u/Earl_of_Portobello

I just want to celebrate my favourite two death metal bands - particularly their incredibly strong and consistent on output over many decades. Neither band ever hit the Big time but they just ploughed their furrow, creating fiery, tempestuous death metal that never lets you down and is always subtly expanding its vision. Everyone knows the original Classics but I would love to just bring some love and illumination to 2 later albums, the doomy, dark as night Vanquish In Vengeance by Incantation and the smouldering and mindblowingly consistent Atonement by Immolation. Would be great to hear favourite albums, particularly less known ones and just people’s opinions on these vintage death metal bands.

love the unrelenting sequencing of these four, each one pummelling you harder than the last. They are brilliant on their own but collectively they just create this harsh brutal unforgiving landscape that you have to traverse to reach the (relative) respite and cold glass of water that is Straws Pulled At Random. It does mean that I have to be in the right mood to listen to Nothing all the way through because it kind of tests you like going to the gym or something but in a good, no pain no gain way! Anyone else feel the same way about these four tracks and the way they are sequenced?

I have become completely obsessed by morbid angel over the last year - some days I play every single studio album in one day. I am lucky enough to have a job where I can listen to music all day long so that helps! I just have one question - I was quite surprised that there is something approaching a consensus that covenant is their best album. I think it’s really strong but I feel like the first six are ALL so great that no single album emerges as a clear front runner - but if it DID for me it would be altars, blessed or formulas.

I am sure the fault lies with me so I would love you guys to educate me. Maybe tell me what I might be missing about covenant? don’t get me wrong, I really like it. I’ve played the zillion times but I just feel I missing something. Thanks!

People say they were still trying to find their sound and very few treat it like a classic debut like altars of madness. But I respectfully – maybe not so respectfully! – disagree - I think it’s a fucking BANGER of an album & contains some of their greatest riffs, e.g. the absolutely malevolent and ominous Scattered Remains. Thoughts?

Im assuming most will say a Sabbath album (specifically MoR or Vol IV) which is cool and possibly correct but interested to hear other more left-field takes, too? Cheers!

Just went through their entire eye wateringly consistent back catalogue and theres just so many moments and epic songs and indeed albums (Vanquish In Vengeance) which are unadulterated doom metal at least to my ears. They are famous for creating Cavernous death metal but really cavernous is just another word for doom. any other fans of this uniquely formidable band out there,? Favourite albums etc?

Love them or hate them, and I must confess I love some of their albums, cannibal Corpse are routinely referred to as the most successful Death Metal band in history, cracking the Billboard top 100 numerous times. So the fact they supported Meshuggah on their last US tour says a lot about the pinnacle position Meshuggah rightly occupy - commercially, artistically and reputationally - in the world of extreme metal. And they deserve it 200%.

1. Clockworks
2. The Demons Name Is Surveillance
3. Rational Gaze
4. Combustion
5. Electric Red
6. Bleed
7. Violent Sleep of Reason
8. Straws Pulled at Random
9. Break Those Bones
10. Demiurge
11. Dancers to a Discordant System
12. Sum

Heavy, varied, unpredictable, combustible, it truly marches to the beat of its own insane drum - the drumming is pummelling and the riffs are fiery as all Hell - I know this album has its fans but I still feel its massively underrated - its every bit as great as Altars or Covenant, just not as concise. Some days I think it's their masterpiece. Would be cool to hear opinions, favourite tracks, where it sits in the Morbid Angel ranking for you etc..

Heard bits and pieces but getting into them properly now. Would be interested to hear you guys’ take on them, favourite albums etc Really like what im hearing but not sure if they will join Morbid Angel, Entombed, Incantation, Death and Suffocation in my top tier d m bands. Cheers!

And I’m really just talking about Effigies of the Forgotten and especially the bulldozing Pierced from Within. Of course they’re very different bands but I guess it’s that mixture of thick as a brick rhythm section plus technical complexity plus unpredictable guitar lines and rhythms sometimes almost working in opposition that gives me what I need. Which bands do that for you? And if you’ve never heard Pierced From Within, well, it’s a fucking death metal masterpiece if ever I heard one.

I'm going with Realm of Chaos by Bolt Thrower

Some of these discographies are bigger than other… some are lean and mean. Interested to hear your combinations. For me -

Morbid Angel & Incantation

Help me out guys, which one should I get? Both classics, I know…

Meshuggahs tour with cannibal corpse made me think more generally about their relationship with death metal, specifically the bands from the classic era 1989 to 1995.

Obviously that tour bill demonstrates a big overlap in audience and audience taste even if musically they don’t really have much in common with a band like cc apart from being extreme metal.

It would be interesting to hear if you guys hear much DM influence on Meshuggah and vice-versa. Generally I don’t although maybe Suffocation are the exception that proves the rule. Their third album Pierced From Within is packed full of weird Time signatures and thick as a brick, sludgy bass lines that do remind me of proto Djent although likely a coincidence rather than a direct influence.

I will go to my grave unable to rank these 10/10 albums but still enjoy torturing myself trying.

Right now -

1. Ever Flowing Stream
2. Left Hand Path
3. Slaughter of the Soul

1 All time/all genres

2. favourite metal band still going. (Ie a contemporary of Meshuggahs)

Appreciate that might still just be one answer.

Me -

1.Rolling Stones.
2. Incantation.

Just a KILLER top tier death metal band and I have zero idea how I missed them except I'm a bit supergroup allergic and my DM sweet spot is 89-95... but still. Any fans out there? Favourite songs/albums? Live experiences? I imagine they kill it live....

I nominate the evil and BULLDOZING Declaring New Law (Secret Hell) from the otherwise distinctly average Kingdoms Disdained by Morbid Angel. Seriously Declaring New Law is Gateways of Annihilation worthy - absolutely killer track.

It’s kind of the Death Metal equivalent of Black Sabbaths first six - just eye-watering variety and consistency across all six albums.