Poll: Who Were the First True ‘Death Metal’ Band?
At the Gates frontman Tomas Lindberg recently joined The MetalSucks Podcast to talk about the band’s forthcoming record, The Nightmare of Being. At one point in the chat, the conversation turned to the origins of death metal, a murky and often contentious discussion. Lindberg, a student of the genre if ever there was one, was clear in his assessment, however, offering:
“Well, I guess it came a little bit from all over the place, back in the day as well. You had early Hellhammer, the Destruction songs and even Bathory here in Europe. But like very insulated in their own countries, in the small underground scene. But at the same time, Possessed coined the term on their ‘Seven Churches’ record.
“[But] I think the first band that really got out there and put it on the map — not saying they were thrash or black or whatever, even Destruction called themselves speed metal in the beginning ’cause there was no formula — I think it was Death from Florida (well, at the time of the first record, from California) who were the first to ever release a proper death metal album in that sense, for me at least. Like an underground band that came from the tape trading scene. I think that’s the first proper death metal band even though it had been touched upon from cornerstones all over the place before.”
So we thought we’d ask some other impassioned death metal fans — i.e., YOU FOLKS! — what they think: which band was the first “true” death metal band? Possessed? Death? What about Morbid Angel, Obituary, Immolation, and Massacre, who were all formed around roughly the same time? Or maybe someone else altogether?
Cast your vote below! If you believe we missed an important band (e.g., not a band that made one demo in 1982 and not a band that clearly got their start after DM was firmly established), e-mail news AT metalsucks DOT net with the subject line FIRST DEATH METAL BAND POLL and let us know — we’ll add the band in question ASAP.
Happy voting…
