There's still a thriving metal scene in Tampa Bay. Bands like the Absence, Light Yourself on Fire, Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky and Must ... Not ... Kill, above, will attest to that.

But oh, to be a metal fan in Tampa in the 1980s.

Just as Seattle was the birthplace of grunge, and hip-hop came out of the Bronx, Tampa has long been known as the cradle of hardcore death metal.

Iconic bands like Death, Deicide, Morbid Angel and Obituary — all of whom rank among the world’s top-selling death metal bands — came out the Tampa Bay are in the early 1980s. Cannibal Corpse moved their home base from New York to Tampa just to be part of the emerging scene. Worldwide, the style born here in Tampa, pushed the limits lyrically, vocally and musically, directly influencing artists like Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Hatebreed and Korn.

If the Tampa Bay area has one signature musical legacy, this dark, devilish sound may be it.

Arielle Stevenson talked to current and former members of Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel and Nasty Savage to get an inside look at those dark, early days of Tampa Bay death metal, when bands that would later headline metal festivals used to gig together at small clubs in Tampa.

"We were basically putting chaos into music," said founding Morbid Angel drummer Mike Browning. "We wanted to be chaotic and evil."

Click here to read Arielle's story. And after the jump, check out a gallery of awesome, old-school, death metal concert flyers featuring bands from Tampa Bay...