Metal Storm logo
Top 23 Progressive Death Metal Albums


I first got into progressive death metal when my friend bought Opeth's Ghost Reveries from HMV in London when we went to see Iron Maiden at Twickenham stadium in 2008. I borrowed the album to find out what the music was like and knew I'd heard something special. It took a lot of repeat listens to fully grasp what I was listening to, but it lead to discovering other amazing progressive death metal bands such as Edge of Sanity, Death and Cynic. Now, it has become one of my favourite subgenres.

So here are my favourites of the subgenre with my rating and release year:

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of progressive death metal, be sure to give this list a thumbs-up and leave a comment so more people can find these amazing bands!

My other lists:
Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 25 EPs (also ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
Top 200 Overrated Albums (trigger warning)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)

Created by: nonZero | 03.10.2024



1. Opeth - Blackwater Park
10/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2001
2. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
10/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1996
3. Opeth - Still Life
9.93/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1999
4. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
9.81/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2005
5. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson II
9.50/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2003
6. Death - Human
9.31/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1991
7. Death - Symbolic
9.17/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1995
8. In Vain - Ænigma
9.00/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2013
9. Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse
9.00/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1998
10. Cynic - Focus
9.00/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1993
11. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
9.00/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2024
12. Iotunn - Kinship
8.94/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2024
13. Opeth - Deliverance
8.90/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2002
14. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River
8.89/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2010
15. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
8.86/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2022
16. Vintersea - Illuminated
8.83/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2019
17. Wilderun - Veil Of Imagination
8.81/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2019
18. Pestilence - Testimony Of The Ancients
8.81/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1991
19. Opeth - Watershed
8.79/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2008
20. Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
8.61/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2005
21. Opeth - Morningrise
8.60/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 1996
22. Pressure Points - Remorses To Remember
8.57/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2010
23. Ayahuasca - Beneath The Mind
8.56/10 · Progressive Death Metal · 2018



Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by nonZero ]



Comments

‹‹ Back to Lists
Comments: 5   Visited by: 17 users
03.10.2024 - 11:52
nonZero
Are there any must-listens I'm missing here?

I've listened to From Mars to Sirius by Gojira, Individual Thought Patterns by Death and Purgatory Afterglow by Edge of Sanity - all fantastic albums but I didn't enjoy them quite enough to make this list.
----
Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)
Loading...
03.10.2024 - 13:15
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
Tricky category but here's a few that have caught my attention this year:

Blighted Eye - Agony's Bespoke

Vile Rites - Senescence

Piah Mater - Under The Shadow Of A Foreign Sun
Loading...
03.10.2024 - 14:02
nonZero
Written by AndyMetalFreak on 03.10.2024 at 13:15

Tricky category but here's a few that have caught my attention this year:

Blighted Eye - Agony's Bespoke

Vile Rites - Senescence

Piah Mater - Under The Shadow Of A Foreign Sun

Thanks! I haven't heard any of these so will give them a listen.
----
Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)
Loading...
21.11.2024 - 23:17
Ch'ti
Woe was released in 2022, not 2015.
Loading...
21.11.2024 - 23:23
nonZero
Written by Ch'ti on 21.11.2024 at 23:17

Woe was released in 2022, not 2015.

Corrected, thanks!
----
Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)
Loading...

Hits total: 217 | This month: 26