Melodic Death Metal Playlist for Gaming
Metal rose to mainstream prominence during the 1980s when Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden ruled the world. However, once the 1990s came around, it lost its edge and popularity, with only Metallica adapting to the evolving musical landscape. Even though Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath laid the groundwork for what later became metal music, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, and Kiss were at the forefront ushering in its first era. A recent report from distributor TuneCore suggests that heavy metal is the world’s fastest-growing music genre.
One of the most curious things about metal is that Spotify claims that it has 91 sub-genres. That is a number most metal-heads would say is modest. Its melodic style got developed in 1993, in Sweden, during the rise of the Gothenburg scene. It features influences from British new-wave metal and incorporates heavily distorted guitars, blast beats, and harmonic guitar lines, combined with both harsh and melodic singing. Unfortunately, the boundaries of this musical classification have swelled in recent years. Today, many songs classified as melodic death metal get shunned by hardcore fans as something entirely different. Thus, providing a melodic death metal playlist to act as background fare for gaming sessions is no easy task. We scoured internet forums to find decent such tunes, and the ones we came up with below are likely, ones that those knee-deep into melodic death metal will probably not fancy. Still, they are metal songs that will raise adrenaline levels in most casual gamers.
Prism & Gate – Scar Symmetry
Scar Symmetry is a Swedish band formed in 2004 in Avesta. They have released six albums and are currently under contract with the German record label Nuclear Blast. In 2008, they unleased Holographic Universe, their third studio album and the last to feature vocalist Christian Älvestam. The ninth track of this ensemble of twelve is perfect for FPS titles or a fast-paced blackjack game online. Prism and Gate is a unique offering from Scar Symmetry that mixes growls and super melodic choruses.
Unrestrained – Whispered
The trio of Kai Palo, Mikko Mattila, and Jouni Valjakka from Finland is Whispered. This trio has been playing together since 2001, and their music has been inspired mainly by Japanese folklore. Valjakka is the founder of the band, and he initially started it using the name Zealot before changing it to Whispered in 2004. They have only released three albums so far, with their second-me, Shogunate Macabre being their best-reviewed one. Unrestrained is an energetic track that should get anyone’s head shaking as their heart pumps faster than usual. It has a few subtle instrumental nods to Japan.
Player One – Machinae Supremacy
Undoubtedly, Sweden’s Machinae Supremacy is one of the most famous bands on our list. It may also be a somewhat controversial pick as many consider it a power metal group. Nevertheless, many of their songs feature melodic singing. Their music also has a habit of mixing in 8-bit arcade-like sounds, which have fans divided. Player One, originally titled – Return to Arcade, is the sixth track from Machinae Supremacy’s debut album Dues Ex Machinae, released by Music by Design. Player One is a Machinae classic and remains one of the band’s most-played songs on YouTube.
Moon Light Wave – Blood Stain Child
Drifting from Scandinavia to the Land of the Rising Sun, Blood Stain Child is an Osaka-based band started in 1999 as Visionquest. Like many others in the melodic death metal genre, they also like to fuse trance and electronic-industrial sounds to their music. Moon Light Wave comes from their 2011 album Epsilon released by Pony Canyon. It is the eighth track from it and has a very early-2000s sound. Blood Stain Child stands out from other Japanese metal bands because their Sophia Aslanides and Aki sing in super clean English on Epsilon.
Hearts Burst Into Fire – Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine often gets described as a metalcore band. Yet, per its lead vocalists, Matthew Tuck, they are a melodic metal one. Their original name was Jeff Killed John, and, at the start, they were chiefly a Nirvana and Metallica cover band. They revamped their image in 2002 before signing with Sony. Heart Burst Into Fire is the second song from their sophomore album Scream Aim Fire. It reached the 22-spot on the US Rock Billboard chart and had a tour clip music video.
Other Melodic Metal Songs Worth Checking Out
Cypher Drone by Disarmonia Mundi, The Experiment by Raintime, Just Breathe by Demon Hunter, Force of Nature by the Unguided, and Heart of Eve by Sonic Syndicate.
About the Author
Shelly Schiff has been working in the gambling industry since 2009, mainly on the digital side of things, employed by OUSC. However, over her eleven-year career, Shelly has provided content for many other top interactive gaming websites. She knows all there is to know about slots and has in-depth knowledge of the most popular table games. Her golden retriever Garry occupies most of her leisure time. Though, when she can, she loves reading Jim Thompson-like crime novels.
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