Hey Folks! It’s me… Again!

I’m coming back once more to explore the depths of a genre that arguably did not begin where you all thought it did! Yeah yeah… Alright, maybe Left Hand Path, Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious, Like An Ever Flowing Stream & The Red In The Sky Is Ours aren’t exactly the sound you would expect, but they were certainly a sign of something incredible that was about to happen. The birth of Melodic Death Metal!

Most of you, them, us… Would agree that Melodic Death metal really appeared in the form of Carcass’s 1993 album Heartwork. Even though some shades of what would become staples of the genre were heard before, this one would truly be the first album to be called as such. Mixing OSDM with more classic heavy metal styled riffs & melodies, our beloved genre (along with Thrash) would become for a lot of our teenage selves, a gateway into the more extreme bowels of metal’s subgenres. I would argue that it’s an almost obligatory step in the grand metalhead’s journey. Ah, how amazing it was to first taste the somewhat delicate sound of melodeath before rattling our ears with the obscenities & nonsensical wankery of grindcore, brutal tech-death, dissonant death and post metal… Rrrrright.

As you have become accustomed to by now, I will attempt to honour the genre by listing the absolute best Melodic Death metal albums to be ever released throughout the years. And I will do so starting with a few albums that are arguably not Melodic Death metal… Because I can and I did, hah! F*ck you! Along the way, you might stumble upon some strange & unorthodox choices mixing a plethora of other genres as well and that’s ok. Truly. Take it easy, don’t hyperventilate over it and just go with the flow. The main goal here is to help people who don’t know much about melodeath discover it and where it came from. I also want to push forward some less known jewels amongst highly praised landmarks of the style and sprinkle a bit of my personality along the way because that’s always fun. The albums will be ordered in years of release and there will be no other restriction or specific rules.

I hope you have a blast going through my list and that it brings you joy and a slight tingle on your nostalgia strings. Though, if it pisses you off, if I forgot your absolute favourite album of all goddamn time or if you think I’m an idiot, well… Just remember that I’m right, always and forever, thank you. Regardless It will be a pleasure for me to hear your recommendations or discuss anything related to melodeath below. Cheers & have fun!

-Guib-

Note: Albums with a 🇨🇦 are from my country (Canada) and albums with a ★ are my personal favourites.

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Last Updated: April 27th, 2024

1.Entombed - Left Hand Path

2.Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious

3.Dismember - Like An Ever Flowing Stream

4.At The Gates - The Red In The Sky Is Ours

5.Carcass - Heartwork

      View entire list ››

1.Crystal Coffin - The Curse Of Immortality

2.Exulansis - Overtures Of Uprising

3.Ne Obliviscaris - Exul

4.Blackbraid - Blackbraid II

5.Frozen Dawn - The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods

      View entire list ››

Not totally clean, and I had to cut some categories to stay in the 1000 lines limit.

1.

2.Avatar - Dance Devil Dance

3.Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A Dream...

4.Code Orange - The Above

5.Death Dealer Union - Initiation

      View entire list ››

I've always been a fan of melodic death metal, having listened to bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates in my first few years of getting into metal around 2005-2008. Now, thanks to MS, I've gotten into many more amazing bands such as Wintersun, Insomnium and Scar Symmetry and it has become one of my favourite sub-genres.

So here are my favourites of the genre with my rating, its sub-genre and release year:

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of melodic death metal, be sure to give this list a thumbs-up and leave a comment so more people can find these amazing bands!

My other lists:
Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 25 EPs (also ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
Top 200 Overrated Albums (trigger warning)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)

1.Wintersun - Time I

2.Wintersun - Wintersun

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

5.The Haunted - The Haunted Made Me Do It

      View entire list ››

This is my ranking of all 2023 albums I heard. I'll update it every time I listen to a new 2023 album.

1.Shylmagoghnar - Convergence

2.Haken - Fauna

3.Lokust - Infidel

4.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

5.Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags

      View entire list ››

This is my top albums (only with those where I gave 8 or more). I will update the list now and then

1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

2.Opeth - Ghost Reveries

3.Slipknot - Iowa

4.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

5.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

      View entire list ››

Nazgoth's Top 10 metal albums of 2023.

Notes:
- not your typical metalstorm Top 10
- if you don't like NWOTHM, you might want to ignore this list

1.Thriller - Street Metal

2.Roadwolf - Midnight Lightning

3.Frenzy - Of Hoods And Masks

4.Chromeskull - Screaming To The World

5.Air Raid - Fatal Encounter

      View entire list ››

I do like last year, from my each monthly lists I rank best 5 albums here from best to worst.
It maybe was most hardest to fix, but somehow I well it feels like this atm.

1.Ablaze My Sorrow - The Loss Of All Hope

2.Cultus Sanguine - Dust Once Alive

3.Númenor - Tales From The Edge Of Time

4.Varathron - The Crimson Temple

5.Edenfall - To Gaze Longer At The Earth

      View entire list ››

1.Dødheimsgard - Black Medium Current

2.Kauan - ATM Revised

3.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

4.Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle

5.Fires In The Distance - Air Not Meant For Us

      View entire list ››

Pretty average year, with really spare releases for me.

Plus since Epic Games, before won against Google on trail, has sold Bandcamp (wich was bought only to disturb Google during thier trail) to Songtradr (a music licensing platform), wich has cut off half of the stuff just after acquisition, so i feel bad for artists and workers. Pretty sad times for indie music...

1.Blaze Of Sorrow - Vultus Fati

2.Shores Of Null - The Loss Of Beauty

3.Overkill - Scorched

4.Kalmah - Kalmah

5.Burden Of Grief - Destination Dystopia

      View entire list ››

1.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

2.Bodyfarm - Ultimate Abomination

3.Vomitory - All Heads Are Gonna Roll

4.The Arcane Order - Distortions From Cosmogony

5.Immortal - War Against All

      View entire list ››

1.Shylmagoghnar - Convergence

2.Sacred Outcry - Towers Of Gold

3.Fires In The Distance - Air Not Meant For Us

4.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

5.Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle

      View entire list ››

1.Fires In The Distance - Air Not Meant For Us

2.Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit

3.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

4.Church Of Misery - Born Under A Mad Sign

5.Kalmah - Kalmah

      View entire list ››

Here it goes, one month left to end of the year

1.From North - Raven Banner

2.Stormlord - The EPic Of War

3.Shylmagoghnar - Convergence

4.Night Crowned - Tales

5.Temple Balls - Avalanche

      View entire list ››

1.Fires In The Distance - Air Not Meant For Us

2.Thy Catafalque - Alföld

3.Omnerod - The Amensal Rise

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Exul

5.Terminalist - The Crisis As Condition

      View entire list ››