Being into extreme metal is great right now. So many albums every year, almost no corporate interest in the genre at all. Just great music being made for the sake of great music.

The underground is where genres go to thrive.

I'm happy to say that death metal is absolutely thriving. All forms of extreme music actually. At least in my world

Extreme metal heads are eating good this decade.

Appalled by all the hate comments. It's amazing that a music reviewer who focuses on music broadly, not just metal, and who has this level of platform is doing hour-long interviews on death metal with experts in the genre's history. And in such good faith too, and on such a deep level. I don't think there's anyone else like that on YouTube. Keep doing what you're doing Anthony

I was literally one of those teens that collected, traded, or copied those tapes in the mid 80's. It was so exciting just to get a package in the mail that was shaped like it could have contained a cassette box. I had a few 'zines that were literally photocopied and stapled, with hand typed text and analog photos. I also had t-shirts from Death, Slayer, Bathory, Agnostic Front, Black Flag, Cryptic Slaughter , Repulsion, Wehrmacht and others.  I was so excited to see Anthrax, Celtic Frost, Slayer, Death, Exodus, etc perform live, and to meet Chuck Schuldiner, or Gary Holt. It was truly an amazing time!

Death metal in a broader sense is one of the most freeing genres I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to or creating. It allows you to really run wild with your creativity.

Can't wait for next week's "state of black metal" with Varg Vikernes

i quit going to hxc shows and punk shows the last few years, and started gravitating death metal, black metal and all that. Last outsider genre we have that actually thrives within its own ecosystem. I feel lucky to have seen as many bands as i have in the last 5 years

I was on this boat... Pen and paper I contacted Malevolent Creation in 1987 and got the demo for 10 Commandments sent in the mail WITH LITERALLY a sincere "Thank you for your interest" hand written letter singed by Bret Hoffmann and Phil Fasciana and fast forward 15-20 years we got to hang out with them and had that letter signed AGAIN by them and THEY LITERALLY had the recollection of scribing that letter to my me.... JUST goes to show that a subtle spark can ignite a nuclear war as far as the concept of such glory days... this was a time where NOBODY knew any of this would EVER catch on... It was a gloriously day to sit down and have beers with the guys and for them to thank us for the very very few that picked up a pen and took actually time to write an underground metal band to get their stuff like they only can get 90% pure cocaine... It was the glory days... and when you got that CASSETTE TAPE with a duct tape label with sharpie pen?? There was nothing more amazing than to be wittiness to something NOBODY would have reached the modest at most mainstream heights it has today.... I am blessed to be apart of that from the ground up.... Still to this day Death Metal has been the caffeine to my soul every day!

Part of the reason for the Florida death scene was a rejection of the overly family-friendly, touristy and expensive Disney-oriented stuff. If you were a local, you would be inclined to go to a dive bar with offensive music so you knew you wouldn't be overcharged and surrounded by out-of-state families.

Can we talk Black Metal with Myke C next

Hey Anthony, just wanted to say thank you for all your Death Metal related content over the years. Even though you only occasionally review an album from this niche, given how inconceivably vast and amazing the ocean of genres is, it's very clear that you harbor a deep appreciation and understanding of the genre. I was 15 years old when I saw your review on the Anthropocene Extinction by Cattle Decap, introducing me to this antithetical and blood-soaked world, and it might have been the most momentous discoveries of my life. Eight years later and I've got my own band and am deeply invested in my local scene, while you're here still producing great, varied and knowledgeable content about it and all other kinds of music as well.
Thanks a thousand fold, and all hail to thee, regal melon! <3

Give us some death metal classic reviews melon🙏🏽🙏🏽

As a Greek teenager in the 90s, having only as a reference my Death metal albums, I initially thought, that Florida must be a very dark and Grim place...


I mean the have a heavier sound than English heavy metal, and England is grim, over cast...

I later on  got the internet...

Funny enough just got back from seeing Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass on the same bill. I think it's still going well, haha.

This was straight up dope. I'm a more casual death and extreme metal listener but I love listening to informed people talking frankly and intelligently about their passions. Thank you for posting this!

I play in an experimental band and what Anthony says about the way the algorythm of streaming platforms treats experimental artists is spot on! If you are an artists that mixes stuff together and you are in the beginning of your career, it is so hard to scale up, cause it feels like the algorythm doesn't know exactly what to do with you. I'd love a video about this! Great interview! 💯

Top right now: Horrendous, Tomb Mold, Ripped to Shreds, Ulcerate, Witch Vomit, Necrot, Faceless Burial. So many great death metal bands right now.

Copying my reply to another comment for anyone curious about how to find the best extreme metal
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There are infinite bands, so I'll broaden it to labels:

Season of Mist - An endless stream of great metal of all types. Death metal being my favorite genre, I find a ton from here
Sepulchral Voice - Fantastic and cult as fuck selections of mostly black and death metal, they put out a bunch of the best albums of last year
Dark Descent - If you had to stick to a primo label, it should probably be this one. Constant output of great death metal that rules the modern scene
Willowtip - Focus mostly on the brutal/technical side of death metal, but innovative extreme metal of all kind is here
Profound Lore - Genre-diverse array of hidden gems and innovative greats
New Standard Elite - THE label for brutal death metal. Every year they release something that I think will set the standard for years, and I think it again next year
Nuclear War Now! - So much evil and badass black and death metal
20 Buck Spin - The home of the modern revival of old school death metal, very consistent
I, Voidhanger - Dabbles in the more complex, progressive side and finds the best in this area

There are of course many more, don't stop looking!

Never thought I’d see the day we heard about Death on this channel. That’s my favorite band of all-time and I just got into them a few years ago. Growing up with a dad who was into some thrash (mainstream stuff like Megadeth, Metallica, etc.) it seemed like a natural next step going into Scream Bloody Gore. Listening to their discography in order is a hell of a ride.