The 11 Catchiest Death Metal Songs Ever

Here’s the 11 catchiest death metal songs ever.

When you think death metal you’re not exactly thinking “hooks”. Well, unless you’re thinking of physical metal hooks holding up carcasses or whatever. Then you probably are. But in this instance, it’s about aural hooks that grab you and never let you go.

For instance, think about “Hammer Smashed Face” by Cannibal Corpse for a second – you’re thinking of that bass break, aren’t you? It’s a hook! It’s also the most well-known death metal song and it’s not even close, so we actually made another pick below just to shake it up. You know I still love you, Mr. Barnes.

READ MORE: 10 Death Metal Bands Who Only Released One Album (And It Rules)

Death metal might bury its catchiness under layers of distortion and gore, but it’s still catchiness. The genre’s greatest songs stick with you because they know exactly when to lock into a groove, unleash a riff, or hammer home a rhythmic idea so perfectly that your brain will not let it go.

This list celebrates those songs: the catchiest death metal tracks ever written without sacrificing an ounce of extremity. From the melodic aggression of At The Gates and The Black Dahlia Murder to the swampy stomp of Obituary and the war-driven groove of Bolt Thrower, these tracks prove that memorable songwriting and absolute sonic destruction can coexist beautifully.

Whether it’s a legendary chorus, an all-time riff, or a groove heavy enough to cave in your skull, prepare to have these 11 songs stuck in your head.

Cannibal Corpse, “High Velocity Impact Splatter”

I still had to get a Cannibal Corpse song in here, and “High Velocity Impact Splatter” is a good choice. While the song pummels you with relentless riffs, and but the real hook is George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s delivery of the chorus itself. The phrase “high velocity impact splatter” practically launches upward on the first syllable before crashing violently back to earth as he accelerates through the line. Wear a raincoat, because this one’s gonna get messy.

[Editor’s note: Okay, yes, “Hammer Smashed Face” is the one. But you already know that, so can we please shout out a different Cannibal Corpse song for once?]

Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) is responsible for plenty of legendary moments in metal and “Eaten” is easily toward the top of that list. The second he bellows “EEEEAAATEN,” your brain immediately starts preparing to shout it back the next time around. It also helps that he manages immaculate vocal enunciation while sounding as pissed as he does. It’s as good as a hook gets in death metal.

“Where The Slime Live” is straight up a hook factory. Those slow, churning riffs ooze forward with unstoppable momentum, while David Vincent cuts through the murk with crystal-clear menace despite the watery tremolo effect coating his vocals. Even the bizarre solo at the end worms its way into your brain. Honestly, this might just be the perfect death metal song.

The Black Dahlia Murder, “Nightbringers”

Let’s get this out of the way immediately: every Black Dahlia Murder song is catchy as hell. That band took the At The Gates-styled formula of American metalcore and ran with it to make some of the best death metal ever laid to tape. But for this list, it has to be be “Nightbringers.” I’ve had the line “The time has come to see their Christ is killed” ricocheting around my skull for nearly a decade now.

At The Gates, “Slaughter Of The Soul”

“GO!” might be one of the shortest hooks ever written in death metal history, but it’s burned into our collective minds forever. Tomas Lindberg and the gang basically invented the style that was popularized as 2000s metalcore with this one song. And for good reason – every riff on this song is an S-tier earworm.

Speaking of melodic death metal, Carcass and their landmark 1993 album Heartwork! Not only did Carcass help cement the genre with their 1993 masterpiece, but the title track is hooks from beginning to end. Which, sure, is kind of the point of melodic death metal — but still. You finish this song remembering every single riff whether you wanted to or not.

Death, “Crystal Mountain”

Picking a catchy Death song is tough, but “Crystal Mountain” has to be it, even if you want to call it a rookie selection. Chuck Schuldiner places every vocal line for maximum impact while the instrumentation underneath constantly tries to outdo itself in memorability. Though Gene Hoglan also deserves just as much credit here. Those cymbal patterns are completely unforgettable on their own. Yes, drum parts can absolutely get stuck in your head.

Arch Enemy, “Sinister Mephisto”

I will die on the hill that Johan Liiva’s era of Arch Enemy remains wildly underrated. All three records he made with the band are packed front-to-back with riffs and “Sinister Mephisto” deserves recognition as one of the greatest melodic death metal songs ever written. The guitar work rules, obviously, but that instrumental chorus is dangerously catchy despite never being sung outright.

In Flames, “Embody The Invisible”

I was 13 years old when I first played Tony Hawk’s Underground, which also means I was 13 the first time I heard “Embody The Invisible.” Two decades later, I still don’t think this song has left my head. This song was absolutely the gateway to the melodic side of extreme metal for a lot of other gamers and future metalheads. That opening melody has not lost any of its charm over the years.

Bolt Thrower, “The Killchain”

Bolt Thrower had bounce riffs before half of nu-metal figured out what to do with them (even if this song is from 2005). The U.K. battalion mastered that kind of stomping, rhythmic groove inside death metal long before JNCO jeans. If this song doesn’t make you want to enlist as a Space Marine immediately, I don’t know what to tell you.

Obituary, “Redneck Stomp”

Let’s close this thing out with an instrumental. “Redneck Stomp” is so catchy that after hearing the opening riff once, you’re immediately ready to sing along… to the guitar part. No vocals. No chorus. Just a handful of power chords and one of the most infectious instrumental hooks death metal has ever produced and one that opened a comeback album for the Florida legends.

Are you a death metal expert? We have three levels to challenge you! We’ll give you a small piece of an album cover, followed by the artwork in full. Can you guess all of them correctly?