Your top melodeath albums?

[Tree]

Okay, this really shouldn't even be a discussion I wasn't trying to say that they are different sub-sub genres. I just use the two monikers to categorize bands in my head. Like if I'm in the mood for something more riff-y I'm not going to want to listen to most modern MDM bands that just sound like a watered down 90's In Flames with a radio rock chorus.

Realistically most bands don't ever fit snuggly into a single sub genre IMO. It's usually some amalgamation of different forms of metal IE: Melodic Death Metal/Thrash/etc. DevilDriver for instance (depending on the album) I'd say is something along the lines of Groove/Melodic Death Metal.

TLDR: I'm a moron that likes to have self imposed, arbitrary sub divisions of things like this. It's helpful when, like me, you're a picky bastard that wants to find new music that's akin to band/artist X, but the main genre is too wide in scope. It's like including better keywords in your Google search because searching for "Men's shoes" isn't going to find you the exact pair you want as quickly as "Men's wingtip dress shoe" for example.

 

[gunshow86de]

Let's muddy the waters a bit more... is this melodeath? It's very good either way (start with track 2, first track is more straight ahead deathmetal).

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Ahhhh this takes me back. I don't listen to DT much anymore but they were the soundtrack of my first summer as an "adult" living on my own at 20.

Slaughter of the Soul is a top 10 album overall forever.

 

[bostjan]

I know I'm unoriginal, but the thread title makes me think of Wages of Sin. To my ears, it's the perfect balance; just the right amount of melo and just the right amount of death. YMMV. Even other Arch Enemy albums leaned more one way or the other.

 

[TheBolivianSniper]

You consider AYDY to be a melodic death metal album? It's got melodies for sure, but I don't hear anything death metal about it. I'd say Bodom as a whole has two albums I'd consider "melodeath" (Something Wild/Hatebreeder)

I wouldn't say it's like super death vibes but it feels like a natural evolution of the whole "riffy Iron Maiden" thing they used to do. Maybe I'm giving too much credit to Alexi's voice being heavy as shit and really liking chuggy low string music but it definitely hits those vibes. I'll listen to things like Jotun and Bullet Ride and be pretty happy dropping AYDY in the middle. This is 100% my opinion though, since it's kind of weird what the band started turning into around that time even if all that material kicks ass.

Boom After Midnight is much more the fusion of the shred sound with death than that material though, Paint the Sky With Blood is fucking nasty on a new level.

 

[Adieu]

Common misconception. That's what I always thought, but apparently they are indeed different subgenres. It's weird though because they sound like they'd be the same thing.

So...melodeath is when they ain't really metal?

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Common misconception. That's what I always thought, but apparently they are indeed different subgenres. It's weird though because they sound like they'd be the same thing.

Melodic Death Metal is a very vague term. Many of its biggest bands don’t have a lot in common but are still lumped under the same title. The alternative is to say COB are a blackened 80s inspired neoclassical thrash death metal band while In flames isn’t half of those styles.

Albums not already said:
Soilwork - Figure Number Five
Norther - Mirror of Madness
At the Gates - At war with reality

People usually mention different albums by these bands but these have always been my favourite in their discography

 

[p0ke]

I'd say Bodom as a whole has two albums I'd consider "melodeath" (Something Wild/Hatebreeder)

I'd say Follow the Reaper is also melodeath, but the rest not so much. There's the odd song here and there that might qualify of course.

Regarding AYDY, I'd rather categorize it as melothrash (if that's even a thing) even though that isn't accurate throughout either. HCDR is definitely melothrash though.

 

[ChrisRushing]

I skimmed the comments and didn't see it listed........
Eucharist-Mirror Worlds is a great one that doesn't get a lot of attention.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Melodic Death Metal is a very vague term. Many of its biggest bands don’t have a lot in common but are still lumped under the same title. The alternative is to say COB are a blackened 80s inspired neoclassical thrash death metal band while In flames isn’t half of those styles.

Albums not already said:
Soilwork - Figure Number Five
Norther - Mirror of Madness
At the Gates - At war with reality

People usually mention different albums by these bands but these have always been my favourite in their discography

Mirror of Madness should have been on my list!

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

Insomnium - Above the Weeping World

TBDM - Unhallowed

In Flames - Colony

Gotta be some of my top favorites. There's others for sure, but just off the top of my head...yea.

 

[p0ke]

Mirror of Madness should have been on my list!

I chose Death Unlimited myself, but originally I liked Mirror of Madness a lot more and only got into DU after they'd disbanded. Both great albums for sure, the only problem I have with MoM is that Blackhearted and Betrayed both basically start with the same riff

 

[JimF]

The production (and possibly vocals depending on your tastes) take a bit of getting used to, but there's some gems in here:



Props for the mention of Intestine Baalism! Extremely underrated band. I love how they are death metal, then they are melodic. No mixing!

 

[KailM]

At The Gates owns the genre. All of their albums. They’ve always kept the death in their sound, whereas most of the other Gothenburg bands just kept going more melodic to the point of becoming metalcore.

Jester Race and Whoracle are right up there too, perhaps equal. Colony, not quite, but still damn good. In Flames went downhill after Colony; slowly at first, but then picking up momentum, lol.

Honorable mention to TBDM’s Nocturnal— but I don’t really put that in the same category of metal.

Early Wintersun is awesome but I’ve always considered that to be different from melodeath— more folk/black metal influenced.

Of course that’s just my opinion.

 

[JimF]

Jester Race and Whoracle are right up there too, perhaps equal. Colony, not quite, but still damn good. In Flames went downhill after Colony; slowly at first, but then picking up momentum, lol.

Good to see someone else with the same opinion as me, i.e. the correct one!

 

[Roadsterjosh]

At the Gates - Terminal Spirit disease

This was the first melodic death record I heard, and it blew my young mind. I have been listening and playing the genre ever since.

 

[ADADAD]

Most of them covered by now, except this one

 

[BabUShka]

Not sure if this qualities as melodic DM, but Ive been really enjoying Sylosis lately.

Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress has also been played a lot recent 10 years.

Avatar - Avatar (song My Shining Star has some In Flames vibes) is also a great album. I discovered them when they were opening for In Flames some years ago. Great concert, two fantastic live bands.

 

[TheBolivianSniper]

Both the Parasite Inc. albums are amazing and great examples of newer COB style melodeath

 

[Metaldestroyerdennis]

I wonder if anyone here can guess mine. A real mystery.