The undertone vocalizations reverberate in my soul, of the great void that it is, I'm reminded by the lyrics. This is God's favorite band.

Amazing band. Every album has it's own unique sound and never sounds the same as the last, and yet that sound is always awesome. This is the band that introduced me to the genre and will always be my favourite of the genre. From the incredibly intense guitar riffs and death growls to the incredibly melodic keyboard pieces, this band produces absolutely killer music.

Many will say they are overrated but fail to realize that Dark Tranquillity always puts out an album that is completely different. Dark Tranquillity sticks to their word and do really create something different. I have seen them live a million of times and their live sound is one of the best or if not the best.

Amon Amarth is my favorite melodic death band and one of my favorite bands period. Versus the world through deceiver of the gods is just a godly run of albums. First 3 and last 3 are good as well, and offer a different flavor of Amon Amarth. First 3 can be brutal as hell, and latest 3 sprinkle in borderline heavy metal and power metal influence. Versus through deceiver though is just pure melo death bliss and perfection

Third favorite band ever. Only death metal band I can stand to listen to. They are truly gods among men. And, unlike most bands, they have not released a single bad album. My only complaint is the vocals on Once Sent From The Golden Hall (but riffs like those from Victorious March more than make up for it). They have an amazing blend of heaviness, speed, melody, and death growls you can actually understand without looking up the lyrics. How they are not #1 here, I have no idea

So many melodic and rhythmic riffs. Their use of tremolo picking creates very epic and massive sound which I think fits the viking theme perfectly.

I hated bands in which they growled. But my friend told me to listen to Guardians of Asgaard. I heard it. Then Victorious March. Then Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags. Then As Loke Falls. Then Hel. And I never stopped listening. I cannot stop listening to them. When I lift, this band gives me like 25% more power. No kidding. For me, this is the best band ever. The drummer is bad ass. The vocals are like heavenly. The guitar is inspiring. Couldn't ask for anything more.

I used to say At The Gates in their heyday, I used to think DT fiction era, I was going to say Amon Amarth just for sheer magnitude and range. Yet, with the release of Winter's Gate, it is shown that Insomnium should hold the number one spot. The guitars sweep from downrange to an upper ballad of heaven. The lyrics flow through the music, like a boat on a river. This is with every release you listen to by Insomnium. If any band defines the genre Melo Death, I would say it is these Finnish musicians. Sure the Gothenburg sound started it, and you could say Slaughter of the Soul and Heartwok pushed it to the front and stretched the genre. However upon listening to this band you hear poetry in motion and you hear brutality with every key, string, drum hit and base bellow. It changes and yet stays melo death. Definitive.

Easily my favourite melodic death metal band, and I say this after experiencing much of the music that this genre has to offer me. Where other bands such as Be'lakor and Eluvetie manage to grab me with their incredible sounds and riffs, nothing beats insomnium for me. Seriously they're like crack. Send help
In all seriousness though, every album from these guys is intense and atmospheric, instilling a deep melancholic sound that moves through your entire body as you listen to their songs, with sometimes cryptic, yet deep and thought provoking lyrics, and a voice that isn't as harsh in the growling department as some other bands, which I personally prefer. Occassionally the lead singer will toss in a few lines using clean vocals, which only adds to the variety of the sounds that you will experience listening to these guys. Some songs are faster paced, with others being more slow and allowing the listener to take a breather from the intense feeling this band can give. One moment ...more

I have listened to so many metal bands but in my opinion Insomnium is by far the best melodic death metal band ever. Their heavy yet melodious riffs are pumped with pure adrenaline, their lyrics are so deep and you never get tired of listening to their tracks again and again. Their music has also matured over the years and has moved more towards positivity. Whenever I am sad,low or lazy in life they have become a source for me to get up carry on with life with new zest and energy.

In my personal opinion, Insomnium is the best melodic death metal band out there. In their entire discography, I have yet to dislike a single song. Sure, there are ups and downs in quality among the songs, but evwn a low quality song of theirs is far far above average. With their masterful music and powerful music they create an atmosphere that envelops the listener (in a poetic sense of course! ). Influenceing a listener to this degree, be it with the excitement and adrenaline or happiness or melancholiness or ponderind mind is not something very simple and requires much talent and hard work. Not many bands accomplish it. Truely, it is the best melodeath metal band, followed very closely behind indeed by Dark Tranquility.

The thing that makes In Flames stand out, is the fact that they try to innovate and discover new sounds and styles therefore avoiding getting caught in the same trap as a lot of other bands, meaning getting stuck into playing the same style and endlessly producing what sounds like the same album over and over again. Every album they produce is great in it's own way, and when you listen to them you can feel the thought and effort that's been put into making them, each one is unique and which ever ones you choose to listen to, no two of them will sound the same.

Well damn, I like them all! However, as far as a full catalogue, complete with exploration to various edges of their sound, and never compromising quality, I have to go with In Flames. Sure there's been a few misses, such as most of A Sense of Purpose, but then they come back with Sounds of a Playground with kicks in the nuts such as Where Dead Ships Dwell and Fear is the Weakness, so you can't hold it against them. That and I can slap on Jester, Whoracle, or Colony pretty much any time and be elevated into musical nirvana. A special mention to Reroute to Remain.

Colony, Ordinary Story, Only for the Weak, Bullet Ride, Suburban Me, Crawl Through Knives, Come Clarity, Alias - all amazing songs, and there are many other great songs that I haven't named yet. These guys got me into metal, and while they have changed a lot over the years, I still love them as producers of melodic and somewhat deep music lyrically. Being said, I like both their older and newer work, although for me their older work from 'Colony' and 'Clayman' are their overall best pieces.

In Flames seem to be the band that continues to evolve. Form their early death metal, then to more of a heavy metal feel and then with Siren Charms, a completely new style of melodic death incorporating elements of classic rock. Sure, they may not be the greatest sounding band but they don't need to be, they have shown that they can traverse though multiple genres while keeping a loyal fan base as well as their great melodies.

Out of all these bands, At the gates is the most consistent. Unlike In Flames, these guys stayed true to their melodic death metal roots and never sold out. Slaughter of The Soul is a classic, but Terminal Spirit Disease and The Red In The Sky is Ours are also really good. They need to be in the top 5.

At The Gates made the history of Melodic Death Metal. They did only 4 albums but they're all great. Slaughter Of The Soul is a masterpiece. The band is more aggressive and "Death Metal" than others and that's also why I think they should be the best Melodic Death Metal band. Why they're under Arch Enemy, Kalmah or Insomnium? At The Gates is ten times better and important than all of them.

They are the gateway for me to some extreme Thrash Metal and Old School Death Metal. They changed my opinions about Extreme Metal. They combined so many elements in their albums to be unique, and influenced later bands a lot. They're the best band in this genre.

At the Gates was one of the pioneers of this genre. Slaughter of the Soul is not only a milestone of the melodic death subgenre, but it will always be a metal classic. It's a shame they broke up and never recorded anything after that album.

I'm not usually one for death metal (I'm very picky when it comes to growls), but Arch Enemy is awesome. I loved Angela, but when Alissa picked up the mic, they sounded otherworldly. Great vocals, clear and powerful, smashing drums, and ripping guitars.

Arch Enemy was awesome before Alissa White-Gluz took over at vocals. Now with Alissa they are even better! War Eternal is one of my favorite albums. Alissa growls but it is melodic in a way and the guitars truly sing. I would love to hear Alissa do clean vocals over the awesome Arch Enemy music. (Alissa does guest clean (and growl) vocals with Kamelot but Kamelot are pretty lame compared to Arch Enemy.

Angela is one of the top 10 metal singers of all time. The Angela years produce some of the best melodic death metal you will ever hear. I could not think of anyone better than Alissa to take up the mantel. This band is consistently the greatest. First Day in Hell is absolutely the best of their new songs.

The best instrumental. Meaningful and powerful songs. Thrilling solos and riffs. Johan and Angela were just perfect vocalists and Alissa is as well.

In some parts of the songs I want to shout and scream, but in others I want to cry. It's just so beautiful, and perfect.

Remember: we will rise!

I was having a terribly difficult time deciding between them and Insomnium, as both of them are terrific bands with soulful musicianship symbolizing the purest essence of Melodic Death Metal. In the end, I had to go with Kalmah because I have a soft spot for them as their catalog is chock-full of memorable songs and melodies that simply blows my senses. Insomnium have them too, but Kalmah is the band that I tend to visit more often.
Why a band like Children of Bodom is at the top of list is beyond my comprehension; it's probably the domino effect of mainstream pop fans breaking in huge numbers and spam-voting on a regular basis. I don't even consider them to be a melodic death metal band because their songs don't possess a grain of soul, or emotions, and neither any of their solos and riffs are melodic, but instead technically laden pretentious, over-bloated, and directionless venture to impress the elitists.

Kalmah is the true genre of melodic death metal, when compared the riffs, solos, rhythm and atmosphere with other similar bands like COB, ETOS, Norther, Insomnium etc, you could find that in almost every aspect Kalmah is no doubt the best one out there. It is like an advanced version of COB with more tasty riffs, swift and fascinating solo(could even compare with DF), brutal yet acceptable pace(better than many pure death bands), and of course the keyboard fill-in that distinguish from the other good metal bands. The only deficiency in my opinion, is that the vocal is not good enough as a melodic death band, when compared with DT or COB, that you could at least understand part of the lyrics. However, DT is a different kind of taste more like gothic style metal, if I have to choose, I would still give number 1 to Kalmah.

This is the most underrated band in history. This band does not get enough spotlight and attention it needs. I used to listen to COB before knowing the existence of this band, but when I heard some songs of Kalmah, it blew my mind.

The music surprised me very much and it is much more sophisticated than COB.

Kalmah is probably the most talented melodeath band ever. It is usually compared with cob due to a bit similarity with it however kalmah stands far better as their playing is more mature and the songs are perfectly coordinated. Amon amarth is also good but it tends to play the same thing over again I.e that same viking melody in all the songs and hardly play something new.

What the hell is wrong with this list? Carcass is one of the original melodic death metal pioneers! Not only did they pioneer a genre with great albums in the 90's, they also returned after a decade and released an album with more brutality, technicality and melody than most new bands today.

Some people might not enjoy their first 2 albums as much but Necroticism - Descanting the insalubrius; Heartwork; Swansong and recently (2013) Surgical Steel are absolute masterpieces. Great musicianship, complex and deep lyrics with even some dark humour thrown in for good measure.

I thank Carcass for Melodic Death Metal. Without Heartwork melodic death metal might not have come to be. Of course when I vote Carcass I'm not talking about their grincore days in a melodic death metal list so don't throw a fit

My favourite death metal band, in all possible genres they've played, I like their grindcore, deathgrind, melodic death, everything they've worked on sounds complete and amazing. Swansong's a masterpiece along with Heartwork.

Quality band from down under -- I'd say they're a notch above Ne Obliviscaris. With just 4 albums in, they've made quite a remarkable reputation for themselves in the melo-death scene. Listen to Stone's Reach if you'd like to check out their better tracks.

Best on the planet in my opinion. Massive and epic, flawless riffs and subtle changes, always makes me headbang or hum along to the guitar. Many find them too slow, too progressive, not enough variation, etc..their loss, at least metal has something for everyone. Also how is COB so high and Wintersun so low?

Although Insomnium is my favourite. But I voted Belakor because I want to see them 2nd only to Insomnium. They are way too underrated.
They have a unique quality, that while most songs have an intro their songs have an outro.
I couldn't even dislike a single song of theirs. Every song is a solid 5 Star.
Sheer amount and pure talent.

No matter how long I listen to their songs, It only makes me want more. Melody and Vocals are woven together so harmonically, its just perfect. The metal is strong in this one. All Albums are absolute gems in my collection.

Ensiferum is actualy more meloic then half of these in top ten. I listened full opus only of norther, ensiferum and amon amarth and wintersun. Rest of these a good part of their. Only reason why didn't I listened everything from rest of bands is that they were not so good to me. But being objective, I can say that Ensiferum is one good piece of art, especialy when Lindroos came in. Not much growling, they have gently and hard songs, and a lot of them got that catchy melody that you can enjoy countless times. They have a good balance between growling and hard rifs and classic plus electric sound songs. That is making them one death metal, and melodic above all, band which makes music for everyone. If you really searching for something easy to listen and more easy to enjoy, but in same time you want something hard, you should pick ensiferum. (sorry for my bad English)

Their folk metal may not fall under this category, but they're a band worth lisstening to! Their melodies are really awesome.. Victory song, Lai Lai Hei and In my Sword I Trust are some of their epic songs!

Melodic Death/Folk Metal, they can easily fit into this category, and they should be higher up the list!

Just love em is all. Not as much as CoB, but still a great band!

Not only were they great before 2013 but then out of nowhere 20 years into their career they blew the doors off the competition with a whole new sound in "The Living Infinite" and have kept it going since in "The Ride Majestic". They are the perfect blend of clean and dirty vocals, groove verses technicality, have unique use of blast beats, and have consistently come out with a new album every couple years since they first got on the scene. You'll be hard pressed to find a riff that is outdated even back in 2002 with "Natural Born Chaos", which again broke new ground in its day along with In Flames' "Reroute to Remain". It's insane that they are not at least top five.

This is ridiculous. If Soilwork is number 10, then I must have really missed something with the 9 other bands above them, all of which I have listened to. First off, Bjorn Strid is probably the best vocalist in this whole genre, only possibly taking second to Christian Älvestam of Scar Symmetry (who are also way too damn low on the list). His voice makes Anders Fridén and Mikael Stanne look like they need to retire, which is commendable to say the least. Second, look at the past few releases by In Flames, and then look at Soilwork's newest 2 albums. If you still don't agree with me after doing that, I feel sorry for you. My point is, Soilwork are definitely one of the better bands on this list, and while it is only my humble opinion, I would go as far as to say they are the best. And again, they should not be below 9 other bands, one of which they have clearly shown themselves to be superior to in recent years.

The living Infinite and The Ride Majestic are two of the sickest metal albums ever made! In my opinion, The living Infinite is the best metal album in the last decade. Bjorne Speed Strid is way better than any of these other vocalists. Seriously, it's not even close!

I love Soilwork so much. I've gotten people that listen to BMTH hooked on Soilwork. I've gotten people that don't listen to metal hooked on Soilwork. They're so amazing, and Bjorn's live singing is amazing.

How are they not in Top 10? This band is amazing!
They are incredibly creative in songwriting and are also pretty skilled! This is excellent progressive melodic death metal.

The first time I heard Crimson I thought "its okay..", but when I listened to it the second time, I realised what a masterpiece it is! Crimson 2 is similary incredible!
Maybe start with "Purgatory Afterglow", its easier to get into and rules also!

Purgatory Afterglow is a masterpiece - more people should know this!

Progressive melodeath. Great riffs, great mixture of clean vox and Death growls. Extremely underrated band!

Just the Greatest. There's never been such a masterpiece as Crimson

One of the best bands ever. Instead of reading this post just go and listen their work. It's pointless to describe Wintersun's epicness further than they've already done themselves through their lyrics, vocals and music. I also wish they had more material because once you've listened to their existing work you just crave for more and more.

It's criminal how Wintersun are not higher in this list! Epic melodic songs, absolutely amazing guitar work, I don't think they have made a song that I haven't enjoyed! I just wish they would put more material out! Awesome band and they deserve to be higher than 11th place!

The first album... sucks, but Time is a master piece since the Number of the beast or Octavarium I've never feel creeps in my spine until... Time, this band deserve the right place in the metal history, for the complex and flawless songwriting in Time!

I think not only Wintersun is the best Melodic Death Metal band, but also that they're one of the best bands ever, and Jari is an alien from abother planet. Because you simply cannot produce such awesome music and still be a human being like others.

Not sure if this should be called melo-death anymore, but as Amorphis simply is the best Metal-band out there, they should be at #1 in every list that they are mentioned in.

Should be under top 15 at least, as these guys play many genres of metal, still their songs are awesome.

I like many other this list, that said.. Amorphis is better than just about any of them to me.

Diverse, beautiful, and unforgettable. This is one of the most talented, best bands on earth.

There are only a couple of Dethklok songs I don't like. That's saying a lot since most bands pump out maybe 5 good ones ever. Dethklok is the stuff of legend. Comedy or not, they play like kick ass gods of metal. If anything, the comedy adds to the depth of the lyrics, in my opinion. Easily top 3. Don't agree? Dethklok has their own show. Pick one and suck it.

What really makes Dethklok is that you're not expected to take them seriously, and then they kinda force you to do it anyway. Brendon Small did a fantastic job of merging serious music with comedy, and it gives Dethklok an added layer of depth that you can't really get from most music.

This band is something new, so much talented musicians and seeing them live is something I will never forget, they defiantly deserve top 5, only 3 albums in and they headline a tour over machine head, give them a listen!

How is Dethklok only 9 on this list? Dethalbum set the tone, with powerful songs that lyrically deviated from Melo-death norms, Dethalbum II showed how you could have great melodies and harmonies and still be heavy, and Dethalbum III proved to be one of the most diverse and yet complete albums in years!

There's really nothing to say about Norther, they're just the most amazing Melodic Death Metal band there ever was, and Mirror Of Madness is in my opinion the best MDM album of all time!

Are you kidding me? Only CoB produce better sound especially when Petri Lindroos was in the band. Should be top 4 in my opinion

This is the only band that comes to my mind after COB. Norther should be at #2. This band is highly underrated.

Awesome melody and pure Death Metal. This band should be in top 3. Just listen to Last Breath. You'll know why

The true Chuck Schuldiner's sons.

I love Peter's voice! And of course all the guitars.etc They are my most favourite band.

Their older albums need a bit of remastering, since it doesn't sound that clear with new technology and such. Anyway their new album is godlike. The return of The gods trully overpowers previous creations. Even sometimes I still love listening to their old songs like "The Quest" with a strong lyric that has stored into my mind: "Kill milion people and kill another milion."

Extremely Underrated. This band is seriously one of the pioneer of this genre yet usually does not even get noticed among the discussions of Melo-Death Bands.
Beautiful Melodic Guitar, with one of the best guttural vocalist, Peter Tägtgren and extreme blast beats make this band one of the most perfect well structured Melodic Death Metal bands of all time.

Heck, this should be after Children of Bodom! Much much underrated! Listen to Apocalypse, you'll know the true value of this band!

They will be better if they keep making death metal. Everything became boring after Abducted; as a death metal band, great, but as a melodeath band, they suck.

Incredible band with very powerful melodics and quite varied style. I can't get enough of them. Good thing is most of their songs are awesome, where I make playlist of their music, I often end putting everything inside.

This band is incredibly talented. Their material is consistently great, and they never disappoint with the beautiful melodies that they create.

Best alive melodic death metal bands. "And Death Said Live" and "Dawn of the 5th era" are the best melodeath albums since years. "The unborn" is actually the best melodeath album ever, and "Liberation = Terminaison" is a killing spree containing a lot of their best songs. They are just the best so far and totally underrated because most people actually just don't know them (In Flames 4th best melo? I lol).

Such an underrated band. They have so much talent all around that is matched by a few melodic death metal bands.

By far the Best of the best OG does it all. I'm in shock they are not at number 1, Even a lot of the higher voted bands on this list are just rip off artists of Omnium Gatherum. Truly the best band on this list and totally overlooked. Its like a strange joke or something. If you a listening to any of the bands on this list and not OG then you are missing out for sure.

I've been devouring their music for weeks now. I'm in love with all of it. Their albums are melodic masterpieces! These guys need to be higher on the list, and every fan of melometal needs to binge these guys' discography from start to finish - metal fans owe it to themselves to indulge at least once in the sounds OG has put together!

The best Band period. Not just opinion, They have actual solo's non of that easy drop d crap, with 10 year old nephew double bass pedal idiocy. Goosebumps and transitions up the ass! Listen to the side by side to any band and you will understand the masterpiece.

Their latest album is a masterpiece, and none of their older ones are bad either. The goosebump inducing rolling melodies, double bass blasts and deep growl vocals are all very well balanced and produce an unforgettable listening experience.

This band is really underrated. Must be in top 5 if not better. I was in love with this band as soon as I heard it.

Good fall/winter music. At least in Canada!

Probably my favorite new "melodic death metal + progressive" bands out there. Ne Obliviscaris and Be'lakor up there too.

Very cool stuff from Andorra.

This band is awesome.

These guys work the perfect combination of Celtic melodies and death metal. Vocals and style of death metal, and melodies from Celtic songs. These guys make some very good stuff to listen to, especially when you need to be pumped up!

Best melodic death metal band for me. Awesome combination of vocals and instruments. They certainly deserve to be on the top 5 of the list.

This is a very steady Melodic Death Metal Band. The "Folk" is just the tip of the iceberg, but a very interesting signature. Awesome Band!

If you've got the guts then listen to their all time masterpiece inis mona, the bagpipes will blow you away.