Recommended hard rock and heavy metal

Masterpieces of death metal. Recommended popular songs.

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.

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!

Death metal masterpieces. Recommended popular songs (31–40)

Open Coffin OrgySix Feet Under

Six Feet Under – Open Coffin Orgy (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Open Coffin OrgySix Feet Under

Six Feet Under, formed by former Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes.

They’ve established a unique style where Chris’s beast-like roars resound over songs that hit hard at slow to mid-tempo, delivering a distinct flavor of death metal.

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Involuntary DoppelgängerArchspire

Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger (official lyric video)

Involuntary DoppelgängerArchspire

Here’s “Involuntary Doppelgänger,” a relentlessly fast, technical track that could be described as a flood of insane techniques.

It’s a song by the Canadian death metal band Archspire.

The instrumental performances are of course incredible, and the vocals—delivered at a rap-like speed—are like a machine gun.

Give it a listen and you’ll understand: experience this sound that truly embodies technical death metal!

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Murakami Shinpei

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The Victorious ReignHate Eternal

Hate Eternal – The Victorious Reign (Official Video)

The Victorious ReignHate Eternal

Hate Eternal, also known for having former members of Morbid Angel.

Musically, they’re close to Morbid Angel—a high-quality death metal band whose technical performances are equally formidable and thoroughly satisfying to listen to.

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Decapitation FornicationInfant Annihilator

Infant Annihilator – Decapitation Fornication [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] [HD]

Decapitation FornicationInfant Annihilator

Infant Annihilator had their music video instantly removed from a certain social media platform due to its extremely obscene content.

While they might give off a playful, joking vibe, their songs are pure death metal, and the sheer technicality is dizzying.

This is a track I especially want people to hear if they have an overly serious image of the death metal genre.

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Murakami Shinpei

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BabykillerDEVOURMENT

Babykiller

BabykillerDEVOURMENT

This track opens with an intensely deep death growl right from the start.

Devourment’s “Babykiller,” true to its title, feels like condensed brutality spewed out in musical form.

Within death metal, they’re categorized as “slamming death metal,” characterized by drastically slowed-down, relentlessly heavy sections.

Let yourself get swept away by those surging peaks and valleys.

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Murakami Shinpei

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