Riff-oriented death metal

[waif]

In a lot of death metal, especially the more brutal stuff, the details of the guitar work are lost behind muddy tones and walls of blastbeats. I want something where I can clearly make out the guitar riffs. And also where the guitar riffs are good, because there's a lot of death metal out there with just plain boring riffs. Beyond that I don't care where it falls stylistically. Some albums I would consider good examples: Death - The Sound of Perseverance, Cannibal Corpse - Kill, Behemoth - The Apostasy, Jungle Rot - Fueled By Hatred. Bonus points for particularly brutal stuff that doesn't use the suuuper gutteral vocals.

 

[CiG]

How familiar with Bolt Thrower are you?

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

First band that popped into my mind
Resurgency
Deeds of Flesh - Portals to Caanan
Hideous Divinity
Intercity

 

[Phylactery]

The drums can sometimes overpower the guitars so maybe this isn't what you are looking for, but it certainly riffs hard.

 

[End of Glory]

 

[Yerfdaug]

Agreed with the mention of Bolt Thrower. Huge riffs.

At The Gates
Cemetary (An Evil Shade of Grey)
Eucharist
Carcass (at least, Necrotocism / Heartwork)
Dissection
Dismember
Sentenced
Edge of Sanity
Atheist
.....
Honestly, most old school stuff tends to be all about the riffs, even if it is dressed up with the crunch saw guitar that can make it muddy sometimes. Like any music, give the albums time and you'll hear more and more. Shit, first time I head Under the Sign of Hell the drums on the opener alone made ot difficult to hear anything else; now I find that album mesmerising. Some stuff is definitely easier to uncover then others, for example the production (whatever one may think of it) on Eucharist's debut makes the riffs more easily audible, but that doesn't mean albums such as Like and Ever Flowing Stream or Slowly We Rot aren't about the riffs. Anyhow, hope you've found at least a couple bands in this thread you'll dig.

 

[CF87]

 

[CF87]

 

[CiG]