30 Albums That Made 1991 The Greatest Year In Death Metal History!
Here lies death metal greatness.....
Cannibal Corpse – Butchered At Birth [USA]
Cannibal Corpse had already announced their arrival with thrashier debut Eaten Back To Life(1990) but it was with Butchered At Birth that the world truly took notice of this death metal powerhouse.
Extreme metal had found its new poster boys and Cannibal Corpse weren’t about to miss an opportunity to out-gross, out-heavy and out-manoeuvre their death metal brethren at only the second time of asking.
Appropriately savage, the likes of “Meat Hook Sodomy” and “Gutted” delivered gore galore and with the band content to hammer home their message with precious little finesse, it was actually the lack of diversity and 100% commitment to brutality that endeared Butchered At Birth to the masses.
Simplicity in its most horrendous form.
Gorefest – Mindloss [Netherlands]
The dutch have never shied away from death metal’s delights and Gorefest ranked alongside Asphyx and Pestilence in the quality stakes, with debut album Mindloss proving particularly effective and decidedly memorable.
As direct a death metal album as you’d hoped to find, Mindloss forgoes experimentation for a more standardised appropriation of both the Scandianvian and Floridian sounds of the era, culminating in an album that hit hard with both Jan-Chris de Koeyer’s’s undeniably ferocious vocals and riffs that bulldozed their way into your brain.
One for the completists maybe but still another prime example of the quality emerging from the death metal ranks in 1991!
Master – On The Seventh Day God Created… Master [USA]
When it comes to death metal, Paul Speckmann is a god amongst men and Master‘s second official full length album, On The Seventh Day God Created… Master, remains a highpoint in what has been a formidable career that is still going strong!
With Master historically operating primarily on the fringes of barbaric thrash, it’s most notable that On The Seventh Day God Created… Master found the band, in death metal terms at least, at both their most brutal and most technical.
It can be no coincidence that the arrival of Cynic‘s Paul Masvidal on guitar helped push On The Seventh Day God Created… Master into the realms of ‘must-hear’ status but this was still very much Paul Speckmann’s show…..with his triumphant guttural bellow effortlessly leading the charge!
Unleashed – Where No Life Dwells [Sweden]
Unleashed cannily unleashed the ultimate in hellish groove with their outstanding debut album, Where no Life Dwells, an album that showcased a band whose skill lay in perfectly alternating speed with an ominous atmosphere and no end of memorably brutal songs.
Unleashed‘s lyrical focus on Viking culture and folklore wouldn’t be fully realised until 1993’s Across The Open Sea. However, there’s no doubting that, even on their debut, Unleashedsounded like a pack of marauding vikings with “Before The Creation Of Time” and “If They Had Eyes” rampaging their way through your earholes with little to no mercy.
One of the big four of the Swedish death metal scene for bloody good reason, Where No Life Dwells was just the start for a band who’ve gone on to be the most reliable band in Swedish death metal history!
Carbonized – For The Security [Sweden]
Death/grind masters, Carbonized may be somewhat of a Swedish secret but those in the know understand that few bands from the Swedish scene were embracing such a progressive, polyrhythmic attitude combined with the most primitive, yet organic, blast beats around!
With all 3 members of Carbonized having intrinsic ties with Therion, it should come as no surprise that with For The Security, boundaries were being unceremoniously broken and a progressive attitude to death metal prevailed!
Technically advanced yet wallowing in urbanised filth, Carbonized were a shrieking, guttural shock wave of influences; with this Swedish version of UK d-beat punk – spliced with grind and formative death metal – proving both revolutionary and unique among Swedish death metal bands of the early 90’s.
Good list without a doubt. But you need to edit it, becuase you say that Finland is part of Scandinavia, which they aren’t and never have. They’re part of the Northern countries. Scandinavia has always only consisted of Sweden, Norway & Denmark.
Geography was never my strong point Tom! Pity they didn’t teach death metal history at school instead!! Now corrected. Thanks for reading and commenting \m/
Great list,Pestilence are such an overlooked Death Metal band and I’m glad you put them on the list.
Absolutely! Great band. Glad you enjoyed the feature \m/
Should have been a Top 30 and included the following…
Asphyx – The Rack
Benediction – The Grand Leveller
Cancer – Death Shall Rise
Cannibal Corpse – Butchered At Birth
Edge Of Sanity – Nothing But Death Remains
Gorefest – Mindloss
Gorguts – Considered Dead
Grave – Into The Grave
Morgoth – Cursed
Paradise Lost – Gothic
Pungent Stench – Been Caught Buttering
Sentenced – Shadows Of The Past
Sepultura – Arise
Therion – Of Darkness…
Unleashed – Where No Life Dwells
Nice fuckin’ list! We’ll work on a Top 30! \m/
Honestly insane that Butchered at Birth only got an honorable mention. It’s the only album from 91 that goes toe to toe with EotF in terms of pushing brutality. Way ahead of it’s time.
Yeah, may have been a mistake. Nevermind.
Really nice List my friend. Every comment in this list is very true. The death metal is so powerfull ?
Cheers ?
Thanks man! \m/
TIAMAT – The Astral Sleep
where the fvck are Tiamat ?!?!?
personally I’d dropped Jumpin’ Jesus and I’d pick-up Liers in Wait
They’re in the honourable mentions.