i think my first experience with death metal was Nile's Howling of the Jinn
I didn't like it at all at first.. scared the shit out of me... but I just felt the compulsion to keep listening to it. I got to the stage where i could listen to it and somewhat enjoy.
mm, then i heard Arch Enemy's Enemy Within on the radio, liked the intro, couldn't really get into the rest.
Then after that... I heard some At the gates.. Blinded by fear would've been the first song... then some Cradle of Filth.. Cthulhu dawn probably
both those songs scared me, but i loved them and just couldn't stop listening