Revenant - Prophecies Of A Dying World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6hfUuh3LgAone of the earliest New Jersey death metal bands to release a full length (on a real label with like lawyers and money and shit), classic stuff that's been out of print awhile. (Old Lady Drivers did release an LP on Earache around this time but that's more of a grindcore band who also ruled)
Ripping Corpse - Dreaming With The Dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_m__5LbSUoi'm a Jersey boy so i'll always push this stuff. awesome band from the shore. singer Scott Ruth sang for the Beast (who were on Mutha Records and ruled also). these guys played more modern death/thrash, old Death, meets Kreator meets new Death and tastefully done blast beats provided by their drummer Brandon Thomas. any time i'd seen these guys their drummer looked glassy eyed and drunk as shit, but he always played tighter than anyone. Earache was gonna sign these guys but in their band photo they thought vocalist Scott Ruth didn't look "confident enough"
Sadus - Illusion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPk6GKo1pNUanother band who upped the ante in the late 80's. now you can discount this record as just another death/thrash record, but at the time it had us in awe.
Hellwitch - Syzygial Miscreancy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASvwPMvy6Y8another great record from Florida. early Death meets early Morbid Angel (pre-Earache days). gutiarist gets nearly experimental at times which was not common at the time of this release.
Crucifixion - Desert Of Shattered Hopes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgdnwoJQ1vsthis is later in the game in 1993. underrated death metal release. late 80's early 90's death metal mixed with some Terrorizer. to me it was a stand out record that just didn't get proper exposure.
if you want to get way obscure we could blab about demos (Decapitation, Savage Death, Necrovore, Slaughtercult) but i mean death metal is a style that truly benefits from good recording and a lot of early death metal demos sound like doodie.