Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. With death metal it tends to unify around certain works, so you might have hundreds of bands trying to be Morbid Angel. This means that some artists are more impactful. They made an impact because of the quality of their work so if they have released abums that are so dominating to the genre that they deserve multiple slots, only two bands got three slot, four other bands took two slots. There is a wide array of sub genre's represented here, granted this is my list so darker more satanic death metal and progressive death metal might out number tech death or grind core. Not al ofthe bands remained death metal bands , but they made a death metal album deserving of this list. If I have reviewed said album then I will include the link to the review. Ok, it's death metal not quantum mechanics , so here we go .
20-Pulchra Morte- "Divina Autem et Aniles" 2019
This was the number one death metal album here for 2019
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/pulchra-morte-divina-autem-et-aniles.html
19-Daath - "the Hinderers" 2006
Balanced shredding with tasteful song writing and hooky riffs.
18-Unleashed- "Where No Life Dwells" 1991
When this came out it felt like the darkest juggernaut of death metal I had heard. It might not be the case now, but the songs have held up over time, which is more than you can say for many bands from this era.
17-Edge of Sanity- "Crimson" 1996
Another album that was way ahead of it's time. Dan Swano is a genius.
15-Tribulation- 'Children of the Night" 2015
Not only the best death metal album of 2015, but the best metal album of 2015.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/tribulation-children-of-night.html
14-Fear Factory-"Soul of a New Machine" 1992
They went in a more industrial groove direction , but let us not forget their death metal beginnings.
13- Cannibal Corpse-"the Bleeding"
Once upon a time death metal was mean spirited and did not give a fuck. I miss those days, this album embodies them.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/death-is-june-looking-back-in-anger-at_18.html
12- Meshuggah- "Nothing" 2002
These guys at one time where even more death metal. The vocals shifted into more of a bark that you hear here and their music went to a galaxy far away. This album was them at the threshold of stepping away from death metal, but still rooted in death metal aggression, they became so progressive that evolved into the infinate.
11- Morbid Angel- " Altars of Madness"
This is without a doubt a justified classic. But did the band grow beyond this? I think so .
