Recommended hard rock and heavy metal

Not just aggressive! Famous bands of deeply nuanced melodic death metal

Freelance music writerTakashi Hoshino
I’m Takashi Hoshino, a freelance writer currently juggling work with parenting. I’ve been playing guitar for over 20 years since I first picked it up when I started high school, and I’m still active in a band today. Ever since I began playing, I’ve been drawn to hard rock and heavy metal, and I enjoy intense music, whether Japanese or Western. At the same time, I keep in mind something I was told long ago: “If you want to play rock, you should know more than just rock!” With that in my heart, I make a point of listening to a wide range of genres every day. My experience as a writer is still growing, but I’ll keep working hard to recommend all kinds of music to as many people as possible!

When you hear the term “melodic death metal,” what kind of music comes to mind?

Generally speaking, people define it in various ways—music that layers death growls over a Nordic metal sound, or death metal with dramatic developments, for example—but if you’re not familiar with the genre, it can be hard to grasp what that really means.

So this time, I’ll introduce some bands from Finland, which is often called the mecca of melodic death metal, along with a few others.

There are also tracks that should be accessible even to those who aren’t fond of extremely heavy music, so I hope this leads to some new discoveries for you.

Not Just Brutal! Renowned Melodic Death Metal Bands with Real Depth (11–20)

Emperor ~sumeragi~BLOOD STAIN CHILD

BLOOD STAIN CHILD “Sumeragi” MV

Sumeragi ~sumeragi~ BLOOD STAIN CHILD

BLOOD STAIN CHILD is a band packed with the full appeal of melodic death metal.

More than 20 years since their debut, they continue to captivate fans with ferocious death growls and a melodious sound.

Especially on their 2007 album MOZAIQ, they fused metal and trance, opening up a new musical frontier.

Their track FREEDOM boasts a stunning, progressive development and has garnered over 2.

5 million plays.

You’ll be drawn into an infinitely deep and beautiful world where RYU and the others’ passion comes through like never before!

Raise the rankinglower

In conclusion

This time, we introduced a wide range of bands, from those active since the dawn of melodic death metal to the new generation.

Even though it’s all called melodic death metal, I hope you got a sense that it’s not just aggressive—it fuses diverse musical elements and continues to evolve to this day.

Of course, there are still countless bands all over the world, each with its own individuality, so I hope this article serves as a starting point for new discoveries.