Melodic death metal

Melodic death metal is a form of death metal music, which is itself a style of heavy metal. Melodic death metal is a lot like death metal but, as the name suggests, it is more melodic. Melodic death metal bands may use normal singing some times, where death metal bands nearly always use growling. Melodic death metal lyrics are also different to death metal lyrics. Death metal lyrics focus on death, war, murder and gore where melodic death metal focuses more on philosophy, religion and other less violent topics. Starting in the town of Gothenburg in Sweden it is sometimes referred to as the "Gothenburg Sound"

Melodic death metal started in Scandinavia, in countries such as Sweden and Norway. Many early melodic death metal bands wanted to mix the fast, brutal songs of death metal with the dual guitar harmonies and melodies of heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon.

Famous melodic death metal bands include In Flames, a Swedish band formed by Jesper Strombald, and Dark Tranquillity, one of the oldest and highly listened to bands in the genre.