(Made long because it's always nice to have descriptions for things rather than "listen to X. End of story." Also, the following is written towards those who are something of a noob.)
I second Behemoth and Meshuggah.
Behemoth is one of those bands which is big on their image, and while some people dislike this quality, I have a certain soft spot for aesthetics. Also, their lyrics are heavily occult-inspired. Interestingly, they started as a black metal outfit, but over their first few albums make a shift into a more death-oriented sound, most distinctly starting on
Satanica. For them I personally recommend their albums:
- Zos Kia Cultus: It has a way of sounding diverse, while at the same time every song is still crushing aggression. I guess you could call it variations on a theme. The only fault I see in it is that towards the end it feels like it's going on longer than it should.
- Sventevith: while actually black metal, it's good nonetheless, and has a fair amount of melodic and/or emotional passages.
And, I actually forced myself to like
Meshuggah at first, but now I find them more than tolerable. I get the sense that this band is more appreciable if you actually know a thing or two about music theory, instrumentation, and all that jazz (which I don't...) since they employ odd time signatures, riff patterns, and whatever. So, coming from a "casual" music fan, I think this album is pretty good:
- Catch 33: Really weird & uncomfortable; gets an A+ for sounding misanthropic; Absolutely devastating at parts. Also, one of my favourite albums of all time.
Their other albums I kind of hold with roughly equal regard.
Destroy Erase Improve has a strong thrash vibe to it.
Chaosphere is, well, a nigh hopeless wall of earsplitting sound.
Nothing I'm not as familiar with as the others, but has a "glitchy" feel to it at times, but I think this album slaps you in the face with its aggression the least. And
Obzen is pretty bland over-all, though if I wanted to be nice I could say "mesmerising" instead.
Also, some other good ones:
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Atheist:
Unquestionable Presense is the only album of theirs I'm familiar with, but it's a landmark in death metal (from what I know), and once you hear it you will know why. Possessing a high technical prowess & jazz influence which never gets in the way of its raw anger, and undeniable catchiness that just makes you want to bang your head, it's a must-listen.
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Cynic: This is another one of those bands which are probably more appreciated from a perspective more steeped in musical knowledge than mine, but they have a hallmark "busy" sound, and every song is just packed full of incredible riffing. Really, only
Focus could be considered death metal, but
Traced In Air, while light on explicit aggression, has a cool jazzy/hybrid feel, while displaying a really
dense sound.
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Death: Well,
Symbolic is the only Death album I own, but it's pretty great. Some people call later Death progressive, and I'm not quite sure if I can agree with that statement based just on this album, but there is a good smattering of technical play in here, and it just sounds pretty cool and evil in general.
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Dissection: Now, I'm not quite sure whether this band falls more into death, or black metal territory at times (at least on the first two albums), but all three of their albums are highly melodic, misanthropic, and even saddening at times.
The Somberlain is definitely what I would call melodic death metal, specked with acoustic intermissions, and sorrowful undertones to complement its almost hateful drive.
Storm of the Light's Bane drives execrably onward from the sorrowfulness found on
The Somberlain and you can tell, almost right away, that the aggression has been turned up several significant notches. This album is definitely an essential for anyone who likes death metal.
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Evoken: I'm not really going to try to praise
Antithesis of Light here, so I'll just let others do the talking:
http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Evoken/Antithesis_of_Light/66589/
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In Mourning: Not really typical death metal. In fact, it almost sounds emo in attitude, but don't let the application of that word convince you this isn't heavy.
Shrouded Divine is fast-paced and I daresay moody but worth checking out if you're looking for something new that's ultimately enjoyable. Their second album doesn't quite have as much "spunk" (you know, maybe it's just because of the singer that this band sounds young...) but it's certainly heavier and more "deathier."
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Kataklysm: I only have
Sorcery and
Temple of Knowledge, and of the two I recommend
Temple of Knowledge more. Both are really chaotic sounding, perhaps even disfocused at times, but the aural assault is like a whirlwind, and Sylvain Houde was an insane frontman. On
ToK his vocals are almost disrespective of the music (which for some people is a big negative), but it adds to the chaotic effect. Heavy as fuck, headbang-able, and very fast playing make these releases ones that you just want to thrash around and break stuff to.
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Lykathea Aflame: They only released one album,
Elvenefris, but it is more than enough. The really great thing about this album is the mixture of light, practically uplifting sound, and obliterating death metal (You may be thinking Opeth, but these guys are ten times as heavy and aggressive, and, accordingly, their lighter elements shine even brighter). Another highlight here, at a length of like, 70 minutes, not once does it feel like it's dragging. It really keeps you engaged all the way through.
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Novembers Doom: More of Death/Doom mixed band, from what I've heard.
The Pale Haunt Departure is basically all I'm familiar with by these guys, but it kicks some ass. It's kind of like Opeth's
Ghost Reveries, except stronger on the intimate, heartfelt impact, and not so much on being prog-ish.
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October Tide: Another Death/Doom band.
Rain Without End is undeniably sorrowful, and actually pretty great on a rainy day (har har...).
YES. 
