Venerdì 30 Gen 2009, 1:31
It's based on a combination of historical relevance and my own personal judgments. But in any case, all the albums found on this list are vouchsafed as Grade A neck-breaking thrashy goodness. There's a lot of great thrash out there, and it's damn hard to fit it all in a list of 50 (but I'm too lazy to do 100), so here's the best I can come up with. (Great bands and albums have been excluded simply for the lack of space. )
50. Rammer - Incinerator/Krusher
49. Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
48. Havoc Mass - Killing the Future
47. Hypnosia - Extreme Hatred
46. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
45. Destruction - Infernal Overkill
44. Seventh Angel – Lament for the Weary
43. Overkill - W.F.O.
42. Intruder – A Higher Form of Killing
41. Indestroy – Senseless Theories EP
40. Exhorder - Slaughter at the Vatican
39. Ulysses Siren - Above the Ashes
38. Overkill - Feel the Fire
37. Necrosis - The Search
36. Infernal Majesty – None Shall Defy
35. Master – With Noose Around the Neck
34. Darkness – Death Squad
33. Destruction – Mad Butcher EP
32. Aura Noir - The Merciless
31. Atrophy - Socialized Hate
30. Annihilator – Alice in Hell
29. Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids
28. Mekong Delta - Dances of Death (and Other Walking Shadows)
27. Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver
26. Deceased - Supernatural Addiction
25. Slaughter - Strappado
24. Venom - Black Metal
23. Death Angel – The Ultra Violence
22. Holy Terror - Terror and Submission
21. Exumer – Possessed by Fire
20. Sabbat - History of Time to Come
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Martin Walkyier is a vocalist god. He went down a very folksy route later on, but this is the album that marks that perfect medium between the thrashy folk metal to come with early Skyclad and straight-up conventional thrash. It’s bouncy and focused on the rhythmical, lispy vocals of Walkyier. The riffage is straightforward, but composed perfectly to induce total neck-breaking headbanging.
19. Infernal Majesty - Unholier than Thou
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It’s the best mid-to-late-90s thrash out there. This is where thrash should have went instead of reducing itself to the simplicity of groove metal. Crisp, clear production with a very high bee-like buzz for guitar tone. Lot’s of rhythm changes with very thin sounding riffage, but damnit if it doesn’t work—it’s one of the most interesting pieces of thrash out there.
18. Assassin – The Upcoming Terror
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Aggressive speed/thrash that will smack you upside the head over and over, leaving a helluva fucking mark. Oh and fuck me, but if it isn’t melodic as well! Melodic, fast, aggressive speed/thrash with harsh vocals and lead guitarwork that impresses even non-thrashers. Catchy too! How the fuck is all of that possible in one single band? I don’t know how they did it, but this kicks utter ass.
17. Exodus - Fabulous Disaster
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Exodus you say? Bonded by Blood sure was a good album! Yeah, yeah. See Fabulous Disaster. Yeah the one with the ridiculous album cover. If an album can overcome that terrible outward appearance, it's gotta be a good album (see Rainbow's Rising and Accept's Balls to the Wall for more hideous-looking albums overcoming adversity and rocking the fuck out). And it does thrash awesomely. See, unlike Bonded By Blood, the production on FD was tweaked to give it a thick dose of venom to each riff and lyric. Unforgetably catchy with a new-found heaviness that gives the genre a subtle extra kick. I've yet to hear a thrash album that does the same thing.
16. Grinder – Dawn for the Living
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See now this is German thrash for people who like their thrash without the death metal and black metal influences. Who needs to be raw and brutal when you can shred the fuck out of an ear canal with lead guitarwork suited for prog-rock, speed of speed metal, and riffs galore. Fast speed metalesque thrash with a bite.
15. Poltergeist – Depression
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Bouncy, speedy thrash stuffed down your throat. It’s catchy yet varied, with solos to blow you the fuck away. The vocals just lead you along an album that’s got the spirit of crossover, but is pure fucking thrash. A Lawnmower Deth spliced with Reign in Blood and with the distortion turned up a bit and a shit-ton of neo-classicism.
14. Metal Church - Metal Church
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Sometimes there comes along a band that is defined by one man to such a degree that it becomes acceptable for that man to completely rip off the logo and cover-art of the main band for his solo project. In this case, that man is of course David Wayne. No disrespect to the rest of the guys of Metal Church, but David Wayne's insane shrieks have propelled this particular album towards the apex of my list. And trust me, I don't listen for vocals when I put on a thrash record, but damnit if David Wayne didn't lead the band's thrash songs into a clear and compelling compositional structure. Without him, none of their songs ever demanded the same attention from me. Rest in peace, Wayne, you were truly one of the best thrash vocalists out there.
13. Shah - Beware
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Soviet thrash metal? How more badass can you get? Well I'll tell you just listen to Shah's guitar texture and tell me it's not one of the most refreshingly unique chainsaw sounds to ever rock the fuck out of thrash metal in '89. That's one thing, but the fact that each song on this album is perfectly composed in every feasible way makes this album a must own for all thrash fans. Just listen to the guitar lead on "Threashold of Pain" at around the 2 minute mark and tell me it's not the most perfectly timed musical device possible. It makes me cry tears of molten lead every time I hear it.
12. Bulldozer – Day of Wrath
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One of the pioneers of blackened thrash metal, but fuck that. Just listen to this album from a straight-up thrash perspective. It’s got everything—a raw production, distortion all over the place, but riffs that are so jagged that they cut straight through that. And the solos coming out of nowhere very much in the tradition of early Slayer. Catchy as fuck.
11. Heathen - Victims of Deception
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From the get-go this album gets a million extra-credit points, for one of the best intros to an album in the history of music. Jim Jones giving one of his rabble-rousing speeches and then DUM DUM. A perfect segueway into mid-paced thrash. As for the music itself, two words: The solos. Good God the solos! Not that the riffs aren't solid-as-fuck, but the melodic aspect of this band just dominates this record. But see they know what it is to keep things within reason. No guitar-wankery. A disciplined, strictly compositional approach yields blazing solos that resist the temptation of ever becoming solos for solos sake. Their solos work with the song and lift what would be just a solid thrash band to the level of musical godliness.
10. Vendetta – Brain Damage
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I’m not sure what it is these guys got. Their playing style seems largely middle-of-the-road, but they can damn well make songs. Every goddamn note, every goddamn riff fits perfectly. They know what a thrash metal aesthetic is and they are going to pummel it into your brain. If you want to know what a fucking thrash instrumental is supposed to sound like, go no further than Fade to Insanity. It’s nearly seven minutes long and never are you ever bored. A shit-ton of riffs, but not too many. Just enough to make you want to put this track on repeat to catch each unique riff anew. Bloody fucking brilliant album.
9. Slayer- Show No Mercy
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You could say all you want about your Hell Awaits and Haunting the Chapel, but it's all about Show No Mercy. Why? Because it's early thrash in a second-to-finish sort of way. If Metallica never existed, this would have been the album that would have been at number one on my list. One of the most satisfying shifts from speed metal into full-blown unrelenting thrash.
8. Metal Church - The Dark
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I like to think of the first three Metal Church albums as the Godfather trilogy. Their debut was Part 1. The Dark was part 2. And part 3 was… well you see why Blessing in Disguise is missing from this list. Anyways, I know I've tended to put debuts ahead of later albums, but The Dark is just a more mature, more badass version of the s/t. There's really little that differentiates the two albums musically wise. They may as well have been one album, but The Dark was just a little catchier and just a little louder. Metal Church was playing at 10, The Dark was turned up to 11, in a metaphorical sort of way. The Dark was the only follow-up to a balls-out killer debut that didn't disappoint me, which means it's that much better.
7. Overkill - The Years of Decay
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So many good Overkill albums, so little time (and space). I think no one disagrees that Overkill has probably the best track record as far as thrash metal bands that have survived into the 90s go. I think that may be one of the reasons why I chose Years of Decay, specifically. '89 and no signs of waning. Longstanding champions of thrash were beginning to decay–a pun ha!–in influence and quality. But not fucking Overkill! Besides, I just think it's their best album by a close margin–chaotic speed all over the place and D.D. Verni's kickass bass-work twanging louder than most of their thrash contemporaries. Unforgetable riffs and a completely headbangable sense of rhythm. Definitely a solid contender for the top 5, but just missing out because I can't have ties or else my top 50 list would have at least a hundred albums on here.
6. Slayer - Reign in Blood
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This marvelous bastard of an album defines the boundary between speed metal and thrash metal for me. Maybe because a short song like Necrophobic blazes through with clear leads rather than the crunchy riffs, but I've always considered this album more speed than thrash. Either way, this album surges forward with fucking percision. No mindless guitar wankery here; it feels composed and whole despite its unrelenting fury.
5. Holy Terror - Mind Wars
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In 1988, someone stole the soul of punk and shoved into a thrash band. And this isn't even crossover! None of that smug mocking cynicism–just the most heartfelt balls-to-the-wall desperation possible. Fast. Complex. If this was the last stand of thrash it'd be a battle to the fucking death with the most hyperactive little beast you've ever seen. It'll claw your eyes out before you kill it.
4. Torture - Storm Alert
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(I keep listening to this album and it still sounds as kickass as the first time I heard it.) This is a fucking monster of an album. Completely underrated, often overlooked, but now that they rereleased Storm Alert almost two years ago, you should have no excuse of not having heard it. This is brutality incarnate and no eardrum shall be left unraped. Imagine the bite of Sadus packaged in Kill Em All with the brutal heaviness of Sodom but still with the musical intricacy of Mekong Delta. All that and faster, heavier, and more complex. Fucking bass solos out of nowhere, instrumental tracks, and the most memorable riffs since Kill Em All! Hell yeah, it's that good!
3. Grinder – The 1st EP
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This little speedy bastard of an album starts of on a kinda odd quirky note—a bit of a funky riff leading a song into some truly orgasmic guitarwork. You don’t even know this is a straight-up thrash outfit until Adrian Hahn sings “as long as I am standing in the pit” and the best fucking solo possible follows, guiding your ungrateful ears to a paradise of riffage unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Goddamn and this album just doesn’t let go. Every song just keeps on hammering with beautiful riff after beautiful riff. Balls-out-attitude, speedy, intricate—like Heathen, but with the ear for experimentation of later Death Angel—it’s everything that Act III should have been, but wasn’t. Goddamn this album rocks
2. Artillery - We Are the Dead Demo
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I have a good mind to make this number one, but it's only about 15 minutes long. I have listened to this demo over and over again and I have become completely convinced that this is truly the first stage of high quality thrash. I consider this to be one of the first fully thrash demo out there. Now I don't usually include demos on here, but this is the exception of exceptions. Nothing Artillery ever did afterward sounds as remotely as epic as this short bastard. Satanic, diabolical, raw as fuck, and completely evolving the hell out of speed metal into (rather simple) thrash riffage. I should also mention that the vocals have no resemblance to their operatic technicality in later albums. Here they're sloppy, amateurish, and with a strong accent. But they just work with the raw, catchy feel of this amazing piece of music.
1. Metallica - Kill Em All
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I hate Metallica, personally. And by that I mean, I think they are wretched human beings. But that doesn't mean that their achievements in the early days of thrash deserve to be marginalized. Kill Em All was the first pure thrash metal album, in that it comprehensively included all the necessary musical elements that defined the burgeoning genre. Most people can concede that fact, but far too many people seem to forget how fucking amazing the record is. Catchy, but not overly-simple. It stands the test of time even today. The naysayers will say that the best thrash metal album is possibly some obscure album that's VERY out of print today (Deathrow and Morbid Saint I'm looking at you)… And hell musically they might indeed be better! (Personally, I'd put Torture's Storm Alert into number one, if it was purely personal preference.) But these naysayers forget the sheer amount of influence Kill Em All had on the thrash metal scene. When the album came out, it was fucking revolutionary. Kill Em All is still thrashy as fuck today and will be for years to come. This is the album that defines what thrash stands for (despite any personal qualms one has towards the douchebags that comrpise the band today).
