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Melodic death metal (often referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal. It contains more melodic guitar riffs and solos, which are sometimes acoustic, and also occasional 'clean' singing as opposed to traditional death grunt vocals. The song structures are generally more progressive, using diverse themes throughout the song. Death and Morbid Angel, often considered the "godfathers" of death metal, are primary influences on the genre, and its progenitors include At the Gates and Carcass, with the release of their Heartwork album. Sentenced is also often credited with creating the first melodeath album with the release of North From Here. Some credit In Flames as the band which popularised the sub-genre. Melodic death metal, though from the same geographic area as black metal, rarely speaks of Satanism or the downfall of Christianity, but has more poetic themes, which vary greatly. Traditionally, lyrics deal with more expressionist themes.

One extremely important piece of the melodic death jigsaw puzzle is the Gothenburg style, named after the city from which it originated. It is not certain what band originally started the Gothenburg sound, but it is widely accepted that In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity are the three major popularizers of the style, and some of the only widely known bands to practice it, with newer bands such as Arch Enemy and The Haunted appearing and practicing the style only recently.

It was originally thought that nearly all melodic death metal bands are from the Scandinavian and Northern European regions, especially from Sweden and Finland, however, in recent years, the genre has gained somewhat of a popularity boost, aquiring a small underground status in the North American areas of Florida, New York, California, and some parts of Canada, especially among North American fans of the Scandinavian bands which still pioneer the genre today but are looking for some closer-to-home bands.

Notable bands

Agalloch
Amon Amarth
Arch Enemy
Arghoslent
At The Gates
Atrocity
Behind the Scenery
Beyond Shadows
Callenish Circle
Catamenia
Ceremonial Oath
Children of Bodom
Dark Tranquillity
Darkane
Detonation
Diabolical Masquerade
Diablo
Edge of Sanity
Enforsaken
Enter my Silence
Entombed
Eternal Tears of Sorrow (All albums but Sinner's Serenade)
Evemaster
Exhalted
Hypocrisy
Illdisposed
In Flames
Insomnium
Kaliban
Kalmah (Most Noticeable on The Black Waltz Album)
Mercenary
MoonFall
Mors Principium Est
Nightrage
Norther
Noumena
Night In Gales
Omnium Gatherum
Opeth
Perfect By Design
Scar Symmetry
Sentenced (early albums)
Skyfire
Skymining
Soilwork
Solar Dawn
Suidakra
The Duskfall
Thine Eyes Bleed
Unanimated
Vehemence
Warmen
Wintersun

See also

• Death metal
• Symphonic metal
• Heavy metal music

Heavy metal
Black metal - Death metal - Doom metal - Folk metal - Glam metal - Gothic metal - Grindcore - Industrial metal - Neo-classical metal - Power metal - Progressive metal - Symphonic metal - Thrash metal
Other topics
Fashion - History