Melodic Death Metal

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Melodic death metal, also referred to as melodeath, combines elements from death metal with elements from thrash metal, more traditional heavy metal and even hard rock. A typical feature of melodic death metal is the use of Iron Maiden-like twin guitar harmonies, melodic guitar leads and inherently melodic upbeat thrash riffage, and the guitars are often downtuned to B; sometimes synths and electronica elements occur in melodic death metal, too. The vocals are typically growled, shrieked or screamed, but some artists combine these harsh vocals with clean singing. Swedish artists in and around the city of Gothenburg have been especially influential in melodic death metal, leading to the establishment of the Gothenburg sound which has also made its way into metalcore and, more recently, power metal and progressive metal. Here on MMA, metalcore artists who make use of the Gothenburg sound, such as Nothing Divine, are included under metalcore, and power metal artists that make us of the Gothenburg sound, such as Raintime and Amaranthe, are included under power metal, while progressive metal artists that make use of the Gothenburg sound, such as James Labrie, are included under progressive metal. Sometimes a division is made between “melodeath” as a genre term referring specifically to melodic death metal based on the Gothenburg sound and “melodic death metal” as a term referring to more traditional death metal which emphasizes melody, as in the case of Terra Tenebrae, Arkan, and late Bolt Thrower. Carcass’ “Heartwork” is considered to be among the first melodic death metal releases, while artists like At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Arch Enemy are among the most influential melodic death metal artists, and other examples are late Illdisposed, Deadlock, Amon Amarth, Omnium Gatherum, and Blood Stain Child.

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melodic death metal top albums

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EDGE OF SANITY Crimson Album Cover Crimson
EDGE OF SANITY
4.38 | 118 ratings
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DARK TRANQUILLITY The Gallery Album Cover The Gallery
DARK TRANQUILLITY
4.44 | 40 ratings
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CARCASS Heartwork Album Cover Heartwork
CARCASS
4.38 | 82 ratings
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AMORPHIS Tales From the Thousand Lakes Album Cover Tales From the Thousand Lakes
AMORPHIS
4.31 | 74 ratings
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INSOMNIUM Heart Like A Grave Album Cover Heart Like A Grave
INSOMNIUM
4.48 | 11 ratings
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CARCASS Torn Arteries Album Cover Torn Arteries
CARCASS
4.34 | 20 ratings
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INSOMNIUM Winter's Gate Album Cover Winter's Gate
INSOMNIUM
4.36 | 14 ratings
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AT THE GATES Slaughter of the Soul Album Cover Slaughter of the Soul
AT THE GATES
4.18 | 42 ratings
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IN FLAMES Colony Album Cover Colony
IN FLAMES
4.17 | 46 ratings
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DISILLUSION Back to Times of Splendor Album Cover Back to Times of Splendor
DISILLUSION
4.24 | 19 ratings
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CORMORANT Metazoa Album Cover Metazoa
CORMORANT
4.39 | 9 ratings
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INSOMNIUM One For Sorrow Album Cover One For Sorrow
INSOMNIUM
4.23 | 20 ratings
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melodic death metal Music Reviews

DESULTORY Bitterness

Album · 1994 · Melodic Death Metal
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UMUR
"Bitterness" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Desultory. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in June 1994 (the second album in a three album deal with the label). It´s the successor to "Into Eternity" from 1993.

Stylistically the material on "Bitterness" continue the melodic old school Swedish death metal style of "Into Eternity (1993)", but Desultory have not stagnated and released a clone of their debut album by any means. They have instead embraced a little of the death´n´roll tendencies of other contemporary Scandinavian artists/releases (artists like Furbowl, Cemetary, and Sentenced), although they don´t go overboard with those elements on this release. Let´s call it a spice on "Bitterness". Lead vocalist/guitarist Klas Morberg has changed his singing style quite a bit from his earlier aggressive growling to a shouting semi-growling vocal style (not completely different from the vocal style of Johan Liiva of Arch Enemy/Furbowl/Hearse). He changes his vocals a bit during the album though, and he has a more growling type vocal delivery on some tracks and the before mentioned shouting type delivery on other tracks. The foundation of the tracks are heavy riffs, soaring melodic leads and solos, a tight and organic sounding rhythm section, and the above mentioned vocals. While every member of the band contributes greatly to the sound of the album, it´s the many melodic leads, harmonies, and solos which to my ears stand out the most. The well composed and intriguing guitar melodies, should not only appeal to fans of melodic tinged death metal but also fans of traditional heavy metal/heavy rock.

"Bitterness" features a powerful, heavy, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. Desultory are also a very well playing band, and upon conclusion "Bitterness" is through and through a high quality death metal release. While "Into Eternity (1993)" certainly is a very strong album too, I still think "Bitterness" is just a notch more interesting, which is in large part due to it being more varied. I enjoy how they manage to incorporate traditional heavy metal/heavy rock and hard rock elements to their sound, but the outcome is still brutal and heavy enough to the called death metal. Or maybe the right description would be that they hit the right balance between their death metal roots and the new influences. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

INSOMNIUM Shadows of the Dying Sun

Album · 2014 · Melodic Death Metal
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Kev Rowland
Finnish band Insomnium are often described as melodic death metal, yet they also bring in atmospheric elements of black metal and so many other elements on this album that I would not be surprised to see them categorised prog metal as well. Released in 2014, here is a band who have had huge stability in line-up with Niilo Sevänen (bass, vocals), Ville Friman (guitars, clean vocals) both founders, drummer Markus Hirvonen joining not long afterwards in 1997, and guitarist Markus Vanhala joining in 2011. In fact, the only change in their line-up since this album is the addition of Jani Liimatainen in 2019, so still incredibly consistent, and since this was released there have been another three albums, of which one was 2019’s ‘Heart Like A Grave’ which I rated very highly indeed.

Long-time guest Aleksi Munter provides keyboards on this album, while backing singer and producer Teemu Aalto made his first appearance with the band (also appearing on the next two releases), together providing additional cleanliness and polish. The result is something which can be brutally heavy, yet there may also be acoustic guitars, the keyboards provide a backdrop and while there are times when we are full-on death it is always wonderfully melodic. The contrast between the brutality and the polish is what makes this such a dynamic release, full of dark and light so one never knows where it is going to lead. They walk a tight line between having too much of one or the other, ensuring the two sides bounce off each other, and at times there is a brooding melancholy with a cold atmosphere permeating the overall sound. Anyone seeing the term “death metal” may be surprised at just how commercial and melodic this album is, and there is much in here for those who may not normally investigate music from that genre. I have previously compared them to Borknagar, and I hear that in this release as well, which is still a delight nearly ten years on from its release.

EDGE OF SANITY Crimson

Album · 1996 · Melodic Death Metal
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SilentScream213
A single 40-minute track, that manages to weave through almost every style Edge of Sanity has toyed with thus far. Primarily there is Melodeath and Prog Metal, but also OSDM, Gothic Metal, some Doomy parts, of course acoustics and cleans… It’s the full package. It contains a sprawling concept story about the end of mankind revolving around the inability to breed and a god-born crimson queen who provides the last hope for mankind’s preservation. This is one of those tracks that is wildly entertaining to follow along to, as the lyrics provide a visual spectacle of dark suspense, befitting the music.

But of course, on to the music itself. Crimson strikes the perfect balance between including recurring motifs and jam-packing the thing with as many apocalyptic riffs as possible. The song just never gets boring. It paces itself wonderfully, the infrequent but always pleasant soft sections giving reprieve after many minutes of unrelenting Metal, and the pummeling sections of aggressive speed checked by slower dirges. Every member is in top form.

As far as concept albums go, it’s up there with the best. As far as single track albums go, it’s also up there with the best. Plainly speaking, a legendary moment of Progressive Melodeath that most Extreme Metal epics are now compared to.

SOILWORK Övergivenheten

Album · 2022 · Melodic Death Metal
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UMUR
"Övergivenheten" is the twelfth full-length studio album by Swedish melodic death metal act Soilwork. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in August 2022. It´s the successor to "Verkligheten" from 2019 although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 2020 "A Whisp of the Atlantic" EP. There´s been one lineup change since "Verkligheten" (2019) as bassist Taylor Nordberg has been replaced by Rasmus Ehrnborn (guitarist David Andersson recorded the bass on "A Whisp of the Atlantic" (2020).

If anyone had hopes that the progressive songwriting of "A Whisp of the Atlantic" (2020) would be continued on "Övergivenheten", they will be left disappointed (although closing track "On the Wings of a Goddess Through Flaming Sheets of Rain" does feature a slightly more adventurous songwriting approach than the remaining tracks on the album). Instead Soilwork have opted for the most melodic, accessible, and at times even mainstream oritented songwriting of their career. Of course there are still elements of death metal here and there, and lead vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid can still scream out his lungs and occassionally deliver a death metal growl, but he sings a lot of clean vocals here, and arguably a few more than usual. It´s not so much the vocal part of the music which has changed though, but more the overall songwriting approach. Sometimes to a point where it sounds like Soilwork are in the process of preparing to enter the Eurovision contest. That´s how catchy, melodic, and polished some of these tracks are. It´s sometimes to a point where it´s sounds like it´s leftover material written for Strid and Andersson´s AOR rock band The Night Flight Orchestra, put through the melodic death metal grinder.

Any Soilwork album deserves to be listened to and only judged after several listens, because they are usually deceivingly accessible and polished, but underneath that polish there are layers of sophisticated harmonies, melodies, choir arrangements, and just a generally high level songwriting approach. "Övergivenheten" is no different from it´s direct predecessors in that respect. Soilwork have maybe gone a little too much overboard with the glitter and polish on this one, considering that two of them already have The Night Flight Orchestra to explore more accessible and melodic musical territories, and I do miss a little more raw power and aggression, but on the other hand it´s impossible not to be floored by how catchy these songs are.

"Övergivenheten" features a well sounding production job, although my ears don´t always agree with the drum production. It´s a purely subjective observation though, and nothing which affects my rating too much. The musicianship is on a high level on all posts and if you think you can enjoy and album´s worth of the most accessible and mainstream oriented version of Soilwork, "Övergivenheten" will give you just that in a high quality fashion. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

HYPOCRISY Worship

Album · 2021 · Melodic Death Metal
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Kev Rowland
It is hard to believe that Peter Tägtgren (guitar, vocals), Mikael Hedlund (bass) and Reidar “Horgh” Horghagen (drums), came back together in 2021 to record their first new album in eight years. Horgh has since left the band he has been in since 2004, but one cannot see Tägtgren stopping work on the band he founded all the way back in 1992, 30 years ago. He famously returned to Sweden after living in the States for a while, with a very different view on death metal, releasing the debut album they same year he formed the band and they have been active in both touring and recording ever since, with the current eight-year gap being the longest between any of their albums.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their following, many people have been raving over the latest release from the melodic death metal merchants, conveniently overlooking one minor fact, it’s not very good. Sure, the playing is top notch as one would expect given those involved (I mean, Horgh joined Immortal all the way back in 1996), but the material just is not there. In some ways it feels like they are going through the motions and I soon found I was wondering how much longer it had to go which is never a good thing when playing an album. Fans will probably get a lot out of this, but for me there is just not enough vitality and variation to make this indispensable.

melodic death metal movie reviews

AMON AMARTH Wrath of the Norsemen

Movie · 2006 · Melodic Death Metal
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Kingcrimsonprog
Talk about value for money, from a band like Amon Amarth you wouldn’t expect them to be able to afford such a crazily generous and in depth DVD package when some of the bigger bands can’t afford anything even half this good.

The Set comes in a glorious 3 DVD digipak with detailed artwork, a full booklet and an awesome little viking crown that keeps it closed. Then you get Five full concerts (with 22, 16,13, 11 and 9 tracks respectively) and a documentary.

The main feature; a 22 track concert from Cologne in 2005 is an incredible affair with crystal clear sound, Huge guitar tones, amazingly heavy drums and nice clunky bass. The camera work is of a higher quality than even some of the biggest metal bands’ DVDs and again the sound is immense.

Then theres the performance, the band are absolutely electric delivering furious renditions of material from all eras a their career from the massive ‘Amon Amarth,’ and ‘Fate of Norns,’ to catchy closer ‘Death In Fire,’ and the crowd just lap it up.

Vocalist Johan Hegg absolutely commands the stage, engaging the crowd at every opportunity and singing his heart out while the band hammer through their classics like ‘heavy,’ is going out of style.

On top of all that you have a great light show, huge Amon Amath banners, more pyro than a kiss concert and an interlude with about thirty Viking reenactors sword fighting on stage! That feature is worth the money alone, the show is probably one of the best metal concerts on the market and I can’t stress how good the sound and picture are; then on top of all that you get the rest of the set, featuring virtually ever Amon Amarth song ever written, and performances from ‘Waken Open Air festival,’ ‘Summer Breeze Festival,’ and two more indoor concerts in Europe.

If you like Amon Amarth Buy this right now. If you don’t, you will within thirty seconds of watching this.

Artists with Melodic Death Metal release(s)

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