To make a top 10 of every year is incredibly hard. Life is too short to be able to listen to every thrash metal release but I have certainly tried. In this article I'll rank the top 10 thrash metal albums from the birth of the genre back in 1983 up until the mid 90's and beyond.
Rules:
No EP's, singles, compilations, live albums, demo tapes or anything shorter than a full length studio album. Only thrash metal albums allowed
1983
1983 is year zero for thrashers as it is the birth of the thrash metal genre. It was the year when Metallica and Slayer put out their debut albums. Show no mercy wins the award this year with only two real competitors out there, Metallica and Exciter. The three groundbreaking albums were vastly different. Metallicas chainsaw-fast thrash, Slayers more evil and darkened thrash and Exciters fast and pounding speed metal. Since there wasn't that many thrash albums released in 1983, I put in some hard heavy metal albums to fill up the list.
1. Slayer - Show No Mercy
2. Metallica - Kill 'Em All
3. Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac
4. Mercyful Fate - Melissa
5. Suicidal Tendencies - S/T
6. Raven - All For One
7. Acid - Maniac
8. Anvil - Forged in Fire
9. Savage - Loose 'N Lethal
10. Crossfire - See You In Hell
1984
Year two, the scene started to grow and expand. Metallica conquers the throne instantly with my alltime favourite album Ride The Lightning, compared to the other releases this year Metallica really proved that they were one step before everybody else at this point.
I have allowed some EP's here but I've tried not to include too many of them because 1984 was certainly the year with a ton of great EP's. Plus there are a few albums that has some speed and power metal in them, simply because the big thrash explosion of hasn't taken place just yet. We have a lot of debut albums here from legendary bands such as Voivod, Anthrax and Metal Church.
1. Metallica - Ride the Lightning
2. Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (EP)
3. Metal Church - Metal Church
4. Destruction - Sentence of Death (EP)
5. Anthrax - Fistful of Metal
6. Running Wild - Gates to Purgatory
7. Exciter - Violence & Force
8. Voivod - War and Pain
9. Living Death - Vengeance of Hell
10. Piledriver - Metal Inquisition
1985
Thrash metal fully exploded in 1985. By now thrash metal had become a stable genre with and an international genre as well. Exodus' Bonded By Blood was actually finished in 1984, but due to label problems it was unreleased until 1985, and what a triumphant release Bonded By Blood was. It totally destroys all competition even if 1985 are one of the strongest years in thrash metal. All albums on this list are more or less timeless classics.
Many of the bands released their second efforts this year. There is a lot of variations here, From Overkill's punk meets Iron Maiden in their Feel the Fire to Celtic Frosts dark and majestic To Mega Therion. While Agent Steel delivers speed, melodies and falsetto vocals. Megadeth, Anthrax, Nasty Savage and Slayer released some top class material this year that are worth mentioning and for the first year ever there were some great albums that didn't make it into the top 10 list.
1. Exodus - Bonded By Blood
2. Slayer - Hell Awaits
3. Overkill - Feel the Fire
4. Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
5. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
6. Destruction - Infernal Overkill
7. Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
8. Razor - Evil Invaders
9. Nasty Savage - Nasty Savage
10. Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly
1986
1986 is somewhat a (un)holy year for most thrashers. With many bands releasing their most popular albums. There was just an endless supply of high quality records coming out this year and I could probably do a top 50 with great thrash albums from this year. We had huge releases like Peace Sells, Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood coming out this year. Albums that really put thrash metal on the map. Exumer and Angel Dust represents the more underground alternatives here.
1. Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
2. Exumer - Possessed by Fire
3. Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
4. Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver
5. Metallica - Master of Puppets
6. Nuclear Assault - Game Over
7. Whiplash - Power and Pain
8. Slayer - Reign in Blood
9. Dark Angel - Darkness Descends
10. Angel Dust - Into the Dark Past
1987
One could say that the second wave of thrash metal started in 1987 with the addition of bands like Death Angel, Heathen and Testament (and later Vio-Lence and Forbidden). At least when it comes to the Bay Area scene, which at the time was the absolute epicentre of thrash metal. In 1987 and the years surrounding it, thrash metal were at it's peak of mainstream popularity.
1987 was also a little bit of an open field as many new bands had their breakthrough and the more established bands didn't release an album during 1987. So it was an exciting year when many upcoming bands arrived on the scene and started battling for positions. 1987 definitely stands out as one of the best years in thrash metal, with a classic album like Heathen's Breaking the Silence being left out.
1. Agent Steel - Unstoppable Force
2. Testament - The Legacy
3. Coroner - R.I.P.
4. Anthrax - Among the Living
5. Infernäl Mäjesty - None Shall Defy
6. Sodom - Persecution Mania
7. Tankard - Chemical Invasion
8. Sacrifice - Forward to Termination
9. Kreator - Terrible Certainty
10. Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence
1988
Another crushing Bay Area debut, this time it's Vio-lence and their magnificent Eternal Nightmare. Forbidden, also from the Bay Area around San Francisco debuted also in 1988 with their Forbidden Evil. Coroner takes thrash metal to a whole new level with their progressive and technical thrash. Speaking of technical and progressive, that was certainly a trend at the time, lots of the albums released in 1988 displayed a more technical approach, which is shown in the list below.
1. Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare
2. Forbidden - Forbidden Evil
3. Coroner - Punishment for Decadence
4. Testament - The New Order
5. Razor - Violent Restitution
6. Atrophy - Socialized Hate
7. Realm - Endless War
8. Sabbat - History of a Time to Come
9. Rigor Mortis - S/T
10. Agony - The First Defiance
1989
Coroner's No More Color was a showcase of technical brilliance unheard of within the thrash genre, just a superb album through and through we also had Annihilator's excellent debut album Alice in Hell that came out of nowhere and became an instant classic, we also need to say Olá Brasil to Sepultura that finally manages to get into these top 10 lists.
Sodom and Kreator delivered some teutonic brutality and 1989 was a year of many strong European albums. Powermad and Toxik are worth mentioning here even if they didn't make it into the top 10. In 1989 Death Metal became a competitor to thrash with several albums coming out this year.
1. Coroner - No More Color
2. Annihilator - Alice in Hell
3. Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
4. Sodom - Agent Orange
5. Kreator - Extreme Aggression
6. Watchtower - Control and Resistence
7. Whiplash - Insult to Injury
8. Deathrow - Deception Ignored
9. Paradox - Heresy
10. Sabbat - Dreamweaver
1990
The 1990's have arrived but there is 1990 is still a strong year but after 1990 things went south pretty quick. In 1990 Megadeth released Rust in Peace, their fastest and most technical album to date and it was a triumphant success for the band.
Delivering more technical thrash was the recipe for 1990. The days of simple grunting cave man-metal belonged to the past. This was also the birth of the reborn Pantera and their brand of Groove Metal, which had a big influence on metal in general in the upcoming decade.
1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace
2. Kreator - Coma of Souls
3. Annihilator - Never, Neverland
4. Artillery - By Inheritance
5. Forbidden - Twisted Into Form
6. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
7. Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death
8. Sacrifice - Soldiers of Misfortune
9. Vio-Lence - Oppressing the Masses
10. Destruction - Cracked Brain
1991
1991 was a slightly weaker year than the years before it. Nirvana released their multi million selling album Nevermind and Metallica released their black album and music was never the same. Thrash metal was still popular in certain parts of the world, particularly in eastern europe. But lots of the bigger bands within the genre started to slow down to get more radio play.
1991 was also the year when the Clash of the titans tour ended, the last big event in thrash metal for years to come. Even though the times were a'changing to quote Bob Dylan there were a few superb albums released in '91 like Overkill's Horrorscope or Sepultura's Arise.
1. Overkill - Horrorscope
2. Heathen - Victims of Deception
3. Sepultura - Arise
4. Lååz Rockit - Nothing$ $acred
5. Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider
6. Skyclad - The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
7. Sarcòfago - The Laws of Scourge
8. Coroner - Mental Vortex
9. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal
10. Hexenhaus - Awakening
1992
Thrash metal became untrendy in 1992 as the focus for the music industry was on various rock bands from Seattle. This influenced the sound of thrash metal as well, bands had to slow down to get on the radio or on MTV it was that or not getting played at all.
Megadeth and Testament went a little softer in 1992 so Megadeth didn't make it simply because Countdown to Extinction is more of a heavy metal record than a thrash record.
1992 is most remembered for Demolition Hammer's Epidemic of Violence that are one of the last truly great American thrash albums in a long, long time. I also like Sodom's Tapping the Vein, their most brutal record to date.
1. Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence
2. Sodom - Tapping the Vein
3. Sadus - A Vision of Misery
4. Testament - The Ritual
5. Fallen Angel - Faith Fails
6. Defiance - Beyond Recognition
7. Solstice - Solstice
8. Tourniquet - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
9. Deathrow - Life Beyond
10. Assorted Heap - Mindwaves
1993
It's 1993 and thrash is dying. Bands like Anacrusis, Sacrifice, Visitör, Coroner, Poltergeist and Vio-lence released their last albums. Overkill, Sacred Reich, Sepultura and Annihilator released rather disappointing albums. Still there are some underground gems out there like Anacrusis' Screams and Whispers, Sacrifice's Apocalypse Inside, Nuclear Assault's Something Wicked and Poltergeist's Nothing Lasts Forever. But the winner here is progressive thrash metal band Aspid with their album Extravasation.
1. Aspid - Extravasation
2. Sacrifice - Apocalypse Inside
3. Visitör - Visitör
4. Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers
5. Nuclear Assault - Something Wicked
6. Uncle Slam - Will Work For Food
7. Iron Stream - Endless Pain
8. Havoc Mass - Killing the Future
9. Apocalypse - Faithless
10. Gladiator - Made of Pain
1994
It's 1994 and Pantera and Machine Head ruled the metal charts and by doing so they forever changed the fundaments of metal for the worse. Speed and technical skills was out of fashion and replaced by repetitive rhythms and shouted vocals. 1994 was the weakest year so far and the decline was rather steep. But there are a few underground gems here like Allegiance, Narcotic Greed, North Syndrom and Arakain. Slayer is high on this list even if all their earlier albums are better than Divine Intervention. Megadeth's Youthanasia didn't qualify because it's not a thrash record. 1994 was just a weak and sad year for us thrash fans.
1. Overkill - W.F.O.
2. Narcotic Greed - Fatal
3. Annihilator - King of the Kill
4. Master - Maniac Party
5. Slayer - Divine Intervention
6. Degredation - Revelation in Blood
7. Aftermath - Eyes of Tomorrow
8. Testament - Low
9. Sodom - Get What You Deserve
10. Tankard - Two-Faced
10. Allegiance - D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n
1995
It took some time before I could figure out ten albums that deserves to be on the top ten-list here in 1995.Thrash was completely dead in the west but in certain eastern european countries there were still some progressive thrash to be found. Anthrax and Flotsam and Jetsam released some alternative rock tainted albums so those were excluded here.
Worth noting was that the classic UK metal band Saxon released their perhaps thrashiest record to date in 1995 called Dogs of War but I didn't include it here. The unknown Russian prog/thrashers End Zone wins this year. Classic crossover-thrasher D.R.I. recorded a quite strong release called Full Speed Ahead. None of this albums would have made a top ten place ten years ago but these are some of the best albums from 1995 Sodom and Tankard kept thrashing through the nineties without excelling in the field. Iced Earth wins 1995 with Burnt Offerings even if it's perhaps more leaning towards a dark power metal sound.
1. Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings
2. End Zone - First Bequest
3. Hobbs Angel Of Death - Inheritance
4. Trizna - Out of Step
5. Tankard - The Tankard
6. D.R.I. - Full Speed Ahead
7. Gehennah - Hardrocker
8. Zhelezny Potok - Calling Eternity
9. Sodom - Masquerade In Blood
10. Ultimatum - Symphonic Extremities
1996
1996 was another bad year for thrash, by now it really looked like thrash metal was a thing of the past and that it would never return to the forefront of metal ever again. It was so bad that it was hard to find 10 albums that we could label as thrash records. On the bright side we could see a smaller underground revival going on in Scandinavia with bands like Infernö, Aura Noir Bewitched and Gehennah and perhaps Nifelheim too even if they are more of a black metal band in my opinion.
The Killing Kind was one of Overkill's weaker efforts so far but it still gets a top spot this year. There are some albums here that has either a groove metal or a black metal side to them. 1996 was also the year of Pantera's trendy Trendkill and Sepultura's Roots, which obviously has nothing to do with thrash metal. 1996 was bad, let's just forget about this year now and move on.
1. Witchburner - Witchburner 2. Overkill - The Killing Kind 3. End Zone - Thalatta Et Thanatos (Θάλαττα καί θανατος) 4. Annihilator - Refresh the Demon 5. Aura Noir - Black Thrash Attack 6. Bewitched - Diabolical Desecration 7. Iced Earth - The Dark Saga 8. Flames - In Agony Rise 9. Mortification - Envision Evangelene 10. Abhorrent - Rage
1997
1997 and it seems like thrash metal was a thing of the past. But there were a handful of bands that still played like Sodom, Hexenhaus and Sadus to mention a few. But for me Exciter is the winner here even if the album could be described as a speed metal record instead of a thrash album. Power metal band Brainstorm also enters the list with their rather thrashy record Hungry. Swedish band Guillotine was a breath of fresh air.
1. Exciter - The Dark Command 2. Hexenhaus - Dejavoodoo 3. Sodom - Til Death Do Us Unite 4. Deströyer 666 - Unchain the Wolves 5. Brainstorm - Hungry 6. Guillotine - Under the Guillotine 7. Sadus - Elements of Anger 8. Deceased - Fearless Undead Machines 9. Acid Death - Pieces of Mankind 10. Scenery - The Drowning Shadows of Mankind
No comments:
Post a Comment