The Best Album by 11 Legendary Death Metal Bands

Here is the best album by 11 legendary death metal bands.

This extreme metal subgenre was endured four decades in the underground from where it was first launched in 1985 with the release of Possessed‘s Seven Churches.

Sure, it’s still the subject of debate whether or not that influential record, which bears a song titled “Death Metal,” or Death‘s 1987 debut Scream Bloody Gore was the first true death metal record. The key point of contention is generally around whether or not Seven Churches distances itself enough from thrash to be branded full-on death metal.

Defining which band was the first of any scene is often difficult, but it’s fodder for endless debate among fans.

READ MORE: The Five Best Death Metal Drummers, Chosen by Alan Cassidy (The Black Dahlia Murder)

And while death metal remains strong with the 2020s being a particularly exciting period for the style, our list here mostly focuses on the elder statesmen. Their own pioneering styles still largely define what it means to play death metal today. It’s a quality that has proven to be timeless and genuinely validates extreme music and the boundaries these early acts pushed.

Let’s not waste any more time on romantic sentiments about death metal. Check out the best album by some of the genre’s biggest names below.

Follow Loudwire’s ‘Early Death Metal’ playlist on Spotify, featuring over 175 songs.