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Best melodic death metal song/band??
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Author:  overkill1978 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 5:51 am ]
Post subject:  Best melodic death metal song/band??

So... I've come to realize over the last 20-30 years that my favorite music on this earth is very, very well done melodic death metal. Case in point: (these guys are from my hometown so I'm biased.) I've seen them a shitload of times live.



What are your favorites? I'm hoping to gain some new bands to listen to out of this. Cheers

Author:  ~Guest 334273 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Excluding the more well known classics i've always had a soft spot with this Noumena album and it's sad, folk-like melodies: it's clear that they worship Elegy-era Amorphis, but they do it with a lot of taste. This song in particular has an incredible chorus melody and the build up to the little solo is exceptional


Author:  Tekdeth [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Yup, good melodic riffs and solos can make any song great in my eyes (or ears, rather). Combine that with the speed and technicality I also love and it just sounds like pure bliss. I've been listening the hell out of Apoptosis by Allegaeon, an album which I'd rate 100% no doubt. Not a single bad riff or solo. Literally. All of them are pure face melting pieces of music. Pretty much every song on the album has now been my favorite song at one moment or another.

Having said that, it might not be for everyone, especially not for those who prefer slower, sadder melodies. This album just screams happiness.

Author:  overkill1978 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Morn Of Solace wrote:
Excluding the more well known classics i've always had a soft spot with this Noumena album and it's sad, folk-like melodies: it's clear that they worship Elegy-era Amorphis, but they do it with a lot of taste. This song in particular has an incredible chorus melody and the build up to the little solo is exceptional



Awesome. Love this. Just what I was looking for. Thx

Author:  overkill1978 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I know most won't consider this straight up death metal... but it is what it is. I want death or "near death" and melodic here. Thx to you all :)


Author:  lordcatfish [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Early Children of Bodom is definitely the peak of the style for me (although I know some don't classify them as strictly melodic death). Nothing else the genre offers comes close to Hatebreeder or Follow the Reaper really.

I've always found Kalmah and Nightrage to have consistent, high quality output.

As for something overlooked, Detonation - Portals to Uphobia is pretty cool. Limos also put out a great EP this year.

Song wise, Dismember - Where No Ghost Is Holy is amazing. Not even a melodeath band, but they've dabbled with melody on some songs and this one works incredibly well.

Author:  overkill1978 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

^^^^ fair enough. Dismember is probably my 3rd favorite band of all time. If we are going "melodic" Dismember.... have to include this


Author:  FirebathDan [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Man, I remember Vehemence. I saw them live in 2002 with Decapitated, Impaled, and Incantation.

Vehemence made a lasting impression on me for being terrible live. They had to stop and restart one of their songs twice. Not because of tech issues, because they kept fucking up. Laughable for a band who was on a “major” metal label at the time. Completely amateurish, I could never dream of taking them seriously afterwards.

On topic, Dark Tranquillity. That run through The Gallery through Character is impeccable.

The aforementioned Impaled could qualify, as they are essentially a Heartwork-era Carcass homage. All of their albums aside from The Last Gasp are excellent and worth a listen.

Author:  overkill1978 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

FirebathDan wrote:
Man, I remember Vehemence. I saw them live in 2002 with Decapitated, Impaled, and Incantation.

Vehemence made a lasting impression on me for being terrible live. They had to stop and restart one of their songs twice. Not because of tech issues, because they kept fucking up. Laughable for a band who was on a “major” metal label at the time. Completely amateurish, I could never dream of taking them seriously afterwards.

On topic, Dark Tranquillity. That run through The Gallery through Character is impeccable.

The aforementioned Impaled could qualify, as they are essentially a Heartwork-era Carcass homage. All of their albums aside from The Last Gasp are excellent and worth a listen.
\

Damn dude. Sorry that happened. Truly. Vehemence was always top notch and never missed a beat when they played at the shows I went to. Also... 2002.. they were basically kids. I did see shows when they only had a demo out

Author:  Gravetemplar [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Dark Tranquillity - Edenspring is my choice.


Author:  jimbies [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

In Flames - Clayman (the original, of course) will always be a benchmark for me. But right around those few years of 1998-2002 were pretty magical.

Dark Tranquillity's "Damage Done" will always be near the top for me, as well. Arch Enemy's "Wages Of Sin" is still my favourite Arch Enemy record.

I basically got into the genre through the (now) big names. But being around 16 years old in 2001, and finding all this stuff past Slayer and Pantera was a revelation for me. I felt like I had struck gold.

Author:  DecemberSoul [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I find it impossible to nail it down to only 1 song, so here's my absolutely smallest list possible:

At the Gates - Primal breath, The break of autumn
Sentenced - Fields of blood ~ harvester of hate, Northern lights
Eucharist - With the sun, Dissolving

Had to make sure there's some genuine melodic death metal from the early nineties here.

Author:  Curious_dead [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

As far as band goes, for me, it's going to be Kalmah. Althought they're not straight "melodic death metal", they're among my favorite bands.

Hard to name one song, but Tordah, Black Roija, Moon of my Nights, Swamphell, They will return, Pikemaster, Outremer, The Black Waltz, Dead Man's Shadow... Too many of it.

I also have a soft spot for Kataklysm.

Author:  des91 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Another standard “Big Name” but At the Gates’ “The Red in the Sky...” is hard to beat. Though is that really even Melodeath? If not then I’ll be the guy and just say “Slaughter of the Soul.” It gets shat on but it’s pure Metal, nothing else. It’s also fast and full of energy like a Thrash record which happens to be my favorite genre.

*Edit: Since the thread is supposed to be favorite band/song, going to go with At the Gates and “Suicide Nation” for song.

Author:  ~Guest 322837 [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Vehemence is indeed fucking fantastic. I really liked that entire comeback album, and God Was Created is a classic.

Intestine Baalism always deserves a mention

Case in point:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROHsnsZaVIY

Author:  Ill-Starred Son [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Other than those mentioned, some other great melodic death metal bands include:

Shadow (Japanese band with female singer), Gardenian, Sacriledge, Julia Laughs No More, Night in Gails and Gates of Ishtar.

Author:  jimbies [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I thought about it more and more and if I had to pick just ONE song I might have to go with a polarizing choice.

Amon Amarth - Death In Fire

I think most people prefer their earlier albums (the first 3), but this track is a constant go-to.

Author:  MetlaNZ [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 10:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Sentenced - My Sky Is Darker Than Thine

I could pretty much pick any track off North From Here. A superb album that leaves you wanting more but of course they never did, a damn shame.

Author:  ChildClownOutlet [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 10:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Using the Word.

I mean honestly, just the riff at 0:38 second elevates to the best Kalmah song. Incredible.


Author:  Thexhumed [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Most of the best-known ones are already mentioned, so I'll add 2 that always go under the radar:

Skyfire: Awesome Melodeath with some symphonic elements



Man Must Die: I know they're not technically a Melodic Death Metal Band, but they pretty much sound like one and everybody should check them out:


Author:  twistedknife [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

One of my favorites, that hasn't been mentioned, is Hypocrisy.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Hypocrisy/96

Their later work is melodic, but their entire discography is awesome.

Author:  true_death [ Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Huge melo-death idiot here. Love all the iconic, classic Swedish (and abroad) stuff...In Flames' Colony was actually the first metal CD I ever bought so this shit is ingrained in my soul :lol:.

Anyway, instead of mentioning obvious ones here's a few more "underground" faves of mine:

Scum - Purple Dreams and Magic Poems...one of the greatest melodic death metal albums to ever come out of Finland (or anywhere for that matter), rivaling classics like North From Here, Tales..., A Leftover, and Hatebreeder. These guys have a pretty unique, "heavy metal-esque" approach to the style, very mid-paced but no less catchy and powerful. The album is extremely rare and expensive but luckily I finally got my hands on a mint condition copy a few months back :headbang:.



A Canorous Quintet - Silence of the World Beyond...these guys aren't too underground (drummer is the guy from Amon Amarth...or was, I guess) but still you rarely seem to see them mentioned. One of my favorites of that classic "No Fashion" sound, very melancholic while also extremely catchy. The LP reissue that The Crypt did years ago is highly recommended for anyone into that shit - has some real great liner notes that goes into deep detail about the album, track by track.



Sins of Omission - The Creation...Martin Persson's band before he joined Dismember, need I say more? Criminally underrated stuff, here folks! And just look at that gorgeous album cover.



Auberon - The Tale of Black..., these guys are a little different. Sort of a (old) Dark Tranquillity-esque sound but with a surprising amount of variety, a lot of power metal influence (in the CD booklet the band thanks Kai Hansen as their #1 influence) with very well-executed clean vocals that appear just often enough but never overstay their welcome and some surprisingly very jazzy, Petrucci-esque solos that really tie the whole thing together...riffs are incredibly catchy and even the lyrics are very interesting and well-written. Can't say enough positive things about these guys.



Skymning - Stormchoirs...bit of an underground classic, not too uncommon to see people praise this to the high heavens, and for good reason...it slays! The production is a lot more rough and dirty than your average melodeath but it doesn't do anything to deter the killer riffs. The melodic riff at 5:02 is one of my favorites in this entire genre, absolutely beautiful.


Author:  MetlaNZ [ Sat Oct 17, 2020 12:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

true_death wrote:
Scum - Purple Dreams and Magic Poems...one of the greatest melodic death metal albums to ever come out of Finland (or anywhere for that matter), rivaling classics like North From Here, Tales..., A Leftover, and Hatebreeder. These guys have a pretty unique, "heavy metal-esque" approach to the style, very mid-paced but no less catchy and powerful. The album is extremely rare and expensive but luckily I finally got my hands on a mint condition copy a few months back :headbang:.



Nice rec, this is a cool album, I dig it but won’t be getting it any time soon going by the prices out there. There’s seems to be a few Black Mark albums out there needing a CD reissue.

Author:  hellhammer6661 [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Some songs I like.

night in gales ..........of beauty embrance ( I like that scream ´´´THE RISING SUNNNNNNNNNN´´ and the melodic parts )

Wintersun...............- Beyond The Dark Sun ( speed and energy on that song very dinamyc )

Hypocrisy ( I read they do melodic death but this song is pure death metal )............. Killing Art

Amorphis ...................... On Rich and Poor

Dark tranquility............ The Sun Fired Blanks

Dark tranquility............ - Punish My Heaven

Author:  Floodland [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Indeed, as True Death mentioned, Silence Of the World Beyond is the best melodic death (black) metal album I have ever listened to; can't even think of any other album that comes close to that timeless, beautiful, intoxicating masterpiece.

Author:  LithoJazzoSphere [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

It's hard to beat In Flames on Colony. The bonus track "Man Made God" in particular, with the punishing production, beefy guitar tone, the harmonized leads, the acoustic passages.



Mercenary with their massive sound on 11 Dreams, which is infused with power metal and some progressive tendencies. Their dual vocal attack is unparalleled.



Nightrage's Sweet Vengeance is proof positive that sometimes supergroups do work, with incredible vocal and guitar performances from Lindberg, Englund, Gus, and Iliopoulos.



Soilwork is one of the few bands from the 90s who managed to release some of their best material in more recent times on The Living Infinite, with upgraded band members.



Scar Symmetry's Holographic Universe has the best vocals and guitar solos in the whole genre, courtesy of Christian Alvestam and Per Nilsson.


Author:  Dullahan [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 8:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I prefer melodeath bands that don't frequently abandon the "death" part of their sound for the sake of turning into a down-tuned and growly Maiden, so I'll give Kalmah yet another vote among so many here. For me, they've always had a very firm grasp on when to push the tempos up while keeping the melodies bouncy, catchy (hey, they're Finns after all) and with a strong power metal root. I have a couple of criticisms regarding their sound, but the word "boring" never comes up.




Also, props to the often underrated Garden of Shadows album Oracle Moon. Their songs were on the longer side and sometimes meandering, yet never felt like a meaningless collage of riffs. It's one of those bands that show you don't have to be a pretentious prog god and write 25 minutes opuses in order to take the listener on a journey. The vocalist also went with the deeper growl associated with more traditional styles death metal, which is always a plus for me.


Author:  LycanthropeMoon [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 8:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??


I love "Communion" by Septicflesh, a lot. The way they combine their brand of atmospheric and melodic death metal with orchestration on this album is simply superb, imo.


"Miasma" by TBDM is a short and furious piece of American melodeath, that much is certain. The riffing on this thing gets stuck in my head all the time.


Hey, "The Jester Race" is classic for a reason. Great guitar work, and a dark and somber atmosphere. Yes, this is "growly downtuned Maiden" at times, but it works quite well.


I've always appreciated the gothic touches that Dark Tranquillity's "Fiction" album happens to possess. Very moody and catchy stuff!


When it comes to the Dissection-influenced blackened melodeath that seemed to get so popular in the mid-to-late 90s, well... this is definitely one of the best albums to come from that.

Author:  HeavenDuff [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

A few have already mentionned solid bands like Kalmah and Nightrage, and I'm going to double-down on this. Both bands have released worthwhile material in their later years, but both were absolutely at their best on their first few records.

For Kalmah, their first three records are absolutely essential, but their best IMHO, is Swampsong (which has a lower average score than the others on Metal Archives because one doofus gave it a 5% score, messing up the average score). The work between rhythm and lead guitars is what carries this album way ahead of almost everything that's ever been done in melodic death metal. But basically everything about this is amazing, including the keyboards and fantastic drumming. The first track, Heroes to Us is an instant classic, and I find myself playing the riffs in my head every other day, even 15 years after I heard it for the first time.

Spoiler: show


As for Nightrage, their first two albums are absolute classics of the genre. Their third album, A New Disease Is Born, is a good album, but it's a transition record. The band started to incorporate some of the most popular and cliché elements of the genre, and they also implemented clean vocals, which were almost completely absent of the first two records. If I had to pick a favorite between Sweet Vengeance and Descent Into Chaos, I'd have to go with the latter. It's such a masterpiece of aggressive, no compromise, jaw-dropping melodic death metal. It has everything that made the genre as good as it could be. The melodic elements take nothing away from the fantastic death metal elements, so the riffs are air-tight and enjoyable, and the songs actually go somewhere, unlike so many melodeath bands who write their entire songs around catchy clean choruses.

Spoiler: show


I'm going to throw my hat in this and mention Carcass with their albums Heartwork and Surgical Steel, and I don't care if I sound like your grandpa on this one, because you kids don't know what you're talking about and there would be none of your Amons Zamarths, Dark Trans Quilting and In summum without Carcass. Now know a lot of the early days fans of Carcass didn't like the switch from grindcore/death metal to melodic death metal, but I actually think both eras of Carcass are extremely relevant and amazing. They only really lost my interest with Swansong when they dug a little too deep into the whole death 'n' roll trend. So yes, Heartwork, IMHO, is an absolute classic of melodic death metal, not just because it pioneered the genre, but because the riffing is still absolutely amazing, and it retained the signature sound of Bill Steer, who never sacrificed quality song-writing in favor of cheap catchy choruses. Still, most tracks on Heartwork are very catchy and it's a very dynamic record.

Spoiler: show


Oh, and since I mocked the Swedes earlier, I'm going to conclude this post with a quick mention of Scar Symmetry, which is one of the greatest melodic death metal acts there is. With Alvestam they were toying with prog metal and going for a more complex approach to the genre, which I loved. Pitch Black Progress is one hell of an album. But I also like their sound post-Alvestam, as they went for simpler song structures and a more epic and straight-forward approach to song-writing. The Unseen Empire is a great album. Amon Amarth's early material is also worth mentionning. A lot of people are familiar with their most recent material, but on their first three or four records, they were basically a more melodic Bolt Thrower, and they had great songs scattered throughout these early records.

Author:  Pitiless Wanderer [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I agree with OP's enthusiasm. I think that when melodeath is done correctly, it's the best type of metal. For some reason, I never got into Scar Symmetry though^.

Author:  Kalaratri [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

HeavenDuff wrote:
A few have already mentionned solid bands like Kalmah and Nightrage, and I'm going to double-down on this. Both bands have released worthwhile material in their later years, but both were absolutely at their best on their first few records.

For Kalmah, their first three records are absolutely essential, but their best IMHO, is Swampsong (which has a lower average score than the others on Metal Archives because one doofus gave it a 5% score, messing up the average score). The work between rhythm and lead guitars is what carries this album way ahead of almost everything that's ever been done in melodic death metal. But basically everything about this is amazing, including the keyboards and fantastic drumming. The first track, Heroes to Us is an instant classic, and I find myself playing the riffs in my head every other day, even 15 years after I heard it for the first time.

Spoiler: show


As for Nightrage, their first two albums are absolute classics of the genre. Their third album, A New Disease Is Born, is a good album, but it's a transition record. The band started to incorporate some of the most popular and cliché elements of the genre, and they also implemented clean vocals, which were almost completely absent of the first two records. If I had to pick a favorite between Sweet Vengeance and Descent Into Chaos, I'd have to go with the latter. It's such a masterpiece of aggressive, no compromise, jaw-dropping melodic death metal. It has everything that made the genre as good as it could be. The melodic elements take nothing away from the fantastic death metal elements, so the riffs are air-tight and enjoyable, and the songs actually go somewhere, unlike so many melodeath bands who write their entire songs around catchy clean choruses.

Spoiler: show


I'm going to throw my hat in this and mention Carcass with their albums Heartwork and Surgical Steel, and I don't care if I sound like your grandpa on this one, because you kids don't know what you're talking about and there would be none of your Amons Zamarths, Dark Trans Quilting and In summum without Carcass. Now know a lot of the early days fans of Carcass didn't like the switch from grindcore/death metal to melodic death metal, but I actually think both eras of Carcass are extremely relevant and amazing. They only really lost my interest with Swansong when they dug a little too deep into the whole death 'n' roll trend. So yes, Heartwork, IMHO, is an absolute classic of melodic death metal, not just because it pioneered the genre, but because the riffing is still absolutely amazing, and it retained the signature sound of Bill Steer, who never sacrificed quality song-writing in favor of cheap catchy choruses. Still, most tracks on Heartwork are very catchy and it's a very dynamic record.

Spoiler: show


Oh, and since I mocked the Swedes earlier, I'm going to conclude this post with a quick mention of Scar Symmetry, which is one of the greatest melodic death metal acts there is. With Alvestam they were toying with prog metal and going for a more complex approach to the genre, which I loved. Pitch Black Progress is one hell of an album. But I also like their sound post-Alvestam, as they went for simpler song structures and a more epic and straight-forward approach to song-writing. The Unseen Empire is a great album. Amon Amarth's early material is also worth mentionning. A lot of people are familiar with their most recent material, but on their first three or four records, they were basically a more melodic Bolt Thrower, and they had great songs scattered throughout these early records.


I agree with all of these picks, but I question this notion that none of the Swedish bands would've existed without Carcass. Maybe melodic death metal wouldn't have gotten as popular without Carcass, but Dark Tranquillity and In Flames were already heading in that direction before Heartwork was even released. Hell the first Dark Tranquillity album, Skydancer, was recorded in the same time period as Heartwork and released a few months before it was. The same can be said for Insomnium, who were always more influenced by Sentenced and Amorphis along with a couple of other bands like Opeth and Paradise Lost.

Anyway, to contribute to this thread I have to mention The Moaning. Blood From Stone is a overlooked gem of an album from the late 90s Swedish scene in the vein of bands like Gates of Ishtar and Unanimated that blurred the lines between melodic death metal and black metal.


Author:  ChildClownOutlet [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

i'm gonna be annoying and throw this album in because I cannot stop listening to it.


Just an incredible work of art. Hoping these guys release something of the same quality this year.

And Hypocrisy's best album of course.


Frosttide is a highly underrated band, check them out, they're very good.

Author:  LithoJazzoSphere [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

HeavenDuff wrote:
As for Nightrage, their first two albums are absolute classics of the genre. Their third album, A New Disease Is Born, is a good album, but it's a transition record. The band started to incorporate some of the most popular and cliché elements of the genre, and they also implemented clean vocals, which were almost completely absent of the first two records. If I had to pick a favorite between Sweet Vengeance and Descent Into Chaos, I'd have to go with the latter. It's such a masterpiece of aggressive, no compromise, jaw-dropping melodic death metal. It has everything that made the genre as good as it could be. The melodic elements take nothing away from the fantastic death metal elements, so the riffs are air-tight and enjoyable, and the songs actually go somewhere, unlike so many melodeath bands who write their entire songs around catchy clean choruses.


They always had the clean vocals. Tom Englund does them on four tracks on the debut, and Mikael Stanne on a track on the follow-up. The difference is that on their third album they had Jimmie Strimell replacing the role of both them and Tomas Lindberg, and while he's pretty good, they're a bit more metalcore-tinged, and just not in the league of the original legends. I prefer the debut, but the first two albums are both so good that it's not a huge deal which to recommend. All the later albums have flashes of brilliance as well, just not quite as consistently.

HeavenDuff wrote:
Oh, and since I mocked the Swedes earlier, I'm going to conclude this post with a quick mention of Scar Symmetry, which is one of the greatest melodic death metal acts there is. With Alvestam they were toying with prog metal and going for a more complex approach to the genre, which I loved. Pitch Black Progress is one hell of an album. But I also like their sound post-Alvestam, as they went for simpler song structures and a more epic and straight-forward approach to song-writing. The Unseen Empire is a great album.


I obviously adore them, but in terms of the progression of their albums, I don't quite see it that way. They're always have a potpourri of influences, progressive metal being one of them, but I think they've leaned more heavily on it post-Alvestam. Their debut is relatively stock melodeath in the 00s Soilwork vein (albeit executed at the highest possible level, arguably better than SW themselves), but they're at the point with their latest album where it's the first installment of a multi-part conceptual series of albums, and it has three tracks over 6 minutes long.

Kalaratri wrote:
I agree with all of these picks, but I question this notion that none of the Swedish bands would've existed without Carcass. Maybe melodic death metal wouldn't have gotten as popular without Carcass, but Dark Tranquillity and In Flames were already heading in that direction before Heartwork was even released. Hell the first Dark Tranquillity album, Skydancer, was recorded in the same time period and released a few months before Heartwork.


Yeah, it's actually backwards. Carcass wouldn't have sounded like they did on Hearwork without Michael Amott having become a key contributing member, and he was steeped in the Swedish scene from his time in Carnage with members of Entombed and Dismember.

Author:  HeavenDuff [ Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Kalaratri wrote:
I agree with all of these picks, but I question this notion that none of the Swedish bands would've existed without Carcass. Maybe melodic death metal wouldn't have gotten as popular without Carcass, but Dark Tranquillity and In Flames were already heading in that direction before Heartwork was even released. Hell the first Dark Tranquillity album, Skydancer, was recorded in the same time period and released a few months before Heartwork. The same can be said for Insomnium, who were always more influenced by Sentenced and Amorphis along with a couple of other bands like Opeth and Paradise Lost.


No of course. I meant it as a joke, but I should have picked the bands better for it to work properly, haha. Dark Tranquillity, as you said, were pioneers of the swedish melodeath scene, so they didn't exactly look to Carcass to shape their sound.

Author:  cultofkraken [ Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

true_death wrote:
Huge melo-death idiot here. Love all the iconic, classic Swedish (and abroad) stuff...In Flames' Colony was actually the first metal CD I ever bought so this shit is ingrained in my soul :lol:.

Anyway, instead of mentioning obvious ones here's a few more "underground" faves of mine:

Scum - Purple Dreams and Magic Poems...one of the greatest melodic death metal albums to ever come out of Finland (or anywhere for that matter), rivaling classics like North From Here, Tales..., A Leftover, and Hatebreeder. These guys have a pretty unique, "heavy metal-esque" approach to the style, very mid-paced but no less catchy and powerful. The album is extremely rare and expensive but luckily I finally got my hands on a mint condition copy a few months back :headbang:.



A Canorous Quintet - Silence of the World Beyond...these guys aren't too underground (drummer is the guy from Amon Amarth...or was, I guess) but still you rarely seem to see them mentioned. One of my favorites of that classic "No Fashion" sound, very melancholic while also extremely catchy. The LP reissue that The Crypt did years ago is highly recommended for anyone into that shit - has some real great liner notes that goes into deep detail about the album, track by track.



Sins of Omission - The Creation...Martin Persson's band before he joined Dismember, need I say more? Criminally underrated stuff, here folks! And just look at that gorgeous album cover.



Auberon - The Tale of Black..., these guys are a little different. Sort of a (old) Dark Tranquillity-esque sound but with a surprising amount of variety, a lot of power metal influence (in the CD booklet the band thanks Kai Hansen as their #1 influence) with very well-executed clean vocals that appear just often enough but never overstay their welcome and some surprisingly very jazzy, Petrucci-esque solos that really tie the whole thing together...riffs are incredibly catchy and even the lyrics are very interesting and well-written. Can't say enough positive things about these guys.



Skymning - Stormchoirs...bit of an underground classic, not too uncommon to see people praise this to the high heavens, and for good reason...it slays! The production is a lot more rough and dirty than your average melodeath but it doesn't do anything to deter the killer riffs. The melodic riff at 5:02 is one of my favorites in this entire genre, absolutely beautiful.



I gotta second all of this. Great taste but also add a helping heap of Eucharist and Sacrilege.

Author:  ColdBecoming [ Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Dullahan wrote:
Also, props to the often underrated Garden of Shadows album Oracle Moon. Their songs were on the longer side and sometimes meandering, yet never felt like a meaningless collage of riffs. It's one of those bands that show you don't have to be a pretentious prog god and write 25 minutes opuses in order to take the listener on a journey. The vocalist also went with the deeper growl associated with more traditional styles death metal, which is always a plus for me.


This. One of my favourite melodic death releases, really atmospheric, and love the deeper vocals with it

Author:  devil1111 [ Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

I say Desultory- such an underrated band - solid discography - disbanded with a last nice work and became history - sad.

Author:  Xymosys [ Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

When it comes to my personal favorites, I would pick these two:

Dark Tranquillity - Punish My Heaven - Absolute banger, the hell of a rollercoaster song, and the best one they have ever recorded imo.
In Flames - Episode 666 - I just simply love that one, love the melody and the overall feeling. The band was in its prime then, and they sounded perfect!

Author:  thealtruist [ Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

Be'lakor - Stone's Reach is probably my fav melodeath album, along with Surgical Steel, Whoracle, Follow the Reaper and They Will Return, Skyfire - Esoteric is also great... anyway I find it weird that nobody mentioned Be'lakor...

Author:  HeavenDuff [ Thu Feb 25, 2021 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best melodic death metal song/band??

LithoJazzoSphere wrote:
They always had the clean vocals. Tom Englund does them on four tracks on the debut, and Mikael Stanne on a track on the follow-up. The difference is that on their third album they had Jimmie Strimell replacing the role of both them and Tomas Lindberg, and while he's pretty good, they're a bit more metalcore-tinged, and just not in the league of the original legends. I prefer the debut, but the first two albums are both so good that it's not a huge deal which to recommend. All the later albums have flashes of brilliance as well, just not quite as consistently.


I mentionned they were almost completely absent, but what I wanted to say was they were featured way less prominently, and they didn't have, like you described, the metalcore sound and formula. On their first two there were clean vocals, but they were not used in every single song for every single chorus, like on A New Disease Is Born.

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