thehistoryofthrashpart12

 

PART XII.
THE SECOND WAVE OF THRASH METAL. AMERICAN THRASH METAL.
(1987-1991)

AMERICAN THRASH METAL

We have dissected the melodic Bay Area Scene, The punkish East Coast Scene and the divided Los Angeles scene. But now it's time to dig deeper into other American thrash metal scenes. The smaller cities and overlooked regions, creating a patchwork of scenes that had nothing to do with the Bay Area, Los Angeles, or New York. These bands weren’t surrounded by major labels or industry attention; they grew out of basements and tiny clubs in places most people didn’t associate with metal. Yet this "middle America" wave produced some of the most aggressive, unpolished, and genuinely underground thrash of the era.

The Pacific Northwest became one of the strongest alternative thrash regions. Seattle’s Forced Entry and Coven 6669, along with Portland’s Wehrmacht, built a scene that mixed thrash with punk chaos and oddball humor. These bands played small clubs and DIY venues, developing a sound that was faster, stranger, and more reckless than the polished coastal acts.

In the Southwest, Arizona produced a surprisingly intense cluster of bands. Atrophy from Tucson and Sacred Reich from Phoenix helped define a desert‑bred thrash identity. Political, dry, aggressive, and shaped by the isolation of the region. Their music reflected the heat, the sprawl, and the sense of being far from any major industry center.

The Texas scene was another powerhouse outside the coasts. Dallas Fort Worth bands like Gammacide, Rigor Mortis, and Devastation created a brutal, speed‑driven style that leaned toward early death metal. Texas thrash was louder, nastier, and more violent than most of what was happening elsewhere, and the bands built their reputations through relentless gigging in bars and roadhouses rather than industry showcases.

The Midwest produced its own wave of gritty, working‑class thrash. Chicago and its suburbs gave rise to Wrath, Zoetrope, and Holocross, bands that blended thrash with the toughness of Midwest hardcore and the bleakness of industrial cities. Wisconsin added Num Skull and Acrophet, while Ohio and Michigan had their own pockets of activity, often tied to the hardcore scenes in Cleveland and Detroit. These bands rarely had major label backing, but they built fiercely loyal local followings.

Pennsylvania produced Dream Death and a number of crossover‑leaning bands who operated in the shadow of Pittsburgh’s steel‑town grit. Even the rural South had its own thrash sparks. Louisiana’s Incubus (later Opprobrium) blended thrash with early death metal, while Virginia’s At War kept a raw, speed‑metal‑driven approach alive in a region with almost no metal infrastructure.

Across all these places, the common thread was distance, distance from the industry, from the big scenes, from the spotlight. These bands recorded cheaply, toured regionally, and relied on tape trading to reach the outside world. But between 1987 and 1991, they formed the backbone of American thrash: the overlooked, the underfunded, the rural, the suburban, the forgotten. And in many cases, their music was heavier, faster, and more uncompromising than anything coming from the major coastal hubs.

SACRED REICH (1987-1991)

Between 1987 and 1991, Sacred Reich were one of the most important thrash bands operating outside the major coastal scenes. Coming out of Phoenix, city with no music industry infrastructure, no label presence, and no established metal circuit. They built their reputation through sharp political commentary, tight musicianship, and relentless touring.

Their debut Ignorance in 1987 immediately set them apart: fast, articulate, and socially aware at a time when most thrash bands were still focused on other themes. The Surf Nicaragua EP in 1988 expanded their reach, becoming a staple of tape‑trading circles and college radio metal shows. By 1990 they released The American Way, a record that pushed them into more mid‑tempo, groove‑driven territory while doubling down on political themes.

During these years they toured heavily across the U.S. and Europe, often sharing stages with bigger coastal bands and proving that a group from the Arizona desert could compete at the highest level of the genre. Sacred Reich became the anchor of the Southwest thrash scene, inspiring countless smaller bands in a region that otherwise had little national visibility.

Sacred Reich - Ignorance (1987)

FORCED ENTRY (1987-1991)

Forced Entry in Seattle spent these years sharpening their sound and rising from local cult status to national recognition. After years of playing tiny clubs and building a reputation as one of the tightest bands in the Northwest, they released Uncertain Future in 1989, a record that showed off their technical edge and aggressive songwriting. By 1991 they followed it with As Above, So Below, proving that a band far removed from the coastal industry hubs could still deliver some of the most sophisticated thrash of the era.

WEHRMACHT (1987-1991)

Wehrmacht in Portland were operating on the opposite end of the spectrum. Chaotic, fast, and deliberately unhinged. Between 1987 and 1991 they released two studio albums Shark Attack and Biermacht, They toured heavily, recorded EPs and splits, and became a staple of the tape‑trading underground. Their blend of thrash, hardcore, and absurd humor made them a cult favorite, especially in Europe, where their speed and irreverence fit perfectly into the emerging grindcore and crossover scenes. Despite their controversial band name, they had nothing to do with that ideology. 


GAMMACIDE (1987-1991)

In Texas, Gammacide were pushing forward with a far more brutal approach. They released Victims of Science in 1989, a record that captured the raw, violent energy of the Dallas, Fort Worth scene. Throughout these years they played constantly, often sharing stages with Rigor Mortis and Devastation, and helped define Texas as one of the most extreme thrash regions in the country. Their music reflected the environment they came from: hot, hostile, and unforgiving.


ATROPHY (1987-1991)

Atrophy in Arizona were carving out their own identity in the desert. After forming in Tucson, they released Socialized Hate in 1988, followed by Violent by Nature in 1990. Both albums combined sharp riffing with political lyrics, and the band toured steadily, often hitching onto larger thrash packages to get out of the Southwest. Their isolation from major scenes gave their music a dry, cutting edge that set them apart from coastal acts.

Atrophy - Socialized Hate (1988)

WRATH (1987-1991)
Chicago’s Wrath spent these years refining their aggressive, high‑energy sound. After releasing Nothing to Fear in 1987, they continued performing throughout the Midwest, building a loyal following in a region where thrash was more of a working‑class movement than a commercial one. Their music carried the grit of Chicago’s industrial landscape, and they remained one of the city’s most respected underground acts.

ZOETROPE (1987-1991)

Zoetrope, also from Chicago, were still active into the late ’80s, touring and maintaining their reputation as one of the earliest Midwestern thrash bands. Their sound blended metal with the toughness of Chicago hardcore, and although they never broke nationally, they were a crucial anchor for the local scene during these years.

NUM SKULL (1987-1991)

Wisconsin’s Num Skull were pushing a harsher, more violent form of thrash. Their 1988 album Ritually Abused became a cult classic, and throughout the late ’80s they continued performing in small clubs and community halls across the Midwest. Their music leaned toward early death metal, and they became an important bridge between the two genres in the region.

Num Skull - Ritually Abused (1988)

DREAM DEATH (1987-1991)

Dream Death in Pittsburgh were forging something entirely different. Their 1987 album Journey Into Mystery blended doom and thrash into a dark, murky hybrid that didn’t fit neatly into any category. Although they weren’t prolific in the following years, they remained active locally, influencing a generation of heavier Pittsburgh bands who admired their bleak, uncompromising approach.

AT WAR (1987-1991)

Down in Virginia, At War kept the speed‑metal flame burning. They toured steadily through the late ’80s, playing a raw, stripped‑down form of thrash that appealed to fans who preferred the early, unpolished style of the genre. Their presence helped sustain a small but dedicated metal community in a region with almost no infrastructure for heavy music.

INCUBUS (1987-1991)

Louisiana’s Incubus, later forced to rename themselves Opprobrium, were active throughout this period, blending thrash with the emerging death metal sound. Their early demos circulated widely in the underground, and by the end of the decade they had become one of the Gulf Coast’s most important extreme metal bands. Their music carried the swampy, humid atmosphere of their home state, giving it a distinctive character.


DEVASTATION (1987-1991)

Devastation from Texas spent these years becoming one of the most punishing thrash bands outside the major coastal scenes. After circulating demos in the mid‑’80s, they released Violent Termination in 1987, a raw and unpolished debut that captured the brutality of the Texas underground. By 1989 they had sharpened their attack with Signs of Life, and in 1991 they delivered Idolatry, a record so heavy and precise that it pushed them into the early death‑thrash realm. Throughout this period they toured relentlessly across the Southwest and Midwest, building a reputation as one of the most intense live acts in the region.

ACROPHET (1987-1991)

Acrophet in Wisconsin were carving out their own identity in the upper Midwest. Their 1988 debut Corrupt Minds blended thrash with hardcore urgency, reflecting the gritty, blue‑collar environment they came from. They remained active into the early ’90s, playing small clubs and community halls across Wisconsin and Illinois, and became a staple of the Midwest crossover scene. Their music carried a rawness that set them apart from the more polished coastal bands.

HOLOCROSS (1987-1991)

Holocross, based in Indiana, were active throughout these years as well. Their self‑titled 1988 album showcased a frantic, high‑speed thrash style with a strong punk backbone. They toured regionally, often sharing stages with Chicago and Midwest acts, and became known for their chaotic live shows. Though they never broke out nationally, they were an important part of the Midwest’s second‑tier thrash wave, the bands who kept the scene alive in towns far from any industry attention.


MORBID SAINT (1987-1991)

Morbid Saint from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, were one of the most extreme thrash bands in the country during this period. Their 1988 demo Lock Up Your Children and the 1989 album Spectrum of Death delivered a level of speed and violence that rivaled early death metal. Between 1987 and 1991 they played heavily across the Midwest, often overshadowing more established bands with their sheer intensity. Their isolation from major scenes only made their sound harsher, and they became cult legends through tape trading alone.

Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death (1989)

AFTERMATH (1987-1991)

Aftermath in Chicago were pushing the boundaries of technical thrash during these years. Their early demos, especially the 1987 Killing the Future, showed a band far ahead of their time, blending speed with complex arrangements and socially conscious lyrics. They spent the late ’80s playing the Chicago circuit, refining their sound, and becoming one of the city’s most respected underground acts. By 1990 they were transitioning toward a more progressive style, setting the stage for their later work while still rooted in the thrash movement that shaped them.

APOCRYPHA (1987-1991)

Apocrypha from Las Vegas, Nevada were one of the most unusual American thrash bands of the era. Between 1987 and 1991 they released a run of ambitious, neoclassical‑leaning albums. The Forgotten Scroll, The Eyes of Time, and Area 54. Their isolation in Nevada gave them a sound untouched by the Bay Area or LA, and their technical, melodic approach earned them a small but devoted following among fans who wanted something more progressive than standard thrash.

IRON CROSS (1987-1991)

Iron Cross from the Midwest, specifically Indiana, remained active during these years as part of the region’s rougher, speed‑metal‑leaning thrash movement. Their earlier material continued circulating through the late ’80s, and they kept performing in the small‑venue circuit that defined Midwestern metal. They never broke nationally, but they were part of the backbone of the Midwest’s underground scene.

WRATHCHILD AMERICA (1987-1991)

Wrathchild America from Martinsburg, West Virginia were one of the most musically skilled thrash bands outside the major hubs. Signed to Atlantic Records, they released Climbin’ the Walls in 1989 and 3‑D in 1991, blending thrash with technical musicianship and flashes of progressive metal. They toured heavily, proving that a band from a small Appalachian town could compete with the coastal giants.

POWERMAD (1987-1991)

Powermad from Minneapolis, Minnesota were pushing a highly technical, almost power‑metal‑infused form of thrash during these years. Their 1987 EP and 1989 full‑length Absolute Power showcased intricate guitar work and soaring vocals. They toured nationally and even appeared in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, but despite critical praise, they struggled to find commercial traction. Their precision and ambition made them one of the Midwest’s most distinctive thrash exports.

MEANSTREAK (1987-1991)

Meanstreak from Westchester County, New York were one of the very few all‑female thrash bands of the era. Between 1987 and 1991 they were writing, performing, and recording their 1989 album Roadkill, which showcased tight musicianship and a sharp, aggressive sound. They toured regionally and earned respect in a scene that rarely made space for women, becoming a cult favorite among collectors and underground thrash fans.


ICED EARTH (1987-1991)
From 1986 to 1991, Iced Earth evolved from Jon Schaffer’s early Purgatory project into one of America’s most distinctive power‑thrash bands. The Purgatory demos laid the groundwork, but the shift to the Iced Earth name and the release of their self‑titled debut in 1990 showcased their dark, galloping riff style. With Night of the Stormrider (1991), the band sharpened their sound into a dramatic, aggressive hybrid of thrash and dark power metal, establishing the blueprint they would build on throughout the ’90s.

Continue reading? Check out: 

>>> PART XIII >>>