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.

- - - - - - - - - -

Last Updated: April 19th, 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

      View entire list ››

Almost all album titles fall in one of two categories: The album shares the title with one of its songs (the title track) or, alternatively, the album title is independent from the songs (no title track).

However, there are examples of songs that have a central link to the album title without sharing the same name. In these cases, certain lyrics from the song were chosen as the album title.

This (alphabetical) list shows the names of these “hidden title tracks” and the central lyrics that gave the name to the corresponding album.

Please feel free to suggest more of your favorite metal/hard rock examples of these “hidden title tracks”.

1.40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

2.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agalloch - The Mantle

5.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

      View entire list ››

1.Motörhead - Bastards

2.Carcass - Heartwork

3.Dissection - The Somberlain

4.Dio - Strange Highways

5.Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

      View entire list ››

This is a list of all the death metal albums I have listened to that I thought were at all worth remembering. Like my other genre lists, this is just a record of my own listening experience that I use for personal organization, not a definitive account of the best or all of the death metal out there; there will probably be albums or bands that are not death metal in the strictest sense. You'll find some OSDM, melodeath, tech death, death-doom, maybe a bit of deathcore, I don't know. Maybe some non-death metal albums by death metal bands that I put in here just because.

1.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

2.Death - Symbolic

3.At The Gates - With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness

4.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

5.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

      View entire list ››

1.Dark Tranquillity - Haven

2.Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done

3.Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

4.Dark Tranquillity - Projector

5.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

      View entire list ››

1.Dark Tranquillity - Character

2.Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done

3.Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

4.Dark Tranquillity - Projector

5.Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void

      View entire list ››

1.Dark Tranquillity - Character

2.Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

3.Dark Tranquillity - Haven

4.Dark Tranquillity - Projector

5.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

      View entire list ››

same as rym except this obviously limits to metal albums which might be interesting. ah well it just meant iron maiden are 2x more of the albums

1.Deep Purple - The Book Of Taliesyn

2.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

3.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

4.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

5.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Vol. 4

      View entire list ››

Albuns i own at the moment.

1.In Flames - The Jester Race

2.In Flames - Black Ash Inheritance

3.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

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

5.Dark Tranquillity - Skydancer

      View entire list ››

1.Adramelech - PsychoStasia

2.Armageddon - Crossing The Rubicon

3.Asphyx - Last One On Earth

4.At The Gates - Terminal Spirit Disease

5.Atheist - Piece Of Time

      View entire list ››

1.Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

2.Paradise Lost - Icon

3.My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

4.Metallica - Live Shit: Binge & Purge

5.Clawfinger - Deaf Dumb Blind

      View entire list ››

Tough year. A lot of amazing stuff.

1.Devil Doll - The Sacrilege Of Fatal Arms

2.Dissection - The Somberlain

3.Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

4.Cynic - Focus

5.Morbid Angel - Covenant

      View entire list ››

That's my list.

1.In Flames - The Jester Race

2.Dark Tranquillity - Skydancer

3.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

4.Therion - Vovin

5.Opeth - Morningrise

      View entire list ››

1.Dark Tranquillity - Character

2.Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

3.Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done

4.Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void

5.Dark Tranquillity - Haven

      View entire list ››

Some of albums that i remembered...

1.Death - Symbolic

2.Death - Individual Thought Patterns

3.Carcass - Reek Of Putrefaction

4.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

5.Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness

      View entire list ››