Death Metal - A videographic chronological history of the classical times

Death Metal GIF

As some of us already know the golden age of the death metal scene stretch from the late 80's to the second part of the 90's. 

Within these years, the bands involved managed to release videos made for MTV, using technical equipment very different that is used today, paid a lot of money and spent a lot of energy and time in order to achieve what they wanted to express in order to promote the musical message, their live abilities, the fan-base reaction or the band's image, in general. 

In that respect many of the videos created back then are pure masterpieces.

Let's see how bands managed to portray themselves back in the Death Metal heydays.

The first video issued in the classical death metal scene undoubtedly must be Death's performance in 1988 at the Combat Tour, along with headliners Raven plus Dark Angel, Forbidden and Fate or Fear, containing : Left to Die ; Pull the Plug ; Forgotten Past and Denial of Life songs.

The second one is surely Paradise Lost's performance "Live Death" at the Peaceville Mischievous Night Party, Saturday 4th November 1989 at Bradford Queens Hall containing tracks from their "Lost Paradise" album : Deadly Inner Sense ; Frozen Illusion ; Breeding Fear ; Paradise Lost ; Our Savior ; Rotting Misery and Internal Torment played in such a passionate way. 

The video cassette was officially released exactly one year later on November 4th, 1990.

Morbid Angel released "Live Madness '89" recorded at Nottingham on November 14 performing most of the "Altars of Madness" LP proving that they are a total Death Metal machinery and a crucial future metal force.

Grindcore and Death/Grind inventors, Napalm Death issued "Live Corruption" in 1993, captured at the Salisbury Arts Centre in Salisbury, England on June 30th, 1990 when they played a lot of their classical tracks taken from their first albums, new tracks as well, interviews, plus a video-clip made for "Suffer the Children" one of the most outstanding songs from "Harmony Corruption" LP, their most successful album, so far.

It was 1990 and Entombed, the Swedish quintet,  released the "Left Hand Path" video from the same named disc, showing their live performance and establishing their leader status on the Scandinavian Death Metal scene.

Norway was represented by the famous Darkthrone with "Live in Oslo 1990"  performing 6 tracks from their classic "Soulside Journey" Death Metal debut LP.

 

Sci-fi horror inspired tech-death-metal Nocturnus genius performance for the "Lake of Fire" the first track taken from their most outstanding and original albums in the history of metal published under the name of "The Key" back in 1990.

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Legendary Massacre with "Chamber of Ages" promoted the first "From Beyond" issue showing their energetic live act in front of their unleashed fan-base. 

A black and white masterwork, for sure!

Death's first video-clip perfectly pictured a psychological tragedy described in the lyrics of the song taken from the classical 1991 "Human" opus called "Lack of Comprehension".

Steve DiGiorgio's original band Sadus released "Good Rid'nz" and "Certain Death" videos containing edited live footage taken from their first two albums "Illusions" and "Swallowed in Black".

The very charismatic Floridian combo, Obituary chose "Turned Inside Out" played live, the last track from their "Cause of Death" classic disc, in order to portray and prove to the world their full potential.

Once again, the iconic band Morbid Angel presented themselves with a video-clip for "Blessed are the Sick/Leading the Rats" taken from the much praised 1991 - "Blessed are the Sick" album. 

The video express what the track and the album is all about at the musical and lyrical concept.

War themed, British Bolt Thrower came up with "Cenotaph" taken from the 1991 "War Master" album representing their Death-Grind delivery performance, the band and their legions produced in a very dynamic fashion.

By year of 1991, Napalm Death returned more energetic than ever and this can be seen in their "Mass Appeal Madness" official video.

A video-clip documenting their tour around the world, probably taken when they toured for the "Harmony Corruption" LP.

As, of the same video content was presented on"The World Keeps Turning" in order to promote their fourth "Utopia Banished" effort just a year later.

The German quintet Morgoth chose "Sold Baptism" as a video-clip and "Isolated" live performance to represent their first and much praised "Cursed" output released back in 1991. 

The first above mentioned is a short horror movie featuring the band members and the front-man Mark Grewe as the main character.

Just like a short B-grade horror movie, the British band Cancer made a video-clip for the "Back from the Dead" song present on the much appreciated "Death Shall Rise" work dated in 1991.

"Shrunken and Mummified Bitch" being a quite sick/black humorous video-clip made by the Austrian trio Pungent Stench, and from the same album they came up with "Sick Bizarre Defaced Creation" a black and white live video-clip edited with overlayed reprises here and there from their 1991 "Been Caught Buttering" Death-Grind second album.

Carcass tried to capture the musical message on the much appreciated "Necroticism - Descanting and Insalubrious" album with the "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" video released in 1991 and the second video, being a live footage and a master interpretation for "Corporal Jigsore Quandary" taken from the famous "Grindcrusher Tour".

The above mentioned tour, also includes a full performances by both Carcass and their fellow Bolt Thrower

The Dutch quartet Pestilence managed to portray themselves in a very effective way, the general message and the atmosphere from the conceptual 1991 released "Testimony of the Ancients" album,  throughout the undoubtedly masterpiece of a video-clip : "Land of Tears".

A short horror story.

Their previous second effort named "Consuming Impulse" dated back in 1990 featuring Martin Van Drunen handling the bass and the vocal duties, at that time was presented with the "Out of the Body" video-clip.

Their colleagues from God Dethroned made a video-clip for the "Necromagnon" track, in a wretched, construction area, presenting the debut album "The Christhunt" dated as of 1992.

Colleagues in Death/Grind and co-nationals of Pungent Stench, Disharmonic Orchestra launched "Groove" video in order to promote "Not to be Undimentional Conscious" their second album back in 1992.

The famous, by now, polish combo Vader were presenting themselves playing in a post-communist industrial environment with the song "Dark Age" taken from the debut album, "The Ultimate Incantation" issued as of 1992.

Floridian based Nocturnus returned with a video for the "Alter Reality" track taken from their second LP "Thresholds" released in 1992.

At the same year, British Death Metal veteran quintet Bolt Thrower, spearheaded again with "The IVth Crusade" video from the same named release with an energetic live collage.

There's no question that Morbid Angel's "God of Emptiness" video is another Metal masterpiece , representing the one of the band's main lyrical topics. 

One of the most viewed out there and a symbolic representation for the genre's overall song themes - religion. 

It is the last track taken from their third much appreciated album "Covenant" dated in 1993. Also, we have "Rapture" video to enjoy, the song opening the 1993's classic, by now long-play. 

"Covenant" is one of the most sold death metal full-lengths out there.

Another true memorable masterpieces in terms of video production must be the Entombed's "Stranger Aeons" from "Clandestine" and Dismember's " and "Dreaming in Red" videos taken from their both second releases. 

Dismember, also released a video for the above mentioned second album, titled "Indecent&Obscene" opening track "Skinfather" consisting moslty of their live experience.

Prior to that, Dismember promoted their music with the "Soon to be Dead" video-clip taken from the "Like an Everflowing Stream" classic disc, dated in 1991.

From the same Swedish lands, the soon to became, one of the most death metal influential personality Peter Tägtgren presented his band Hypocrisy with two videos "Impotent God" which is a live performance and a videoclip for "Left to Rot" in 1992 promoting their "Penetralia" debut album.

One year later they returned with a video called "Pleasure of Molestation" a song which is published on the second disc "Osculum Obscenum", and by 1994 released "Inferior Devoties" a video-clip made for a track taken from the same named EP showing themselves as a trio, for the first time, with Peter Tägtgren behind the frontline microphone.

As, for the fourth effort dated in 1996 "Abducted" album, the band chose to make a video-clip for the song "Roswell '47" consisting mostly from their touring footage.

The, heathen to become, Johnny Hedlund's Unleashed show their live strong display of "Before the Creation of Time" from the first "Where No Life Dwells" album. 

Later on they promoted their third effort "Across the Open Sea" and their fan-base with "The One Insane" video performing in a club.

Interment from Sweden, again, presenting themselves with a video-clip created for "Infestering Flesh" back in 1992, a song taken from their first demo.

The first progressive death metal band, Dan Swanö's Edge of Sanity filmed "Black Tears" the power play for the "Purgatory Afterglow" in a black and white low-budget fashion. 

The vocal clean delivery resembles much of what is called Gothic Metal, today, as the overall album's direction is quite diverse.

The Australian trio Mortification presented themselves with a video taken from "Scrolls of the Megilloth" LP, their best achievement, so far, with the eponymous song, published back in 1992.

Besides the "God of Emptiness" artwork the Carcass' "Heartwork" must be another important vector and surely a masterpiece for the genre, up to this day.

A true terrifying videoclip, but perfect in portraying the viciousness of the music presented on the eponymous album issued in 1993. "No Love Lost" being at the same quality level in terms of video production and musical inspiration.

Germans from Morgoth, also returned with the much appeciated "Odium" disc, promoted by the "Under the Surface" video at the same year.

Also, Chuck Shuldiner , the Godfather of Death Metal returned and brought Death back to live  inviting Andy LaRoque, King Diamond's lead guitarist, Steve DiGiorgio, the famous and very technical bass player and no other than Gene Hoglan to record one of the most daring metal issues of all times "Individual Thought Patterns" that was promoted with a video for the closing track "The Philosopher".  

A total outstanding performance, there!

Californian Autopsy had "Voices" played in a garage hailing the unforgettable "Acts of the Unspeakable" LP back in '93.

Entombed returned with "Hollowman" and "Wolverine Blues" from their Groove Death Metal opus out in '93, with Lars G. Petrov (R.I.P) handling, again the vocal duties. 

"Hollowman" is such a great work in 'good optics' register, per say, showing the band playing in an old factory. Another video masterpiece for Metal, indeed!

Again, hailing from Sweden, Grave veteran band , provided the Death Metal hordes with the "Soulless" video made in 1994, from the same named collection of songs.

As, on the same year, british quintet Napalm Death made short horror film for "The Plague Rages" which would be one of the power plays of the "Fear ,Emptiness, Despair" album.

The much appreciated Obituary returned with "The End Complete" video-clip inorder to promote the same named album back in 1993 and for the "World Demise" effort decided to release a video made for the opening track "Don't Care" dated back in 1995.

Gorefest Erase GIF

 

From the dutch front the four Gorefest highlighted their "False" opus through the "Get-a-life" video containing a fine edited live performance followed by the 1994 "Erase" as one of the most memorable moment from the same named disc.

"The Eindhoven Insanity" released in August 11th, 1993 documents Gorefest's live performance at the much famous and appeciated Dynamo Festival in the same year containing 9 songs.

Same goes for their co-nationals from the Sinister band, who released a video-clip for the song "Leviathan" taken from the much appreciated and one of their best LP's ,"Diabolical Summoning" dated back in 1993.

The video represents the band besides a short horror movie about wichery, time distortion and occult practices.

Dismember returned with the masterpiece named "Casket Garden" taken from their 1995 issued album "Massive Killing Capacity". One of the most beautiful videos made in Death Metal.

Carcass released "Swansong" opus back in 1996, before the split-up and chose as the power play, the first song "Keep on Rotting in the Free World" containing a mix of live and other video footage to please their worldwide fan-base.

Cannibal Corpse watch us "Through the eyes of the Dead" video, enjoying one of the most inspired albums released in metal ever "The Bleeding", released back in 1994, being their first official one.

The British iconic quintet Benediction released "Foetus Noose" an interesting video-clip made with overlayed live footage, presenting their fan-base.

Also, not-to-be-missed "The Grotesque" video-clip taken from the eponymous EP from 1994.

This video-graphic journey through one of the most aggressive metal genres out there will be closed by mentioning the last videoclip dedicated by the same Birmingham veterans Benediction to Jack the Ripper, naming the first song taken from the 1995 output "The Dreams you Dread" called "Down on Whores - Leave them all for dead!"