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== Early history (up to 1989) ==
 
Death metal is an offshoot of thrash metal. Thrash was a genre of extremes, fast tempos, blaring distortion, yelled and shouted vocals, and unpredictable song structures. Thrash bands experimented with new techniques and ideas in order to push the genre further away from mainstream rock music. The most extreme of these thrash bands created a proto-death metal sound by playing a faster, heavier, and darker version of standard thrash.
 
Genres are not usually identified solely by aesthetic form, and black or death metal labels are not easy to apply to some bands. One example of this is the American band [[Slayer (band)|Slayer]], a pioneering [[thrash metal]] band. Slayer is not usually classified as a death metal band, and have never labelled themselves as such. Even so, with [[Reign in Blood]] from 1986, and subsequent works, they certainly influenced many early death metal bands.
 
Around [[1983]], aggressive U.S. bands such as Florida's [[Death (band)|Death]], California's [[Possessed (band)|Possessed]], and Chicago's [[Master (band)|Master]] began to form. If one would call this diffuse genre "early death metal", the first recorded examples of this would be [[Possessed (band)|Possessed]]'s album ''[[Seven Churches]]'' from 1985, [[Messiah (Swiss band)|Messiah]]'s album ''[[Hymn to Abramelin]]'' from 1986 and early demotapes by Death, followed by Death's album ''[[Scream Bloody Gore]]'' from 1987. [[Morbid Angel]] is another band that largely influenced the death metal scene, releasing numerous demos and rehearsal since 1983. To their credit, these "early death metal" bands did push the format forward, something that would ultimately pay off in a new form of music that was substantially different from their closest forefather, [[thrash metal]].
 
The late 1980s saw the rise of death metal in [[Scandinavia]], and in particular in [[Sweden]] with bands like [[Entombed (band)|Entombed]] (then Nihilist), [[God Macabre]], [[Carnage (band)|Carnage]] (later [[Dismember (band)|Dismember]]) and [[Grave (band)|Grave]]. The debut albums of these bands were mostly released in the early 1990s and characterised by a distinct guitar sound, which is heavily inspired by the sound of the [[UK]] [[grindcore]] act [[Unseen Terror]].
 
The alternative standpoint is that the modern concept of "death metal"—the point when it clearly decouples from the origins in heavy metal and thrash metal—can be set to [[1989]] or [[1990]]. Just as the original creation of [[NWOBHM]] (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) by [[Iron Maiden]] and other bands was sparked by the youthful energy of [[punk rock]] in the late [[1970s]], so did cross-fertilisation between metal and punk once more create something new in the late [[1980s]]. The chaotic and often confusing development that took place around this time is well illustrated by the British band [[Napalm Death]], often characterised as a "[[grindcore]]" band (see below). This band was simultaneously always part of the [[hardcore punk]] scene. However, Napalm Death themselves changed drastically around or before [[1990]], leaving [[grindcore]] behind.
 
In particular, on 1990s ''[[Harmony Corruption]]'', Napalm Death can be heard playing something most fans would call death metal today, i.e. "modern death metal" by the above characterization. This album clearly displays aggressive and fairly technical guitar riffing, complex rhythmics, a sophisticated growling vocal delivery by [[Mark "Barney" Greenway]], and thoughtful lyrics. Other bands contributing significantly to this early movement include Britain's [[Bolt Thrower (band)|Bolt Thrower]] and [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]], Buffalo's [[Cannibal Corpse]], Sweden's [[Entombed (band)|Entombed]], New York's [[Suffocation (band)|Suffocation]], and Florida's [[Morbid Angel]].
 
To close the circle, the band [[Death]] put out the album ''[[Human (album)|Human]]'' in 1991, certainly an example of modern death metal. The band Death's founder [[Chuck Schuldiner]] helped push the boundaries of uncompromising speed and technical virtuosity, mixing in highly technical and intricate rhythm guitar work with complex arrangements and emotive guitar solos. Other examples of this are Carcass's ''[[Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious]]'' from 1991, Suffocation's debut ''[[Human Waste]]'' from the same year and Entombed's ''[[Clandestine (album)|Clandestine]]'' from 1992.
At this point, all the above characteristics are clearly present: abrupt [[tempo]] and count changes, on occasion extremely fast [[drum kit|drumming]], morbid lyrics and growling delivery.
 
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, various record labels began to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate. [[Earache Records]] and [[Roadrunner Records]] became the genre's most important labels<ref>'Death Metal Special: Dealers in Death' ''Terrorizer #151''</REF>, with bands such as [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]], [[Napalm Death]], [[Morbid Angel]], and [[Entombed]], and [[Obituary (band)|Obituary]], [[Sepultura]], [[Pestilence (band)|Pestilence]], and [[Deicide (band)|Deicide]] respectively. Although these labels had not been death metal labels to start with (Earache was founded for grindcore and Roadrunner for thrash), they became the genre's flagship labels in the beginning of the 1990s. In addition to these, other labels formed as well, such as [[Nuclear Blast]], [[Century Media]], and [[Peaceville]]; many of these labels would go on to achieve successes in other genres of metal throughout the 1990s.
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