My aunts taught me Morbid Angel lyrics when I was 8 My aunt gave me a Cannibal Corpse album at 14 Me and my aunts getting drunk at multiple metal shows at 18 Thank you for the best years and music🤘🏼
Haha my mum bought me the original unbanned versions of Eaten Back To Life and Butchered At Birth when I was a kid too 😀 always supported my metal loving my whole life and still does now at 38 all these years later.
Opeth. A lot of people who didnt like growls, lernt to love them with Opeth, the loved the soft side, then slowly began to get into growls with the songs that combined clean and harsh vocals, then loved the growls and finally began listening to other Death metal bands.
That is EXACTLY what happened to me. I read a Guitarworld aRticle about how Opeth were angering old fans because they left Death Metal. I thought that was cool because I didnt like Death metal, so I figured I'd check em out. Well, it backfired. I ended up an Opeth fan indeed, but of the older death Metal style that they had left behind. While at first I tolerated the growls, I later found myself wanting them. On to Carcass, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation. Thanks Opeth!
I listened to a lot of metal but disliked growls until i listened to Opeth's Still Life for the first time. Then it all changed, i somehow "got it", and a huge spectrum of bands opened up for me to explore. Fuck yeah!
So you're saying if I try Opeth, I could be a little more into death metal??? Cuz I had on and off thought bout trying Suffocation. But y'know, those growls are hard to get used to let alone understand.
In all fairness, Jim Carrey was the driving force to get Cannibal Corpse on the movie. They were already scheduled for a European tour and Jim Carey changing the schedule just so Cannibal Corpse could get into the movie. So, although I'm sure they got some good money for it, Jim was the one who pushed to get them into it.
Apparently, he asked the band to come and hang at some point during filming on set and when they went to his truck, Morbid Angel, Cannibal and I think Napalm cds where about.
Actually this is not factual, Ace Ventura gave the band some exposure but not remotely an influential occurrence in Death Metals lifespan. That's just glorified legends, Jim himself has mentioned not ever been really into DM, but rather found DM to be as outrageous as his character in the movie, which made it a perfect fit for CC.
Having never listened to metal at all, 12 year old me bought Bolt Thrower’s Realm of Chaos because I was into Warhammer. Blew my mind and I never looked back.
My best tip when introducing people to death metal is to say "don't concentrate on the vocals at first. Search for the instruments, they are the main course". Most people are used to vocals being the primary item in traditional pop music or hip hop & so never stop to notice riffs or drum patterns. Melodic or groove based death helps because it makes the instrumentality that much more apparent as well.
I definitely understand what you're saying, because I was given the same advice when I got into death, core and death metal, I found it hard to take that advice, because it seems sort of counterproductive, and even now the bands that I listen to. I'm glad that I can actually understand the lyrics because to me, the lyrics are there, and so obviously the band is trying to say something, But I was given advice to just treat the lyrics like another instrument when I first started trying to get into heavier genres of metal.
Death's Leprosy was my first introduction to Death Metal. One of my buddies had the album and I started to listen to Death Metal a lot. Before that it was mostly Iron Maiden, Slayer and Megadeth. So it just broadened my metal taste.
@@oscarsaucedo7887 Exactly, that's why I said it was my gateway into the genre. Before sepultura, I listened to GnR, Scorpions, Metallica was the heaviest band that I enjoyed. But after Arise, the floodgates opened. In real quick succession I was introduced to cannibal, morbid, death, unleashed, suffocation, obituary and such. And the rest was/is history!
I think Opeth is a good way in. (A shame they were not even mentioned in the tech/prog Death section of this video) You start with their newer albums. Fall in love with the band. Discover the old stuff. Get used to gutural vocals. Then you fall even more in love with Blackwater Park. Search for more bands in the genre. You want to see how extreme it can get. Boom, you're in.
@@AsTheWholeWorldDies that undermines the whole point. This video is about getting people into death metal. And I don't see any reason for Opeth not being the first choice. The new people should be exposed to the masters of the craft first. Once you're in, discovering obscure bands is the most logical thing to do.
Honestly, throwing Opeth at someone from the get go might also backfire. Let’s be real, not everyone has the patience to listen to an album full of 10 minute songs, haha
@@passionateintrovert I get your point, but assuming the people new to death metal are already familiar with regular metal which includes Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath, etc...must be used to 7 min songs. So it won't be much work listening to Opeth.
My thoughts: Melodeath: At The Gates got their hooks from Heartwork. Carcass's Heartwork is the first Melodic Death metal album. I also think Heartwork is probably more accessible than Slaughter of the Soul. But I think the best vector from a melodeath angle is probably Black Dahlia Murder. Quintessential Death Metal: As cliche as it is, my vote goes to Cannibal Corpse or Deicide. I think they best encapsulate what death metal represents. How to get into death metal from the angle of metalcore / deathcore? Easy answer: Suffocation. Doom? I go with older My Dying Bride, personally, or maybe Paradise Lost. From Thrash? Death or Possessed From Punk/grindcore? Misery Index or Napalm Death From someone who may not be a metal fan? Opeth or Gojira, or more importantly. I'd have to say the prime band to get people into death metal, though is Dethklok. The success of Metalocalypse is a great way of getting people into the genre by virtue of its self-deprecating humor.
What an informative and educational video. This really breaks it down beautifully. I’m a bit surprised that OBITUARY was not mentioned as a major gateway Metal drug into this incredibly complex genre. Keep up the great work!
Death "Symbolic" was the first death metal album I ever heard. It was thanks to an interview with Chuck Schuldiner in Guitar School. Chuck sounded like such a humble cool guy. I thought I would take a chance and purchase it. I've played it probably a 1000 times since I got it. So Awesome!!
Yup. Same. Hammer Smashed Face was the only 'pure' death metal song I listened to for years. It would get played here and there but I never really wanted to dive in. I was cool with just the one track for so long. I was a nu metal kid and I thought Slipknot and Mudvayne were as "heavy" as I could go until I discovered In Flames with Come Clarity when it was released (the perfect death metal record for nu metal kids!). Then it was Soilwork, Opeth, Amon Amarth... A slow climb, but now I'm completely obsessed. Awesome video Blayne! But now I have to go listen to Left Hand Path 12 times in a row.
Me too! I was in the third grade and the teacher showed us the movie. But I remember thinking the band was invented for the movie, that could not be real.
Three very, and I mean VERY good songs! Kind of funny, Heatwork could represent Melodic death, God Of Emptiness could represent Death Doom and The Philosopher could represent Tech/prog death. It's good gateways to the genre
First death metal band I heard was Bolt Thrower when I was a kid in the early 90s and my older brother would drive me around recklessly blasting it and smoking cigarettes.
As a Christian kid, the first ever death metal bands I listened to were Mortification and Living Sacrifice. Inhabit by Living Sacrifice was the first death metal album I heard, and it's still an absolute banger
I think Symbolic by Death is the perfect album for someone looking to get into death metal, even if they have barely listened to metal at all in general. The song structures, musicianship, and lyrics are all amazing! One of my personal faves :)
I got into death metal through hardcore, actually, the heavier bands like discharge got me into Grindcore bands like napalm death and carcass , and I listened to the majority of earache record’s nineties catalogue. I love that grimier death metal/hardcore crossover like Entombed and Bolt Thrower as well as newer bands like NAILS, Xibalba, and gatecreeper
“Butchered at Birth” by Cannibal Corpse was my first exposure to death metal, and I loved it (still do). It was a natural progression as I was mostly into Metallica & Pantera before then.
Children of Bodom got me into Death Metal. That being said, if it wasn't for Slipknot priming my ears for the genre, I doubt I would be so into it today. The elements of Death Metal Slipknot appropriated made it so that when I (and many others I'm sure) did listen to a non-melodeath band, it wasn't something completely foreign to my ears.
I went from Metallica to Sepultura and then into Deicide, Death, Cannibal Corpse, and one of my all-time favorites - Hypocrisy. Currently blown away by Orbit Culture. They are AMAZING imo!
Spot on. If you want to get into extreme meal you have to go like a ladder. Melodic death metal is the best start if we're talking strictly extreme metal imo
For me the first agressive band would have been rise against and it was kind of a gateway drug into heavier music after that melodic death metal which lead to discovering death and bolt thrower and although death metal has never been a huge genre for me it did lead me to find black metal which is probably my favourite genre of music atm with maybe post-punk/new wave as #1
Bolt Thrower and Death and Sabbat were my gateway bands. Me and my friend would drive to school and blast Death Leprosy every morning for six months. We would joke that a green fog of death would seep out of the car and kill all plant life within a 20 foot radius of the car.
Great video! I love how Blayne combines history, facts and comedy and makes it all flow so smooth! Wonderful editing also! At the Gates and early In Flames really got me into death metal. The vocals have always been the biggest deterrent for me because I've never liked the cookie monster vocals ala Cannibal Corpse. I think if someone can't get into vocals of any genre, then it's really hard to get past that. Over the years my tastes have grown and I really love death metal, cookie monster vocals and all. I'd say getting into death metal is like drinking beer, you can't start off on dark beer and ipa's, but your taste grows towards the more complex the more time you give it. Great video as always and looking forward to more of this series!
Love the genre! Swedish, finnish and American Death metal has so much to offer. Will enjoy this style all my life. But of course listen to other music and metal genres too!
I have been a metalhead for about 20 years but never really gotten into Death Metal until now for some reason. It started with me falling in love with Nile's Annihilation of the Wicked, which is not technically(no pun intended) pure Death Metal, but it got me checking out the classic bands like Entombed, Morbid Angel and Pestilence(thanks Sam!). Now it's slowly creeping up to be my favorite sub genre! :)
The album Symbolic by Death was my gateway. Spent some time on the fringes of the genre, but the first time I heard that record I was immediately blown away by the craftsmanship, the song writing and the ferocious vocals that were harsh as fuck but still audible. The songs all have scorching solo's, amazing drumming and knotted pathways that continue to surprise me with how textured it all is. Not to mention Chuck's lyrics on it ring more true today than they could have back when it came out, and that's the true sign of a timelessly good album.
@@DragonforceSCGS very much so. Gravitated toward sludge metal (Elder, Baroness, Mastodon and the like) and doom (Pallbearer and Candlemass) before diving into death metal, Symbolic I think played to my more progressive tendencies which made it an easy avenue into the genre.
same here . corpse was my cherry popper, then the big 3 were the first three i honed my teeth on. corpse morbid angel and deicide. i was fortunate to open for cannibal corpse and nile back in 2000 in my hometown. we were a crappy local band but it was a dream come true for me. the guys in corpse were very kool, ive "met" them many many times. you know you have a concert addiction when band members and roadies start recognizing you before the show or out around town before or after the actual show. and you bump into them. like when i ran into corpsegrinder in the bathroom of a gas station shaving before a show. that was funny as shit. then we found him honing his "claw machine" skills on the way out. ive ran into Alex Webster many times as well. the whole gang of corpse are awesome.
Cannibal Corpse was my first pure, "bread & butter" death metal experience. 2006's 'Kill' to be specific. They're a staple of the genre for a reason. Now I listen to Devourment, and various other brutal death/slam/deathgrind whateveryoucallits.
Loved it! But why doesn't anybody talk about Dethklok as a gateway to Death metal. Millions of people watched the show and judging by turn out for the last show they have a huge fan base. I just want some 🖤 for them.
I think they deserve to be mentioned just solely off the title of the video. Granted I was already waist deep into metal by that time, but if you got into death metal because of Dethklok(which has albums and does live shows which makes it by definition a band) then fuck yeah! RELEASE THE KITTIES!!
I'm sure a lot of people got into metal from Metalocalypse, but I feel like it was mostly fan-service to people that were already into it. At least when it debuted. A lot of my friends that aren't really into metal would sort of half watch it, but of course they don't "get it" like we do.
@@joshgeiger8942 that's kinda dumb. Just because something is made to be funny, or a parody of something, doesn't mean it shouldn't be mentioned in a video about getting into that genre. Especially if it's a band that got tons of people into that genre, like dethklok.
@@joshgeiger8942 also, there's members playing instruments, singing, and releasing albums and live shows. That makes them a band dude. Calling them "not an actual band" might be the dumbest thing I've heard.
Step 1, Step on a lego Step 2, Scream Step 3, get hired as a vocalist in a Death Metal band. BAM, DONE. Now you got into death metal. Good luck getting out.
@@thevinylbrothers4145 I highly disagree, the last 2 / 3 death albums are not very good. If we're gonna talk about consistent death metal bands, Gorguts, Incantation, Atheist, Asphyx , etc are all much more consistent.
Jungle Rot got me into death metal. When I first listened to their album Slaughter The Weak I was hooked because it felt like the perfect bridge from thrash to death.
one thing I think you should have mentioned was Dethklok, one for being a animated death metal band, second for releasing the highest charting death metal albums in the history, great show, keep em up!
Not to mention it is just such a funny, well-done show. I saw Dethklok play with Mastodon and High on Fire, and I thought that the Dethklok set was the highlight of the night. I'm pretty sure they performed as a three-piece, too. It was Brendan Small on vocals/guitar, Gene Hoglan on drums, and I forget who on bass.
Nile was the one that lead me into death metal around ‘08. At the time I was looking into getting a new guitar and when looking into dean guitars they popped up
Carcass - Heartwork did it for me. I know a lot of hardcore Carcass fans hate that album but it was my in to the genre and started my shift from power metal.
After getting completely hooked on Carcass with Necroticism and Symphonies of Sickness, I was straight up angry when I first heard Heartwork in '93, but it's now one of my favorite metal albums ever.
Children of Bodom got me into the heavier side of Death Metal. Then I found Opeth and it opened up so much for me. Jazz, Folk, Classic Rock and Progressive Rock.
When I first heard Deicide Deicide I got goosebumps! It was pure evil sounding from the hellish vocals and subject matter dive bomb guitar leads and pummeling drums. The heaviest music I had heard up to that point was Pantera and Sepultura. My Highschool mate gave me some early Samael and Suffocation albums along with Deicide and told me to read along with the lyrics. That was what changed it for me. It was like learning a new language. I enjoy the darkest sounds and love both Death Metal and Black Metal. There’s so many sub genres now and that’s all fine however none would exist without the front runners hammer smashing in into our faces! Great video and horns up! 🤘🤘
I like many others started with thrash and then German bands Destruction and Kreator. The doorway to death metal was opened by Sepultura beneath the remains and Symbolic by Death
Honesty I’d just hand people a copy of The Bleeding, Scream Bloody Gore, and Altars of Madness to help get them in the genre. 3 brutal records with good palatability.
What a great primer. I've kinda stalled at deathcore and other death offshoots for years because I never knew where to start with more pure/classic death metal. A tiny bit of Nile (generally speaking) is about it for me. 😅
In school in early '92, eleven years old, I was handed the debut of deicide. Until then I was mainly discovering and listening to acts like AC DC, Metallica, g'n'r, stuff like that. Deicide were my gateway into extreme metal, a genre I immediately fell for and love to this day.
Being an old bugger, my first heavy metal band was Black sabbath and their 1st album, but the first doom band that turned me on was Candlemass, just loved the sound they made.
Kataklysm were my gateway to death metal. I was getting into harder metal music and then they performed at the bang your head festival in Germany. I only listened to one song in advance and when I saw their performance I was completely blown away and after that I started to listen to more and more death metal. It became my favorite metal sub genre
Morbid Angel - Alters of Madness set me on the path. Prepares you for tempo changes, unfamiliar song structuring, and other weird stuff. Went from the Big 4 into this album, couldn't resist the guitar riffs and solos
Dark Tranquility's Lost to Apathy was the one that hooked me into Death Metal. The fierce growls, the dark & morbid feeling, the haunting keys, it had enough brutality to be death but enough melody and synph to also have that epicness I was getting from other less extreme acts like Within Temptation & Nightwish.
Thank you for a lovely tour into death metal. Now I shall show myself out. Possessed and Death are quintessential speed metal outfits IMhO from my formative metal years.
Great content as always ! I think Repugnant deserves some recognition as one of the revivalists of the Swedish Death Metal movement, even though they broke up early.
@@dimebagloomis4951 possibly,yeah it can't be because of their shows, seen them several times already, killer every time🤘 watching the vid, was like "Damn Dude, Really?" I mean there's a band or 2 i don't like too much either myself (5FDP to be specific if y'all really gotta know, but it's more toward the singer Ivan instead of the band itself, and that was from seeing his douchebagness firsthand at Mayhem fest in '08 in San Antonio) somebody in the band must've pissed him off or turned down an interview at some point for that level of hate, that was way beyond personal bias, at least that's my impression
My intro was a death-thrash crossover, tragically overlooked: DEAD HORSE. They were out of Texas, and their first two albums (before Michael Haaga left) are brilliant. After that, it was Death's "Human," of course.
I got started by Deicide “Dead by dawn” on the radio. Cold november night, 1990. I was lucky, straight into the real death metal. It was an emotional earthquake. To this day, black and death are my favourite metal genres.
This may sound weird since they are not a "death metal band", to me it was Meshuggah that got me into death metal since before listening to Meshuggah, I didn't listen to death metal at all but after that I got into it.
Same. When I finally listened to Meshuggah for the first time I realized that’s what I wanted for so long. Then I figured out that they could technically be classified as death metal and then I started exploring death metal a little bit.
Nice video mate, good work! One thing you touched upon in the intro, but didn't really explore in the body of the video was the heavier end of thrash as a gateway. Sepultura/Sodom/Numskull et. al. were easy bands to segue to Vader/Bolt Thrower/Cannibal Corpse/Dismember/Suffocation etc... Keep up the good work!
I couldn't disagree more. Because a lot of black metal is so atmospheric, a lot of people would like it more than death metal. then factor in the fact, that blackgaze exists as crossover. Add to that the fact that black metal has crossed over with basically everything at this point. Like folk music? Oh boy is there a lot of folk black metal, even country black metal. Like prog rock/metal? Prog black metal is probably even more accessible than prog death metal with Opeth and the likes. Electronic music? There's black metal that mixes in electronic music. I've fucking seen blackened EDM on bandcamp. There's so many angles to approach black metal from! I don't think the same is true for death metal.
@@Habcdefg94 I guess partially it's also based on what you include here. If you count "I only like Arch Enemy" as a death metal fan, then yeah there's probably waaaaay more people who get into death metal. I was talking more about people willing to explore all sides of the genre. (especially when they don't like any other metal music)
Just like you said, I got into it from Melodic Death Metal. Heard In Flames on Headbanger's Ball a long time ago and then kept digging and got into Soilwork and Dark Tranquility and At The Gates.