September 13, 2024
Depending on how the calendar aligns itself, there will be at least one, but no more than three Friday the 13th’s each year. They can land on any month, but most frequently occur in March or November. Does that make this year’s September arrival rare? No, not really, but it’s an excuse to talk about death metal. So we’ll take it!
Here’s a list of ten death metal favorites to play on this month’s Friday the 13th. If you don’t have the time to get through them all, we’ve got another one coming in December!
1. Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
It would be ridiculous to attempt to curate any type of death metal-related list without including the legendary Death. Chuck Schuldiner and his many collaborators unleashed several of the genre's greatest albums in a single decade. Like any good franchise, many favor the first edition, 1987’s Scream Bloody Gore. As the original Friday the 13th movie released in 1980, the record didn’t invent its genre so much as it helped shape it. The album showcases Death in their most primal form. On subsequent releases, their technical proficiency and creativity expand like Jason's vengeful extermination style blossoms. The pair of cult classics are timeless sources of inspiration and excellent starting points for any death metal or horror movie journey.
2. Autopsy - Severed Survival (1989)
After vacating the drum throne in Death, Chris Reifert formed Autopsy in 1987 and two years later released their landmark Severed Survival on Peaceville Records. The blistering debut overflows with horror inducing lyrics and imagery. The ominous opening of “Service for a Vacant Coffin” is an unsettling calm before the vicious attack of the rest of track. Reifert impressively fills the role of both drummer and vocalist, while guitarists Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler shred at opportune moments. Session bassist, and soon to be a death metal legend, Steve DiGiorgio has a dominant presence in the albums mix. There’s a suffocating feeling when listening to Severed Survival like Jason himself has got his hand on your mouth.
3. Cancer - To The Gory End (1989)
The album cover alone could justify To The Gory End appearing on this list. It’s both horrific and kind of corny, similar to the horror movie boom of the 80’s. Quite remarkably, Cancer wrangled surging death metal super producer Scott Burns to Loco Studios in the UK. There he captured the trio barreling through nine-tracks in thirty-five minutes. At the time, some criticism was pointed towards the album's crisp production. Yet, with the band’s more finessed approach to genre, the clarity is welcomed. There’s a frenetic energy on the record that feels more contained as it progresses. The slight stylistic shift hints at the more bombastic sound they would have on 1990’s follow up Death Shall Rise. On To The Gory End, Cancer fit nicely alongside extreme metal giants of the era like Death, Sepultura, and Slayer. That’s good company to keep!
4. Macabre - Sinister Slaughter (1993)
Although the most eccentric record and band on this list, Macabre’s 1993 classic Sinister Slaughter, may also be the most appropriate. After all, what is more terrifying than fictional murderous villains? Real life ones! The Chicago trio put the world’s most notorious pieces of shit, quite literally, front and center on this demented record. The album artwork spoof of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band featuring the band members among a crowd of mass murderers is infamous in its own right. Each track is also lyrically linked to an individual serial killer as well. It’s a dark concept that’s somehow delivered in a humorous way. The band touches on death metal, grindcore, thrash, and even folk music, but does it in a raw punk rock way. It’s a fucking weird record and if you don’t laugh, you might cry.
5. Exhumed - Slaughtercult (2000)
Fuck precision, Exhumed is all about getting the job done. Whether hacked, chopped, cut, screwed, or chewed, the Bay Area deathgrinders will find a way. Slaughtercult, released in 2000, found the band as a trio after the departure of bassist Ross Sewage. Following up their beloved debut Gore Metal, bandleader Matt Harvey and crew avoided the sophomore slump and delivered on the hype. Unlike their previous releases, Slaughtercult was the first to boast a cleaner-produced sound. It’s all relative though. This record is a sonic muddy mess, but in the way it’s supposed to be. At the time, Exhumed helped fill a void temporarily vacated by Carcass and Napalm Death. They too would make some less-than-great records shortly after, but in 2024, Harvey and the boys are still ripping it up in classic deathgrind fashion on record as well as the road.
6. Dismember - Hate Campaign (2000)
Like Jason Voorhees on a rampage, Dismember’s album Hate Campaign is a relentless assault. It’s Swedish death metal, showcasing the band’s signature blend of brutal riffs, guttural vocals, and depraved themes. The record is known for its raw intensity and sinister album cover featuring a flame-engulfed face. Could it be Jason’s face? Probably not, but it’s someone equally terrifying. This was the band’s fifth album and the only one to feature bassist Sharlee D’Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Arch Enemy). The songs explore familiar genre territory of death and violence but move with an unstoppable force through eleven tracks. Aside from a few polished leads, Hate Campaign is a relatively straightforward record. There is beauty in its brutality!
7. Suffocation - Blood Oath (2009)
Even in a list of death metal greats, Suffocation is the most brutal. They’re best known for classics Effigy of the Forgotten and Pierced from Within, but all of their catalog is a mastery in bludgeoning. 2009’s Blood Oath features most of the premiere lineup from the band’s early masterpieces and is the last appearance of rapid-fire drummer Mike Smith. Vocalist Frank Mullen’s crystal clear lyrics of a revenge killing on “Undeserved” alone earn the New York monsters a spot on this list. “I’ll see to it that these are your last breaths, and strip the life with my bare hands. You never saw me coming, now I’ve got you. It’s gone too long, this time it ends.”
8. Carcass - Surgical Steel (2013)
You can’t kill what doesn’t die. The well-worn phrase applies to both blood-hungry mutants and long-dormant death metal bands. After the massively disappointing Swan Song, Carcass disappeared into the history books of extreme music. Still, having spewed out several classics before their demise, they were looked back on with extreme reverence. So when they re-animated in 2013 for the release of Surgical Steel there were plenty of mixed emotions. Thankfully, the band picked up where they left off on 1992’s Heartwork with their thrashy brand of technically precise death metal that can grind if it wants to, but usually doesn’t. From the iconic and deadly album artwork, the killer opening of “1985” into “Thrasher’s Abattoir”, to the grooving closer of “Intensive Battery Brooding”, Carcass returned with an absolute vengeance. Surgical Steel is, inarguably, one of the greatest comeback albums of all time.
9. Creeping Death - Boundless Domain (2023)
Texas has become a modern day hub of extreme music. Between the region's hardcore and metal scenes, the Lone Star state is bursting with extreme talent. Creeping Death have meticulously scratched and clawed their way to the top of the crop with their bombastic brand of death metal. Like Jason’s relentless presence, the Dallas-Fort Worth-based band seems to be everywhere all at once. If they’re not on tour, they’re releasing a new record. 2023’s Boundless Domain is their second full-length and most vicious aural assault to date. Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage, the band deftly unleashes bone shattering riffs and rhythms with the added urgency of their hardcore roots. It’s a destructive record that immediately floors listeners with opener “Intestinal Wrap” featuring the iconic Corpsegrinder of Cannibal Corpse, and never takes its metaphorical foot off their necks.
10. Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit (2023)
Tomb Mold is not a typical death metal band. They are certainly capable of delivering pulverizing technical or OSDM riffs, but they prefer to be more dynamic than that. It's like the critically lauded 2002 film Jason X, where Mr. Voorhees finds himself murdering fools on a spaceship. Both the record and movie are brutal, cosmic, and push the boundaries of their defined genres. The Enduring Spirit isn’t the first death metal record to get expansive and atmospheric, just as Jason isn’t the first mutant to commit murder in cinematic space. Still, both are examples of evolution within genre confines. As evidenced by the opposite reception of both, results may vary. Thankfully, in their exploration, Tomb Mold has thrived.