 | Covenant by Morbid Angel
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $4.50 In my opinion, the best death metal album ever.
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 | Domination by Morbid Angel
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $3.88 This is the album that got me into death metal. More straightforward than their other albums, but it is a great album for those looking to get into the genre.
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 | Altars of Madness by Morbid Angel
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $8.41 This album is full of classic tracks and is thought by many to be their best.
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 | Formulas Fatal to the Flesh by Morbid Angel
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $7.24 Morbid Angel's most complex album and their best with Steve Tucker. If there was an underrated MA album, it would be this one.
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 | Blessed Are the Sick by Morbid Angel
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $10.73 Probably my least favorite Morbid Angel album on this list, which says more about the quality of the other four albums...
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 | Pierced From Within by Suffocation
Buy used from: $7.90 Somehow, this album is incredibly complex, but maintains its brutality. Highly recommended.
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 | Effigy of the Forgotten by Suffocation
Buy used from: $18.70 This album defines death metal like no other. A must-have for anyone into this genre.
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 | Human Waste by Suffocation
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $5.95 The remaster of this album features 7 tracks which are found on other albums (5 on Effigy), but I still consider this to be essential.
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 | Blasphemy Made Flesh by Cryptopsy
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $5.85 The full-length debut of this band sounds quite a bit different from the albums following and the guitars are low in the mix, though I think the production actually works well. Easily their most catchy album.
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 | None So Vile by Cryptopsy
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $6.63 Probably the consensus favorite album for this band, and for good reason. Lord Worm is at his best, and Flo shows on this album why he is one of the top drummers in death metal.
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 | Once Was Not by Cryptopsy
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.74 Lord Worm returns to the band with this album and doesn't give quite as strong of a performance, but I still think he is more essential to Cryptopsy than Flo. The sound on this album is much different from their first two albums, which goes to show how multi-dimensional this band is.
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 | Onward to Golgotha by Incantation
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $7.99 If there was one album by this band that got close to the recognition it deserved, it would be this one. A good album to start with if you are new to this band.
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 | Diabolical Conquest by Incantation
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $7.10 Their heaviest, but with more doom elements than any other albums. A schizophrenic masterpiece.
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 | Mortal Throne of Nazarene by Incantation
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $4.33 This album takes a few listens to grow on you, but I consider it to be their most consistent.
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 | Dawn of Possession by Immolation
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $35.34 Their debut has an old-school sound and is catchier than their later albums. Recommended for any death metal fan, including those who didn't enjoy their recent albums.
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 | Failures for Gods by Immolation
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $6.99 By far, my favorite Immolation album, though it is one of the least talked about. FfG is more experimental than any other in the Immolation discography, but I consider it to be a success.
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 | Killing on Adrenaline by Dying Fetus
Buy used from: $7.77 This album is full of classic tracks that stick in your head well after you quit listening to it. Try to find the remastered version by Displeased Records.
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 | Reduced to Ashes by Deeds of Flesh
Buy used from: $9.99 The quintessential Deeds album. More technical than the albums prior and more memorable than Mark of the Legion or Crown of Souls.
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 | Litany by Vader
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $7.40 Vader's earlier albums are more thrash-oriented, while some of their later albums lack substance. A good place to start for those new to this band.
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 | Millennium by Monstrosity
An underrated classic. Many would disagree, but I think Millenium stands well above the other Monstrosity albums.
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 | Tomb of the Mutilated by Cannibal Corpse
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $11.44 This is a brutal album that I never get tired of.
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 | Vile by Cannibal Corpse
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $5.98 This is a polarizing release, and many consider it to be mediocre, but I think it is their best. If you aren't put off by someone shouting Stab Hack Slash Kill over and over, then do not hesitate to buy this one. If you are an elitist metalhead, I would suggested staying away.
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 | The Bleeding by Cannibal Corpse
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $5.95 More melodic than any other CC album, I would suggest this for those looking to get into this band.
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 | Desecrate the Vile by CONDEMNED
One of my favorite brutal death metal albums...pig squeals as vocals and catchy tracks. Hope to hear more from this band in the future.
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 | Echoes of Decimation by Origin
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $5.45 Usually, albums this fast aren't memorable, but somehow, these guys manage to play at a breakneck speed and keep the songs intact.
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 | She Lay Gutted by Disgorge
Buy used from: $11.49 Every Disgorge fan seems to feel strongly about which album is their best between this, Cranial Impalement, and Consume the Forsaken. But She Lay Gutted is easily my personal favorite...it has such a cool atmosphere, with pummeling drums, brutal vocals, and memorable tracks.
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 | Purity Through Dismemberment by Lust of Decay
Buy used from: $6.66 You will probably enjoy this album the first few times you hear it, but not be blown away. But, I keep coming back to listen to this one all the time, so that says something about its quality.
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 | Symbolic by Death
Buy used from: $8.94 So many people go crazy about Death and Chuck Schuldiner that I am a little hesitant to recommend them, but they got this album right.
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 | Human by Death
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $7.97 This album is their first to go from old-school death/ thrash to a more progressive sound, but it still maintains their prior sound.
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 | Individual Thought Patterns by Death
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $7.32 This was my first Death album and it could be my favorite.
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 | Swamped in Gore by Broken Hope
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $46.30 This album probably isn't in your collection, but it needs to be. Memorable tracks that aren't extremely fast or heavy, but have guttural vocals to accompany.
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 | Shadows & Dust by Kataklysm
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $3.45 The drums on this album are excellent. This album is a little more melodic than their prior albums, but honestly, it is the only one from them that I really enjoy.
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 | Identisick by Benighted
Buy new: $28.98 / Used from: $55.60 Great stuff. This is probably death metal at its core, but they seem to draw influence from many different genres. Recommended.
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 | Deicide by Deicide
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.30 Their best album IMO. This was before Glen was so focused on trying to sound evil, and the result was that you could actually hear how angry he was.
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 | Legion by Deicide
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $7.41 Quite a few people seem to enjoy some of their later albums, but I noticed a significant dropoff in quality. This album is excellent though.
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 | Cross the Styx by Sinister
Buy used from: $30.85 Probably my favorite album by this underrated band, as the songs are a little more memorable. Highly recommended.
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 | From Beyond by Massacre
Buy new: $25.98 / Used from: $18.79 A classic old-school death metal album which hasn't gotten the respect that many have from that era.
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