Dark Tranquillity is one of the Gothenburg Three — alongside At the Gates and In Flames — that defined the melodic death metal genre in the early 1990s. Their extensive discography, from Skydancer through decades of evolution, has shaped the sound of an entire subgenre while the band has continually refined and expanded their approach to melodic extremity.

Dark Veil is a melodic death metal band from London, England, formed in 2024. They deliver veiled melodic death metal from the British capital.

Dark Vision is an extreme metal band from Piraeus and Athens, Greece, formed in 1997, evolving from a six-piece gothic/symphonic black metal configuration to their current black/death metal quartet. Their 2021 album Ianos, mixed at Stage One Studios in Germany and released through Cult of Parthenope, features stormy black metal with death elements, backed by a live history that includes sharing stages with Mayhem, Satyricon, Rotting Christ, and Septic Flesh.

Darkall Slaves is a brutal death metal band from Lille, France, active since 2008. They deliver enslaving brutality from northern France.

Darkcide plays death metal from Orebro, active since 2013 and adding to the city's rich death metal legacy established by acts like Dan Swano's various projects. Their homicide-evoking name channels the genre's fundamental obsession with mortality.

Darkcrowned plays melodic death metal from Oulu in northern Finland, formed in 2023 and bringing the Gothenburg-influenced sound to the subarctic. Their self-coronating name suggests sovereignty over their chosen musical domain — melodic extremity from the frozen north.

Darkdeath plays blackened death metal split between Bistrita and Craiova, formed in 2023 and bridging two distant Romanian cities through shared devotion to extreme metal. Their bluntly combined name wastes no time establishing their genre allegiance.

Darken My Grief plays black/death/gothic metal from Sibiu in Transylvania, active since 2017 and channeling the dramatic landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains into multi-genre compositions. Their request to intensify sorrow speaks to music that finds beauty in darkness across three related genres.

Darker It Gets is a melodic death metal and metalcore band from the South West Flanders region of Belgium, drawing members from the Kortrijk and Roeselare area's converging hardcore and metal scenes. The band's sound fuses melodic Scandinavian death metal riffing with metalcore structures, occupying a crossover space well-represented in Belgian extreme metal.