This might seem like an arbritrary and vague combination, but there's something about those bands in particular that, despite really representing what death metal sounds like in the average person's mind, is quite hard to come by. It's a mix of things - the convoluted, semi-melodic/amelodic riffs (that are pummelling, unlike say 90s Morbid Angel which are more explorative and colourful). There's a really heavy density to the guitar and drum sound, which is a very essential feature and compliments the songwriting style perfectly. It's very unrelenting in it's approach, very unfriendly and unwelcoming, with riffs that are uncomfortable but memorable (and not all out bizarro twisted like Immolation). They're very pure death metal, indigestible and not "fun" in the usual sense. I'm finding it very hard to describe what I mean but I hope that with those three bands as reference points you understanding what I mean.

It might be easier to describe what I'm NOT looking for. Another popular strain of death metal in the 90s was the more driving/rocking sound, most obvious in the Swedish scene but also in bands like Master/Vader/Bolt Thrower/Pestilence/Slaughter/Celtic Frost-inspired stuff. This kind of sound is more conventionally fun and headbangable with a clear continuation from thrash (even in the less thrashy bands). This is not what I'm looking for, the sound I'm looking for is quite divorced from its rock roots and hard to even think of as rock music at all (even though there are still some thrashy Slayerisms in Cannibal Corpse and especially Deicide). I'm also not looking for the more abstract technical sound influenced by Morbid Angel in the form of bands like Immolation (Suffocation are like this to a degree but their sound is still more pummelling than showy or philosophical), or the cavernous/doomy Incantation/Fleshcrawl sound, and certainly not the more modern seemingly DsO-inspired abstract bands like Portal and ilk. The kind of sound I'm looking for was the sort of stuff that lead onto brutal death metal, so I guess you could include the early Deeds of Flesh and Dying Fetus (first album and demo compilation) and perhaps even Internal Bleeding. I'm not looking for brutal death but I'm open to it, but please no ultra-clean, clicky, triggered kind of stuff, or anything that sounds like goregrind.

Sorry that this is a bit unclear, I certainly know what I mean but am finding it hard to explain, I tried to put as much information as I could. Any help would be appreciated.

this is in the brutal direction, but arguably not any more than suffocation (and not slammy)



also, i suppose you're familiar with decrepit birth's debut, which is quite suffocationy - would that qualify?

It sounds like you are looking for oldschool brutal death metal, and those heavier chunkier bands that retain an oldschool feel. Similar artists tab should give you a ton of stuff as well if you haven't done that already.

Try these.
Detestation


Mutilated


Burial (US, not the one from the Netherlands, which is also good, but more like Massacre)


Organ Harvest, maybe a little too grindy for you.


Usipian


Deranged


Infestdead (Deicide worship with Dan Swano)


Relics of Humanity (debut in particular. Brutal death with cavernous vocals)


Sepsism


Luciferion (1st album is really good Deicide styled death. Second is great too, but different in style)


Antagonized


Severe Torture (One of the most obvious ones here.)


Sinister (One of the biggest dutch dm bands)


Cancer (British band that went all the way to Morrisound studios to get that Floridian sound. Perhaps too thrashy for you?)


Gutted



I get the impression you would like that chunky NYDM sound as well.

Baphomet (Check out their album under the Banished name as well)


Dehumanized


Prophecy


Resurrection


Morpheous Descends


Pyrexia

What do you think of Evilution? It seems to fulfill that same guttural, uneasy feeling for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2toJP7Ejv0

Monstrosity -- Imperial Doom sounds like exactly what you're looking for
[youtube]8S5PCFJpVk4[/youtube]

Also, the most recent Centvrian album, Contra Rationem, fits the bill:
[youtube]T8_VzLbl99Q[/youtube]

Finally, I'm having a hard time finding this on Youtube in full album format, but try "Edict of the Antichrist Elect" by Perdition Temple.

I believe I understand. I was thinking about it and surprisingly it is a rather rare strain of death metal! Here's my take:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNcyREX5I1o
Brutal and percussive like Suffocation but with memorable riffs unlike the brutal death to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDcQk5mkPwc
Off the wall melodies at times but I think it fits, again very percussive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOCYYuEag_8
Here's another good one, too bad not all their songs were like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6v9b-_J2z8
More almost brutal, percussive death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im-7vHc-Ig0
same as above


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpErivrw3tw
this should be obvious and I think they fit in most cases