The Terrorizer Friday Death Metal Top 15

Here at Terrorizer Towers, we like death metal. It’s kinda our thing. We like other stuff too, like cake and rare Hawkwind vinyls and when bands get their own beer (hooray for Red Fang!). But we’ve all got a penchant for death metal, and so with a surprisingly low amount of bickering we’ve come up with this list of some of the most important albums. Feel free to disagree, or even free-er to bow down to our knowledge of the genre

1)      Death – ‘Symbolic’

 

Chuck’s influence can never be overstated. This features a killer performance from drummer Gene Hoglan, cementing him as one of Metal’s finest.

 

Roadrunner Records, 1995

 

2)      Morbid Angel – ‘Altars of Madness’

 

Though it hasn’t always served them well, their will to experiment whilst retaining a bubbling evil still marks this out as a milestone 23 years after its release.

 

Earache Records, 1989

 

3) Possessed – ‘Seven Churches’

 

Often credited with being the first ever straight-up death metal album – how could we possibly not include it?

 

Combat Records, 1985

 

4) Decapitated – ‘Winds of Creation’

 

Their efforts since have been too biased towards the technical aspect whilst sacrificing the songwriting – this remains an absolutely spot-on production.

 

Earache Records, 1999

 

5) At the Gates – ‘Slaughter of the Soul’

 

Influencing everyone ever, an absolute testament to Sweden being the best at everything and a phenomenal take on the genre.

 

Earache Records, 1995

 

6) Opeth – ‘Still Life’

 

Beautiful and terrifying, this remains one of the best examples of the light/ dark contrast that musicians since Led Zep have been trying to pin down.

 

Peaceville, 1999

 

7) Sepultura – ‘Beneath the Remains’

 

The atmosphere on the record is absolutely killer, with the fuzzy guitars in particular lending an impenetrable wall of horror.

 

Roadrunner Records, 1989

 

8) Deicide – ‘Once Upon the Cross’

 

With antitheist sentiment enough to make Richard Dawkins look like a vicar, Benton and co.’s fury cements this as one of the strongest offerings ever.

 

Roadrunner Records, 1995

 

9) Celtic frost – ‘To Mega Therion’

 

Tom Gabriel Warrior has done wonders for the worlds of extreme metal and beanie sales, and this is among his finer offerings.

 

Noise, 1985

 

10) Obituary – ‘Cause of Death’

 

Absolutely some of their finest work, ‘Chopped in Half’ has been a staple for decades.

 

Roadrunner Records, 1990

 

11) Suffocation – ‘Pieced from Within’

 

Progressive mastery at its finest, Suffocation show off their serious chops without sacrificing songwriting ability.

 

Nuclear Blast, 1995

 

 

12)  Napalm death – ‘Utilitarian’

 

An absolute first-class course in how to stay musically relevant, Napalm Death retain the fury of Scum and fuse it with streamlined technical proficiency.

 

Century Media, 2012

 

 

13) The Faceless – ‘Autotheism’

 

Unhinged modern deathcore at its finest. It’s wildly proficient and inventive, and there’s even a saxophone! Ihsahn would be proud.

 

Sumerian, 2012

 

 

14) Cannibal Corpse – ‘Kill’

 

The height of Cannibal Corpse’s fusion of brutality and technical prowess, this is testament to their no-frills attitude.

 

Metal Blade, 2006

 

 

15) Autopsy – ‘Severed Survival’

 

Sam Dunn listed this as containing his favourite gore lyrics in ‘Headbanger’s Guide,’ – it’s been a favourite of gore maniacs since 1989.

 

Peaceville, 1989