Death are one of the most important and influential bands in all of metal — and, across a flawless seven-album career, one whose music grew steadily more ambitious and progressive. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their albums.

The short version

For the heart of Death, start with Symbolic, Human and The Sound of Perseverance — the progressive-era trio that represents the peak of Chuck Schuldiner’s vision. The full ranking is below.

The band that made death metal progressive

Formed in Florida in 1983 by guitarist and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner, Death began as pioneers of the death metal genre — their 1987 debut is widely called the first true death metal album. But Schuldiner refused to stand still. Album by album, he pushed the music towards something far more ambitious: technical, melodic, philosophical and richly progressive. By the time of Human (1991) and Symbolic (1995), Death had redrawn the boundaries of extreme music, fusing its power with the complexity and musicianship of progressive rock. Across all seven studio albums, the band never made a weak one — one of metal’s few truly perfect discographies.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, ambition and influence. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and with a catalogue this strong, there are no weak placements, only degrees of greatness.

The essential three

At the top stands Symbolic (1995), the album that tops almost every Death ranking — a flawless, melodic masterpiece, home to “Crystal Mountain” and Schuldiner’s most perfectly balanced writing. Beside it sit Human (1991), the revolutionary turning point on which Schuldiner recruited Cynic’s Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert and proved that death metal could be sophisticated and intellectual, and The Sound of Perseverance (1998), the demanding, technical swan song that closed his career, featuring the gorgeous instrumental “Voice of the Soul”.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. Individual Thought Patterns (1993) is Death’s jazziest, most intricate record, anchored by Steve DiGiorgio’s extraordinary fretless bass, while Leprosy (1988) is a beloved early classic and a cornerstone of old-school death metal.

For completists

Two earlier albums complete the seven. Scream Bloody Gore (1987) is the raw, genre-founding debut where it all began, and Spiritual Healing (1990) is the more refined transitional album that pointed the way towards the progressive leap to come. Both are vital history, if less essential than the peaks above.

Every album, in order

Death’s complete studio discography, in chronological order — a near-perfect run from raw beginnings to progressive mastery. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Symbolic — the perfect balance of melody, power and progression, and the ideal entry point for newcomers from the prog world. From there, Human and The Sound of Perseverance complete the essential progressive run.

The players

Death was, above all, the vision of one man: Chuck Schuldiner — guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and the only constant member across the band’s entire life. Revered as a father of death metal and one of its greatest creative minds, he built each album around a different cast of virtuoso musicians, among them drummers Sean Reinert, Gene Hoglan and Richard Christy, bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and guitarists Paul Masvidal and Andy LaRocque. Schuldiner’s death in 2001 cut short one of metal’s most important careers; Sean Reinert, who played on the landmark Human, died in 2020. Their music endures.

Why they still matter

Death did more than almost any band to drag extreme metal towards art. Chuck Schuldiner’s restless, uncompromising vision laid the foundations of progressive and technical death metal, directly inspiring Opeth, Cynic, Between the Buried and Me and countless others. Few artists in any genre leave behind a body of work this consistent — or this far-reaching.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Death songs. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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