Origins — The Mid 1980s
Death metal emerged in the mid 1980s as an extreme evolution of thrash metal. Bands in Florida and California began pushing speed, heaviness and lyrical darkness to their absolute limits. Chuck Schuldiner of Death is widely regarded as the father of the genre, with his band's 1987 debut Scream Bloody Gore establishing the sonic template that hundreds of bands would follow. Alongside Death, Florida bands Morbid Angel, Obituary and Deicide helped establish the Sunshine State as the undisputed capital of death metal.
The Florida Scene
The Florida death metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s was one of the most concentrated periods of creative intensity in heavy metal history. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death and Malevolent Creation were all recording landmark albums within a few years of each other, defining the sound and aesthetic of the genre. The Morrisound Recording studio in Tampa became the most important studio in heavy metal, producing the vast majority of classic Florida death metal records.
Technical and Melodic Branches
As the genre matured through the 1990s it began to branch into distinct subgenres. Technical death metal, pioneered by Suffocation, Cryptopsy and later Necrophagist, pushed musical complexity to its limits. Melodic death metal, developed primarily in Gothenburg Sweden by bands like At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, blended death metal aggression with melodic guitar harmonies and more accessible song structures. Both branches produced some of the most celebrated albums in extreme metal history.
Death Metal Today
Death metal remains one of the most active and creative genres in heavy metal. The Australian scene has produced world class death metal acts including Psycroptic and Ouroboros. The genre continues to evolve with bands like Gorguts, Portal and Blood Incantation pushing experimental boundaries while classic bands like Morbid Angel and Suffocation continue to tour and record.
Key Bands
Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Deicide, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Gojira, Edge Of Sanity, Bolt Thrower