Hey Folks! It’s me… Again!

I’m coming back once more to explore the depths of a genre that arguably did not begin where you all thought it did! Yeah yeah… Alright, maybe Left Hand Path, Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious, Like An Ever Flowing Stream & The Red In The Sky Is Ours aren’t exactly the sound you would expect, but they were certainly a sign of something incredible that was about to happen. The birth of Melodic Death Metal!

Most of you, them, us… Would agree that Melodic Death metal really appeared in the form of Carcass’s 1993 album Heartwork. Even though some shades of what would become staples of the genre were heard before, this one would truly be the first album to be called as such. Mixing OSDM with more classic heavy metal styled riffs & melodies, our beloved genre (along with Thrash) would become for a lot of our teenage selves, a gateway into the more extreme bowels of metal’s subgenres. I would argue that it’s an almost obligatory step in the grand metalhead’s journey. Ah, how amazing it was to first taste the somewhat delicate sound of melodeath before rattling our ears with the obscenities & nonsensical wankery of grindcore, brutal tech-death, dissonant death and post metal… Rrrrright.

As you have become accustomed to by now, I will attempt to honour the genre by listing the absolute best Melodic Death metal albums to be ever released throughout the years. And I will do so starting with a few albums that are arguably not Melodic Death metal… Because I can and I did, hah! F*ck you! Along the way, you might stumble upon some strange & unorthodox choices mixing a plethora of other genres as well and that’s ok. Truly. Take it easy, don’t hyperventilate over it and just go with the flow. The main goal here is to help people who don’t know much about melodeath discover it and where it came from. I also want to push forward some less known jewels amongst highly praised landmarks of the style and sprinkle a bit of my personality along the way because that’s always fun. The albums will be ordered in years of release and there will be no other restriction or specific rules.

I hope you have a blast going through my list and that it brings you joy and a slight tingle on your nostalgia strings. Though, if it pisses you off, if I forgot your absolute favourite album of all goddamn time or if you think I’m an idiot, well… Just remember that I’m right, always and forever, thank you. Regardless It will be a pleasure for me to hear your recommendations or discuss anything related to melodeath below. Cheers & have fun!

-Guib-

Note: Albums with a 🇨🇦 are from my country (Canada) and albums with a ★ are my personal favourites.

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Last Updated: April 8th, 2024

1.Entombed - Left Hand Path

2.Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious

3.Dismember - Like An Ever Flowing Stream

4.At The Gates - The Red In The Sky Is Ours

5.Carcass - Heartwork

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1.Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

2.Antimatter - Black Market Enlightenment

3.Amorphis - Queen Of Time

4.Hamferð - Támsins Likam

5.Riverside - Wasteland

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Ba'al - Ellipsism

2.Back To R'lyeh - The Awakening / Last Fight Of The Primordial

3.Bad Salad - Uncivilized

4.Bakos Attila - Aranyhajnal

5.Balance Of Power - Book Of Secrets

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1.Dimmu Borgir - Eonian

2.Pestilence - Hadeon

3.Mantar - The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze

4.Amorphis - Queen Of Time

5.Obscura - Diluvium

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Heavy, Doom, Black, Death, Thrash, Prog, Power...these are my favorite 100 albums of 2018... STAY METAL!!!

25 Honorable Mentions:

Mortuous - Through Wilderness
Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes the Witches Brew
Lychgate - The Contagion In Nine Steps
Wolfheart - Constellation Of The Black Light
Cosmic Church - Täyttymys

1.Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

2.Shylmagoghnar - Transience

3.Altars Of Grief - Iris

4.Horrendous - Idol

5.Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror

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The impossible task of choosing top 25 albums for this year... so many of them are not even on MS. But here they are, top 10 are kinda in order, the remaining 15 are not sorted by importance.

1.Amorphis - Queen Of Time

2.Primordial - Exile Amongst The Ruins

3.Behemoth - I Loved You At Your Darkest

4.Judas Priest - Firepower

5.Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog

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Since this is technically not a ranking, I've made this list alphabetical. These albums are all ones I am considering for Top 50 of the year and are worth your time.

1.Aboleth - Benthos

2.Aborted - TerrorVision

3.Æpoch - Awakening Inception

4.Agrimonia - Awaken

5.Alghazanth - Eight Coffin Nails

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1.Angra - ØMNI

2.Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages

3.Between The Buried And Me - Automata I

4.Borealis - The Offering

5.In Vain - Currents

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1.Elvellon - Until Dawn

2.Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos

3.Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages

4.Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

5.Seventh Wonder - Tiara

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I'm trying to find as many albums as I can this year, and I'm building the list day after day. It should end as a top list, but now it's under construction and I'm just tracking a couple of stuff. I'm not focusing on "good" records, but more on whatever strongly catches my attention.

(+) favorites
★ most played

1.Night Verses - From The Gallery Of Sleep

2.Cauldron - New Gods

3.Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

4.Messa - Feast For Water

5.OddZoo - Future Flesh

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1.Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages

2.Oceans Of Slumber - The Banished Heart

3.Judas Priest - Firepower

4.

5.

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1.Band-Maid - World Domination

2.Frozen Crown - The Fallen King

3.Judas Priest - Firepower

4.Thrawsunblat - Great Brunswick Forest

5.Parius - The Eldritch Realm

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In no order, music isn't enjoyed in that particular way to me.

1.Oceans Of Slumber - The Banished Heart

2.Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

3.Poem - Unique

4.Letters From The Colony - Vignette

5.Shining - X - Varg Utan Flock

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1.Fifth Quadrant - Vision

2.Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs

3.Sylvaine - Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone

4.Powerwolf - The Sacrament Of Sin

5.Bury Tomorrow - Black Flame

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Actually getting onto this year relatively early, let's see what it's got in store for us all.

1.Weedpecker - III

2.Amorphis - Queen Of Time

3.Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

4.Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It

5.Aviations - The Light Years

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