COLD FUNERAL

Origin: Gaggenau / Karlsruhe, Germany
Formed: 1992
Years Active: 1992–2010 (Disbanded; permanently inactive)
Primary Genres: Technical Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal
Core Leader: Muhammed Suiçmez (Lead Vocals, Mastermind Guitarist)

Studio Albums:
1999 – Onset of Putrefaction
2004 – Epitaph

Necrophagist is the first technical death metal band I listen to, and the only one. I stumbled across them randomly on my YouTube feed, and the first track I played was Fermented Offal Discharge. The guitar solo at the end was so unbelievably beautiful I fucking cried hearing it.
Both of their albums (Onset of Putrefaction and Epitaph) are complete masterpieces, filled with intricate, hyper fast riffs and solos heavily inspired by classical and baroque music. If I had to describe their sound, it’s basically like Yngwie Malmsteen playing extreme death metal.
"Fermented Offal Discharge" is hands-down their best track, but "Stabwound" and "Only Ash Remains" (from Epitaph), along with "To Breathe in a Casket" (from Onset of Putrefaction), are elite. If you're looking to get into tech-death, Necrophagist is an absolute non-negotiable. Start with Epitaph first, it’s as good as the genre gets.

Origin: Long Beach / Huntington Beach,California, U.S.
Formed: 1978
Years Active: 1978–present (with hiatuses and major lineup shifts)
Primary Genres: Hardcore Punk, Deathrock / Goth Rock, Hard Rock / Glam Metal, Punk Rock
Original Lineup:Jack Grisham (Vocals), Ron Emory (Guitar), Mike Roche (Bass), Todd Barnes (Drums)
Studio Albums: 1981 – Dance with Me
1982 – Beneath the Shadows
1984 – Change Today?
1986 – Revenge
1987 – Hit and Run
1990 – Strange Love
2001 – Disappear
2003 – Divided We Stand
2005 – Who's Screwin' Who?
2009 – Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads
2017 – The Trigger Complex 2024 – A-Side Graffiti

T.S.O.L. holds a unique place in my personal music history as the very first band that introduced me to heavy, distorted soundscapes. At the time, my ears weren't adapted to heavy distortion at all, so jumping straight into aggressive punk was definitely a culture shock, and I didn't care for it initially. However, driven entirely by a crush on a German punk who recommended them to me, I gave it an honest effort. I stuck to a few specific tracks, namely "Flowers by the Door," "Red Shadows," and "Sounds of Laughter." While I never became a die-hard fan of their full discography, T.S.O.L. remains the memorable gateway band that challenged my music taste and officially opened the door to the world of heavy music for me.

Origin: Des Moines, Iowa, U.S
Formed: 1995
Years Active: 1995–present
Primary Genres: Nu Metal, Alternative Metal, Groove Metal, Extreme Metal Key Members: Corey Taylor (Vocals), Shawn "Clown" Crahan (Percussion/Backing Vocals), Mick Thomson (Guitar), Jim Root (Guitar), Sid Wilson (Turntables/Keyboards)

Slipknot was the very first metal band I became a die-hard fan of. Even though I don't listen to them as frequently these days, I still have to include them because of how much they shaped my music taste. My gateway was "Psychosocial", that iconic guitar intro, Corey Taylor’s commanding vocals, and Joey Jordison’s relentless drumming instantly hooked me. What makes Slipknot special is their range; they can swing from abrasive, harsh vocals and heavy riffs to softer, acoustic ballad-style tracks. However, I personally lean toward their more extreme material, which is why their self-titled debut (Slipknot) remains my absolute favorite. It’s a chaotic blend of aggressive genres, screeching turntables, heavy percussion, and raw, unfiltered rage, easily one of their best works. My other top pick is Iowa, which marked a shift toward a much darker sound fueled by pure hatred. The title track, "Iowa," is 15 minutes of something straight out of hell, featuring guttural vocals that sound as if the singer is actively being tortured, set against a suffocating atmosphere of misanthropic hatred. While I definitely prefer their earlier, raw work, they have incredible standalone tracks from later eras that I still love, like "Nero Forte," "Custer," "Sulfur," and, of course, "Psychosocial." If you’re like me and love blast beats and heavy, crushing guitars, their early catalog is an absolute must-listen.

Origin: Kolbotn, Norway
Formed: 1986
Years Active: 1986–present
Primary Genres: Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Crust Punk, Death Metal (Early)
Core Duo: Fenriz (Drums, Guitars, Lyrics, Vocals) & Nocturno Culto (Lead Vocals, Guitars, Bass)
Key Eras & Essential Releases:
1991 - Soulside Journey
The "Unholy Trinity" (Peak 2nd Wave Black Metal):
1992 - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
1993 - Under a Funeral Moon
1994 - Transilvanian Hunger 1995- Panzerfaust 1996 - Present - Total Death, Ravishing Grimness, The Underground Resistance, ...

My first gateway to the legendary Darkthrone was the title track Transilvanian Hunger. The restless drums and iconic, repetitive tremolo picking throughout the song give it such a cold feeling.
Darkthrone is one of the few bands that makes me wish I could listen to them for the first time all over again. Their music is raw, primitive, beautifully ugly, and deeply atmospheric.
Their first album, Soulside Journey, was straight-up death metal. The riffs are more technical and varied compared to what they would become immediately afterward. It’s a solid album, but I personally prefer their famous black metal trio.
A Blaze in the Northern Sky was a massive turning point from death to black metal. The first track I heard on it was "Kathaarian Life Code." Starting with that distant drum and eerie chanting, it gives you a haunted introduction before the hostile riffs kick in. The thin guitar tone leaves so much space around the riffs instead of giving them the thick, compressed sound modern metal often has. Every track on the album is great, but my top favorites are "Kathaarian Life Code," "In the Shadow of the Horns," and "A Blaze in the Northern Sky." What I love about listening to their black metal era is that it makes me feel cold as fuck even in this melting weather. That razor-thin guitar tone instantly transports me straight into a frosty Norwegian forest.
Under a Funeral Moon sounds even more uncompromisingly black metal. My top picks here are "Under a Funeral Moon," "Natassja in Eternal Sleep," and "Crossing the Triangle of Flames."
Transilvanian Hunger is a fucccing masterpiece, fully deserving the title of Trve Norwegian Black Metal. The title track was my introduction: the riffs repeat endlessly, the guitar tone is ice-cold, and the whole thing feels almost trance-like. This is black metal at its core, it is all about atmosphere rather than technicality. Even without flashy guitar solos or constant riff changes, the album makes you feel like an unholy world is emerging around you. That is real atmosphere. Essential tracks to check out: "Transilvanian Hunger," "Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner," and "Graven Tåkeheimens Saler."
Though the classic trio is my favorite, what I find especially cool about Darkthrone is that they never got stuck in one genre. After their peak black metal period, they ventured through heavy metal, punk, crust, doom, and other old-school influcences.
They have a massive discography that I haven't even fully touched because I keep getting pulled back to those main three albums. But I still love random tracks across their later catalog, like "Quintessence" and "En Vind Av Sorg" (Panzerfaust), "Ravnajuv" (Total Death), "Those Treasures Will Never Befall You" (from Circle the Wagons, which is super NWOBHM/thrashy), and "Dead Early" (The Underground Resistance, heavy metal style).

Origin: Oslo, Norway
Formed: 1984
Years Active: 1984–present
Primary Genres: Norwegian Black Metal
Key Members: Necrobutcher (Bass), Hellhammer (Drums), Attila Csihar (Vocals), Teloch (Guitar), Ghul (Guitar) (Historic: Euronymous, Dead)

Key Releases & Albums:
1987 – Deathcrush EP
1993 – Live in Leipzig (Iconic live recording featuring Dead on vocals)
1994 – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
2000 – Grand Declaration of War
2004 – Chimera
2007 – Ordo Ad Chao
2014 – Esoteric Warfare
2019 – Daemon

I originally discovered Mayhem through their infamous real life stories. Naturally, the first song I ever heard was Freezing Moon off De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. I was still pretty new to metal back then, so listening to them almost felt forbidden but they ended up being the exact gateway band that turned me into a complete black metal maggot. To me Mayhem is basically the starter pack of the genre; everyone’s heard them, and it is popular. And well, they’re kind of the Taylor Swift of black metal at this point.
I definitely prefer early Mayhem over their modern era, and I’ll always favor Dead’s vocals over Attila or Maniac. Dead’s voice was raw, ugly, and sounded like something straight out of hell, which paired perfectly with the shitty, lo-fi production quality of that era. Sound-wise, Deathcrush has a solid black/thrash metal edge to it, whereas De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas solidified that classic black metal sound.
While digging for more the info of them, I noticed a bunch of albums from their middle to later years (2000–2019) that I’ve never actually touched, so I might give those a spin and update this later. But if I’m being completely honest… reading about the band's chaotic history is still way more entertaining than listening to the music itself.