Two guitars often play melodies in harmony over fast drumming, and songs have clearer hooks than standard death metal. The English band Carcass pointed the way with the 1993 album Heartwork, and bands from Gothenburg, Sweden, defined the style in the mid-1990s. It later shaped American metalcore, which borrowed its guitar melodies.
Artists it is known for: At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy.
About 1,500 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have melodic death metal among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Melodic Death Metal artists
Death
Opeth
Children Of Bodom
In Flames
Dissection
Amon Amarth
Carcass
Arch Enemy
Orbit Culture
AvatarThe melodic death metal artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.