The German Metal Hammer website, Metalhammer.de had a vote for the top 111 death metal songs of all time. After their staff did their best to compile the list of 111 songs they let the fans vote for the top 10. When it all comes down to it, it’s all about favorites. So here is their top 10 and my top ten. If you have 10 favorite death metal songs, add them in the comment section.
Metalhammer.de’s top 10 Death Metal Songs
- Cannibal Corpse – ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ from Tomb Of The Mutilated
- Arch Enemy – ‘We Will Rise’ (from Anthems Of Rebellion
- Death – ‘Crystal Mountain’ from Symbolic
- Amon Amarth – ‘Pursuit Of Vikings’ from Fate Of Norns
- Vader – ‘Carnal’ from Black To The Blind
- Sepultura – ‘Arise’ from Arise
- Carcass – ‘Heartwork’ from Heartwork
- In Flames – ‘Only For The Weak’ from Clayman
- Kataklysm – ‘In Shadows And Dust’ from Shadows & Dust
- Behemoth – ‘Christians To The Lions’ from Thelema.6
And now for mine…and this wasn’t easy by any means.
Metal Martyr’s Top 10 (Favorite) Death Metal Songs
- Death – Zero Tolerance from Symbolic. This is one of Death’s best records and was a great follow up to Individual Thought Patterns.
- Carcass – Carneous Cacofinny from Necrotism: Descanting The Insalubrious. Sadly most people only know of the album Heartwork, which is a great album but so is Necrotism’ and Swan Song.
- Morbid Angel – God Of Emptiness from Covenant. I’ve always loved David Vincent’s voice. While this song is not “brutally fast”, it’s a slow, heavy and evil sounding song that would probably give small children nightmares if played before bedtime.
- Entombed – Hollowman from the Hollowman Ep and Wolverine Blues
- Grave - …And Here I Die Satisfied from the Ep of the same name.
- Malevolent Creation – Self Important Freak from Joe Black.
- Cannibal Corpse – Stripped Raped & Strangled from The Bleeding. Typical Cannibal Corpse lyrics, but the guitar is what got me hooked.
- Suffocation – Breeding The Spawn from Pierced From Within.
- Bloodbath – Death Delirium from Resurrection Trough Carnage.
- Obituary – The End Complete from The End Complete.
I could probably keep on going with this list all day. How can you narrow a list like this down to 10? It really had me looking back in to my collection and remembering a lot of great death metal songs, especially ones that never got enough credit or play. So what would you top ten look like?

valley of chrome – “forever young” and “art of letting go”
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