Herr Death Metal?! My 9 favorite records ever in this magnificent genre. It’s hard to rank albums, ok the top-5 was "easy", but after that it got more difficult. An important note is that I don’t consider bands like Dissection or Unanimated as pure Death Metal otherwise the list would look different.
This list might be a bit obvious, without surprises, obscure records and bands. But it’s my taste bands I grew up listening to and that does reflect the list. I didn’t listen to Autopsy, Repulsion, Possessed etc. back in the early 90’s. Enough excuses and on with it!
Number1. Covenant (1993) by Morbid Angel
Back when I saw God Of Emptiness on Headbanger's Ball I didn't know that "Covenant" would be my all time favorite Death Metal album. I actually didn't buy it on its release date I borrowed a friends copy and put on a cassette-tape but that lasted maybe a few days and I got a copy for myself it had completely blown me away. The song God Of Emptiness that I thought were the best Morbid Angel song ever became my least favorite song on the album (except for the instrumental but amazing Nar Mattaru). Next time when you listen to it notice the perfect structure of the songs it's opening fast song Rapture going into Pain Divine to World Of Shit (The Promised Land) with a slower pace then Vengeance Is Mine and Lion's Den one of their most underrated songs ever. I would also say that Blood on My Hands is very underrated, it's not often I prefer a re-recorded song but the "Covenant" version of Angel of Disease is better then the one appering on "Abominations of Desolation" (1991). Sworn To Black is one of the 5 best songs on the album, Nar Mattaru lets one bread awhile before the epic finale God Of Emptiness. Brilliant, excellent, amazing and all other words don't even come close to describe this work of finest art one of the best Metal albums across all genres.
Number 2. Like An Everflowing Stream (1991) by Dismember
The very first Death Metal album I ever laid my eyes on was this first print LP on Nuclear Blast of "Like An Everflowing Stream" that used to belong to my older sister in 1991. She eventually gave it to me in 1994 but the 11 year old boy I was back in 1991 was very astonished just by their image drenched in blood on 2 of the band pictures and Richard Cabeza/Daemon's with that very HUGE upside down crucifix mesmerized me. The album grew on me with time and it soon became a favorite even if I haven't always put it as high but with more perspective I realized that this's better then "Left Hand Path" around 1993. The songs are all amazing the opening Override Of The Overture is the perfect opener that goes into Soon To Be Dead, Bleed For Me, And So Is Life then Dismembered that is one of their best songs. I wrote about Skin Her Alive and Dismember for an English assignment in school but that teacher in 1994 was rather open minded haha... Read "Left Hand Path" later about another teacher that wasn't as openminded haha... The ending song In Death's Sleep is another one of my favorites on the record even if it's hard to choose favorites among 8 songs in 31 minutes of pure Death Metal perfection.
Number 3. Altars of Madness (1989) by Morbid Angel
One of the first songs in the genre I remember seeing on VHS that my sister had recorded from Headbanger's Ball in late 1991 was Immortal Rites it was probably the first Death Metal song I ever heard. It was so amazing I thought after a few listenings that it actually took back then before I understood the music. It was so far from the Thrash Metal stuff I was into, but still a continuation of that genre just more in your face, intense and filthier I mean in a good way of course. Anyway this was the second Death Metal album I ever got and a it's a timeless classic I can listen to this one back to back from start to finish for hours still to this day.
Number 4. Left Hand Path (1990) by Entombed
The first ever Death Metal CD that I bought in the summer of 1992 was this classic debut album by Entombed. I've to admit that while I loved so many Death Metal songs from Headbanger's Ball a whole album was another thing. At first I didn't get it at all except for the title track I had watched and listened to many times and even recorded the sound from the TV onto a cassette-tape, very ghetto like but it worked. Anyway it was around this time I had started to notice other bands on that MTV show like Slayer, Sepultura and Kreator. Their albums was so much easier for me to understand and once I got to "Hell Awaits" on CD it finally all made sense it was like a click in the brain this sounds familiar I thought. Even if "Left Hand Path" doesn't sound anything like "Hell Awaits" it was an eyeopening moment. My sister had "Clandestine" on CD and for many years I preferred that one but ever since 1999 when I snapped out of my "all must be Black Metal" period I liked "Left Hand Path" so much more. I mean just listen to it. And yeah my teacher story... Well in 1992 I bought my first Death Metal t-shirt the very same as this cover and of course wore it to school with pride. The teacher I had in "mellanstadiet" as it was known as in Sweden for kids in grades 4 to 6 (10-13 year old) was a real dickhead and one day after a class he wanted me to stay and talk to this shithead of a person. He asked about the t-shirt and if it was the new terrible (death) Heavy Metal music he heard about and me of course proud as fuck over this shirt explained it to the worst teacher I ever had in my life. He didn't ban me from wearing it, but his tone was definitely not accepting either way nothing happened about it he was probably some christian motherfucker or something... I heard many twisted and weird things about him... Anyway "Left Hand Path" get it if you haven't!
Number 5. Blessed Are The Sick (1991) by Morbid Angel
If I'm right this was probably the 4th or 5th album I got in the genre. Had listened and seen the brilliant title track on VHS so many times before but the album took awhile to fully appreciate. I liked except for the one just mentioned Fall from Grace and Day of Suffering but after a few listenings I was convinced of its brilliance and Morbid Angel became my favorite Death Metal band at least for awhile. Even if "Covenant" is my favorite of all time this album still to this day grows on me with every listening even after so many years I find something new that I hadn't noticed before the same goes for the next one...
Number 6. Tales From The Thousand Lakes (1994) by Amorphis
This might be the oddball choice on the list many would probably go for something more extreme. But this is more then just another Death Metal album they've so many different influences and approaches on this record from Death to Doom to Progressive to Folk Music and so on. It was so different from all other records I owned at the time and like I wrote earlier this is another one I find out new stuff and passages on with each listen a very rewarding record. Except for the butcher of The Doors - Light My Fire on the digipack that's not included on this picture disc from 1995. The best album from the great Metal country of Finland ever and "Elegy" (1996) is also almost as brilliant but like I didn't include any Dissection or Unanimated albums I think that their "Elegy" album isn't pure Death Metal. Anyway this is about the great record you're seeing on the picture get it if you haven't!
Number 7. Leprosy (1988) by Death
Chuck Schuldiner (1967-2001) was one of the best guitarists in the Death Metal scene ever, he was also one hell of a songwriter. Death was one of the first 5 bands I ever heard in the genre. I still remember seeing the promo video for the song Lack of Comprehension the first time when I was 11 years old in 1991/92. Whenever I hear the intro to that song I get goosebumps, then when the band is on stage and Chuck starts singing it’s pure brilliance. Still one of my favorite Death songs of all time. Although Death isn’t my favorite band in the genre they actually never released a bad album and "Symbolic" almost made it onto this list and "Human" is also in high in the ranks. But "Leprosy" is just a bit more better and have an amazing 38 minutes of pure Death Metal greatness.
Number 8. Deicide (1990) by Deicide
33 min 13 seconds songs like Lunatic of God's Creation, Sacrificial Suicide, Dead by Dawn, Deicide, Oblivious to Evil, Crucifixation and the rest. Masterpiece, enough said.
Number 9. Indecent And Obscene (1993) by Dismember
The hardest choice on the list and it's a shame At The Gates didn't make it to the top-9. Many probably think that Morbid Angel is my favorite Death Metal band? But it's actually Dismember sure "Massive Killing Capacity" was a wasted opportunity but back to "Indecent and Obscene". It's a very nostalgic album for me like all the other ones on the list but this one brings back so many memories from when I was 13-15 years old. I held it in such high regard, also sometimes I even preferred it over "Like An Everflowing Stream" back in 1993-94 it have 9 songs all brilliant also very different from their debut and the "Pieces" (1992) EP. Most known for the Dreaming In Red song they made a video for but there's so much more on this masterpiece Skinfather, Reborn In Blasphemy, Fleshless, Sorrowfilled, Case # Obscene etc. It might not have been as inspirational like "Slaughter of the Soul" (that spawned some awful copycat/ripoff bands...) but today on the 21th of April I choose "Indecent And Obscene" as the 9th best Death Metal album of all time!
Don’t think anyone was forgotten because I made this list some months ago as a “celebration” to 900 followers. The choice between “Deicide” or “Leprosy” was hard but the number 9 was definitely my toughest choice. It was delayed due to me being so indecisive of the 9th one, another day it could be “Slaughter of the Soul” by At The Gates. Sure I could done a top-10 but the 9 symbolizes 900 and it fucks up the square design.
Even back in 1993-94 I probably wrote the exact same list on some occasion. Something I did on lined paper books at school or write setlists to Morbid Angel, Dismember, Slayer etc. a fun activity I thought back then. The bands with most albums was most fun because I could do one after each release and remember in 1992-94 many bands had only released 2 albums (problably got those setlist lying around somewhere).
On some lists at one point in the 90’s Unleashed or Obituary was probably included but now only one of all their albums made it into a top-30. Actually did my top 10-18 and 19-27 but with a little more loosely with the numbers I might post it someday.
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