I've been listening to metal for 23 years, since the ripe age of 11, usually opting for black metal (Emperor, Burzum, Dawn), some djent (Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders), some death metal, mostly along contemporary lines (Artificial Brain, new Gorguts, Ingurgitating Oblivion), some "neo-OSDM" (Spectral Voice, Blood Incantation), and some harder to define material (Strapping Young Lad).
I didn't like much of any death metal until the last five years, and OSDM really didn't click with me. I found it boring, derivative, and just not as good as the modern stuff, save for a few albums: Severed Survival, Mental Funeral, and Leprosy.
But over the last year I've been working at it, trying to gain more familiarity and understanding, even if just to appreciate OSDM's seminal qualities. In doing so I've grown to thoroughly enjoy OSDM. So here I share with you my yays, my okays, my nays, and my "still chewing" (undecided), for OSDM records. I invite you to give me a piece of your mind, redirect me if you see fit, challenge me, and make suggestions as to what I should check out next in the OSDM world. So, here we go!
The Yays
Death's Leprosy - I enjoy this more than I used to. For some time I found it a bit long, and got bored with it. But I've grown to better appreciate it's more minimalist approach. Chuck excelled at texture and feel on Leprosy, the production fits perfectly, and his vocal performance is his best, IMO.
Obituary's Slowly We Rot - While there are some catchy moments and well written tracks, I like this album more for the feel it conveys over its course. Not every riff or track is memorable. But that's not the point. Obituary honed the vibe so competently and with command.
Obituary's Cause of Death - Holy shit, this is heavy. And what a departure from SWR! Their ability to hone the mid-tempo, sledgehammer-heavy death metal sound is, in my opinion, unparalleled. And this vocals? Jesus. I love the leads and solos, too. I respect how much Obituary matured on this record.
Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness - I used to hate this record. Seriously. I didn't get it. But it clicked for me. Pete Sandoval is perfect on it, and I love the guitar work and production. The reverb and tones create a "wash" of noise and energy that I just love. Memorable, catchy tracks like Chapel of Ghouls and Maze of Torment stick in my mind.
Autopsy's Severed Survival - Catchy as fuck, iconically trashy and grimey, this was released in the year of my birth. There's a bit of a punk/grind influence there that I don't usually dig, but Autopsy do it so tastefully. I love the vocals, production, bass sound, and doom overtones. Killer record.
Autopsy's Mental Funeral - I feel like this record gets more love than SS. It's a bit too grind-ey for me. I still dig it, but I'll take the doom sound of SS over this.
Cannibal Corpse's Eaten Back to Life - I used to find this album boring. I didn't get it. But with further listens I really grew to appreciate how well Cannibal Corpse wrote, how they paced their songs so intuitively, and how cohesive the band really was. I particularly enjoy the fast, frantic tremolo riffing. I also contend, controversially, that this is the only album where Paul's drumming fits. I've long deemed his work a blight on an otherwise brilliant band.
Deicide's S/T - Hate-filled, evil, and demonic. The vocal layering, guitar tones, and riffs all reek of hell. I can really hear the frustration of Deicide's repressed, Christian upbringing on this record. The drumming, too, is just so spot on. The writing wanes a bit here and there, but it's such an excellent freshman release, with a novel take on the death metal sound.
Deicide's Legion - Jagged. I wouldn't describe the sound and writing as smooth and easy on the ears. It runs roughshod over your ears, grinding and clattering away. As evil as their S/T, Legion is more dialed in, more competent, and more self aware. Dare I say more mature? The riffs strike me as almost tech-death, similar to that heard on Suffocation's Effigy, and Gorguts' Erosion - complex, but catchy and intuitive, and without the widdly pretension of later tech-death acts. This is my favourite Deicide album.
Gorguts' Considered Dead - It just rocks. There's nothing particularly technical about it. Like Cannibal Corpse, Gorguts have always written so well and with such awareness of what they're doing. This is another album is used to consider boring.
Spectral Voice's Eroded Corridors of Unbeing - I'm gonna stick my neck out and call this neo-OSDM. This clicked with me nearly immediately. It's dripping with vibes, and grooves so damn well. I also love the doom sound in death metal
Spectral Voice's Necrotic Doom - Less developed, refined, and mature than Eroded, but still awesome. They're finding their feet here, and I love the campy sound.
Demigod's Slumber of Sullen Eyes - The intro is reminiscent of the retro horror I'm such a fan of. I'm not sure I quite yet know why I enjoy this album so much, but I just keep coming back to it. There's a certain campiness about it that I enjoy.
The Okays
Cannibal Corpse's Butchered at Birth - I contend that all the way up to Bloodthirst, CC were the best, most self-aware writers in death metal. They nearly had a pop sensibility without sounding cheap or inclined to accessibility and marketing, they changed admirably from record to record while retaining their core sound, and they really knew what they were doing. Straight up, the writing was spot on. But the drumming is a huge let down for me, and always has been. That this is frustrating to read is not lost on me...
Suffocation's Effigy of the Forgotten - I almost didn't include this because I'm not sure it qualifies as OSDM. It's quite techy. But it's hailed as a classic, and clearly informed oodles of records following it. The first four tracks slay, but afterward it just drags for me. Luc Lemay says this album inspired him to write Erosion. I can see why, and respect Suffocation for Effigy. But I also wish Mullen had not been so omnipresent throughout the album. The first four tracks would have made this record an excellent EP. A friend of mine said that Suffocation have something special, but that they don't quite know how to access it. I agree.
Morbid Angel's Covenant - There are some killer tracks here. Pain Divine is excellent. Pete Sandoval is so tight throughout. But in my opinion there is a lot of fat. I find myself bored, the ideas uninteresting, and the spark that made Altars so fucking evil and great, absent.
Entombed's Left Hand Path - The sound is iconic; the production is dialed in so deftly, the guitar and bass tones are perfect, and the band knows what they're doing. I regard this album as more so seminal than anything. But I get bored quickly, as the ideas cease to be novel by the third or fourth track, and I can't see why this couldn't have been a really tight EP.
Death's Scream Bloody Gore - Don't get me wrong; this is a super cool album. Chuck arguably pioneered a sound here, and death metal likely wouldn't be death metal without it. I respect it's seminal relevance. I just don't find the writing to be all that consistent. And that's okay! It's a youthful, unhinged, evil as fuck record. And I love the production.
The Nays
Massacre's From Beyond - Everybody noteworthy was doing it better than Massacre at the time, IMO. I don't find anything particularly special, or even seminal, about this album. I could take or leave a lot of the riffs, and I don't find their core ideas all that interesting.
Malevolent Creation's Ten Commandments - I wanted so badly to like this album. Hailing from New York, with much fanfare, Malevolent Creation seemed like a promising act for my New York death metal fix. They clearly knew what kind of sound they were going for, and achieved it. But despite many attempts, I just can't get into it. I find it boring, and the ideas uninteresting. Perhaps more exposure will change my mind. But I just can't help but find the writing rather empty. I feel this way about Retribution as well.
Immolation's Dawn of Possession - I just don't get it. I've tried so many times, and just find their writing flat. Many have described Immolation as angular and jagged, filling a certain niche in the death metal sound. But I'm just not hearing it, and I can't help but find their ideas boring. Perhaps I'm just missing something, or I just really don't jive with their style.
Still Chewing
Nihilist's demos - Revered for their seminal work, and for essentially being the predecessor Entombed, I am working at trying to understand what made Nihilist so special. I don't particularly doubt their seminal relevance, and I want to better understand it. But I have to give it time and patience.
So, that's where I am so far. There are some other releases I didn't include because I felt they may fall somewhat outside of the old school death metal sound. Piece of Time, Unquestionable Presence, Nespithe, and Human come to mind. I also neglected to mention Pestilence's first two records. They strike me as just okay, as I'm less so into their sound, but nonetheless respect them.
I'd love for your feedback, guidance, and even your challenges! I've been thoroughly enjoying exploring old school death metal, and I look forward to working my way up through the nineties and onward. But right now I am deeply entrenched in the OSDM sound, and loving it. As I write this I'm spinning Incubus's Beyond the Unknown.
