Your first taste of death metal?

When I was in high school, a slightly older dude we used to hang out with played lots of death metal in his car. I have no idea who any of them were, but the time frame was mid-to-late 80's if thats any indication. Although he introduced us to plenty of other cool bands too, the death metal growling vocals never appealed to me.

Troublezone wrote:

It was Death's Human album. But if Grindcore counted, then it would be Napalm Death - Harmony/Corruption.

I know Napalm Death started out as a grindcore band, but Harmony Corruption is a death metal album as far as I'm concerned. I don't hear much grindcore there, if any at all.

Death's Leprosy

I either saw an ad or read an article about it's release and just from the album cover knew I had to buy it. Fortunately my local Sam Goody always stocked Combat releases and it was on sale. I remember thinking it was "just alright", playing it a few times and then moving on. Then came Spiritual Healing and discovering Obituary. That made me a fan. Oh, and went back to discover that Leprosy tape from a few years before was pretty great too.

DallasBlack wrote:

Sepultura-Territory. Yeah, they are thrash but at the time some people called it death metal

The first couple of Sepultura releases (BESTIAL DEVASTATION EP and MORBID VISIONS) are pretty much death metal, but yeah, by the time they got to "Territory" they were pretty much a thrash band.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Although he introduced us to plenty of other cool bands too, the death metal growling vocals never appealed to me.

Me neither, and it wasn't for lack of exposure to the genre either, cuz my brother was (and still is) a big death metal guy. He was way into the whole demo-tape trading scene, knew a lot of people in NY/NJ area death metal bands, etc. He was good buddies with John McEntee of Incantaion and maintained their post office box and handled all of their fan mail/merch orders for a couple of years while they were still based in Jersey. I went to quite a few D.M. shows with him back in the day (Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse, Obituary, a few early Sepultura gigs, Order From Chaos, and probably a few others I'm forgetting) and even though I found that I could enjoy those bands in the live situation (there's just something about being there live and in person, I guess) I never got into listening to it at home on the stereo. Go figure.

In 1983 - If VENOM's Die Hard single counts, if not, then in January 1984 when SLAUGHTER's Bloody Karnage rehearsal demo premiered on the radio.

Required Fields wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

It was Death's Human album. But if Grindcore counted, then it would be Napalm Death - Harmony/Corruption.

I know Napalm Death started out as a grindcore band, but Harmony Corruption is a death metal album

true dat

Can't remember the year, or how I met this fella, but i remember going home to a metalhead who played me Deicide and Paradise Lost (debut albums from both bands). I think that was the first. If not, it was at a friends house. He played Obituary - Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death to me.

The first death metal band I heard was Possessed, when I bought the 'Seven Churches' disc but at the time they were dubbed 'Baby Slayer' so I guess they were more of an extreme thrash band then a death metal band.

I live in Tampa at this club/bar in 1988 I saw Death ( who's music I didn't know at time) Nocturnous, which was the death metal band with a keyboardist, and another band I do not remember, and loving it.

I would have to say Possessed's Seven Churches and Obituary's Slowly We Rot.

manny wrote:

The first death metal band I heard was Possessed, when I bought the 'Seven Churches' disc but at the time they were dubbed 'Baby Slayer' so I guess they were more of an extreme thrash band then a death metal band.

I guess musically, Possessed were more or less thrash, but they had those gargly vocals and there was a song called "Death Metal" on that album... which was good enough for me to put'em in the death metal category.

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

The first death metal band I heard was Possessed, when I bought the 'Seven Churches' disc but at the time they were dubbed 'Baby Slayer' so I guess they were more of an extreme thrash band then a death metal band.

I guess musically, Possessed were more or less thrash, but they had those gargly vocals and there was a song called "Death Metal" on that album... which was good enough for me to put'em in the death metal category.

I also put them in the death metal category also but have had people argue with me, how they are not a true death metal band blah blah blah, but when this came out, I was 15 and this was the heaviest album I had heard at that point

It's still one of the heaviest albums of all-time, man...and I would absolutely call it the first (and best) death metal album. At the same time, I would also classify it as thrash metal. Some people say that Seven Churches is just thrash metal or just death metal, but I have to disagree. Beyond the Gates and The Eyes of Horror certainly lean more towards thrash metal, but I think Seven Churches is the perfect blend of both genres.

I remember when my college roommate bought Napalm Death - Scum as a new release. I remember telling him, if music gets any faster it will have to just be one continuous noise. Haha.

At The Gates also really got me loving death metal. Slaughter of The Soul and Terminal Spirit Disease are two of my favorite albums.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

When I was in high school, a slightly older dude we used to hang out with played lots of death metal in his car. I have no idea who any of them were, but the time frame was mid-to-late 80's if thats any indication. Although he introduced us to plenty of other cool bands too, the death metal growling vocals never appealed to me.

i was totally into death metal growling for a long time but now i am so burnt out on them I hardly ever listen to death/black anymore.

ultmetal wrote:

I remember when my college roommate bought Napalm Death - Scum as a new release. I remember telling him, if music gets any faster it will have to just be one continuous noise. Haha.

I remember when my brother brought home that same album, for the first few minutes I swear I thought something had gone horribly wrong with our turntable. Then I was like "You mean, it's supposed to sound like that?"

Fat Freddy wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

I remember when my college roommate bought Napalm Death - Scum as a new release. I remember telling him, if music gets any faster it will have to just be one continuous noise. Haha.

I remember when my brother brought home that same album, for the first few minutes I swear I thought something had gone horribly wrong with our turntable. Then I was like "You mean, it's supposed to sound like that?"

I had same type of reaction, I thought the tape was playing at the wrong speed.

manny wrote:

The first death metal band I heard was Possessed, when I bought the 'Seven Churches' disc but at the time they were dubbed 'Baby Slayer' so I guess they were more of an extreme thrash band then a death metal band.

I live in Tampa at this club/bar in 1988 I saw Death ( who's music I didn't know at time) Nocturnous, which was the death metal band with a keyboardist, and another band I do not remember, and loving it.

yeah, I remember hearing the baby Slayer thing, but not too much, it seemed to be more from US fanzines,
"Evil Chuck" said Possessed was an influence on him in one interview at least back in the day, so with that, plus how evil the vocals and guitars sounded, I always put POSSESSED in with death metal instead of thrash metal.

manny wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

I remember when my college roommate bought Napalm Death - Scum as a new release. I remember telling him, if music gets any faster it will have to just be one continuous noise. Haha.

I remember when my brother brought home that same album, for the first few minutes I swear I thought something had gone horribly wrong with our turntable. Then I was like "You mean, it's supposed to sound like that?"

I had same type of reaction, I thought the tape was playing at the wrong speed.

you are the same type of guys I had problems with at highschool, when I was cranking the Crumbsuckers on a ghetto blaster and them saying that was "dog music" and only barking dogs understand it and making it get turned off.,,damn Rush f-a-g=s.
NOTE:
hmm, censorship here ,eh? gotta re-edit my words to get across.

Probably Sacred Reich, Bolt Thrower or Celtic Frost. I remember Possessed, and Venom but because they were so satanic they were stupid and did not interest me.

325ad wrote:

Probably Sacred Reich

mc666 wrote:

325ad wrote:

Probably Sacred Reich

In their early, formative years, they were known as Sacred Reichstag and were a pro-Nazi death metal band. Label pressure convinced them to make a few changes to help their marketability.

I can't remember where I read that or if I just pulled that outta my ass.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

mc666 wrote:

325ad wrote:

Probably Sacred Reich

In their early, formative years, they were known as Sacred Reichstag and were a pro-Nazi death metal band. Label pressure convinced them to make a few changes to help their marketability.

I can't remember where I read that or if I just pulled that outta my ass.