A cold swimming pool presents a challenge. Do you dip in a toe, and prolong the agony? I suggest instead holding your breath and jumping straight in, so that when you get over the shivers you’ll be ready to rip.
Exploring death metal is the same way. This genre rewards those who immerse themselves in it and figure out its nuances so that they can derive its purpose. Death metal is after all an intensely artistic movement that carefully rejects the world around it. To get into it, you need to leave the world behind and go to planet death metal.
Luckily, planet death metal is not far away. Since the genre birthed itself in the years 1983-1986, it has undergone many mutations, but no real changes since about 1996. That leaves 13 years, 17 years ago, as the vital time period. This means that death metal is now relatively cheap to acquire.
To immerse yourself in death metal, buy yourself a starter collection. This list of classics ought to do it:
- Formative Generation: 1983-1986 ($60)
- Slayer – Show No Mercy ($6)
- Slayer – Hell Awaits ($7)
- Slayer – Reign in Blood ($6)
- Slayer – South of Heaven ($6)
- Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales/Emperor’s Return ($7)
- Bathory – Blood Fire Death ($7)
- Sepultura – Morbid Visions/Bestial Devastation ($4)
- Possessed – Seven Churches ($9)
- Morbid Angel – Abominations of Desolation ($8)
- Classic Years: 1987-1992 ($39)
This isn’t a complete collection, but it gives you everything you need to get immersed in this vital genre. There’s a lot more to explore, including the next generation of death metal and the many niches of metal’s evolution.
However, for less money than it takes to fill up a Suburban, you can have yourself the beginnings of a death metal collection. You could buy six nu-metal or metalcore albums for these prices, or you could simply score some real music and do yourself a favor.
Tags: death metal, shopping
Gone are the days of money orders, the early Relapse catalogs (they distributed Nuclear Blast stuff in the US), and Roadrunner records having some sick albums. So easy to get the essential albums nowadays, but all the reissues you see… I figured people now would have wised up considering how many years it’s been since 1996 but… Sepultura Roots and Paradise Lost Draconian Times are now on their 15 year anniversary editions. Slaughter of the Soul has the DVD bonus version. People keep buying that junk, so they repress new versions of it. But is Nuclear Blast going to reissue Brutality Screams of Anguish? What about Earache? You can get the Carnage album but what about the Cadaver album? There’s needlessly overloaded Death reissues except for Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy. Obituary, Gorguts, and Pestilence got their albums reissued as part of Roadrunner’s crappy 2 in 1 series. No Breeding the Spawn though, just Pierced and Effigy. My version of Osculum Obscenum doesn’t even give credit to Masse Broberg, though I do get the Inferior Devoties ep minus the version of the song that was included on the ep. Bolt Thrower’s Realm of Chaos has a completely different cover art now… Therion Symphony Masses is bare bones, with no awesome red dragon like my Pavement version. All the classic releases are repressed as garbage while stinking turds like Roots and a less than a decade old Watain album come an embossed, super deluxe, lavishly decorated digipack versions. At least Peaceville is doing a great job with the early Darkthrone, Paradise Lost, and Autopsy stuff, even reissuing Neptune Towers and Thergothon.
No “grrr… just grrr…?”
Did you take your prozac?
Have any of you ever seen the tyke in the picture before? He’s apparently like 11-12 and keeps a blog on his favorite movies and music, and events in his life.
I remember the headline read “My favorite band is Iron Maiden. I hate hippies, and Jesus.” I think he’s the son of someone in Agalloch.
….searching….
Ah, here it is! http://crudwizard.blogspot.com/
Enjoy.
The blog is both hilarious and adorable.
Anyone tho does not own these albums are hipster.
There are bands that appeared on Oration of Disorder that were never reviewed on the DLA. You were the DJ back then man! What happened, did you change your mind just like you did on “Storm of the Light’s Bane”? The 2000 version review of that band is totally different than the current one on the DLA. Just like your Amazon reviews are inconsistent: on Amazon you flame Immortal – Battles in the North whereas on the DLA you praise them. Why?
Also, buy Bolt Thrower Realm of Chaos and Autopsy Severed Survival. Get Bathory’s under the sign of the black mark. Slayer Haunting the Chapel. You need CHEMICAL WARFARE!!!!!!!!!!!!