[edit] Argentina
Australia
One of the first Australian extreme metal bands, Hobbs' Angel of Death made their recording debut with their eponymous album in 1988. Released by Germany's Steamhammer label, the album is considered to rate as one of the great cult metal releases of the '80s, while Allmusic compared it with Reign in Blood for its aggressive thrashing and Satanic references.[8]
Bahrain
Brazil
Brazilian death/thrash metallers Sarcófago were considered the most extreme and inaccessible of Brazil's early death metal champions, while some claim, pioneered what would later be known as black metal.[9] According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic, Sarcófago's 1987 debut, I.N.R.I. remains an "oft-referenced touchstone for black metal musicians worldwide" and called it "a historical relic of an obscure but important national scene".[10]
Sepultura are now considered to be the most successful Brazilian heavy metal band in history. Their third release, Beneath the Remains was an immediate critical and commercial success and is cited as "one of the most essential death/thrash metal albums of all time" by Allmusic.[11][12] Its follow-up, Arise also remains a classic of the death metal genre.[13]
Canada
Canadian thrashers Annihilator exploded onto the thrash metal scene with their critically acclaimed debut, Alice in Hell, cited by Allmusic as "an unqualified triumph" and "the state of the art in terms of thinking man's thrash metal".[14] It was followed up with Never, Neverland, which is considered by Alex Henderson of Allmusic as "a blistering gem" and "one of 1990's strongest metal releases".[15]
One of the first bands that appeared on the thrash metal scene, Canadian outfit Exciter released Heavy Metal Maniac in 1983, considered to be among the first thrash albums. Their third release, Long Live the Loud, is cited as their best effort and is considered as the apex of their career.[16][17]
Prog/thrash metal outfit Voivod were one of the first thrash bands from Canada to receive international popularity.[18] Greg Prato of Allmusic compared their debut, War and Pain with Metallica's debut, Kill 'Em All.[19] Their progressive/thrash release, Nothingface, was their most commercially successful album, attaining a peak position of #114 in the Billboard Top 200 on February 17, 1990.[20]
Chile
- Coprofago
Colombia
- Athanator
- Ekhymosis
- Holocausto
- Inquisition
Denmark
- Artillery
- Hatesphere
- Invocator
Finland
France
Germany
Together with their countrymen Kreator and Sodom, Germany's Destruction constituted the dominating triumvirate of Teutonic thrash metal during the 1980s. Their third album, Release from Agony, is considered as the band's finest release, while Allmusic cited it as "an overlooked classic".[21][22] Destruction's impact on the nascent black metal scene has been acknowledged by the late Euronymous of Mayhem, who called their first release "masterpiece of black stinking metal".[23]
Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany's Kreator is also by far the most enduring, mixing Metallica's thrash innovations with Venom's proto-black metal imagery.[7] Their sophomore effort, Pleasure to Kill is considered as the band's first "classic" album[7] and was a critical and commercial success.[24] It was followed up with the spectacular Terrible Certainty and Extreme Aggression, cited as "their final thrash triumph" by Vincent Jeffries of Allmusic.[25]
One of the three dominating bands of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, Sodom has been a major influence in the development of thrash, black and death metal.[26] Their landmark album, Persecution Mania, is praised by Ed Rivadavia of Allmusic as "a virtual tour de force of blinding speed and blunt force" and named it as "arguably the best album of Sodom's checkered career".[27] Euronymous of Mayhem stated them as an influence, while calling their first release as a "masterpiece of black stinking metal".[23]
Greece
[edit] Hungary
[edit] India
Italy
Relatively unknown outside their homeland, Italy's Necrodeath blended old-school speed metal and thrash with black metal pioneered by Venom and Bathory.
Israel
[edit] Japan
Macedonia
[edit] Malaysia
Mexico
[edit] Netherlands
Although remembered primarily as a progressive death metal band for their latter, better known and better executed efforts, Pestilence's debut, Malleus Maleficarum, was essentially a thrash metal release, and is easily recognized as a transitional link between the thrash and death metal.
New Zealand
[edit] Norway
Featuring Bård "Faust" Eithun (ex-Emperor) and Pete Evil, the host of the Norwegian version of Headbangers Ball, Blood Tsunami released their debut album, Thrash Metal, in April 2007.[30][31]
Industrial metal band Red Harvest started off as a thrash metal outfit in 1989, releasing two demos and their only thrash release, Nomindsland.[32]
Poland
[edit] Russia
[edit] Slovakia
South Korea
[edit] Sweden
A one-man operation helmed by the mysterious Quorthon, Bathory easily qualify as one the most important European extreme metal acts of the '80s and '90s. Bathory has been influential for several bands from the Norwegian black metal scene, and has singlehandedly carved out Viking metal with their landmark releases, Blood Fire Death and Hammerheart.[33][34]
Swedish death/thrash metal band The Haunted arose from the ashes of At the Gates. The group's second effort, The Haunted Made Me Do It has been noted to be on the same pedestal as Wolverine Blues, Heartwork and Master of Puppets by Allmusic.[35][36]
Rolling Stone labelles the "Swedish sonic extremists" as "one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands"[37][38] and the Alternative Press as the "most important band in metal".[37][39] Meshuggah combine death metal, grindcore, mathcore, thrash and progressive metal; Nuclear Blast states that "It is impossible to talk about experimental or avant-garde metal without mentioning this truly groundbreaking act".[38]
Formed from the remains of seminal death/black metal pioneers Hellhammer, Celtic Frost are a huge influence on both extreme metal and gothic metal.[40] Ned Raggett of Allmusic considered To Mega Therion as "death metal at its finest", adding that Celtic Frost members "know how to make the end of the world sound appropriately dramatic".[41]
Swiss trio Coroner was originally pegged as a conventional thrash band, but their jaw-dropping musicianship and increasingly complex compositions soon won over most critics, some of which labeled them the Rush of thrash metal.[42] Widely regarded as their greatest achievement and an extreme metal landmark, Coroner's fourth release, Mental Vortex saw the Swiss trio quickly moving away from the everyday trappings of thrash metal into unpredictable avant-thrash territory.[43]
Although Hellhammer never entered mainstream metal, the brutally aggressive unit did attract a small but loyal cult following during its short life. Their only release, the Apocalyptic Raids demo left a lasting impression and is widely circulated in Europe's underground tape-trading networks. Two of its three members went on and formed the seminal extreme metal band, Celtic Frost.[44][45]
[edit] Turkey
United Kingdom
England's Evile are one of the new millennium bands attempting to revitalize 80's thrash metal without straying too far from it.[46]
UK thrashers Hydra Vein released their debut, Rather Death Than False of Faith in 1988. After releasing the After the Dream EP, they officially disbanded in 1989.[47]
One of the first on the British thrash scene, Sabbat distinguished themselves with both their blazing speed and their fascination with the occult, paganism and the Dark Ages. Their seemingly prophetic debut, History of a Time to Come, is considered to rank with the best British thrash ever produced.[48][49]
Newcastle based thrash metal band Venom were a seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal scene.[50] Their 1982 debut, Welcome to Hell, is cited by Allmusic to have "crystallized the elements of what later became known as thrash, death, black, and virtually every other form of extreme metal"[51], whilst considering their sophomore release, Black Metal, to be "right up there with its predecessor".[52]
United States of America
[edit] A-D
Missouri based Anacrusis is considered to be one of the more talented bands which got lost in the shuffle of the late-'80s thrash scene.[53] Steve Huey of Allmusic compared them with Voivod, while citing their third release, Manic Impressions as "essential listening for fans of both thrash and progressive metal".[54]
Of the Big Four of Thrash, Anthrax was the most adventurous in terms of genre-crossing, noted for their experimentation and tempering often serious music with a healthy dose of humor and realism. Allmusic have attributed the ownership of the throne of the East Coast thrash metal scene to Anthrax.[56][55] Among the Living, their third album, is considered by Steve Huey of Allmusic as "arguably Anthrax's foremost achievement" and is generally considered as the band's best effort.[57]
- Atrophy
- Attitude Adjustment
- Avenger of Blood
- Behind Enemy Lines
- Believer
- Beowülf
- Beyond the Embrace
- Blind Illusion
A secret supergroup of sorts, Blind Illusion is best known for containing two-thirds of the alternative rock group Primus. Their only release, The Sane Asylum, was a highly technical thrash album and is cited by Allmusic as "one of the Bay Area thrash scene's most original, if flawed documents".[58][59]
Formed in 1983, Los Angeles thrashers Dark Angel were known in thrash metal circles for their ability to deliver some of thrash's most challenging and articulate albums with pure speed and primal aggression.[60] Their fourth album, Time Does Not Heal, is hailed by critics as the band's "creative peak" and Ed Rivadavia of Allmusic called it "a veritable masterpiece of thinking-man's thrash metal".[61] However, some purists consider the group's second album, Darkness Descends to be their best effort, and is considered as a minor thrash metal classic.[62]
San Francisco's Death Angel created complex thrash metal by combining serious guitar crunch and speed with a fair amount of technical expertise. Their 1985 demo Kill As One was notably produced by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett when they still were teenagers.[63] Ed Rivadavia of Allmusic commented that the young line-up of Death Angel reached their "musical adulthood" with their third album, Act III and called it their "superlative career highlight".[64]
Defiance was a very minor participant in the late-'80s Bay Area thrash scene. Their third opus Beyond Recognition, was the capper of their fairly undistinguished career.[65][66]
Although known for their landmark hardcore punk albums, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles were one of the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal. Their 1989 release Thrash Zone was widely acclaimed among their better releases.[67]
[edit] E-H
San Francisco's Epidemic entered the now crowded Bay Area thrash metal scene in 1988 with their debut, The Truth of What Will Be. They further departed from the thrash metal sound over their next two releases before disbanding.[68]
Formed in the late '80s out of a common interest in speed and doom metal, Exhorder helped shape the "Louisiana sound", a common sound shared between many metal bands from the state.[69] Their second effort, The Law, is considered as a minor extreme metal classic.[70]
Once considered the kings of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, Exodus were unquestionably responsible for spawning that scene, which is widely accepted as the "birthplace of thrash". Exodus remained true to their thrash roots during the rise of the grunge and alternative metal scenes during the 90s.[71][72] Praising their debut Bonded by Blood, Allmusic called it "a crucial piece of the thrash metal puzzle" and considered it as one of the "landmark albums" responsible for launching the thrash metal wave.[73]
Arizona based Flotsam and Jetsam did not receive either significant sales or mainstream recognition, though they initially showed a lot of promise within the thrash metal circles. Part of the second wave of thrash bands, their ambitious debut Doomsday for the Deceiver received a six on a five point rating from Kerrang!, while Allmusic considered it as an important record for fans of early thrash metal.[74][75]
Making thrash with maximum crunch and minimum melody, Forbidden were one of the second wave of thrash metal bands which arose from the Bay Area Scene.[76][77] Their 1988 debut, Forbidden Evil, received largely favorable reviews and was considered quite impressive upon its release during the heyday of Bay Area-bred thrash metal.[76]
Gory, sexually perverse, and scatological in the extreme, GWAR is cited as "a genuinely funny art-project joke" by the Rolling Stone magazine.[78] GWAR is best appreciated with its visual aspects, which are considered far more creative than their music by Allmusic.[79] Alex Henderson of Allmusic praised Scumdogs of the Universe as "outrageously entertaining" and called it "GWAR's crowning achievement".[80]
Formed in the mid-'80s in San Francisco, Bay Area thrashers Heathen garnered a lot of attention through their cover version of Sweet's "Set Them Free".[81]
Although California's Hirax achieved only moderate success in the 1980s, their cult following has increased ever since, and now are frequently cited among the genre's important and unique early contributors.[82] Their third album, The New Age of Terror is considered by Cosmo Lee of Allmusic as the band's "strongest work", and called it "one of the best thrash metal records made since the genre's heyday".[83]
[edit] I-L
Considered by Allmusic as "one of the greatest hopes for classic metal in America", Iced Earth are known for combining '80s thrash influences with the classic metal approach of Iron Maiden.[84]
Formed in 1982, Lääz Rockit were a mainstay in the Bay Area thrash scene for nine years and is cited as one of the best thrash bands in California.[85][86] John Book of Allmusic compared their intricate guitar and bass playing on their 1987 opus, Know Your Enemy, with that of Anthrax.[87]
[edit] M-P
After being fired from Metallica due to alcohol problems, drug abuse and personality conflicts,[89] Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth in 1983. Since then, Megadeth has released eleven studio albums; five of them certified platinum, with Countdown to Extinction certified multi-platinum.[90][91] Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, their second effort, has received several accolades, from being considered as "a classic of early thrash" and "one of the few truly definitive thrash albums" to being noted as "one of the most influential metal albums of its decade".[92][93] Their 1990 release Rust in Peace is also a seminal thrash album.
Seattle metalheads Metal Church made a huge splash on the thrash metal scene with their 1985 eponymous debut.[94] Ed Rivadavia of Allmusic considered the album "an overlooked classic of straight-ahead American-bred heavy metal".[95]
Cited as one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the 1980s, Metallica were the first thrash metal band to attain mainstream acceptance and global commercial success. The band's third album, Master of Puppets, has been called "a thrash metal masterpiece" and "the greatest heavy metal album of all time" by Allmusic.[96][97] From their underground roots the band have gone on to win seven Grammy awards[98] and have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide.[99]
Wisconsin quintet Morbid Saint played raw thrash which, according to Allmusic, sounded "like a cross between Kreator and Dark Angel".[100] They were a favorite opener of Florida death metal greats, Death.
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Municipal Waste are a part of the thrash metal revival in the 2000s.[6] Their sophomore album, Hazardous Mutation has been cited "an authentic blast of ‘80s crossover thrash" by Allmusic.[101]
Considered by Allmusic as contenders to the throne of East Coast thrash metal, Nuclear Assault were known for making room for serious subject matter in their careening speed metal riffs, while remaining close to hardcore than most of their peers.[56][102] Ed Rivadavia and John Franck of Allmusic cited their third album, Handle with Care, as their "truest band effort" and applauded it as "a record which stands the test of time as one of the East Coast's best offerings to the thrash metal genre".[103]
Formed in 1984, New Jersey thrash quartet Overkill garnered a reputation for brutal, pounding speed and technique, while building up a strong following in the metal underground with albums like 1985's Taking Over and 1988's Under the Influence.[104] Considered as a classic among Overkill fans, The Years of Decay is considered as "one of Overkill's most satisfying efforts" and is often mentioned as the pinnacle of the East Coast thrashers' recording career.[105]
Arguably one of the pioneers of death metal, Possessed set the stage for the genre's breakaway from thrash. Their debut release, Seven Churches is often cited as the first true death metal release, while Allmusic considered it as the missing link between thrash and death metal.[106][107]
[edit] Q-T
Phoenix-based Sacred Reich were noted for their highly opinionated political lyrics, occasionally mixing it with a satiric sense of humor.[108] Alex Henderson of Allmusic considered the "dark, troubling and often highly sociopolitical" Sacred Reich as "one of the most lyrically compelling thrash units", while praising their third release, The American Way, as "the band's finest hour".[109]
San Francisco's Sadus became an underground sensation long before they recorded their first album, thanks to their amazingly influential D.T.P. and Certain Death demos. According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic, Sadus' debut Illusions "stood balanced on a knife's edge between (...) thrash and death metal", and considered it to be a very accomplished and fine debut.[110]
Formed in 2003, Skeletonwitch are considered part of the thrash revival era of bands. Their music style has the thrash format along with black metal and NWOBHM influences. Ed Rivadavia from Allmusic considered their second album, Beyond The Permafrost, to be "amongst the best retro-metal releases of 2007".[111]
Known for their anti-Christian themes as much for their music, Slayer is considered to be one of most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their downtuned rhythms, wildly chaotic guitar solos and graphically violent lyrics set the standards for the emerging death metal scene during the 80s. Slayer was one of the few bands that did not deviate from their thrash roots during the 90s.[112][113] Their masterpiece, Reign in Blood, has been widely considered "the pinnacle of speed metal" and has been called "the heaviest album of all time" by Kerrang!.[114][115]
Intended to be a one-off novelty side project by two Anthrax members, Stormtroopers of Death or S.O.D. is considered by Allmusic as one of the crucial links in the musical chain linking hardcore punk with speed metal. Their notorious debut, Speak English or Die, featuring a whopping 22 tracks in under half an hour, was infamous for its raw musical power and silly, but sometimes racist and sexist humor.[116][117]
Controversial hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies crossed-over into thrash after their classic self-titled debut in 1983.[118] Their 1988 release, How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today, is considered to be one of their best efforts, along with their 1990's commercial success, Lights...Camera...Revolution!.[119][120]
Temple of Blood is a Christian thrash metal band from Alabama. Their debut, Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind has received positive reviews in general from several webzines, including No Life Til' Metal and Heaven's Metal webzine of HM Magazine.[121]
The San Francisco quintet Testament is often quoted as the biggest thrash metal band never to reach the platinum plateau[122], and as put by Ed Rivadavia of Allmusic, Testament were "once on the verge of (...) transforming the Big Four of Thrash into the Big Five".[123] Their debut, The Legacy was hailed as an instant classic within thrash metal circles[122]. Alex Henderson of Allmusic cited The New Order as the band's "best offering ever", and called Testament's cover of Aerosmith's "Nobody's Fault" in the album as "one of the band's finest accomplishments".[124]
Christian thrash metal trio Tourniquet have received several accolades, including being voted as "Favourite band of the decade (1990-1999)", amongst other categories on the 1999 HM Magazine Reader's Poll.[125]
[edit] U-Z
One of the late arrivals to the '80s thrash metal scene, San Francisco's Vio-Lence were heavily influenced by thrash pioneers Exodus.[126]
California thrashers Warbringer are a part of the thrash metal re-emergence in the 2000s. Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic praised their impressive debut, War Without End, for "synthesizing numerous first-wave influences into a consistently exciting and fresh-sounding batch of songs".[127]
Texas based progressive thrash outfit Watchtower are credited for creating "the blueprint progressive metal genre".[128] Their debut, Energetic Disassembly, is generally considered to be the recording most responsible for the development of the progressive metal genre.[129]
New Jersey thrashers Whiplash, named after the Metallica song "Whiplash", were one of the second tier bands of the American thrash metal wave.[130]
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