Melodic Death Metal

Melodic death metal, occasionally called "Melodeath", is a notable subgenre of Death Metal that is characterised by Iron Maiden-styled guitar melodies and a generally higher-pitched growl, though low-pitched ones are occasionally used.

Depending on your perspective, melodeath was created by the British band Carcass; however, it's unclear whether they were truly the first. Whatever your stance, everyone can agree that the style was popularised by three bands from Gothenburg, Sweden: In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity. The success of these three bands resulted in a number of mainly Scandinavian bands that took on the style.

Melodeath is seen as a less underground style than standard Death Metal; its lyrics generally do not focus on gore, although there are exceptions. Melodeath was also a huge influence on many Metalcore bands. When fused together, they become Melodic Metalcore

Bands classified as melodic death metal include:


 * The Absence
 * The Agonist (A female-fronted example like Arch Enemy, though they tend to mix it up with clean vocals. Crosses over with metalcore.)
 * All That Remains ( Originally; they later mixed this with Metalcore)
 * Amon Amarth
 * Amorphis (They have gradually morphed into some form of "Progressive Folk Metal", although melodeath elements can still be heard from time to time)
 * Arch Enemy (Notable for - eventually - having a female singer doing growling vocals.)
 * Arsis (Also qualifies as Tech Death)
 * At the Gates (Trope Codifier)
 * Barren Earth (Formed from members of several other Melodeath bands. Fuses Melodeath with Progressive Metal.)
 * The first track off of their first full-length release includes a flute solo.
 * Before the Dawn
 * The Black Dahlia Murder (They are often considered a Deathcore band due to their fanbase, but have little in common music-wise with the genre and are a lot closer to At the Gates than they are to Suicide Silence.)
 * Blood Stain Child (Fused melodeath with Trance.)
 * Carcass (Later; possibly the Trope Maker.)
 * Children of Bodom (Fused melodeath with Power Metal.)
 * Dark Lunacy
 * Dark Tranquillity (Trope Codifier)
 * Deadlock
 * Dethklok
 * Disarmonia Mundi
 * Dismember
 * Dissection (On Reinkaos.)
 * Eluveitie (Fused melodeath with Celtic metal.)
 * Ensiferum (Mixed with Power Metal, Folk Metal and Viking Metal.)
 * Eternal Tears of Sorrow
 * Eucharist
 * Ex Deo (mixed with Symphonic Black Metal)
 * Exist Trace (mostly their earlier releases)
 * Falchion
 * God Dethroned (later/latest albums)
 * God Forbid (A melodeath/metalcore crossover, with a strong thrash influence to boot.)
 * The Haunted (With a strong influence from both Thrash Metal and Groove Metal.)
 * Hypocrisy (Since 1994; arguably the weirdest and heaviest of the lot.)
 * In Flames (Trope Codifier) (they leaned toward Alternative Metal in their later albums, but still kept many elements of this genre)
 * Insomnium (Also contains strong influence from Progressive Death Metal and Doom Metal.)
 * Kalmah
 * Kataklysm (their latest stuff)
 * Mercenary (Mixed with Power Metal and, to a certain degree, Progressive Metal.)
 * myGRAIN
 * Norther
 * Paths Of Possession (notable for featuring George Corpsegrinder Fisher from Cannibal Corpse.)
 * Quo Vadis
 * Raintime (Mixes Melodeath with Power Metal.)
 * Scar Symmetry (Another melodeath/power metal fusion. There's a bit of Progressive Metal, too)
 * Shadows Fall (only their first two albums (if you count their actual first album as an album); they have since shifted to a fusion of Thrash Metal and Metalcore.)
 * The Showdown (Mixes with Metalcore, Groove Metal, and Southern Rock)
 * Silent Descent (Another trance-fusion melodeath band alongside Blood Stain Child.)
 * Soilwork (mixed with Alternative Metal)
 * Sonic Syndicate (Though it's sometimes debated whether SS is melodic death metal or metalcore. Or both.)
 * Solution .45 (Another group formed by members of other bands, includes Ex-Scar Symmetry vocalist Christian Älvestam.)
 * Suidakra (Originally Black Metal; Mixed with Celtic Metal)
 * Swallow the Sun (Mixed with Doom Metal.)
 * Wings In Motion