Death Metal Kill Zone

Dark Tranquillity on the other hand I am really digging and am close to completing a second run through of their studio albums. Unlike Omnium Gatherum I actually already owned two Dark Tranquillity albums on CD (Character and Haven) which I had found in a second hand shop some years ago but I haven't really spent much time on either release until recently and I think I have been neglectful as Character especially is a really good album and out of their discography I also have found an extra fondness for Fiction and most of all, The Gallery. 

Insomnium I am also liking having only got Winter's Game on CD. I don't find the Finnish MDM bands to have quite the same sound sound as the Swedish ones which I find more memorable for the moment. But I'm looking for to going through their catalogue for the second time. 

But then there is Scar Symmetry who I think at their best are top tier. I have owned Pitch Black Progress for ages and at some point added Holographic Universe to my collection as well, but I neglected this band after Christian Älvestam left and I certainly haven't spun either of those records as much as they deserve either. Having now also checked out their entire body of work I don't think there is a bad record among their discography and the first of the Singularity albums is surely their best since Älvestam left. Bit concerned for their future though as it took them nearly a decade between the last two albums and earlier this year they lost their lyricist with one album of the Singularity trilogy still to come. 

Some years ago I went through Amon Amarth's work but I don't remember too much about it and of course they have made a few one news since then. They may be next on my list if the MDM kick lasts. Open to other recommendations here as well folk. I've also been listening to early Amorphis and have heard Slaughter of the Soul by At the Gates.

In other death metal news, Lascaille's Shroud recently dropped a new album:

His ninth overall but he's been comparatively quiet with this project until this suddenly dropped and is the first LS album since 2021 (when he put out two in the same year). 

Like his fourth album The Tiger's Daughter, this one follows in the tradition of Edge of Sanity's Crimson and is a single 40 minute track. 

Some other MDM bands that may be of interest:

The Black Dahlia Murder

Dethklok

Hypocrisy

Kalmah

Mercenary

Nightrage

Skyfire

Tracedawn

I think you would especially enjoy Mercenary if you like Scar Symmetry. Good stuff.

There certainly were early melodic black metal bands and albums that were closer to the early 90s style (Kvist's sole album springs to mind). I believe Dissection's work may qualify as the first true albums of the genre, albeit not in a pure form because of the death metal element. 

Almost missed this. I don't really know any of these bands although have heard of most of them. Cheers for the recs. 

https://www.metalmusicarchives.com/album/200-stab-wounds/manual-manic-procedures
 

Got to wait for the discs but most of my sale also came with download codes for bandcamp to start listening immediately. I'm keeping a few things I bought back as blind buys but ended up playing all three of their albums already. To my ears it's quality dissonant death metal, which is a particular sound I've begun to find appreciation for this year after dabbling a bit with a couple of other acts in the past. 

https://www.metalmusicarchives.com/album/vredehammer/god-slayer