The 100 Greatest Death Metal Albums of All Time: Collector’s Guide

The definitive top 100 death metal albums of all time, collated from authoritative lists and ranked for collectors and fans. Discover the 100 all-time greatest death metal albums. A definitive collector’s guide compiled from Decibel, Terrorizer, Metal Storm, RYM & more.

The 100 All-Time Greatest Death Metal Albums: A Collector’s Definitive Guide

For death metal collectors, few things are as thrilling as tracking down the albums that defined the genre. Whether it’s a first-run digipak CD with bonus disc or tracks, first-press vinyl, a rare tour edition CD, or a freshly reissued deluxe set, these albums are more than just music - they’re pieces of metal history.

We’ve collated rankings from the most authoritative sources — Decibel Magazine, Terrorizer, Louder Sound, Metal Storm, Rate Your Music, Ultimate Guitar - and weighed them to create this definitive Top 100 Death Metal Albums list.

Think of this as both a listening journey and a collector’s shopping list. Many of these titles pop up regularly on sites like Heavy Metal Merchant, while others are holy grails that serious fans chase for years.

Top 100 Death Metal Albums Every Collector Should Own

1. Death – Symbolic (1995)
2. Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness (1989)
3. Death – Human (1991)
4. Entombed – Left Hand Path (1990)
5. Carcass – Heartwork (1993)
6. Obituary – Slowly We Rot (1989)
7. Cannibal Corpse – Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
8. Death – Leprosy (1988)
9. At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul (1995)
10. Morbid Angel – Blessed Are the Sick (1991)
11. Carcass – Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious (1991)
12. Autopsy – Mental Funeral (1991)
13. Bolt Thrower – Realm of Chaos (1989)
14. Suffocation – Effigy of the Forgotten (1991)
15. Nile – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka (1998)
16. Repulsion – Horrified (1989)
17. Death – The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
18. Gorguts – Obscura (1998)
19. Pestilence – Testimony of the Ancients (1991)
20. Cryptopsy – None So Vile (1996)
21. Immolation – Close to a World Below (2000)
22. Obituary – Cause of Death (1990)
23. Deicide – Deicide (1990)
24. Carcass – Symphonies of Sickness (1989)
25. Dying Fetus – Destroy the Opposition (2000)
26. Death – Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
27. Atheist – Unquestionable Presence (1991)
28. Dismember – Like an Everflowing Stream (1991)
29. Cynic – Focus (1993)
30. Blood Incantation – Starspawn (2016)
31. Incantation – Onward to Golgotha (1992)
32. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius (2005)
33. Edge of Sanity – Crimson (1996)
34. Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption (1990)
35. Morbid Angel – Covenant (1993)
36. Sepultura – Beneath the Remains (1989)
37. Death – Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
38. Vader – De Profundis (1995)
39. Nile – Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)
40. Bolt Thrower – Warmaster (1991)
41. Immolation – Dawn of Possession (1991)
42. Malevolent Creation – Retribution (1992)
43. Darkthrone – Soulside Journey (1991)
44. Entombed – Clandestine (1991)
45. Morbid Angel – Domination (1995)
46. Cancer – Death Shall Rise (1991)
47. Carnage – Dark Recollections (1990)
48. Nocturnus – The Key (1990)
49. Obituary – The End Complete (1992)
50. Suffocation – Pierced from Within (1995)
51. Grave – Into the Grave (1991)
52. Possessed – Seven Churches (1985)
53. Morbid Angel – Gateways to Annihilation (2000)
54. Monstrosity – Imperial Doom (1992)
55. Kataklysm – Sorcery (1995)
56. Brutality – Screams of Anguish (1993)
57. Benediction – Transcend the Rubicon (1993)
58. Deeds of Flesh – Inbreeding the Anthropophagi (1998)
59. Immolation – Majesty and Decay (2010)
60. Exhumed – Gore Metal (1998)
61. Origin – Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas (2002)
62. Hate Eternal – King of All Kings (2002)
63. Morbid Angel – Heretic (2003)
64. Krisiun – Conquerors of Armageddon (2000)
65. Suffocation – Breeding the Spawn (1993)
66. Deicide – Legion (1992)
67. Vital Remains – Dechristianize (2003)
68. Hypocrisy – Osculum Obscenum (1993)
69. Vader – Litany (2000)
70. Amorphis – Tales from the Thousand Lakes (1994)
71. Obscura – Cosmogenesis (2009)
72. Ulcerate – Everything Is Fire (2009)
73. Demilich – Nespithe (1993)
74. Decrepit Birth – Diminishing Between Worlds (2008)
75. Necrophagist – Epitaph (2004)
76. Atrocity – Hallucinations (1990)
77. Deathspell Omega – Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice (2004)
78. Devourment – Molesting the Decapitated (1999)
79. Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus (2011)
80. Entombed – Wolverine Blues (1993)
81. Katatonia – Dance of December Souls (1993)
82. Unleashed – Where No Life Dwells (1991)
83. Paradise Lost – Lost Paradise (1990)
84. Disincarnate – Dreams of the Carrion Kind (1993)
85. Morgoth – Cursed (1991)
86. Incantation – Mortal Throne of Nazarene (1994)
87. Suffocation – Souls to Deny (2004)
88. Immolation – Failures for Gods (1999)
89. Oppressor – Solstice of Oppression (1994)
90. Obituary – World Demise (1994)
91. Deicide – Once Upon the Cross (1995)
92. Asphyx – The Rack (1991)
93. Aborted – Engineering the Dead (2001)
94. Aeon – Bleeding the False (2005)
95. Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (1998)
96. Cryptopsy – Whisper Supremacy (1998)
97. Suffocation – Despise the Sun (1998)
98. Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)
99. Immolation – Here in After (1996)
100. Nocturnus – Thresholds (1992)

Collector’s Tip: Where to Buy

Many of these albums are regularly stocked at Heavy Metal Merchant — along with shirts, patches, and vinyl editions. For rarer titles, collectors often hunt through:

Final Word

This Top 100 Death Metal Albums list isn’t just for listening — it’s for collecting. Owning these records is like holding pieces of history, whether you spin them on vinyl or stack them proudly on your shelf.

If you’re shopping at Heavy Metal Merchant, keep an eye out: many of these essentials show up in stock, from Death and Morbid Angel to Cannibal Corpse and Carcass. And when they do, grab them - because true collectors know these albums won’t stay available for long.

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