atozthrash

THE A-Z OF THRASH

This is the A-Z of thrash, one topic per letter.

A

Anthrax

As one of the big four of thrash, Anthrax became stars on the east coast scene after releasing their 1984 album Fistful of Metal, But it was with their third album Among the Living the band became huge. Much thanks to the core quartet of Bello, Belladonna, Ian and Benante. This lineup kept the band alive over the years. Their 90's was not so popular amongst thrash metal fans but they have taken steps lately towards a more metallic sound.

B

Bay Area

It was in the Bay Area around San Francisco that thrash metal had it's natural home. Around the clubs in San Francisco bands like Exodus, Forbidden, Metallica, Testament, Possessed, Defiance, Laaz Rockit, Heathen and Death Angel had their base. Without the Bay Area thrash metal would be unthinkable.

C

Crossover

Thrash metal had it's influnces from both metal and punk but it was the crossover genre that really put an emphasis on the realm between metal and punk. Crossover is perhaps the closest relative to thrash there is out there. Bands like Suicidal Tendencies, S.O.D., M.O.D., R.D.P., Crumbsuckers, Excel, C.O.C., Cryptic Slaughter and Agnostic Front all helped to popularize the genre.

D

Death Angel

Death Angel was another Bay Area band that became huge after the release of their debut album The Ultra-Violence. After that they never came close to their original work and they went for a more mainstream sound on Act III, after that they broke up but they came back to play the thrash of the titans show in 2001 and they have kept going ever since and they are perhaps more popular than ever before.

E

Exodus

Exodus was at one time considered to be almost a one hit wonder with their classic 1985 album, Bonded By Blood but after their 2004 comeback their popularity has grown in epic proportions. Exodus was not only one of the first to play thrash they are also amongst the most popular bands the genre has to offer.

F

Forbidden

Forbidden came unto the scene and released two magnificent albums (Forbidden Evil & Twisted Into Form) and then they got lost with all the new trends of the nineties before disappearing. Fortunately they came back to record The Omega Wave in 2010.

G

Germany

No other nation, except perhaps the U.S. had more talented bands than Germany. Germany is known as a hot spot for metal and thrash metal in particular. Germany had bands like Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Tankard, Iron Angel, Holy Moses, Exumer, Angel Dust, Mekong Delta, Living Death, Vendetta, Paradox, S.D.I, Protector, Necronomicon, Violent Force, Minotaur, Poison, Grinder, Risk, Warrant and Pyracanda. The list of talented bands can go on forever.

H

Heathen

Heathen was one of the more underrated bands in around the Bay Area even if they were a incredibly talented band they never got the same recognition as some of their neighbours. Breaking the Silence and Victims of Deception are classics of the genre and their comeback album The Evolution of Chaos was also brilliant.

I

International

Yes, Thrash metal is an international genre. We have KAT from Poland, Kreator from Germany, Razor from Canada, Slayer from the US, Onslaught from the UK, Hexenhaus from Sweden, Artillery from Denmark, Bulldozer from Italy, Transmetal from Mexico, Coroner from Switzerland, Sepultura from Brazil, Arakain from the Czech Republic, Shah from Russia, Stone from Finland, Equinox from Norway, Mortal Sin from Australia, United from Japan, Sarcasm from Slovenia, Massacra from France, Apostasy from Chile, Hermética from Argentina, Moby Dick from Hungary, Bombarder from Bosnia, Mandator from Holland, Cyclone from Belgium, Heller from Serbia, R.A.M.P. from Portugal, Gladiator from Slovakia, Mezarkabul from Turkey and Flames from Greece. etc

J

Justice

Justice or ...And Justice For All is the best selling thrash metal album of all time, if you don't count their black album but it was more of a  heavy metal album anyhow. Justice went 8x platinum and has been sold in over 8 million copies. It was also the first album without Cliff Burton and the first with Jason Newsted playing the bass. Sadly it was Metallica's last thrash metal album before moving towards a more mainstream sound with the their self-titled black album.

K

Kreator

Kreator has been the most noteable band in Germany for over thirty years now. The band debuted in 1985 with Endless Pain but it was the 1986 album Pleasure to Kill that made them into stars of all things extreme, they later adopted a more clean thrash sound with Extreme Aggressions and Coma of Souls. They were lost in the nineties but returned to thrash in 2001 and they have never looked back since.

L

Lååz Rockit

They took their name from one of those Clint Eastwood movies and at first they had a more power metal sound that was typical in the US during the first half of the eighties, but when the time started to shift, Laaz Rockit started to play thrash, They were incredibly skilled at it but they never fully gained the same respect as some of the biggest bands in the genre. They have released classic thrash albums like: Know Your Enemy, Annihilation Principle and Nothings Sacred.

M

Metallica

No list can be complete without Metallica, They were the most popular thrash band by far with their first four releases and then they switched sound and tried to be mainstream, they lost a few fans but they gained even more over the years. The band hasn't fully returned to thrash and most likely they never will. Even though they are the superstars of thrash, whatever you think of them today, they are still the band that draws most kids into thrash metal.

N

New Wave of Thrash Metal

The New wave started around the shifting of the millennium. Soon we have a wave of new bands that played 80's styled thrash metal again after the 90's when just about everyone stopped thrashing. Bands like Havok, Violator, Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan, Ultra-Violence, Hyades, Warbringer, Bonded By Blood, Evile, Gama Bomb, Bywar, Merciless Death, Dust Bolt, Angelus Apatrida, Vektor, Hatchet, Exmortus, Dust Bolt, Hexen, Alcoholator, SSS, Crisix, Bio-Cancer, Deathraiser, Lost Society, Lich King, Suicidal Angels and Fueled By Fire were just a few of the bands that helped popularize the thrash metal genre once again.

O

Overkill

Another New York Group, Overkill has been one of the most consistent bands there is, never taking a break for over thirty years. The duo of DD Verni and Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth has kept the band going strong for decades now, They have released a ton of classic albums like: Feel the Fire, The Years of Decay, Horrorscope and Ironbound. Their catalogue is indeed remarkable.

P

Possessed

Possessed was the next natural step. They took the bay area sound even further with their 1985 release Seven Churches. They popularized death metal a genre that would take the torch from thrash metal as the most violent metal genre in the late eighties. Wheter you like Death Metal or not, Possessed was one of the truly original bands from the Bay Area.

Q

Quartet

Being four guys were almost in all cases the best way to perform thrash, you need one bassist, two guitarists and one drummer, anf if you let the one of the guitarists or the bassist sing then you've got yourself a solid quartet. Kreator, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth and Tankard are all famous thrash quartets.

R

Razor

Canada had a lot of talented bands in the eighties, such as Annihilator, Sacrifice, Infernäl Mäjesty, Soothsayer, DBC and a bunch of others. But Razor stood out for their longevity and productivity. They always stayed true to their sound and they were one of the genres most underrated bands. Albums like Executioner's Song, Evil Invaders, Malicious Intent, Violent Restitution and Shotgun Justice are legendary.

S

Slayer

No list would be complete without Slayer. From their 1983 debut Show No Mercy, through Hell Awaits and then their crowning achievement Reign in Blood up until today they have always stayed heavy and played faster than just about every metal band out there. One of the big four of thrash and deservingly so even if the material of late has had it's ups and downs.

T

Testament

Testament was one of those second wave bands in San Francisco that wanted to take over. With the Legacy, The New Order and Souls of Black Testament made a big following, but due to lineup changes and some exploration their popularity faded. But with their last two albums they are back on track and they are once again one of the leading forces in thrash.

U

Underground

Thrash metal has always been an underground genre, even if bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer has had a few moments in the sun. But the real thrash metal underground are all the people who devote their time and skills into the music we all love, without the underground there would be no thrash. So I would like to make a shoutout to these talented underground bands that most people have forgot: Aftermath, Sindrome, Wrath, Headhunter, Virus, Apocalypse, Sarcasm, Impact, Moby Dick, Wolf Spider, Gladiator, Akela, Bitter End, Forced Entry, Intruder, Believer, Dyoxen and At War.

V

Vio-Lence

Once one of the greatest bands on earth with their excellent debut Eternal Nighmare and the followup Oppressing the Masses, but then the ninieties came and the trends killed the bands momentum. They made a short comeback with 2001's thrash of the titans but they are the band that most people miss. When all other Bay Area bands have reunited and released tons of new material.

 

W

Watchtower

Watchtower was not only a song by Bob Dylan that Jimi Hendrix covered, it was also the band that invented progressive thrash metal. Energetic Disassembly from 1985 was ahead of it's time. The followup Control and Resistance from 1989 was also a terrific thrash metal album with progressive elements. Lately they have been active and put out a few digital singles.

X

Xentrix

UK had a strong thrash scene, yet it was heavily underrated, perhaps because thrash was seen as an American or German thing or that the UK was more associated with the NWOBHM. Xentrix was one of the leading bands of the UK thrash scene with Onslaught and Sabbat to name a few. Especially Shattered Existence and For Whose Advantage are superb albums.

Y

Youtube

Youtube is one of the best sources of thrash, you can find almost every thrash album on the platform and tons of interviews, music videos and documentaries about thrash. Nowdays when CD's, Vinyls and mp3's are almost a thing of the past, streaming music through Youtube is a delight. Some call it lazy, but I can admit that most of the time when I listen to thrash it's over Youtube.

Z

Znöwhite

Female fronted Znöwhite was an underrated Chicago band. They started out as a more regular speed metal band but their last album Act of God from 1988 is a brilliant thrash metal album. They released their first single as early as in 1983!

By/Ruthless