Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that emerged in the early 1980s. It is characterized by its extreme brutality and aggressive musicianship, often featuring fast and complex guitar work, blast beat drumming, and guttural growling or screaming vocals. Lyrically, death metal often focuses on dark and violent themes, such as death, disease, and macabre.

The genre is known for its intense and abrasive sound and has a dedicated and passionate fanbase. Some of the most famous death metal bands include Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, and Obituary.

The origin of death metal as a musical genre is a matter of some debate among fans and musicologists, but one of the earliest and most influential bands in the genre is widely considered to be Possessed. Formed in 1983 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Possessed is considered by many to be the first death metal band and their 1985 album “Seven Churches” is considered a classic of the genre. The band’s extreme and aggressive sound, combined with satanic and occult-themed lyrics, set the stage for the development of death metal in the late 1980s and early 1990s.