Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, featuring double kick and blast beat techniques; minor keys or atonality; abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes; and chromatic chord progressions. The lyrical themes of death metal may include slasher film-style violence, political conflict, religion, nature, philosophy, and science fiction.
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson. Along with Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal, responsible for its development and popularization. Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections, and lyrical themes of death, war, politics, personal relationships and religion.
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo, and bassist and vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Slayer's final lineup comprised King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt. Drummer Jon Dette was also a member of the band.
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in December 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fourteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio or television exposure throughout its career, although a cult following began to build with the releases of their early albums, including Butchered at Birth (1991) and Tomb of the Mutilated (1992). As of 2015, they achieved worldwide sales of two million units for combined sales of all their albums, making them the top-selling death metal band of all time.
Bathory were a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Vällingby in March 1983. Named after Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, they are considered pioneers of black metal and Viking metal, and one of the most influential acts in heavy metal as a whole. Lords of Chaos described Bathory's first four albums as "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal." Acts influenced by their early records include Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Satyricon, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Enslaved, Marduk, Moonsorrow and Dimmu Borgir.
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression".
Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his family. As of early 2010, the band has sold over half a million albums. The band's style is known for combining nu metal sounds and qualities with ones heard in metalcore.
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn. Formed in 1983, the group was founded by then-bassist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek and guitarist Zbigniew "Vika" Wróblewski. Vader went through several lineup changes over the years, with Wiwczarek as the only constant member. Since 2011, the band has comprised Wiwczarek on guitars and vocals, guitarist Marek "Spider" Pająk, bassist Tomasz "Hal" Halicki, and British drummer James Stewart.
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. The band comprises vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy, guitarist Corey Beaulieu, bassist Paolo Gregoletto, and drummer Alex Bent.
Krzysztof Raczkowski, also known as Docent or Doc, was a Polish drummer, best known as a member of Polish death metal bands Vader (1988–2005) and Dies Irae. He also appeared as a guest or temporary musician in Sweet Noise, Hunter, Slashing Death, Unborn, Moon, and Overdub Trio.
Organic Hallucinosis is the fourth studio album by Polish death metal band Decapitated. The album was released on 7 February 2006 in the United States, on 13 February in Europe and on 22 February in Japan. The release was followed by European and North American tours.
Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered is the fourth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss in January 1996 and released on July 1 that year by Osmose Productions. It was re-released in digipak format with bonus tracks on June 27, 2006. Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered is the first Marduk album to feature Legion, formerly of Ophthalamia, on vocals and Peter Tägtgren as mixer. This album marked a shift in style for what Marduk are popularly known for; hyper-blast blast beats and furious drum work, sheer brutality over melody, and raw vocals.
Dies Irae was a Polish death metal band founded in 1992. Their early recordings were heavily inspired and influenced by Vader and Morbid Angel.
Immolated is the first album by the Polish death metal band Dies Irae released in 2000 by Metal Blade Records. A video was filmed for the track "Lion Of Knowledge".
Sculpture of Stone is the third album on a major record label by the Polish death metal band Dies Irae released in 2004.
De Profundis is the second album by the Polish death metal band Vader. The album was originally released in Poland by Croon Records and in the US by Pavement Music, but with no lyrics and a normal inner CD layout. It was re-released with a bonus track by Metal Mind Productions in 2003 with a cover of the Depeche Mode song "I Feel You". It was also re-released for Japan in 1997 by Avalon Records/Marquee Records with two bonus tracks.
Sanity Obscure is the second studio album by the American Christian thrash metal band Believer. It was initially released in 1990 on R.E.X. Records and later in 1991 on Roadrunner Records. Several mainstream magazines praised the album.
"Scream Aim Fire" is a song by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The first single from their second album, Scream Aim Fire, the song was released on the American iTunes store on 18 December 2007, and has also been released on the band's MySpace profile. Featured in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour and non-US versions of Guitar Hero Modern Hits, it is the band's highest charting single worldwide. It is also available as downloadable content in the video game Rock Band 3. A live version of the song recorded at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge show was included as a bonus track on deluxe editions of the band's 4th studio album Temper Temper.
Blood is an EP by the Polish death metal band Vader. It was released on September 22, 2003 in Europe via Metal Blade, and day after in Poland by Metal Mind. Japanese edition was released on October 22, 2003 by Avalon Marquee.
Mindless Mass is the third album of the Polish brutal death metal act Sphere. The LP was recorded in Sound Division studio, mixed, mastered and produced in Heinrich House, all supervised by Filip 'Heinricha' Hałucha, and released on CD by Deformeathing Production on 19 June 2015. Cover art is by Perversor.
