Who is the most brutal death metal band...

[marcus2k22]

...in which:

1. Does not have any songs with lyrics about misogyny/rape/sexual deviance in any of their songs
and
2. Is not a tech-death band

I like the riffage and brutal drumming of a lot of brutal death metal bands, but then I read the lyrics and song titles, and seriously, that puts me off completely. I try and find some bands where I can get the same music and similar riffage, but every time, every band seems to have very misogynistic gore/rape lyrics in every song and are full of misogynistic slurs. That's very off-putting to me.

When I've asked people elsewhere, people are either real pricks who laugh at me, or they suggest a bunch of technical death metal bands instead. And much of the time, it's not even brutal death metal/technical death metal hybrid bands like Abnormality, Hideous Divinity, or Cytotoxin, but some of the mildest sounding technical death metal bands. So please, fans of brutal death metal, help someone like me out.

So I want the fans of brutal death metal here to suggest the most brutal death metal that you can think of that doesn't have the lyrical tropes that I find so problematic. No shock value misogyny/rape lyrics, sexual violence, and preferably no gore lyrics if possible (but more about that below).

1. Please do not reply with any comments like "Who cares what the lyrics are? You can barely make out what most of them are saying, anyway!" or "Just don't read the lyrics!" (the latter makes it almost impossible considering the song titles a lot of bands have)

2. Do NOT post any technical death metal bands. Don't post anything like Origin, Archspire, Arkaik, or any of those other tech-death bands, or any bands that sound like them. I'm not looking for technical death metal, I'm looking for brutal death metal.

3. Don't post Deeds of Flesh, Defeated Sanity, or Suffocation. Those bands are too well known, everyone who knows about brutal death metal knows these bands. For what it's worth, Suffocation are one of my favorite death metal bands. They have gore lyrics in many songs, but not all, and they're usually more psychological. Deeds of Flesh and Defeated Sanity are a little more messed up with their lyrical content in a lot of their songs, and for what it's worth, those two bands both "approach" the line for me with their content, but don't quite "cross" the line for me as a whole, whereas bands like Gorgasm go well over the line for me lyrically. Plus, they have songs with other lyrical topics as well. So I guess you can say it's not always the gore that's the issue with me, but more how it's presented and who it's presented towards. Plus, I don't recall any misogynistic slurs from Suffocation, Deeds of Flesh, and Defeated Sanity, even in their gorier songs.

4. Don't be a prick towards me if you don't like my question. If you have no problem with the misogyny in so many brutal death metal bands, that's your stance. I know it doesn't make you a misogynist for listening to them or anything. I am not trying to tell anyone what they can or can't listen to or get anyone canceled. I just wish it was easier to find brutal death metal that didn't have those lyrics. Helpful, beneficial replies only.

 

[CanserDYI]

I had to stop listening to most deathcore because of all the fuckin misogyny...its so fuckin prevalent.

 

[Chanson]

Kronos was a cool BDM band that had lyrics exclusively about Greek Mythology. Good music too.

Decrepit Birth maybe? Not sure if BDM enough, and on the techier side.

Nile wasn't mentioned in your OP, but they are another obvious mention.

 

[marcus2k22]

If I remember correctly, the first Decrepit Birth album was "brutal death metal", but after that, they became technical death metal. Even Deeds of Flesh, who I mentioned in my original post as a reference for about how far I'll go lyrically, have gone in a more technical death metal sound in the past 15 years or so, but their first several albums are definitely brutal death metal. (I'd say most people are referencing the early albums.)

I know my original post made it look like I hate technical death metal, which I don't. I actually do like some of it, it's just that tech-death isn't what I'm looking for, and I hate how when I ask for brutal death metal, I always get mentions of bands who are technical death metal instead. (For what it's worth, I'm sure if someone asked for technical death metal, but got a bunch of brutal death metal suggestions instead, they'd feel the same way as me.) And like I said, some of them can be BDM/tech-death hybrids, but many times, people have suggested some of the lightest sounding tech-death out there (the ones who are the furthest from BDM). At least with Decrepit Birth, they did start out with a more BDM sound, so I'll allow them to be mentioned because of the first album.

I'll have to look into Kronos. What is their most brutal song/album (even if it's not your favorite, I'm looking for the most brutal material.)

 

[Grindspine]

If you don't want misogyny, Emmure is completely out of the picture. I was going to say Acacia Strain is among the best of brutal deathcore, but they have some harsh lyrical content on Wormwood.

Maybe look into Dispised Icon. That is the most violent hardcore/deathcore show I have ever attended, but I couldn't tell you about the lyrical content.

 

[Chanson]

Odiois Mortem too. For Kronos, I'd check out Colossal Titan Strife first.

 

[TheBolivianSniper]

idk if it's gonna be your jam since it's sorta spacey but these guys get pretty nasty and it's all about Cthulhu

 

[marcus2k22]

I had to stop listening to most deathcore because of all the fuckin misogyny...its so fuckin prevalent.

I don't blame you. I mean, I understand that there's freedom of speech, and all, and I'm not saying that the members of brutal death metal bands who write the incredibly misogynistic gore/rape lyrics are future Ted Bundys who haven't snapped yet or anything, but it's still very upsetting to me.

If it was only a small number of bands who had that kind of lyrical content, and easy to find bands with the sounds I'm looking for, I wouldn't need to ask.

Case in point, Gorgasm. A band I mentioned in the original post for going over the line with their excessive misogyny/rape content. I look for non-misogynistic substitutes for them, but all the other bands with a comparable sound also have the exact same misogynistic/rape/sexual violence in their lyrics. That's not fair.




Seriously, is wanting a band who sounds exactly like Gorgasm on Destined to Violate or Masticate to Dominate without the horrendous misogyny/rape/shock value content really too much to ask for? I can't play any instruments well and I can't growl well; if I could, I probably would have made that album by now.

If there was a "Make a Wish Foundation" thing, but for death metal fans instead of sick/dying kids, I would wish for an album that was musically identical to those albums to come out, just with zero songs with any rape/misgoyny/sexual deviance in the lyrics and no misogynistic slurs whatsoever (and preferably no songs with gore lyrics at all). With that said, I sadly don't see it ever happening. That makes me sad.

 

[CanserDYI]

My two favorite bands coming out of mid 2000's highschool was Whitechapel and The Acacia strain, while I still find those original albums super fucking heavy and love the music, holy FUCK the lyrics didnt age well....prostatic fluid asphyxiation used to be one of the heaviest songs in the world, now I cant even stomach it.

EDIT: I should clarify, I don't mind gore. I just hate sexual violence.

 

[Rosal76]

I just wish it was easier to find brutal death metal that didn't have those lyrics. Helpful, beneficial replies only.

You may want to check out Christian death metal bands. Naturally, they aren't going to have any offense lyrics of any kind. I won't know who's the most brutal but here are a few to start with if it helps any.

 

[Chanson]

Disentomb, Relics of Humanity, Afterbirth

 

[Decapitated]

https://christianbrutaldeathmetal.bandcamp.com/releases

 

[gunch]

Yeah it's why I'm not too into Inveracity even though instrumentally they crush
Mithras and Sarpanitum?
Arsis?

 

[TheBlackBard]

If you don't want misogyny, Emmure is completely out of the picture. I was going to say Acacia Strain is among the best of brutal deathcore, but they have some harsh lyrical content on Wormwood.

Maybe look into Dispised Icon. That is the most violent hardcore/deathcore show I have ever attended, but I couldn't tell you about the lyrical content.

Ivan Moody would be dethroned as the King of Cringe Lyrical Content if more people knew about Acacia Strain.

 

[KailM]

Don’t know if any of these fall under “most brutal” but they are indeed brutal and legit death metal:

Blood Incantation— lyrics are more based on cosmic horror/aliens, I think.

Cthe’ilist — proggy death metal; lyrics are Lovecraftian horror/Legend of Zelda themed. Killer band. You won’t believe the vocals are made by a human.

Tomb Mold — alien horror themes. Old school death metal sound.

Nile, obviously.

Maybe Fleshgod Apocalypse? I would consider them tech-death but not the modern djent-production and tone variety; they were prior to that. I don’t know what their lyrics are about, as I don’t pay much attention to that in death metal. I’m definitely not okay with misogynistic lyrics but gore/general violence doesn’t bother me. I don’t get anything from those themes either, however. Cannibal Corpse is probably my favorite death metal band but I couldn’t care less about the lyrics. It’s all about their sound and playing.

 

[marcus2k22]

Disentomb - I think I should have mentioned them alongside the third point towards the end, because along with Deeds of Flesh, Defeated Sanity, and Suffocation, they're a little too well known.

Nile - BDM/tech-death hybrid, but not why I suggested no tech-death. Good band, but again, too well known, so maybe I should have stated them in the second last part of the post.

Tomb Mold - not the sound I'm after.

Blood Incantation - not really the sound I was looking for. Good band for what they are, don't get me wrong, but definitely not the sound I was specifically looking for.

Arsis - not what I'm looking for, as I emphatically stated not to post any tech-death bands. It's not even like they're a BDM/tech-death hybrid, they're a tech-death/melodic death hybrid band. Keep in mind, I accepted the mention of Decrepit Birth, who at least started off as BDM before going in a tech-death direction later. Not the case with Arsis, unless they did a BDM album I didn't hear anything from.

Despised Icon - deathcore. While another person mentioned deathcore's misogyny problem, at least it's far easier to find deathcore without cringeworthy misogyny than brutal death metal. Either way, deathcore wasn't what I was looking for.

Afterbirth - BDM with some progressive elements thrown in without really going into tech-death territory. I like what I've heard from them! I am planning on creating a "safe list" for people who like "brutal death metal" music, but could without any misogyny/rape content, making it easier for them to find bands without the problematic tropes. This band makes the grade, and I'll be sure to include them on the "safe list"! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Necris]

I'm just going to avoid things where I can't actually double check the lyrics. Either because because they're not published at all, or not online.
I also don't really know what your line is for gore exactly so I've mostly avoided that when possible rather than guess.

Unless I know the band well assume I'm only describing the lyrics of the linked release.

Hopefully some of these are somewhat close to what you're looking for.

https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/perceptive-deception
Philosophical lyrics.

https://newstandardelite.bandcamp.com/album/deprecated-deriding-his-creation-1998-2021
Anti-Christian lyrics. No rape, no gore.


Not much in the way of gory lyrical content, nothing in the way of rape or misogyny. Great material. I only know this and their previous demo, but their follow-up, while still death metal, isn't in the same vein musically.


Mostly about the apocalypse.


Vague anti-christian/"satanic" lyrics. Some gore.


Disencumbrance were one of a handful of Christian Brutal Death bands (there's a compliation called Chords of the Grave that features most of them) that existed in Texas around the same time. The lyrics are what you'd expect. They existed before brutal death metal had really come into its own as a distinct subgenre, so they don't sound like modern brutal death metal stuff, still good music.

Lykathea Aflame (and their material as Appalling Spawn) may or may not fit your criteria. Kind of proggy with regard to their arrangements, but I wouldn't call them technical. I feel like they're pretty well known in the subgenre so you might know them already anyway.

 

[Sammy J]

Wormed would have to be up there. They’re fantastic. Although I assume you’re already familiar with them, they’re not exactly underground these days.

 

[STRHelvete]

Death metal...without the death metal...seems legit..

 

[zappatton2]

I remember having a debate with a friend in high school about who was the scariest death metal band. Deicide gave him the creeps, but he thought Cannibal Corpse was hilarious. I was the opposite; I'm not a theist, so I couldn't take Glen all that seriously (plus, an actual song plot lifted from the Evil Dead?!). But Chris creeped me out, 'cuz there are dudes who fantasize, and occasionally act, on impulses of psychopathic sexual sadism, and this was before CC went more equal representation with their brutality.

That said, I still love the Corpsies, and try to think of those albums through the context of slasher horror films, which I do watch a lot. But man, that whole sub-genre of brutal death metal that took Tomb of the Mutilated and ran with it; I tend to buy physical albums, and I like the music, but I'd actually be a little self-conscious if a guest pulled out and gazed upon some of those album covers, lol!