Best Non-Melodic Death Metal Bands

This is just a personal opinion, but I think Melodic Death Metal diverged from Death Metal more and more and now sounds like an very own steady genre and not like a subgenre of Death Metal (in most cases).

So here is a list of bands, who play "genuine" Death Metal, strongly rooted in the old Death Metal sound and keeping its brutality.

NOT ALLOWED:
> Melodic Death Metal
> everything else not Death Metal related

Also: Be careful with Progressive Death Metal bands. Many are labeled this way, but are actually "Progressive Melodic Death Metal" (the "Melodic" is often just left out, because the name is very long).

So bands like Opeth (who are obviously very melodic) are NOT allowed in this list, while bands like Horrendous (playing in the vein of late-era-Death) are.

ALLOWED:
> Old-School Death Metal
> Brutal Death Metal (incl. Slam)
> Technical Death Metal
> Deathgrind/Goregrind
> Death/Thrash Metal
> Blackened Death Metal
> Death/Doom Metal

Also: Some bands like Dismember are playing Old-School Death Metal with some occasional melodic parts in it, while still being a pure Death Metal band. This is of course allowed.
The Top Ten
1 Death Death was an American death metal band formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner. Death is considered to be one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and a pioneering force in death metal. Its debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as the first death metal record, while the band's driving force, Chuck Schuldiner, is acknowledged as the "Godfather of Death Metal." Death released 7 studio albums, and are the band that started the Florida Death Metal scene. They were known for their death metal classics Lack of Comprehension and Crystal Mountain. Death ended in 2001 when Schuldiner died of Brain Cancer.

True legends of Death Metal! First they pioneered the Old-School Death Metal style with 3 amazing albums and then pioneering the Progressive Death Metal style with another 4 incredible albums. Every record from them is a classic masterpiece.

Hails to Lord Chuck Schuldiner! May Your Legacy Live Forever Chuck!

All hail the masters of Death Metal! Must be number one!

Uh their last album was melodic death

2 Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked Morbid Angel's 1989 debut Altars of Madness first in its list "Top 40 greatest death metal albums".

They need to be at the top along with Death! This is one of the pioneers and most influential bands of death metal!

These are the kings of Death Metal!
Altars Of Madness, Blessed are the sick and Covenant remain true classics for all time!

3 Nile Nile is an American technical death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, United States, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and ancient art, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Nile is a Brutal Technical Death Metal band, who play Egyptian melodies in a incredibly brutal manner. I'm not a huge fan of Brutal Death but Nile somehow became one of my favorite bands. They display great musicianship and overwhelming skill combined with creativity and technicity.
They are definitely one of the best Death Metal bands ever!

Incredibly technical and extremely brutal! What else do you Need?

I'm wasn't that into Brutal Death, but then I found Nile! They are good

Nile is the Epitome of brutality! awesome and technical brutality!

4 Necrophagist Necrophagist is a German technical death metal band, founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez.

High Quality Death Metal with extreme technicity and one of the few Tech Death bands, who are insane on their instruments AND Sound good. I think many Tech Death bands just end in a furious wankery...
Necrophagist is definitely Top 10 worthy!

Technical Death Metal at its best! They only have 2 albums, but they both rule!

5 Obituary Obituary is an American death metal band formed in October 1984 in Tampa, Florida, United States, under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner before eventually changing their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarist Trevor Peres and bassist Terry Butler.

One of those pioneering bands in death metal, who then influenced many other bands. They should be in Top 20 along with Death, Morbid Angel and Possessed!

6 Deicide 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.

The first 4 full-length albums and Stench Of Redemption are a really cool listen. The other 6 LPs up to date are very boring in my opinion.

Awesome! They are the founders of satanic death metal

7 Cattle Decapitation Cattle Decapitation is an American Deathgrind band from San Diego, California formed in 1996. Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals, the abuse of the environment and touch subjects such as misanthropy and genocide of the human race. Much of their music is based on putting humans in the situations that animals are subjected to, for example animal testing, slaughter, etc. While the band started with an entirely vegetarian lineup, only two current members are vegetarian namely Travis Ryan and Josh Elmore.

My all time favorite death metal band. Travis Ryan does it all, from a great pure death growl, deep slam growls, gutturals, and melodic vocals. Add that the intensity of the bands music and great lyrics, just an awesome band.

They are not bad, but I think they aren't top 10 material. live they were pretty cool, but their Albums were somehow dull... the production and drum sounds are oftenly overcooked to an unpleasant extreme and fast drum beats and unprepared guitar pieces are thrown together into blur

Great band but they don't fit the death metal sound. More of a goregrind/deathgrind band.

8 Bloodbath Bloodbath is a Swedish death metal supergroup from Stockholm, formed in 1998. The band has released four full-length albums, two EPs and two DVDs depicting their performances at Wacken Open Air and Bloodstock Open Air.

One of the best modern death metal bands today. Nightmares Made Flesh is an incredible album and one of the best records of all-time in my opinion

What happens when legendary musicians team up for a godlike project? Bloodbath!

9 Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is a American death metal band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1988. The band is known for their graphic album covers, explicitly violent lyrics and song titles like "I C** Blood" The group got into mainstream after performing the song "Hammer Smashed Face" in the 1994 film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. In 1995, vocalist Chris Barnes left the band to focus on his new death metal project Six Feet Under. He was replaced by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of the band Monstrosity, who has remained as the frontman since. ...read more.

They are good, but kind of overrated in my opinion

10 Carcass Carcass are a British extreme metal band from Liverpool, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reformation was enacted in 2007 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons.

Since Heartwork they are Melodic Death, but the previous releases are excellent Deathgrind. The best in my opinion.
"Necroticism..." and "Symphonies Of Sickness" slay really really hard.

The Contenders
11 Possessed Possessed is an American thrash/death metal band, originally formed in 1983 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre. Possessed is the sometimes credited with being the first death metal band, and some credit them for coining the term "death metal".

The fathers of this great thing

The origin of all this...

12 Immolation

Immolation definitely deserves top ten. They are one of the earliest and most creative bands out there. I really like their brutal dissonant and pummeling riffing.

Close to a world below is a true metal classic

13 Napalm Death Napalm Death are a British grindcore/death metal band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, England, in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's career.

They are good, but not top ten in my opinion.

14 Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower are a British death metal band from Coventry, England. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling bands on that label.

Realm of Chaos among other DM releases back in '89 made them all lack intensity, power, heaviness and even class. 26 years latter they unleashed whta would be their last release (Those Once Loyal) wich actualy is one of their bests (if not the best) and leave us a stainless legacy in the genre. Who else can claim these achievements?

One of the best death metal bands out there. Far better than most of the bands in the current top ten!

#26 seems a bit low for this great band. Top 10 should be sure!

15 Brain Drill 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 ...read more.
16 Asphyx Asphyx is a Dutch death metal band that was formed in Overijssel, Netherlands in 1987 by Bob Bagchus and Tony Brookhuis. Christian Colli was later picked up for vocals and bass.

My favorite death metal band.

17 Autopsy Autopsy is a death metal band, founded in 1987 in the United States by Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler. They disbanded in 1995, but reunited in 2009.

Excellent Death Metal with slight Doom-influences. They would be definitely in my Top 5!

18 Decapitated Decapitated is a Polish technical death metal band formed in Krosno in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski, bassist Paweł Pasek, and drummer Michał Łysejko.

Winds Of Creation and Nihility are one of my all time favorite albums. Really really good stuff

19 Dying Fetus Dying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and heavy breakdowns.

Very cool brutal death + grindcore band from the US. I really like their album Destroy The Opposition. The rest is not that great, but still good.

20 Gotsu Totsu Kotsu Gotsu Totsu Kotsu is a Death Metal band from Tokyo/Kantō, Japan. Formed in 2000, they released 3 full-length albums so far, which all had success in the underground scene, but are still very little known in the metal community. Their band name comes from the name of an ancient samurai, which they also show in their samurai-related folklore lyrics. Their style is often also referred to as Death/Thrash Metal. The current members are: Haruhisa Takahata: Bass, Vocals Kouki Akita: Drums Keiichi Enjouji: Guitars

Samurai Death Metal with Slap Bass, what else do you need? Truly unique band, definitely get this!

21 Unleashed Unleashed is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund in Stockholm. Common lyrical themes found in the band's music include Viking culture, recollection of a pre-Christian world, and Norse folklore.
22 Pestilence Pestilence is a death metal band from the Netherlands founded in 1986. They are known for incorporating jazz and fusion elements into their music.
23 Incantation Incantation is an American death metal band that was formed by John McEntee and Paul Ledney in 1989. They are one of the leaders in the New York City death metal scene along with fellow bands Suffocation, Mortician and Immolation, even though the band is currently located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Autopsy and Incantation are the pinnacle of death/doom. Fast riffing and soloing with slower parts in between make their records brutal and evil, but also well balanced!

24 Desecravity Desecravity is a technical brutal death metal band from Tokio/Kanto, Japan, which was formed in 2007 and is currently signed to Willowtip Records. They released 3 full-length albums so far. Their sound is similar to that of Suffocation or Origin, while it is described as very technical, virtuoso and incredibly fast with furious riffing and raging drums. The current members are: Yuichi Kudo: Drums Daisuke Ichiboshi: Bass Shogo Tokita: Guitars, Vocals

High quality brutal technical death metal from Japan, they are extremely fast and brutal

This is a superb band. Incredibly technical, super fast and awesomely brutal!
even recommended by InfidelAmsterdam!

25 Carnage Carnage was a Swedish death metal band whose members later went on to found Dismember and Arch Enemy. The band was formed by Michael Amott and Johan Liiva in 1988. They released only one album before dissolving in 1991.
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