Top 10 Death Metal Albums(Christian or Secular)

I don't actually have ten. I'm partially doing this to find more good death metal.

1. Death - Symbolic, I avoided this band for a long time. I always thought they were satanic or anti-Christian because of the inverted cross in the logo. But I recently checked them out and this album is epic! Chuck has the best voice I've ever heard in death metal.

2. Mortification - Scrolls Of The Megilloth, The first death metal I ever listened to. This album is great. I think a couple of the songs could be a slight bit shorter though.

3. Extol - Extol, I know they're not a full on death band, but whatever. This album is great.

4. Mortification - Mortification, I know some people consider this extreme thrash, but I disagree. This is death metal imo, and it's great.

5. Death - Individual Thought Patterns, The only reason this is at the bottom is because I haven't finished it completely yet. I love the sound so far, it'll probably go up once I finish it.

That's it so far. I'm excited to see what everyone says!

Not a huge fan but I do like some death.

Bolt Thrower - War Master: Midtempo and crushingly heavy. IVth Crusade and For Victory are almost as good and their last album Those Once Loyal is also killer.

Death - The Sound of Perserverance: My favorite, some people don't like the vocals but I do. After this I also like Symbolic, Human, Spiritual Healing, Individual Thought Patterns. The first 2 albums are ok.

Obituary - Dying of Everything: Surprisingly their last album from 2023 is their greatest. The st album before this is close to being as good. While their first three albums are iconic they just are not as good as the last two

Atheist - Elements: Insane technical death with jazz influences. It works! Piece of Time and Unquestionable Presence are pretty close to the greatness here and a lot of people like those albums better.

Pestilence - Spheres: Avantgarde and jazzy death with pretty forward synths. Their first two album Malleolus Maleficarum and Consuming Impulses are more straight forward and well regarded.

Paradise Lost - Shades of God: Doomy death, a little slow but once it sinks in it is satisfying. Icon is their best album but it is more like black album Metallica with slightly rough vocals.

Paramaecium - Exhumed of the Earth: Doomy death again but better pacing and Christian. 

Renascent - Praise of the Lord God Almighty: Death with melody and awesome keys. Some black influence.

Grave Declaration - When Dying Souls Scream Praise: Unblack Death with a few guys from Antestor. 

Antestor - Omen: Strong Unblack Death

Crimson Moonlight - Abbadon Another unblack death band, just an awesome ep!

Undeceived is the best Extol album IMO.  The E.P.s are awesome as well

Edge of Sanity - Unorthodox
Death - Spiritual Healing
Grave - Soulless
Entombed - Clandestine
Unleashed - Across the Open Sea
Carcass - Symphonies of Sickness
Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade
At the Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul 
Amorphis - Tales from the Thousand Lakes
Dismember - Indecent and Obscene

Oppressor - Agony, Elements of Corrosion
Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind
Sinister - Aggressive Measures
Morbid Angel - Covenant
Suffocation - Pierced from Within
Cynic - Focus
Monstrosity - In Dark Purity
Rebaelliun - Burn the Promised Land
Pestilence - Testimony of the Ancients
Carcass - Heartwork

I don't know the Death genre well enough, but there are a few albums that I think are death that I think are awesome.

VR: Human Sacrifice, Once Dead, and Released Upon The Earth. When I first joined the forum I think Pethead verified that VR was a mix of thrash and death.

Living Sacrifice: Nonexistent. Unlike many here, this album is in my top 5 of all metal albums.

Extol: Burial.

Ethereal Scourge: Judgement and Restoration

Metanoia: In Darkness or in Light. Is this more thrash? I'm not sure.

This forum has introduced me to Bolt Thrower and I've really enjoyed them. So at some point I might add one of their albums to this list.

1. Mortification - Scrolls of the Megilloth
2. Death - Symbolic
3. Mortification - Post Momentary Affliction
4. Death - The Sound of Perseverance
5. Living Sacrifice - Nonexistent
6. Mortification - Mortification
7. Mortification - Erasing the Goblin
8. Paramecium - Exhumed of the Earth
9. Vengeance Rising - Released Upon the Earth
10. Blood Thirsty - Sanguine River Absolution

It's cliche, but Six Feet Under's Haunted. I prefer it to the Chris Barnes Cannibal Corpse albums actually (I prefer Corpsegrinder-era CC).

1. Death - Symbolic
2. Death - Human
3. Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos
4. Crimson Thorn - Dissection
5. Disencumrance - The Betrayal (only 3 songs but holy smokes)
6. Obituary - Cause of Death
7. Cynic - Focus (cant stand the new agey crap but the music is off the charts)
8. Mortification - Scrolls of the Megilloth
9. Opprobrium - Serpent Temptation
10. Possession - Eternally Haunt

Honestly I wanted to just put Death as a band in the #1 slot but didn't and tried to make a list that wasn't just 4 Death albums in a row so I left off a couple

I think mine has added and changed a bit:

1. Death - Symbolic, This will most likely always be number one.
2. Death - Human, 10/10. Chuck sounds amazing.
3. Mortification - Mortification, I know it's crazy putting this above Scrolls. I feel like Scrolls needed one or two more shorter songs (4ish minutes).
4. Death - The Sound Of Perseverance, This album is awesome, but can feel a little weird at times. Flesh and the Power It Holds is an amazing (pretty much Christian) song.
5. Mortification - Scrolls of the Megilloth, This album is a banger.
6. Vengeance Rising - Released Upon The Earth, This is my least favorite VR album (of the good ones lol), but HS and OD aren't death so they won't go on this list.

H.M.

Living Sacrifice - Nonexistant, I can't put this on the list because I've only heard the songs on the In Memorium comp, but they sound awesome and I need to listen to the whole album.

Brotality - Worldwide Desolation, Not full death, but has death influence and is awesome.

Has anyone heard the new Deceased album Children of the Morgue? It is a stunner. I have not listened to these guys since Blueprints for Madness but this has me pretty fired up.

Possessed - The Exorcist
Cancer - Death Shall Rise
Deicide - Legion
Disastrous Murmur - Rhapsodies in Red
Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated
Malevolent Creation - The Ten Commandments
Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten (the Human Waste EP is also amazing)
Immolation - Dawn of Possession
Morbid Angel - Gateways to Annihilation (I prefer Steve Tucker over Vincent)
Autopsy - Severed Survival

Honorable mentions:

Obituary - Slowly We Rot
Asphyx - The Rack/Last One on Earth
Grave - Into the Grave
Replusion - Horrified

I could go on and on..

WildWorld wrote:It's cliche, but Six Feet Under's Haunted. I prefer it to the Chris Barnes Cannibal Corpse albums actually (I prefer Corpsegrinder-era CC).

Haunted is a great album, love it. I've always preferred Barnes era CC the most though.