Masterpieces of death metal. Recommended popular songs.
When you hear the term “death metal,” what kind of music comes to mind?
Even among fans of heavy metal, some people find death metal hard to enjoy.
It’s certainly a genre that isn’t for everyone, but the world of death metal is actually incredibly deep.
There’s technical death metal, underpinned by overwhelming musicianship; progressive death metal, where intricate song structures reach an artistic level; brutal death metal, which pursues extremity and sheer destructive force; and deathcore…
In this article, we’ve selected popular tracks and must-hear classics from across the many subgenres and eras in death metal’s history.
It might just change your entire concept of what death metal is.
Enjoy!
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Death metal masterpieces. Recommended popular songs (11–20)
District Of MiseryOceano

Deathcore is a new musical genre that fuses so-called post-2000 metalcore with traditional death metal, presenting a heavy sound with ferocious breakdowns and extreme elements like dissonance and noise.
Within the deathcore scene—which quickly became a mainstream force in the extreme metal world—Oceano from Illinois, USA, is one of the most highly regarded bands.
Centered around the unimaginably intense death growls of their massive Black vocalist, Adam Warren, their ominous, heavy sound unfolds with dynamic contrast, offering a different appeal from speed-oriented, classic death metal.
District Of Misery, included on their debut album Depths, is a standout track that clearly captures the fresh potential of their early days.
AkroasisOBSCURA

Among technical death metal bands from Germany that debuted in the 2000s and beyond, Obscura stands out with exceptional name recognition and popularity.
Centered around Steffen Kummerer—vocalist and guitarist, and the band’s only original member—every lineup has featured musicians with outstanding technical prowess.
Their past releases are all of consistently high quality, and this time I’d like to introduce the title track from their fourth album, Akróasis, released in 2016.
Rooted in progressive death metal yet rich with melodic phrases, the song’s sinuous fretless bass lines create a distinctive groove, yielding a masterpiece that delivers Obscura’s unique “beauty of brutality,” shaped by influences from jazz, fusion, and progressive rock.
Omnipresent PerceptionBEYOND CREATION

They are a progressive/technical death metal band from Quebec, Canada, armed with staggering technique.
Beyond their insanely proficient musicianship, you can feel the band’s high potential in their song structures, which unfold with complexity as they experiment with various approaches while weaving in modern grooves.
This track from their self-released debut album, Omnipresent Perception, is a stunner that hurls dazzling technical exchanges, ferocious brutality, and an assertive fretless bass right at you.
The quality is incredible—hard to believe it’s self-produced—and it still sounds amazing today.
If you’re into bands like Obscura, this is a must-check act!
WingsVADER

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.
AbandonFALLUJAH

Formed in 2007 by high school classmates, Fallujah is particularly highly regarded among bands with progressive elements that showcase technical death metal and complex song structures from the 2010s onward.
Honing their innate performance skills, they incorporated atmospheric elements that emphasize spatial sound over superficial heaviness, elevating their style into an experimental and innovative form of technical progressive death.
This approach earned them acclaim among discerning music fans in Japan as well.
Their third album, Dreamless, released in 2016, is a masterpiece whose quality can be said to represent a pinnacle of their unique sonic world.
In addition to the brutality rooted in death metal, the track Abandon—employing ambient developments and female vocals—creates a mysterious beauty.
Give it a listen and experience their distinctive worldview.
DeathexplosionThe Crown

Among the subgenres derived from death metal, there’s one called “deathrash,” which fuses elements of thrash metal and death metal.
Think of it as a sound where thrashy riffs and a breakneck drive are infused with the savagery inherited from death metal.
Anyway, let me introduce The Crown, one of the most famous bands in the deathrash scene with many fans.
Hailing from Sweden, they have a long career that began with their debut album in 1995; they once disbanded but later reunited, and they’re still active heavyweights in the 2020s.
“Deathexplosion,” a track from their classic 2000 release Deathrace King, is an absolutely killer song that packs their explosive deathrash sound into one track.
The rock ’n’ roll flavor and the melodic guitar solo are tastefully done, too!
Death metal masterpieces. Recommended popular songs (21–30)
Combustion InfernoKRISIUN

A track by KRISIUN, a death metal band that represents Brazil.
It’s a number that surges forward with a heaviness hard to believe from a three-piece, tribal rhythms that reflect the influence of Sepultura, and insanely fast blast beats—all fused into a single onslaught.


