Masterpieces of death metal. Recommended popular songs.

Abomination RebornSUFFOCATION

SUFFOCATION – “Abomination Reborn” (Official Music Video)

Suffocation is a legendary death metal band from New York State, USA, boasting top-tier popularity and skill.

Their original frontman Frank Mullen, who sadly announced his retirement in 2019, is known as one of the first vocalists to master guttural vocals—an extremely low-register style within death growls.

The band is also notable, led by fellow original member Terrance Hobbs, for featuring Black artists, which is relatively rare in the heavy metal scene.

Pioneers in many respects, they have an extensive discography, and here I’ll introduce a track from their self-titled album, the second released after their reunion.

It’s a classic death metal number, but the band’s ensemble—backed by overwhelming technique—is nothing short of stunning!

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Quantum CatastropheBrain Drill

Brain Drill – Quantum Catastrophe | Full Song |

From the very moment the intro begins, a torrent of mind-bendingly complex phrases comes crashing in so intensely that you’re left at a loss for words.

Formed in 2005, Brain Drill shocked the extreme metal scene with their outstandingly freakish technique and overwhelming musicality.

Sadly, they disbanded in 2019, but the three albums they left behind are all ferocious works.

Among them, the title track of their second album, Quantum Catastrophe, released in 2010 and placed as the final song, is an epic that stretches to a staggering 16 minutes.

Including the outro, its effective length is around 10 minutes, yet without inserting any long breaks, it unleashes an unrelenting barrage of sound that transcends death metal, grindcore, and technical death—truly a rare musical experience.

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DeliveranceOpeth

Opeth – Deliverance (Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)

Since entering the 2010s, Opeth has shifted toward pursuing a sound that openly showcases their love for classic progressive rock.

Still, many fans cherish the band’s early-to-mid-period style, where ferocious death metal and awe-inspiring technical prowess fused dramatically into progressive metal.

Hailing from Sweden and crafting a dark sonic world rooted in a singular aesthetic, the band was known in Japan as “the Nordic god of darkness,” remaining a name familiar mainly to a devoted niche at the time.

Here, I’d like to introduce the title track from Deliverance, the masterpiece released in 2002 that highlights the band’s more forceful, dynamic side.

It’s an utterly flawless gem where death metal’s brutality, lyrical melodies steeped in the ethereal beauty unique to Scandinavia, and a darkness that feels like sinking into the depths coalesce into one.

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Blessed Are the SickMorbid Angel

Morbid Angel – Blessed Are the Sick [Official Video]

Among the most popular and accomplished in death metal history, the Florida-born “Demon King” of death metal is Morbid Angel.

It’s impressive that they’ve achieved commercial success despite death metal being such a niche, polarizing genre.

This track—the title song of their second album, 1991’s Blessed Are the Sick, notoriously saddled with the outrageous Japanese title “Revere the Plague Demon”—sets itself apart from speed-focused, aggressive death metal.

With abyssal, echoing screams and an evil, slow-tempo sound, it’s likely to make the uninitiated balk.

That said, once you catch even a hint of the sinister allure of this sludgy world, there’s no going back…

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Homage for SatanDeicide

Deicide – Homage for Satan (Official Video)

Alongside bands like Death, Obituary, and Morbid Angel, Deicide enjoys charismatic popularity within Florida death metal.

Their band name’s origin and lyrical themes are quite blasphemous, embodying the extreme elements of the death metal genre itself.

Centered around bassist-vocalist Glen Benton and drummer Steve Asheim, who is also a key songwriter, they have remained active into the 2020s.

With Cannibal Corpse’s Jack Owen joining as guitarist, the track Homage for Satan from their first album with him, The Stench of Redemption, is a quintessential Deicide classic, fusing old-school death metal built around ferocious blast beats with elegant guitar solos.

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At The Left Hand Ov GodBehemoth

BEHEMOTH – “At The Left Hand Ov God” (Official Music Video)

A monster born in Poland and now a band boasting worldwide popularity.

When they formed in 1991, they played a quintessential black metal sound, but with each release they moved closer to death metal, evolving into Behemoth’s own brand of grandiose extreme metal.

The provocative themes they choose are always controversial, yet they also exude intellectual richness, setting them apart from brute-force metal.

A classic in which Behemoth incorporated Middle Eastern-tinged elements and unfolded a sonic world rooted in their unique aesthetics is “At the Left Hand ov God.” It appears on their 2007 album The Apostasy, and whether it’s the harrowing screams, the torrent of drums, or the heavily chugging guitars, every element is massive, yet shrouded in a mystical atmosphere—that’s the distinctive allure of Behemoth!

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WingsVADER

Wings

A long-established death metal band that Poland is proud of, and a pioneering force in extreme metal.

Since their formation in 1983, they’ve endured numerous lineup changes, yet have continued their long-running career centered around Peter— the sole original member—who handles vocals and guitar.

Their fourth album, “Litany,” released in 2000, is a fan favorite often called their signature work.

“Wings,” the opening track to this masterpiece that announced the presence of Polish death metal to fans worldwide, is a classic driven by devastating drums and razor-precise riffs.

Eschewing gimmicks and single-mindedly pursuing an aggressive, offensive stance, their purity of approach borders on the beautiful.

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