Amon Amarth - Gods of War Arise (Sweden, 2006)
When I first heard this (2006?!), I was just amused by the Norse/Viking imagery, but many headbanging sessions later, this remains a classic for me. I don’t know melodic death metal very well, so this is my standard-bearer for the genre.
Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain. Atmospheric black metal - great for dark rainy nights!
https://youtu.be/B1x8q64NXxA?si=ZUeCBiLJ9TBWgJZF
See now we’re talking - black metal is one of those tangentially related genres I keep meaning to check out more properly, and this one sounds approachable, thanks!