A man holding up the 'horns' hand symbol in a crowd facing the stage at a death metal concert

7 Death Metal Fonts & How To Use Them

7 Death Metal Fonts & How To Use Them

Conjure up the power and glory of death metal in your next project with an array of death metal fonts fit for Cannibal Corpse themselves.

Whether you’re branding clothing or designing posters for the next Battle of the Bands, incorporating the right font can make all the difference. The last thing you want is to use a dodgy death metal font generator and look like a try-hard scene-kid from the early 2000s. So it’s best you get the job done properly. 

In this article we’ll be discussing seven of the best and most unique metal font styles on offer. So if you’re looking for a place to find all the best fonts for your next project, look no further.

From bleeding characters to thready, jagged figures, we’ll cover the best types of fonts, when to use them, and how to choose the right one for your project’s presentation.

Choosing A Death Metal Band Font

When it comes to deciding on the perfect and most appropriate font or typeface, there are several key factors you need to keep in mind. Doing so will ensure that you send the right message to the right audience. 

In this case, we’re going for something a little more hardcore. So if you’re looking for more flowery 1970s fonts, you may be in the wrong place.

  • Demographics – who is the project for? You need to be sure that your chosen design appeals to your intended audience by taking into account their age, location, and interests. You wouldn’t use a hard-to-read font when you’re trying to get important information across to some veteran fans.
  • The project – certain fonts suit certain needs better. A death metal font is still a death metal font at the end of the day. But with the broad spectrum of styles and diversity available in this genre, it’s important to keep the main project and goal in mind to make sure your font helps you hit the nail on the head. 
  • The medium – one of the key elements to consider with design work is how it’s ultimately going to be presented. Whether you’re using t-shirts or a projector, it should go without saying that some fonts suit certain media better than others. For example, shiny, silver death metal lettering won’t translate as well in print as it would if it were digital.

7 Most Popular Death Metal Fonts

When it comes to using fonts, the possibilities are endless. A good font is ultimately the cherry on top of a great piece of design work and helps deliver the exact mood of what you’re trying to present. 

But we know this. It’s probably the reason you wouldn’t design your death metal band logo with a calligraphy font. So you want to be sure that you absolutely nail it.

Before the world as we know it had every bit of information at our fingertips, bands had to be recognizable. And because the death metal genre reached its peak prior to the invention of the internet and various forms of social media advertising, old-fashioned methods had to do. 

And, as a result, logos ended up doing a lot of the manual labor.

Bands would therefore gravitate towards using an unreadable death metal alphabet that would draw more attention and double as a symbol or logo. The harder it was to read, the more time someone spent looking at it. How’s that for witty advertising?

There’s a huge variety of styles when it comes to this particular genre. Drawing inspiration from gothic churches, band posters, demonic scrawlings and everything in-between, death metal fonts had to work hard to stand out.

With this much diversity, getting the appropriate mood across may be slightly tricky. However, we’ve narrowed down the list with all the yays and nays, so keep on reading for more.

1. Atuvuta

Atuvuta text example

  • Roman
  • $$
  • Thin, knife-like symbols

With a modern take on the classic death metal style, Atuvuta can be described as a clean character font taking on the element of horror. 

Reminiscent of a wood etching made by a warrior’s sword, Atuvuta holds 234 bleeding glyphs, letters and symbols with an intricate design. The font suggests a similarity to age-old texts of voodoo and witchcraft found in eerie, candlelit caves.

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2. The Black Festival

The Black Festival text example

  • Blackletter
  • $$
  • Thick, bold letters

Inspired by underground punk nightclubs, and possibly even the School of Rock movie, The Black Festival is sharp, striking, and perfect if you’re trying to really capture some attention. 

Its clear-cut style screams revolution, and makes it bold, inviting, and perfect for posters. 

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3. Chrome Metal Text Styles 2.0

Chrome Metal Text Styles 2.0 text example

  • Blackletter
  • $
  • 5 different chrome text styles

If Dracula were to forge a sleek, silver-crossed typeface for a gothic-era church, it would probably be Chrome 2.0. 

There are 6 unique and haunting styles to choose from, each made entirely from scratch and perfect for encapsulating a medieval aura.

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4. Sarkem

Sarkem text example

  • Handdrawn
  • $$
  • Available in ttf & otf

Channeling the essence of bursting flames and death metal dungeons, Sarkem channels dark energy with its tentacle-like trims and gloomy ombre. Likened to the Slipknot logo, this heavy metal font is particularly suitable for branding and logo design. 

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5. XXII Daemon

XXII Daemon Text Example

  • Symbols
  • $$
  • Includes classic symbols like pentagrams, crosses, dips and roots

When they say this font takes you back to your roots, they’re not kidding.

The gangly spider-like design of XXII Daemon encapsulates the age-old philosophy of the death metal font in its early beginnings. Its thready, eye-catching, and hard-to-read lettering makes it perfect for none other than band and band-related business branding and logos. 

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6. MKI Deathmetal

MKI Deathmetal text example

  • Sans Serif
  • $$
  • Haunting strokes

Brought to you from the bloodied walls of a ritual sacrifice site, MKI Deathmetal is the stuff of nightmares. This font’s jagged, bleeding design is akin to a bloody, hand-written message on the wall. 

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7. XXII GoreGrinder

XXII GoreGrinder text example

  • Display
  • $$
  • Includes drips and punctuation

Described as ‘the face of horror’, XXII GoreGrinder is a brutal logo font designed for brutal music. Undoubtedly one of the kings of death metal fonts, the thick, splattering design includes lower- and uppercase characters. As an added bonus, it also includes numbers and some extra drips and punctuation tied with the genre. 

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Wrapping Up Your Death Metal Text

While this list is by no means extensive, there’s a decent variety to suit all kinds of death-metal-related projects. From merchandise branding to digital presentations, these heavy metal fonts will carry the spirit of death metal into everything they touch. 

Atuvuta combines tragedy and horror with its ragged strokes, while the eerie XXII Daemon is guaranteed to send a chill down anyone’s spine. 

The key to choosing the perfect font or typeface is to do your homework first. Know the viewer or reader and what you want them to feel. That way you’ll be better equipped to send the message most appropriately and effectively. 

With that in mind, go forth and conquer. 

Matthew Davison

Written by Matthew


Matt is about 80% nerd, 10% writer, 10% animal lover. His love for PC’s started at the tender age of 4 and his love for animation and motion graphics fairly soon after. You can normally find him behind a computer screen or playing with his dog Rusty.

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Matthew Davison
Website | + posts

Matt is about 80% nerd, 10% writer, 10% animal lover. His love for PC’s started at the tender age of 4 and his love for animation and motion graphics fairly soon after. You can normally find him behind a computer screen or playing with his dog Rusty.