Top Ten Countries With the Best Death Metal Bands
Death Metal bands come from just about everywhere, let's look at the countries who have brought us the best death metal.
Swedish Death Metal bands tend to play Melodic Death Metal. Melo-Death is an extremely popular form of metal, so there are some big names here.
Bands like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Bloodbath, Entombed, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, In Flames, Repugnant, Edge of Sanity, Grave, Dismember, Katatonia (early), Unleashed, Carnage, and Dissection.
Sweden is good at making music, not just death metal but other genres too.
Not only did Death Metal originate here, but some of the biggest names in Death Metal are American.
Some notable examples are Death, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Possessed, Nile, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Atheist, Obituary, Suffocation, Six Feet Under, Dethklok, Job For a Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, Cattle Decapitation, Immolation, Jungle Rot, Vital Remains, Turbid North, and Hate Eternal.
This is a very good list. I agree with the order and ranking, although Sweden and Canada are very close.
Swedish bands are more popular because they play melodeath, whereas Canadian bands play mostly technical death metal, which is a more demanding version of death metal. Technical death metal is also heavier and can't become as popular as melodeath.
A few big names have come from Canada, and the music is similar to America's.
Bands like Cryptopsy, Gorguts, Kataklysm, Blasphemy, Slaughter, Mitochondrion, and Martyr.
Demilich, Demigod, Abhorrence, Pertinence, Carnifex, and Depravity.
The local scene produced some of the best death metal, inspiring bands from countries higher on this list.
Why are the Netherlands so low?
They have many good death metal bands like Gorefest, Pestilence, Asphyx, Severe Torture, God Dethroned, Sinister, Houwitser, Altar, Inhume, Thanatos, Prostitute Disfigurement, Sisters Of Suffocation, Legion Of The Damned, Portall, Dead Head, Eternal Solstice, Celestial Season, Nembrionic, Detonation, Callenish Circle, The Gathering, The Monolith Deathcult, Brutus, Hail Of Bullets, Morphia, and so much more!
The Netherlands is a real death metal country. It should be in the top five of this list.
In death metal, Germany stands out thanks to quality and not quantity. Necrophagist and Obscura are enough to make me put Germany in the top 5.
Germany is more well-known for Thrash Metal and Power Metal. Some pretty good death metal acts came from here.
Bands like Necrophagist, Fleshcrawl, Obscura, Heaven Shall Burn, and Dew-Scented.
Apart from the legendary Vader and Behemoth (which is not even death metal), Poland has excellent bands such as Imperator, Armagedon, Supreme Lord, and many others.
And of course, the amazing first two albums of the mighty Decapitated.
Not a lot of great metal bands come from Poland, but this country brought two absolutely legendary bands, Behemoth and Vader.
Bands like Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated, Hate, and Sceptic.
When people think of Norwegian Metal, the first thing that comes to mind is Black Metal. There aren't a lot of death metal bands from Norway due to the deep history with Black Metal.
Notable bands are Blood Red Throne, Kraanium, Abhorrent, and Gruesome.
The UK is legendary when it comes to metal. Metal originated here and it brought us the NWOBHM and early Grindcore, but it was never known for death metal.
Notable bands are Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, Akercocke, My Dying Bride, Benediction, Gorerotted, and early Anathema.
Not a place you'd expect to find good metal, but most Slam Death Metal bands come from Russia.
Slam isn't popular. It's probably the most brutal form of death metal. If you are a Dying Fetus fan, these bands are definitely worth checking out. Examples include Abominable Putridity, Katalepsy, Human, Broken Trust, Inhuman, and Dirt.
The Newcomers
Italy deserves an honorable mention for their band Fleshgod Apocalypse (technical death metal).
I truly believe the drummer, Francesco Paoli, is currently one of the best drummers. Check out: Fleshgod Apocalypse - The Violation.
Great death metal scene. Hour of Penance and Septycal Gorge for brutal death.
Dark Lunacy for melodic death!
Number 13? Australia has Be'lakor, Ne Obliviscaris, Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, Make Them Suffer, Mortification, Disentomb, Mortal Sin, LORD, Aversions Crown, Northlane, Karnivool, Feed Her to the Sharks, Pegazus, Alchemist, and more.
Australia is a dissonant death metal powerhouse.
Greece has one very popular death metal band, and that is Septicflesh.
Besides them, there are some good bands like On Thorns I Lay and Inactive Messiah.
Japanese death metal, anybody?
