The Obscure U.S. Death Metal 100

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In the late 80's and early 90's, fueled by the aggression of the extant wave of thrash metal, and the novel popularity of bands like Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Deicide, interest in death metal spread like wildfire throughout the United States, and record labels scrambled to capitalize upon it. Signing upstart bands from Florida, New York, California, Pennsylvania, and everywhere in between, the market flooded with dozens of death metal recordings until the post-thrash/grunge boom of the mid 90's. While bands like Incantation and Autopsy managed to make enduring names for themselves in what became the Death Metal underground, and others, like Ripping Corpse and Brutality left behind what are considered classics in many circles, many fell through the cracks.

Thankfully, due to the efforts of ex-tape traders, internet nerds, and reissues on labels like Dark Descent, many of these amazing albums, demos, and EPs, are rising like zombies from the crypts of the the genre's Golden Age.