Furious Blasting Death Metal
This list is dedicated to the most furious and fiery form of death metal, what I personally refer to as "blasting fury". This form is characterized by a few things: generally a clear production, but not overly polished, fast pacing, with some mid-paced sections, but not slams; generally the "breakdowns" are more akin to Morbid Angel's slower parts. Drums that cut through the mix, and focus very heavily on blast beats coupled with searing double bass, combing the two for a lot of double footed blasts. Doom beats or even thrash skank beats are generally uncommon.
Guitars are generally lower tuned, but not obscenely so. D or C tuning is most often employed. The riffing and structures are usually quite varied, but not so abrupt as something like Incantation, and while the melodies do generally make use of a fair amount of dissonance, it isn't nearly as angular as Immolation (usually). Lyrical themes of war, hatred, Satanism, and apocalypse are common, gore and rape are rare in the aesthetics thereof. Vocals are not usually grunts or gurgles, but more often a powerful roar exemplified by Erik Rutan or Steven Tucker.
While generally difficult to master instrumentally, the technicality is not the focus at all, and tech death bands are definitely eschewed here. No Hour of Penance, no Brain Drill, for despite the speed of the music, it doesn't fit my criteria. Also, while some of this genre may cross into brutal death metal territory, most BDM does not fit in here. Orchidectomy and Brodequin may be more brutal, but again, not what I'm defining.
As far as I can tell, the sub-genre of a sub-genre came about in the mid-late 90s in the form of bands like Centurian, Hate Eternal, and Krisiun. Most influence seemed to derive (in my eyes) from Deicide, Morbid Angel, Nile (though not generally as technical), even Angelcorpse (though certainly not nearly as "black"). |
| 1 |  | Hate Eternal
King of All Kings
2002: Probably the most obvious choice here. Sonic Floridian annihilation, Hate Eternal blast at speeds well in excess of 300 bpm and Rutan's chording and riffing is beyond compare. |
| 2 |  | Krisiun
Conquerors of Armageddon
2000: Krisiun was formed in 1990 and took off in the later part of the decade. Their staccato, machine gun riffage and high velocity music made them a staple in any death metal fan's library. |
| 3 |  | Fleshtized
Here Among Thorns
2001: Fleshtized were a brilliant band from Alabama formed in 1996 who sadly released only one full-length in 2001 titled Here Among Thorns. |
| 4 |  | Chaos Inception
The Abrogation
2012: More or less formed from the ashes of Fleshtized, Chaos Inception expound on their Hate Eternal-esque formula by significantly ramping up the speed, technicality, and song writing capabilities. They recently released what I consider to be their magnum opus The Abrogation in 2012. The song structures are extremely varied, the riffs vorpal sharp, the drums a thousand cannons booming at once. The guitars pour over you like a constant wave of fire and blood, intricate leads ceaselessly swirling around you. And check out that gorgeous Paolo Girardi painting for the cover! |
| 5 |  | Rebaelliun
Annihilation
2001: One of the most ferocious bands in Brazil (quite a claim to fame) is Rebaelliun. These South American monsters have 2 full lengths, Annihilation and Burn the Promised Land, and have a third one, The Hell's Decrees on the way! It's been a decade and a half since their last album, and they're certainly matured in all the right ways. |
| 6 |  | Centurian
Liber Zar Zax
2001: Satanic Dutch hatred from Centurian!! Members of Severe Torture, Pyaemia, Prostitute Disfigurement, and others populate this classic band. To me, the early works of Choronzonic Chaos Gods sounds like a more angry early-Deicide, but the later works fit much more into the style this list is based on. |
| 7 |  | Nox
Ixaxaar
2007: Centurian and Nox danced around each other with names, as they were basically the same band, they simply changed their moniker a couple times to fit what style they were playing. Nox takes the seething hatred of Centurian and cleans it up a little bit and throws in some Hate Eternal influence. |
| 8 |  | Ogotay
Dead God's Prophet
2015: Ogotay is our first Polish entry on this list!! Perhaps one of the youngest bands, being formed in 2011, this band features members of Yattering and Fulcrum and plays tight as fuck death metal with a focus on tribal imagery. |
| 9 |  | Internecine
The Book of Lambs
2002: Internecine was the brain-child of Hate Eternal bassist Jared Anderson. He did guitar, bass, and vocals on the full-length, but also had a team of stellar musicians helping him out. Erik Rutan did lead guitars, and drums were handled by Derek Roddy and Tony Laureano. |
| 10 |  | Ophiolatry
Anti-Evangelistic Process
2002: Ophiolatry is yet another Brazilian band that has an insatiable craving for speed. Tight, brutal riffing and drumming paired together here in great amounts. |
| 11 |  | Destroying Divinity
Hollow Dominion
2014: Named after a Monstrosity song, Destroying Divinity hail from the Czech Republic and excel at playing very quick, dissonant death metal. They do prescribe to the style this list is all about, but add in a fair amount of Immolation influence as well. |
| 12 |  | Horned God
Chaos, Bringer of All Revelations
2003: Yet another Brazilian band, Horned God have two full-lengths, the latest released in 2003, having broken up 5 years after that. Death metal along the razor's edge! |
| 13 |  | Gortal
Deamonolith
2012: Gortal are another Polish artillery unit, shredding and smashing death metal all across the globe. The best way I've heard them described is a Polish Krisiun, and that's not too far off. |
| 14 |  | Nephasth
Conceived by Inhuman Blood
2004: "Hellfire from Brazil" is perhaps the best way to describe Nephasth. Another band that has sadly split up, over a decade ago now, these sickos have two full-lengths, Immortal Unholy Triumph, and Conceived by Inhuman Blood, in 2001 and 2004 respectively. |
| 15 |  | Impiety
Ravage & Conquer
2012: Impiety is probably the band on this list that I hesitate most to put on here. Their black metal tendencies do make them an oddball perhaps. But their music is such an unholy and excellent amalgamation of Angelcorpse and Morbid Angel that the fury they produce belongs here. The black metal influence is just enough to ramp up the hatred and velocity, and both those bands are massive influences on this niche genre. Voacally, they might not fit in, but musically...this is where they belong. |
| 16 |  | Abhorrence
Evoking The Abomination
2000: Evoking the Abomination is absolutely one of the most warlike albums to come out of Brazil, maybe even the entire world. Abhorrence create an atmosphere that feels like Luciferian legions overrunning the planet with massive, hellforged armaments, cannons that shoot flaming corpses at the speed of sound. These fucks wage unholy war like no other. |
| 17 |  | Pyorrhoea
Desire for Torment
2004: This list is not favorable towards grind. As a matter of fact, I cannot stand grind. The punk influence and vocals are trash. This is 100% a death metal list, and despite the sometimes high velocity blasting of grindcore, that's not what this is about. However, Poland's Pyorrhoea incorporate juuuuuust enough grind influence to give their already destructive death metal formula a boost into the absurdly heavy!! One of the most underrated Polish bands, sadly. |
| 18 |  | Myrkskog
Superior Massacre
2002: Norway's token hyperblast death metal band is Myrkskog, which really doesn't sound like a death metal name at all, but trust me when I say this album is brutal! This is firmly within the boundaries of the blasting fury style and constantly flirts with the BDM line. This band also features Destructhor, later of Morbid Angel fame. |
| 19 |  | Ravager
Storm Of Sin
2002: Ravager hail from Mexico, making them a bit of a stand-out here, but don't be fooled, their style is 100% in line with the other bands here! Unadulterated, killer fucking lightning speed death metal. |
| 20 |  | Heaving Earth
Denouncing the Holy Throne
2015: Another fiery band from the Czech Republic, Heaving Earth share more than a homeland with Destroying Divinity. They both are signed to Lavadome Productions, they both are named after songs from classic Floridian bands (Destroying Divinity is a Monstrosity song, Heaving Earth is a Morbid Angel song), and they both play gigantic, blast furnace death metal. |
| 21 |  | Mastabah
Quintessence of Evil
2010: Yet another group of Polish death fiends, Mastabah are dedicated to crafting lightspeed death metal with no frills and no compromises. Their 2007 EP Purity is an impressive display of this style. |
| 22 |  | Laconist
Aural Deathblow
2011: Another Brazilian band, Laconist excels in torturous blasphemies, where one can easily visualize missionaries in the 17th century being cooked alive as an offering to some heathen jungle god. |
| 23 |  | Magnanimus
Storms of Chaotic Revelations
2006: Finally, a different country!! Magnanimus hail from Chile (well, must be something South American) and they sure crank up the intensity. The music is aurally jarring, dissonant and shifting, all while blasting at bullet speed with the focus of a laser. |
| 24 |  | Dies Irae
Immolated
2000: One more Polish band!! Dies Irae are a Polish treasure, one of the torch bearers of crushing death metal in that country. Outside the country, they're a bit of a hidden gem. Don't skip this! If anything, go with the 2000 debut full length, Immolated! |
| 25 |  | Totten Korps
Supreme Commanders of Darkness
2015: Totten Korps from Chile's latest album, released in 2015, is titled Supreme Commanders of Darkness, and if that doesn't give you everything you need to know, there's nothing I can do for you. |
| 26 |  | The Ordher
Kill The Betrayers
2009: Tight, machine gun riffage abound in one last Brazilian band, The Ordher! Featuring Fabianno from Rebaelliun, this is not a band to be forgotten at all! |
| 27 |  | Vital Remains
Dechristianize
2003: Whaaaa?! Another big name band?! I was hesitant to add Vital Remains because some of their music doesn't fit this. Let us Pray is WAAAAAAAY outside this sound. But listen to "Infidel" off of Dechristianize and tell me that doesn't fit this description perfectly! |
| 28 |  | Nephren-Ka
The Fall of Omnius
2013: OK, I guess I lied about Gurkkhas; there is another French band that fits this style very well, though their approach is perhaps a bit more modern. Nephren-Ka is a sci-fi themed band, specifically "Dune", and that fits the blistering music surprisingly well. |
| 29 |  | Orategod
Fall Slowly Until the Hell Abyss
2004: Orategod are another Chilean band that have been honing their craft of vorpal sharp death metal for over 2 decades now. |
| 30 | | Havok
Blessing the Flames with Sacrosanct Blood
2011: Havok recently changed their name to Havok 666, although the logo and everything remains the same. I'm assuming they did it to avoid be confused with that godawful, generic 46th wave trend thrash band everyone seems to like so much. These guys are yet another Brazilian band, and play in the furious style we all know and love! |
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