Copyright (c) 2007 THE THRASH METAL GUIDE


0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A.M.E.S. (GERMANY)

Based on the debut demo, this band pulls out heavy steam-roller modern thrash/death metal which never leaves the mid-pace, except for the violent closer "Cast Aise", topped by ultra-brutal growling vocals. There is also a certain playful vibe in the guitar approach reminiscent of the first 2 Six Feet Under albums.

Demise Demo, 2003
God's Sign Under Suffering Souls Demo, 2004
Postmortem Rites Full-length, 2007

Official Site

A.M.Q.A. (USA)

Punk-ish thrash/crossover, more on the melodic side; there are two bass players in the band, and this can be very clearly felt; there is a very heavy bass bottom on every track, and yet the music is catchy and melodic.

Cats are Neat EP, 1986
Mutant Cats From Hell Full-length, 1988

My Space

A.N.I.M.A.L. (ARGENTINA)

Based on "El Nuevo Camino Del Hombre": groovy post-thrash, but lacking energy and speed, mostly mid-paced, often moving towards slower, balladic fields, one-dimensional and ultimately boring; there is one awful attempt at funk (or rap, or jazz?) at the end: "Chalito".

A.N.I.M.A.L. Full-length, 1993
Fin De Un Mundo Enfermo Full-length, 1994
El Nuevo Camino Del Hombre Full-length, 1996
Poder Latino Full-length, 1998
Usa Toda Tu Fuerza Full-length, 1999
Animal 6 Full-length, 2001
Combativo Full-length, 2004

My Space

A.N.S. (USA)

"The Process of Stocking Out" is thrashcore mixed with punk and a few instrumental variations with a strong modern industrial vibe; not terribly bad, actuallly, even sounding original at times. "Pressure Cracks" is cool thrash/crossover in the spirit of Broken Bones and Ludichrist; fast energetic songs take turns with noisier more hardcore-based ones. The modern elements have gone, except for the nice spacey instrumental near the end "Instru-Monu-Mental" with touches of Mastodon, and now this effort sounds more classic, but quite derivative as well.

The Process of Stocking Out Full-Length, 2008
Pressure Cracks Full-Length, 2009

A.O.D. (FINLAND)

Based on the 2-song demo "Painful Awakening", this obscure band play cool heavy thrash sounding like early Testament. Both songs could well stay on "The New Order" with their crushing, semi-technical riffs and nice Alex Skolnick-like guitar work.
The band's full-length is finally a fact, and "Gallery of Pain" doesn't disappoint offering well-executed retro thrash, but with a drier, more clinical production and more hoarse semi-shouty vocals. The pace gets high from the get-go with the first two songs being major headbangers, followed by the more moderate "Children of Misfortune" which influences the next mid-pacer "Guilty Or Not", before the rage returns with the short Slayer-sque fury "Cross the Line (Of No Return)". The guys switch onto pure proto-death/hardcore on "Suicide…Are You Fucking Insane?", but this is the only part where things get slightly out of control, but in a good way.

Demo 1988 Demo, 1988
Painful Awakening EP, 1989
AnnODomini Best of/Compilation, 2001
Gallery of Pain Full-length, 2010

My Space

A.R.G. (FINLAND)

A really good Finnish thrash metal band who perfectly combine aggression and technicality; their debut is rawer, but very effective, quite intense and speedy with great riffs and ambitious long, complex tracks ("Heathenism in Penitentuary"). The overall style is similar to late 80's Kreator and Destruction. The sophomore album is pretty much in the same vein, but is more technical and polished with another monstrous, 12-min multi-layered thrash opus near the end: the title track "One World Without The End", and really impressive excercises at a more complex, technical song-writing: "Adoration of the Kings", the smashing speedy riff-fest "Misfortune Along My Side", or the crushing galloping "Back To Life". This uncompromising thrash assault still finds room for one brilliant fast-paced melodic crossover piece: "Hey Hey My My".

Entrance Full-Length, 1989
Back To Life EP, 1990
One World Without The End Full-Length, 1991

Official Site

A BETTER HOPE FOUNDATION (USA)

Crusty thrashcore with dry dispassionate guitars despite the up-tempo experienced for most of the time. The guys lash on autopilot producing samey energetic stuff which seldom gets wildly hardcore-ish ("Colder Nights") to a startling, but positive, effect, but watch out for the closing "extravaganza", a slow composition ala Biohazard including spacey melodic passages with an alternative edge which are ultimately ruined by the very shouty hardcore vocals.

Trading Heroes For Ghosts Full-Length, 2008
You Can Never Go Home Again EP, 2010

A BURIAL AT SEA (NORWAY)

The EP offers modern thrash/death metal of the Gothenburg school, fast and intense with clever technical riffage ("Among Betrayers") present.

Pestilent Demo, 2007
Like a Blessing EP, 2009

My Space

A CALL TO ARMS (USA)

This new act specializes in classic power/thrash which is pretty close to early Iced Earth, until ti hits the more aggressive parameters on the smashing "No New Revolution". Things only get more interesting, first on the short technical "Parasite Season", and then on another fast-paced number: "The God Within". "Upcoming Epidemic" is a nice more epic-tinged power/thrasher with heavy meaty riffs which suit the cool clean, mid-ranged vocals reminiscent of the 2nd Iced Earth singer John Greely.

Peace Through Strength, Victory Through Devastation Full-Length, 2011

A COLOUR COLD BLACK (GERMANY)

Based on the debut, this band plays a weird mixture of thrash (a little bit also coming with a pinch of hardcore), death and doom metal with a very annoying abrasive guitar sound. At its most melancholic the approach comes close to early Anathema, but the Germans speed up more often where they also recall their compatriots End of Green. Reportedly on their later works the band incorporated thrash metal elements more mixing them with industrial and groove.

Dead Dream Full-length, 1997
Drowning Sun EP, 1998
Sau-Krass Full-length, 1998
Adrenaline Agony Full-length, 2000
Rockitallover Full-length, 2001
Pull it up Full-length, 2004

Official Site

A LOWER DEEP (USA)

A cool mixture of thrash, progressive and doom metal with a heavy thick sound and a small doze of modern groove; will appeal to fans of Nevermore, Memento Mori, the last Hexenhaus album and even Iced Earth. "Parable of the Thorn" is the band's least thrashy effort; it's still quite good, with a bigger concentration on the progressive/power metal side of the music; the more intense thrashy sections (quite a few of them here) are modern-sounding, and not really engaging.
"Trinity" is a better offering, starting with a cool heavy power/thrashing number ("Ascent Of The Fallen"), which sets the tone for the rest. The tracks are longer, and are not sustained in a hard-hitting thrashing vein the whole time, but include slower, doomy sections, as well as more melodic ones. Certainly there are more laid-back, power metal-based songs ("Gods And Monsters"), as well as pure doom metal delights (the excellent, Candlemass-influenced "Lost in Eden"), plus a few exercises in modern groove (the closing "The Power Of Why"), but generally the guitar sound is sharper and more aggressive.
"Black Marys" continues the harder course from the last recording, and the brutal death shout at the beginning of the opener "Bleed" may scare you, but this number is the prototypical for the band mix of doom and power/thrash surrounded by a dark ominous atmosphere, which sets the tone for what follows: mid-paced to slow crushingly heavy stuff, clinging between the modern and the classic sound, with the doom metal opus "Hamartia" being the highlight, with the more dynamic technical power/thrasher "The Narrow Way" a close second. "For Those Left Behind" is the other place where your head will start banging, and where more extreme lower-tuned vocals can again be heard; the closing "Revelation" offers a nice fast twist in the middle, but as a whole this effort focuses on heaviness, now moving closer to Communic sound-wise.

A Lower Deep Full-length, 2002
Parable of the Thorn Full-length, 2004
Trinity Full-length, 2005
Black Marys Full-Length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

A MURDER OF CROWS (AUSTRALIA)

Modern power/thrash metal with strong groovy qualities; nothing really special, except the very good ballad "A New Breath", and the spasmodic proto-deathy closer "Here Comes The Pain", a sudden very aggressive outbreak ruined by the shouty angry vocals.

The Twisted Path EP, 2010

My Space

A PUNTO (ARGENTINA)

A modern blend of thrash and death metal with technical pretensions, coming mostly from the jumpy hectic riffage, which springs up from time to time. The tempos change quite a few times, as the predominant one is the mid-paced. There are a couple of short 1/1.5-min tracks which are awkward, as they are more aggressive and less serious, and do nothing more but ruin the rest which offers pounding heavy rhythms as well as several groovy ones.

Popular Poder Full-length, 1996

My Space

A THOUSAND REASONS (ARGENTINA)

A 3-song demo of heavy abrasive thrash with very brutal low-tuned vocals; this is dark, almost doomy, music with a sudden faster revelation at the end: the hardcore-ish industrial oddity "Synthetic Heaven" which suddenly switches to darkwave on the final line also introducing nice clean vocals.

Strength and Fight Demo, 2009

A TU PUTA KARA (SPAIN)

Modern thrash hesitating between heavy groovy and faster crossover parts; the alternation is almost song-by-song as both sides deliver helped by the relative length of the songs (4-5min), with sections where both tendencies entwine to produce the most interesting tunes ("La Última", "A Fuerza Ostias", both placed at the end) topped by less impressive semi-death/semi-shouty vocals.

Movido por el Odio Full-length, 2007

Official Site

A VISION GROTESQUE (USA)

This band, previously known as Art of Dying, a moniker they had to drop due to legal claims made by a Canadian act of the same name, play modern thrash/death metal of the Swedish school (based on "Metaphysical Hypnosis"); nothing extraordinary, pretty typical stuff, melodic and laid-back, with the rough low-tuned vocals the only brutal thing, reminiscent of mid-period In Flames and the Finns Gandalf. The guitar work is not bad at all, but the guys develop it all in a tedious mid-tempo with only the closer "Whisper the Serpent" thrashing hard with force.

King of the Massacre Full-length, 2007
Waking Up to Hell EP, 2007
Metaphysical Hypnosis Full-length, 2009

My Space

AAMONHAMMER (BRAZIL)

Brutal black/thrash metal, not too dissimilar from others from the Brazilian metal scene at the same time: Vulcano, Sextrash, Sarcofago, etc. with a pinch of early Sodom and Hellhammer.

Funeral Demo, 1987
Warfare Noise II Split, 1988

AARDVARKS (GERMANY)

Based on "Conglomerate", this band offer an interesting blend of thrash and gothic/death metal which brings a thrashy Crematory to mind. The songs are heavy, slow to mid-tempo. Before you, thrash metal maniacs, give up tracking this band down, I would like to add that there are nice fast thrashers, too: "Grey" is a good example for that. The band's interesting mixture will appeal to gothic, death and thrash metal fans.
The demo continues the ambitious, and never overdone, mix with a very good sound quality and crispy biting guitars. Again "Crematory meets thrash" would be a fitting description, and all hats will be down for the excellent cover of Bolt Thrower's immortal "For Victory", here named "Pro Victoria", a great dark read of this great song with the steam-roller riffs and the brilliant doomy intro and outro, of course, preserved, the singer pulling outstanding performance worthy of Karl Willets himself.

Profondo Rosso, EP, 1999
Conglomerate, Full-length, 2002
Pro Victoria Demo, 2008

Official Site

My Space

ABACABB (USA)

Heavy groovy thrash, not too bad, with hammering Pantera-sque ("Far Beyond Driven") riffs and sudden very fast "interludes" ("Regression"), which are cool and fresh, boldly jumping on the death metal wagon ("Regression") to an even more impressive effect. Some tracks ("Destruction", etc.) are frankly proto-grinding, but surprisingly this unusual amalgam produces listenable results, without sounding awkward.

Survivalist Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ABACINATE (HOLLAND)

Classy aggressive thrash similar to Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains" and Devastation's "Idolatry"; too bad these guys disappeared soon after that. These are actually the same musicians who were behind another great underground act: Brain Implosion. This is very fast-paced intense music, with no single pause for a break, which never goes over the line into death metal territory, providing 7 tracks of pure headbanging thrash.

Out of the System, Demo, 1991

ABACINATE (USA)

These guys pull out a very wild mix of thrash, death metal and hardcore; the guitar work is fabulous, quite technical and varied, shaking hands with the best in the field: Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Decapitated, etc, although the band here are not strangers to straight thrashy sections. The grinding passages are quite a few, but are very appropriately used, creating a very nice contrast to the less intense material, nicely adding up to the great dynamics of the album. Even the short, 1.5-2min numbers are packed with superb guitars and sudden tempo changes (check out the mighty riff-fest "Sadist Misogynist"). Another act this band might remind you of, is Carcass, their mid-period (check out the awesome "The Nuremberg Code"). More conventional, Swedish-styled riffs are also added ("She Gave Up the Ghost") here and there, but they stand no chance against the impeccable technical riffage.

Portrayal Of The Gray Man EP, 2006
Ruination Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ABACINATOR (USA)

"Abacinator" is heavy thrash, alternating between fast, Slayer-esque sections and slower ones, recalling Nasty Savage's debut, with mean, declamatory vocals which sound quite cool, actually. "Domestic Violence" abandons the slower parts, and is all-out speed most of the time, with again Slayer being the obvious influence, as well as Evildead's "Annihilation of Civilization" and Sacred Reich's "Ignorance"; the drums sound a bit hollow on this one, and there is a song there: "Acting Like Black Sabbath", which acquires doomy tendencies similar to the Brits' early stage with Ozzy, and is clearly intended as a joke.

Abacinator Demo, 1987
Domestic Violence Demo, 1988

My Space

ABADDON (CZECH)

A young act who tries to broaden the margins of the thrash/death metal hybrid by adding clever arrangements of the semi-progressive type which results in a loss of speed and kind of repetitive structures evolving in mid-pace with frequent more intriguing technical stops, which are also kind of samey sounding like a clumsier unrehearsed Coroner. The sound hesitates between the classic and the modern trends, but the melodic hooks ala later-period Death are a nice touch on the pounding proto-mechanical background the latter assisted by a strong bass-bottom. The singer is a low-tuned death metal growler of the more intelligible kind, and will remind you of the ex-Torr singer Vlasta Henych quite a bit.

Armageddon Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ABANDON HOPE (GERMANY)

Another band who play modern groovy thrash apparently influenced by Pantera and Machine Head, this time spiced up with stoner/doom elements, as well as more interesting, semi-progressive guitar work. When the guys pull themselves together, they can come up with hard-hitting, headbanging riffs ("Lost But Not Forgotten"). They also offer a cover version of Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath".

The Endless Ride Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ABADDEN (UK)

The full-length reveals "defenders of the old school faith", the main difference coming from the throaty death metal-ish vocals. The main influences come from the American side (the Bay-Area, Slayer, early Whiplash), and rest assured that there is no speed lost here the guys moshing out with fury with sharp lashing riffs the whole time. "The Hand That Feeds" is a cool attempt at more elaborate performance ala late-80's Metallica, followed closely by the last two numbers: "Into The Dark" which scores high in the lead department, and the more mid-paced closer "The Day Of Reckoning" where the guys leave room for cool melodic hooks toning down the speed as a finishing touch.

My Misery EP, 2007
Sentenced to Death Full-length, 2010

My Space

ABANDONED (GERMANY)

These guys like the word "thrash", and it's not hard to guess where they would go with album titles like that: classic 80's thrash is the order of the day, for which responsible are some of the more renowned musicians from the German metal scene: Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz, the guitar player who in the past played for both Storwitch and Tyran Pace, and of more recent times is involved in Paradox and Runamok, among other acts; the bass player Günter Auschrat who also provides the heavy bottom in Out of Order; and the drummer Jan Mischon who is also a member of the talented outfit Courageous. Surprisingly, Abandoned don't follow on the steps of their compatriots, but have looked for inspiration on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, and have come up with a good more Bay-Area thrash-influenced debut, with a pinch of Paradox's speed/thrash, which to these ears bears the most "delicious fruit" ("Holy Terror", "Phoenix Rise"). The drums sound hollow and noisy, though, and the singer doesn't quite fit with his throaty semi-shouty tember. Still, the tempo is up and vivid the whole time, and the guys throw in a couple of nice catchy choruses along the way.

"Thrash You!" concentrates on speed/thrash metal ala Paradox, now sounding not far from that same band's "Collision Course". So some may find this album the better offering, since the speed has been increased considerably, and the guys thrash sure-handedly, adding the odd more technical or more melodic hook here and there. The approach gets quite hard, going beyond the Paradox shadow for a while: the bombastic crossover-tinged "Feel The Fire", and speed killers like "Damned For All Time", "In Search of Sanity" and "Trapped" are not too far behind. Two "reliefs" from the hign intensity can be encountered: the short 1.5-min lead instrumental "Repentance", and the short attempt at a calm acoustic ballad "V.O.D. Reprise" at the end. The melodic choruses are not that frequent this time, and the hoarse singing again remains the major flaw.

Thrash Notes, Full-length, 2006
Thrash You, Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

ABANDONED SPHINX (SWEDEN)

3 songs (2 actually, since one is just a balladic intro) of dark mid-tempo thrash of which "Moment of Advantage" is a cool creepy semi-technical number, partly "killed" by the doomy pace and the brutal death metal vocals.

Former Life EP, 1993

ABATHOR (POLAND)

Based on the "Reincarnation" demo, this band plays noisy buzzy thrash metal with chainsaws instead of guitars... kidding, of course, but seriously, the sound is so buzzy that one may have problems distinguishing one motif from another due to the very noisy environment. Otherwise, this is intense fast thrash/proto-death metal with a few interesting balladic sections ("Down") where the music starts making sense for a bit. The guys had also had another project at around the same time: Citizen Dick, with a style closer to hardcore.
The unreleased album would bea pleasant surprise boasting a much better sound quality, and besides that a heavy potent delivery of the classic variety sitting somewhere between the Bay-Area (think mid-period Testament) and Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro". The effort develops in a doomy crushing manner, until it reaches "Names Of Sin": a fast blitzkrieg number with nice technical tendencies. "Phoenix From The Flames" later on is a cool nod to doom metal, but all of you will be wide awake on the next "Infamy", which is a short furious thrasher, ably supported by the two bonus tracks following suit both fast raging speedsters with a worse sound quality, apparently left-overs from the band's older material. The guitar sound is really boosted, and the guys play with confidence adding more claver arrangements here and there. the only drawback would be the rough death-y singer coming as a lower-pitched version of Kirk Windstein (Crowbar).

Reincarnation Demo, 1991
Promo Demo, 1993
Phoenix from the Flames Unreleased LP, 1996

ABATHUR (ITALY)

Based on the single, this band offer brutal black/thrash with a very dirty, fuzzy guitar sound. The 1st song "Blood World Flesh Winter" is almost pure vicious black metal, whereas the other one "Last Man's Last Way" is cool black-ish thrash along the lines of mid-period Bathory ("Blood, Fire, Death") in a good galloping tempo with a very nice acoustic outro.

Grim Fuckin Folktales Demo, 2001
Philosophic Nothingness Split, 2002
Blood | World | Flesh | Winter Single, 2002

Official Site

ABATTOIR (USA)

This band is more famous as the band from where John Cyriis started his career (although he doesn't sing on any of the two albums), and also another member of Agent Steel: the guitarist Juan Garcia. The style is a good mixture of speed, thrash and power metal, with the preferences going for the second album which is heavier, with a more aggressive sound. "Vicious Attack" is almost a full-fledged speed/power metal affair, which keeps a respectable up-tempo throughout (the opener "Screams from the Grave", "The Enemy"), featuring a cool version of, but of course, Motorhead's "Ace of Spades", as well as less sharp heavy/power metal numbers. "The Only Safe Place" is not a very distant departure, but the sound is heavier and not as speed metal-based, close to early Exciter and the songs, albeit longer, are more memorable and catchy.

Vicious Attack, Full-length, 1985
The Only Safe Place, Full-length, 1986

My Space

ABATTORY (SINGAPORE)

The guys responsible for this EP are also those playing in another Singaporean act: Impiety. The music here is more controlled, without going into the extremes so typical for Impiety. There is still a lot of aggression involved ("Voices From The Graves"), and the tracks move at lightning speed at times ("Marching Of The Dead"), with the obligatory slower atmospheric interludes. "Elements Of Chaos" stands out, with the nice more technical guitar work, and the hammering middle section.

Anthems Of Death EP, 2001

Official Site

ABAXIAL (ARGENTINA)

A blend of 80's Metallica and modern 90's thrash; works quite well. The guitars have a nice technical edge, and the tempo varies from nice galloping energetic thrashers ("Self-Respect") to heavy slower ones ("206 Bones"). "Carnivore" is a cool choppy, more complex number. The singer has a slightly uneven hoarse, semi-clean voice, which at its best sounds like unrehearsed James Hetfield.
The "Neo-Drama" EP is firmly in the classic thrash metal mould serving a powerful thick crunchy sound quite close to Xentrix and Metallica's mid/late-80's period. The compositions are long trying to sound moderately technical, and succeed although there is not much speed present the guys acquitting themselves with a solid mid-pace ("La Larga Travesia De La Evolución" has a nice speedy part in the 2nd half) with very good leads which are not far from the ones of Kirk Hammett himself (check the ones on "La Larga Travesia De La Evolución": an absolute feast for the ears with their brilliant melodies).

Neo-Drama EP, 1992
Samsara, Full-length, 1994

Fan Site

ABGATOR (GERMANY)

This is good stuff: excellent classic thrash along the lines of Viking's "Man of Straw", but faster-paced, and more aggressive ("Wings of Change" picks up a death metal-like intensity). The guitar peformance is particularly good, boasting great leads and hard-hitting riffs.

House of Cards Demo, 1991

Official Site

ABHORER (SINGAPORE)

Based on the 2-song EP, this band bashes out brutal raw black/thrash/death, very fast music which is not far from the Australian monsters The Berzerker on the more extreme passages.

Rumpus of the Undead Demo, 1989
Deride the Remedied / Rumpus of the Undead Split, 1991
Upheaval of Blasphemy EP, 1994
Zygotical Sabbatory Anabapt Full-length, 1996
Unholy Blasphemer Best of/Compilation, 2004

ABHORRANCE (USA)

Based on the EP, this is retro melodic thrash/crossover akin to Broken Bones and Lawnmower Deth. "Malevolent Existence" is a strange, but not a very successful, attempt to cross their basic style with some alternative shades.
The full-length is more in the crossover/hardcore zone, and modern elements have sneaked through in a way not too different from Madball and more recent Pro-Pain. Thrash/death metal takes over for a while on "Support Your Local Back-Alley Abortion Clinic" to further cement the band's growing infatuation with the modern trends.

Lowering The Spirits of a Narcissistic Superhero EP, 2002
The Right Disease Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

ABHORRED (USA)

Very good energetic classic thrash with a slight shade of death metal, and with death metal vocals; a few scattered blast-beats, but nothing really too brutal. The style resembles the Japanese Torture Squad and the Swedes Defleshed.

None Shall Be Spared EP, 2007

ABHORRENT (BRAZIL)

The band's debut is cool thrash in the Bay-Area tradition with vocals reminding of Max Cavalera. The music is fast and aggressive reminiscent of Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare". The second album has almost nothing to do with this style, going for strictly modern groovy semi-thrash.

Rage, Full-length, 1996
Caution Strong Irritant, Full-length, 2001

Official Site

My Space

ABHORRENT (NORWAY)

The singer and founder of the band was one of the most active figures from the early-90's black metal movement, along with the mythical Euronymous (R.I.P.), with whom he formed the pre-Mayhem act Helvete. He also played bass for Mayhem, after Dead (R.I.P.) committed suicide. This badly produced demo is 4 songs of heavy mid-paced to slow doomy thrash, distantly recalling early Celtic Frost. Later the same guys changed their name to Thyabhorrent, where the style shifted into a more sensible, more aggressive death/thrash mix.

Occultus Brujeria Demo, 1990

ABIGAIL (JAPAN)

A black/thrash metal band with a long, consistent career in the underground; music-wise Abigail are pure unadulterated thrash metal, and the "black metal" tag they rather deserve for the horrifying screaming vocals. Most of the time their style is like a faster mix of Motorhead and Venom, but there are also influences from other sides of the metal spectre.
"Sweet Baby Metal Slut" offers no surprises, thrashing in a jolly unpretentious manner the whole time, as this time the slower mid-paced tracks are not many at all, and the overall speedy approach creates an uplifting roller-coaster atmosphere slightly spoilt by the apocalyptic black metal vocals.

Descending from a Blackend Sky, EP, 1993
Confound Eternal, EP, 1996
Intercourse and Lust, Full-length, 1997
Welcome all Hell Fuckers, EP, 2001
Forever Street Metal Bitch, Full-length, 2003
Fucking louder than hell, Full-length, 2004
Abigail Loves Ilona, as she is the Very Best, Full-length, 2005
Ultimate Unholy Death, Full-length, 2005
Eastern Force of Evil, EP, 2005
Sweet Baby Metal Slut Full-length, 2009

My Space

ABLAZE (CANADA)

2 songs of pretty good American power/thrash metal very close to Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy": sharp riffs, soaring high-pitched vocals, galloping rhythms, and a nice balladic deviation on the not very appropriately titled "Sadistic Dream". Later the guys turned into a Metallica tribute band after a few line-up changes.

Psychopath Single, 1986

Official Site

ABNEGATE (ITALY)

This unknown act play a mix of retro 80's and modern 90's thrash with throaty angry vocals, a mix between Phil Anselmo and Max Cavalera. The guys sound better when they put more speed into the proceedings where a certain death metal feeling is also present ("Cold Life", "Murky Dream"), or when they go for the other extreme: the heavy, doomy "Death Without Dying". "Shadowed" recalls the Black Album with a faster twist, and the closing track "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is the odd unnecessary cover of the Beastie Boys.

Insane Souls Full-length, 1994

ABNORMAL THAUGHTZ (USA)

Listless, boring modern power/post-thrash with dull repetitive riffs, preceding the obnoxious sound Machine Head acquired in the late 90's (this band could have been an influence- ha ha!) with a few years. Some slower brooding pieces are not too bad, actually: "Schitzophrenic Love Affair", the pounding thrashy closer "Against The Wall", and it seemed as though the guys would have been better off if they had chosen the doom metal field to explore. The singer is not a complete waste with his solid mid-ranged clean delivery which, again, would be of a bigger advantage to some doom metal act.

Abnormal Thaughtz Full-length, 1995

ABOLISH (USA)

This is your average heavy groovy 90's thrash, which ironically sounds more appealing when it acquires more doomy tendencies ("Fade", the really cool doomster "Alive To Breathe Again").

Tap the Nerve Full-length, 1995

ABOLISHER (USA)

These guys try to give the thrash/death metal hybrid a big doze of progressive, and although at times this compilation sounds fairly intriguing, there are quite a few moments when the music gets confusing, becoming either too complicated, or the addition of extra instruments (keyboards, that is) ruins the riffy sections. There are two overlong compositions here: one a bit over 10-min (the better one), the other a bit over 13-min. Songs of such epic length inevitably come served with boring parts, and these two are full with them. Again, the EP has its moments, it's not a complete waste, but more concentration on the riffage, rather than atmosphere for the future, would be to both the band's and the fans' advantage.

Lament The Season EP, 2001

Official Site

ABOMINADOR (BRAZIL)

Based on the second "Abominador" demo, this act (which is actually only one person going under the name/pseudonim Vitor) pulls out primal old school black/thrash metal which has it all: early Venom above all, but also Celtic Frost, Slaughter, and the intro is a nice speedster with a pounding bass bottom, which is apparently the guy's main instrument. The latter provides guttural low-tuned vocals which have more to do with the death metal field.

Abominador Demo, 2010
Abominador II Demo, 2010

My Space

ABOMINATION

Expect nothing more than the very typical modern thrashcore with the even more typical groovy insertions. "Morbid Aggression" tries to justify the "aggression" part of its title thrashing more intensely, but that's about it. The rest has all been heard hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times before...

Dark Corner of the Mind Full-Length, 2010

ABOMINATION (USA)

Paul Speckman is one of the greatest figures of the American metal underground. Among his projects, Abomination is arguably the best one. The band's trade mark are the heavy, crushing, stomping riffs which create an ominous, depressing atmosphere, aggravated by Speckman's roaring vocals, and this would not be music you would get back to very often. However, the quality displayed here is undeniable, and fans of the darker, rawer side of thrash will find a lot to like. Unfortunately, their comeback album in 1999 sounds tired and uninspired, with Speckman looking for inspiration at other genres (hardcore) consequently ruining the band's unique sound.

Abomination, Full-length, 1990
Tragedy Strikes, Full-length, 1991
The Final War, EP, 1999
Curses of a Deadly Sin, Full-length, 1999

Official Site

ABOMINATOR (AUSTRALIA)

Abominator are one of the main rivals to Destroyer 666 as one of the leading Australian metal bands in recent years. They actually have a connection to the Destroyers: Chris Volcano- a former singer and a drummer for that band. The music is not far from early Destroyer 666, and is pretty much the same frenetic mixture of thrash, death, speed and black metal, but with a more aggressive attitude, and without any melodic leanings which "flooded" the Destroyers' sound on their more recent works.

Damnation's Prophecy Full-length, 1999
Subversives For Lucifer Full-length, 2001
Nuctemeron Descent Full-length, 2003
The Eternal Conflagration Full-length, 2006

Official Site

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ABORTOS DE SATAN (SPAIN)

Based on the "Exodo en el Alma" demo, these guys pull out intense classic thrash metal which doesn't rely on speed constantly, but provides the desirable heavier breaks, which manage to strecth into a whole track near the end: the still energetic mid-paced closer "Abortos de Satan". The sound is a bit rough around the edges, but the guitars lash intelligibly; the only complaint is the shrieky hysterical shouter who serves as the vocalist, and his rends are too much over the top to be a good addition to the inspired music.

Demo Demo, 2006
Exodo en el Alma Demo, 2008

Official Site

ABOVE THE ALTAR (USA)

Modern thrash/death metal trying to balance between moderate mid-paced numbers and fast raging ones. The former side comes with a shade of groove, whereas the latter is at times pure grinding bash. The melodic mid-tempo lashers ("Tried by Fire") ala mid-period In Flames seem to deliver the best, but they are not that many, and the mixture is a bit uneven topped by forced semi-shouty death metal vocals.

A Still Born Heart Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ABOVE THE WRECKAGE (RUSSIA)

Modern post-thrash with crossover tendencies; feelgood melodic stuff with good clean vocals recalling Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) and laid-back mid-pace.

To Hate Is Easier Than To Love EP, 2010

ABRACADATHRASH (SWITZERLAND)

Despite the funny, do-not-take-us-seriously, name these guys come up with awesome speed/thrash akin to Paradox's "Heresy" and Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare"; the music is fast, with cool swirling leads, and vocals which are not too far from Chuck Billy. "Reincarnation" moves the sound in a heavier and slightly more technical direction, sounding like a leftover from Heathen's "Victims of Deception", or even Metallica's "...And Justice for All".

F.T.W. Demo, 1989

ABROGATION (GERMANY)

The band's style is consistently cool modern thrash/death metal, which ranges from more moderate, mid-paced gothic-tinged tracks to very furious blasting bombs. The music pays more tribute to thrash, especially on the last "Sarggeburt", which is cool headbanging thrash almost all the way, with some improvements in the guitar work (the leads, in particular) and sparce more extreme episodes (the blast-beats on "Fegefeuer" and "Totensammler").

Creation of Madness EP, 1998
Handwerk des Todes Full-length, 1999
Das Blut Der Toten Full-length, 2002
1487 Full-length, 2005
Sarggeburt Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ABSERDO (USA)

The full-length, which also contains the 3 tracks from the Promo EP, offers workmanlike modern thrash metal mixed with hardcore which starts misleadingly with the all-out retro thrasher "Patriotic and Arrogant", but later on the sound gets less interesting and strictly modern turning into an intolerable mish-mash at some point with grindcore, jazz, doom (the not bad closer "South Dakota") and funk added to an ultimately unappealing effect.
The "Sweet Baby Eagles Coop" EP starts pretty intensely, with the maddening thrash/deathster "Everybody Dead Again", and later on very litle mercy is shown with wild ragers like "Hit Cops With Skateboards" and "Like A Hamster/Eat Your Kids". This is a more death metal-fixated effort, maybe suggesting at a future transition into full-fledged death metal?

Raising A Promo EP, 2010
Raising A Pervert Full-length, 2010
Sweet Baby Eagles Coop EP 2011

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ABSOLUTE (BULGARIA)

These obscure Bulgarians (only two people are behind this project) offer really good classic thrash metal starting with the mid-paced stomper "Cherni Mutzuni", but soon switch onto faster thrash with "Niakade Zad Stenite" and "Alkoholna Sila". Then comes a time for the romantic but still thrashy semi-balladic instrumental "Mig Predi Golemia Vzriv" which shows the lead guitarist in fine form. More intense thrash with "Osuden Na Jivot" which is a nice mix between speedy and slower pounding passages. "Stranata Na Straha" is excellent more melodic speed/thrash with progressive tendencies; again the leads score high here. "Tehnicheski Progres" is fast-paced thrash ala early Metallica with again, nice lead guitars. "Evolucia" carries on in the same vein, maybe more straight-forward and more aggressive, compensated by the other instrumental: the closing "V Kulta", which both title and music-wise will remind you of Metallica's "The Call of Chtullu", a compelling mix of balladic and hard-hitting mid-tempo thrashy sections. The singer may be a slight pullback with his hoarse non-melodic pitch, but the music is top-notch putting this band right next to the leaders of the bulgarian thrash movement, like Ira Deum, Agressor, Crash, etc. Reportedly the guys produced an immediate follow-up to this album, titled "Nishto ne Stava", and had another material ready for a 3rd release, but split up untimely.

Niakade Zad Stenite Full-length, 1993

ABSOLUTE MADNESS (USA)

Lashing old school thrash/crossover, fast tight music with slightly screechy vocals and clever stomping interceptions; good sound quality, crisp sharp riffs, and short direct tracks.

A.M. Demo Demo, 2009

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ABSOLUTE ZERO (CANADA)

Typical modern 90's post-thrash, mostly mid-paced with angry Phil Anselmo-like vocals often interrupted by bad alternative semi-clean ones; the pace accelerates quite a bit at times reaching hardcore fields, but those are quickly followed by a soft jumpy funky passage. A couple of Oriental tunes can be heard, and the bass work is quite good reminiscent of Les Claypool (Bling Illusion, Primus), but overall this is nothing too original.

Torn Full-length, 1994

ABSOLUTE ZERO (USA)

A 4-song demo (one track is actually an instrumental ("Zappa Death")) of excellent technical thrash; the music is a bit hectic, but never loses coherence, with a frequent change of tempos and numerous twisted technical riffs, recalling Mekong Delta, the Dutch Donor and Watchtower. This is great stuff with the magnificent closer "The King" being a 7.5-min long technical opus featuring aggressive guitars as well as atmospheric calmer moments.

Piracy Demo, 1988

ABSOLUTION (USA)

A really good newcomer on the US metal scene, pulling out worthy classic thrash; the vocal styles vary from clean to rougher, mean-ish ones, both working fine. The tempo is not very fast, but there's enough energy involved to keep the listener on the alert. Some songs are a bit softer, with a power/speed metal vibe ("Reflections Of Hate", "Seven Deadly Sins"), but the musicianship there is better, especially in the lead department. The album starts with two short, immediate thrashers, but with each subsequent song the complexity increases, and although it very seldom reaches progressive dimensions, the overall sound is fairly technical on quite a few times: the awesome Oriental-tinged "Eternal Ascension", the sharp riff-fest "The Servant Of Liars". Near the end the band take it easier, mixing power and thrash in a fairly cool manner, except on the very ordinary modern metal track "Blind Reality". The closing "Human" is a more ambitious progressively-ornated song, but abandons the thrashing, concentrating more on melody and complex arrangements, partially losing in the long run lasting for nearly 9-min.

The Remission of Sin EP, 2005
The Revelation Diaries Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ABSOLUTION DENIED (COLOMBIA)

This is a 3-song demo of jumpy energetic modern thrash/death metal, which is quite melodic, with a few less impressive metalcore implements; not too straight-forward, but nothing too technical, either...

Sinister Time Demo, 2011

ABSOLVE (CANADA)

Modern thrash/death metal with slight moments from the classic Swedish death metal scene (Grave, Entombed, Unanimated), a pretty dynamic intense affair with sparce technical tendencies ("Rot and Decay") and a few brutal blast-beating sections.

Sadistic Crown EP, 2010

My Space

ABSORBED (SPAIN)

The tag "technical death metal" attached to these guys is solely based on the brutal low-tuned vocals, since music-wise this band has no ties to death metal whatsoever. Otherwise the music is well executed technical/progressive power/thrash which shares the calm and serenity, as well as the complex compositions, with the Czechs Scenery. So there's no speed above the mid-pace to be encountered, and the riffs lack sharpness relying more on melodic hooks which come at times with a shade of gothic. The contrast between the scary singer and the peaceful music is really weird at first, strongly recalling the one achieved by the Austrian gothic/death metal act Visceral Evisceration, but one will get used to it without problems. "Contact" contains a nice acoustic interlude and could pass for a technical semi-ballad. "Towards Summer We Soar" is a great progressive opus also rubbing shoulders with Spiral Architect, boasting strong bass support. "Disgust And Hate" abandons the technicality a bit, and is the fastest track sustained in a less pretentious crossover manner also ably helped by the vocals (could be a different singer?) which here are typical hardcore semi-shouts. After it comes the closer "Cosmos Turbine", which is a masterpiece of complex though-out progressive thrash offering clever technical riffs and even a headbanging section.
This album is a really unusual and a very interesting take on progressive metal, which could have aroused the interest in such kind of music in Spain, since later in the new millennium this band's "legacy" was followed by a couple of capable acts (Continuo Renacer, Unreal Overflows (one of that band's guitarits, Fran Pérez, was involved with Absorbed at an earlier stage although he hadn't taken part in the recording of the album), Perseidan, Kaothic, etc.) which offered a more aggressive, death metal-based, interpretation to the music on offer here.

Reverie Full-length, 1999

Official Site

ABSTRACT (BRAZIL)

There is one guy responsible (Leo Schröder is the name; he used other musicians for the recordings, too, but he's the mainman) for this excellent technical thrash affair which boasts a crisp sharp sound and great lead performance. The songs are intriguing with clever riffs, mostly in mid-pace, adhering to the odd galloping moment ("Ad Aeternum") on occasion. More intense thrashing can be encountered on the shorter numbers ("Endless Karma") where the shadow of late-80's Kreator and their compatriots Executer can be clearly felt. A more puzzling delivery with shades of progressive sneaks on "Heroes Of Remorse", which is a prime shredder with fast and slow sections alternating on a swirling lead-driven base with Oriental leanings. The bigger complexity remains for the following "Hella" and "Old", which will remind you of late-period Death as well, especially the latter with its haunting melodic tunes. The closing "Disturbance/Nightmare" is a stylish busy, hectic piece thrashing wild with a touch of proto-death among the technical decisions, calling another hero from the past and present: Atheist. The singer is another reminder of the Americans with his rusty forceful tember ala Kelly Shaefer.

Concrete Visions Full-length, 2000

ABSTRACT RAPTURE (LUXEMBOURG)

The full-length: the people from the richest country in the world (for 2008) have never seemed to care about metal, but here comes a band from there who specialize in modern groovy thrash; nothing exceptional, with the mid-paced heavy tracks ("The Void") predominating, occasionally interrupted by faster better ones ("Noxious Utopia").
The EP is more moderate sticking to the Black Album patterns quite a bit, and consequently sounds better, despite the constant seismic pounding riffage which never leaves the mid-paced dimensions, and sounds a bit mechanical and sterile at times. There is a slight undustrial vibe present as well aggravated by the semi-shouty artificial vocals.

Dead End Entry EP, 2006
Democadencia Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ABSU (USA)

Absu started as a black/death metal band on their debut, which sounded pretty close to Darkthrone. "The Sun of Tiphareth" introduced a more restrained, epic sound which showed another, very interesting side of the band. "The Third Storm of Cythraul" was a transitional work, featuring both the epic moments from the previous album and really fast thrashy passages, suggesting at the future direction taken by the band. "Tara" is a masterpiece of black/thrash reminding of Slayer at times, with Proscriptor doing an amazing job on drums; clearly one of the leading extreme bands on the contemporary American metal scene.
A self-titled album after a long string of albums is a sign of a retrospection made, or a new direction taken, but in the case of Absu this is just the next album, despite the lengthy hiatus. This is by no means a bad effort, featuring the same fairly aggressive mix of black, thrash, and death metal, this time nicely spiced with calmer majestic operatic mid-tempo black/thrashers ("Amy"), but rest assured that the compensation is just around the corner, in the face of furious pieces like the black/death metal madness "Nunbarshegunu", or the classic thrash killer "13 Globes", or the quite stylish combination of the three aforementioned styles "Of The Dead Who Never Rest In Their Tombs Are The Attendance Of Familiar Spirits". Sorry, but the review ends here, since the song-title took the space required... Kidding, of course... Something quite technical, but also brutal, comes later: "Magick Square Cipher" with thrash and death shaking hands here. The technicality disappears, but the speed and the no-prisoners attitude remains for the rest of the material, except for the closing "Ye Uttuku Spells", which is a fine display of stomping, hectic technicality. The fans of the band will be delighted to hear their heroes blasting with full force again by adding tasteful "detours" from their merciless delivery.
The self-titled/restrospective saga continues with "Abzu", where just one letter gets changed from the previous album-title. So do we have any changes in the musical approach? Actually, we have a few, and all for the better: the opening "Earth Ripper" will "rip the earth" with awesome galloping riffs, and pretty melodic guitars, something new in the band's catalogue, but serving its purpose handsomely, amidst the hard riffage and the piercing, hellish raspy vocals of Mr. Proscriptor McGovern. Then black metal steps in for the raging "Circles Of The Oath" to mix with the staple thrashy approach, which becomes nicely technical on the hectic, mid-tempo "Abraxas Connexus", a labyrinthine composition ala Melechesh (Proscriptor was once drumming there) with gorgeous Oriental tunes. "Skrying in the Spirit Vision" is another more aggressive cut with hyper-blasting moments and great short leads. The black/thrash Oriental saga is on full display on the next "Ontologically, It Became Time & Space", but the final "A Song for Ea" is an engaging 15-min opera covering a wide gamut of moods and music in general, even including a few maddening technical death metal sections, dissonant rhythms ala Blut Aus Nord, quiet acoustic insertions, and more. As a whole the band haven't strayed too much from their occult black/thrash metal path, but the bigger ambition shown, as well as the more melodic compromises made has only enriched their already encompassing sound, giving their style a more appealing flavour.

Barathrum V.I.T.R.I.O.L. Full-length, 1993
...And Shineth Unto the Cold Cometh EP, 1995
The Sun of Tiphareth Full-length, 1995
The Third Storm of Cythraul Full-length, 1997
In the Eyes of Ioldanach EP, 1998
Hallstattian Swords EP, 2001
Tara Full-length, 2001
L'Attaque Du Tyran: Toulouse, Le 28 Avril 1997 EP, 2007
Absu Full-length, 2009
Abzu Full-length 2011

Official Site

My Space

ABSURD (BELGIUM)

This band features Gunther Maes- the guitarist who also took part in an early incarnation of the great Chemical Breath. Based on the "Oppression Murder" demo, this band offer a mix of hardcore and thrash similar to Acrophet's "Corrupt Minds", or early Prong. The music is not very heavy, but is fast and enjoyable. The vocals are put a bit forward in the mix, and their presence "chokes" the instruments at times.

Possessed by Insanity Demo, 1989
Oppression or Murder Demo, 1989

ABSURD (CZECH)

A decent obscurity of more dynamic 90's thrash with still some remnants from the good old days. The music is mid-paced for most of the time with epic touches, and generally there are quite a few melodic hooks to be enjoyed. The singer, however, is a detraction with his rough drunken voice, sounding like Lemmy if he had tried his hands on some death metal. "No Jesus" is a cool deviation from the more officiant norm branching out into merry crossover, before the album returns to heavier, almost doomy on the pen-ultimate "Silence", waters.

Shadows Full-Length, 1996

ABSURD (SWITZERLAND)

Atmospheric doom/gothic-tinged modern thrash which starts in a sleepy morose fashion before speeding up later, but just a bit, giving us a jolly totally out-of-context crossover piece ("No Jesus") and several not very interesting mid-paced stompers with a few melodic hooks which starkly contrast to the harsh semi-death metal vocals.

Shadows Full-length, 1996

ABSURD CONFLICT (CZECH)

Based on the Promo, this band play modern thrash/death metal with a technical twist. The music moves from very fast early Dark Tranquillity-like moments to choppy modern breaks, to atmospheric, almost gothic sections. The lead guitar work is particularly good (check out "Till The End"), but after the furious opener "A Tragedy Concept" the sound gets softer and slower, relying more on melodic hooks, and more frequent time changes.
The "Hopeless Despair" demo is both "hopeless" and "desperate"; joking, folks... it sees the band having adopted the thrash/death hybrid, but the technical elements are nowhere to be heard. It's a pretty standard modern stuff in mid-pace, with only "Hope & Despair" bringing some "hope" (thankfully not "despair") providing both more technical prowess and more aggressive faster riffage.

Hopeless Despair Demo, 1998
Promo Demo, 2003
Point of Crisis Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ABSURD2 (NORWAY)

This band was formed by former and present members of Extol, who apparently were not too happy with the melodic and unimpressive form of music which this band have started to play recently. This is standout technical thrash/death pretty much along the lines of Extol's magnum opus "Synergy". The music is quite energetic with smashing technical guitars, frequently changing tempos, great jazzy parts, and will also remind you of Cynic, Atheist, Chemical Breath, Coroner, among other masters of the technical genre. The vocals are slightly irritating, being high-pitched hysterical semi-hardcore ones. Hopefully the full-length will hit us soon...

Absurdďż˝ EP, 2004

Official Site

ABSURDITY (FRANCE)

A modern death/thrash metal band with a strong presence of hardcore on the second demo. This 2nd demo is more dynamic, and features at least one intense death metal attack: "The Burning Sun", which even manages to provide clever semi-technical hooks. Still, the hardcore-ish implements and the derivative heavy riffage ruin the picture, although the final "From Nuclear Meltdown Toward Stone Age" may be another commendable piece: a cool atmospheric industrial deviation with doomy overtones.

Sessions Recordings Demo, 2003
Decline Of Human Condition Demo, 2004

Official Site

My Space

ABUSER (ITALY)

Technical/progressive thrash metal shifted through the years from the gorgeous models of the late-80's/early-90's (Target, Coroner, Anacrusis, Flaming Anger, Mekong Delta, Deathrow, Hexenhaus, Nasty Savage, etc.), which was the real time of this sub-genre, to more straight-forward stuff with a couple of more technical leanings of more recent times which we, the technical metal maniacs, had no choice but call "technical" due to the lack of anything better out there.
Abuser come close to the models of the 80's on a few times, but their infatuation with speed is bigger leaving some of the more technical passages kind of unfinished. Still, this effort rises well above the modern pack with a style quite close to the one album wonder Bezerker from Australia and Target's debut. Virtuoso guitar work ala Mike Wead can also be heard, but again it is the "need for speed" which will be fully satisfied in the long run with energetic roller-coasters like "Flesh Eaters" and "Creations". Technicality and speed come brilliantly mixed on the progressive opus "Iron Ghost" which is complex intense thrash at its best. The other tracks are shorter speedy "stingers" with genuine technical "decorations", the culmination among them being the excellent "Possession", a headbanger of a less ordinary nature with a few technical "surprises" along the way. The final is a bit underwhelming, though: a pretty faithful rendition of the early Whiplash hit "Spit on Your Grave" with no technical play whatsoever, but the speed metal fans will salivate all over once again. This is a truly impressive entry from Italy, and hopefully the guys will manage to stay afloat unlike several of their more recent compatriots (Rainspawn, Fear Traders, Death Mechanism, etc.) who disappeared after just one album.

Threats Of Fate Full-length, 2010

My Space

ABUSO VERBAL (ITALY)

Based on the split with the Brazilian death/thrashers Evil Sindicate, this act offers evil aggressive death/thrash metal; fast relentless music with apocalyptic death metal vocals.

Narco Homicida... Psicótico Alterado Full-length, 2007
Sindicato da Tortura Split, 2009

My Space

ABY-KEM (SPAIN)

This band tries to recreate the brooding atmosphere of Machine Head's "The Blackening" (please, note that both albums have been relesed the same year), and almost succeed in doing this, offering long, diverse compositions with dramatic overtones which will engage the listener, but the relief is also here, in the form of fast, uncompromising thrash/proto-death metal pieces ("Hondarrezko Ekaitza"). The guys almost hit the top with the progessive opus "Behin Betiko Zigortuak", which is an encompassing blend of intense thrash and breathtaking melodies, and generally there is seldom a dull moment on this effort ("Larroxen Iraultza" is a less interesting sterile steam-roller) which gives a much more serious twist to the 90's trends, elaborating on a style almost considered obsolete nowadays.

Azken Guda Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ABYSM (CANADA)

Based on the first demo, this band plays classic thrash/death metal of the French school with vicious black metal vocals. The music is generally fast with the obligatory blast-beating sections "decorating" every song.

Demo Demo, 2007
June '07 Reh Demo, 2007

My Space

ABYSMALIA (FINLAND)

A strong newcomer on the Finnish scene, which suggested at their big potential on the debut demo, which offers heavy, mostly mid-paced technically-minded thrash of the modern variety, with gruff death metal vocals, which are the downside. There are atmospheric sections recalling Coroner's "Grin", as well as a whole song sounding as though directly taken from that album: "Irreplaceable": a nice short abstract modern progressive piece. The music nicely picks up speed on the final "The Sewage of Lies (Phase Two)", but the track is ruined by the indifferent clean vocals, accompanying a pointless, very melodic section in the middle.
"Portals to Psychotic Inertia" comes just a few months after the demo, but the guys show that they have grown musically. If we exclude the very bad clean vocals, the rest is well done modern progressive/technical thrash metal rubbing shoulders with early Meshuggah and Obliveon. The compositions are longer, and are not "deprived" of speedy passages, which are well embedded in the overall quite complex musical picture: check out the first two songs. "Whispering Insomnia" is a less elaborate and softer composition, followed by the creepy, slow-ish progressive "Coma Recurring". The strong beginning finally finds its match, in the face of the short direct thrasher "The Mindscraping Multitude", which will be a delight to the more level-headed fans, although it also offers a couple of more twisted sections. Don't bother with the closer "The Naiad of the Dawn (Anam Cara)": total waste of 5.5-min for the thrash fan: a gothic/orchestral number, which doesn't even sound progressive, assisted by the worst clean vocals on the album: semi-Dave Gahan-like (Depeche Mode) tember, which hardly has a place on an album like this. This is not too bad, but the guys scatter their sound into too many directions, sometimes not quite necessarily; more focus for the future on the harder guitar sound could bring better results.
"Replenish Entirety" is another larger-than-life affair now adding black and post-black metal to the already overdone amalgam. Thrash metal comes stifled more than now and then, if ever present, replaced by numerous quiet atmospheric passages, sprawling doomy sections, orchestral arrangements, and more. Apparently from now on the band will concentrate on extreme multi-layered progressive metal without any boundaries.

The Sewage of Lies Demo, 2007
Portals to Psychotic Inertia Full-length, 2008
Replenish Entirety Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ABYSS (CHILE)

A good album of classic 80's thrash; the music is closer to the German school, and more particularly early Destruction and Darkness. The tempo is dynamic, up-tempo for most of the time, with clever, sharp riffs, but nothing overtly technical. The songs flow in the same vein, without any changes, but there is no time for that, since the album is only 6 songs. The singer has a sinister, black-ish snarl, seldom accompanied by more aggressive death metal growls.

Under the Shadows of Evil Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ABYSS (FRANCE)

Based on the "Against The Sea" EP, these guys play run-of-the-mill modern thrash/death metal, fast, energetic and sharp, with gruff aggressive Jan-Chris De Koeijer-like (Gorefest) vocals, but pretty derivative without any surprises, although the peaceful balladic interludes are not bad ("The Navigator").

Silent Depths EP, 2006
Against The Sea EP, 2009

Official Site

ABYSSAL SUFFERING (FRANCE)

One man is responsible for the 3 songs here; his name is Ivan Sikic, and he has also taken part in other acts, like the technical death metal masters Korum and the modern thrash act Hemoragy. The music on display here is old school thrash/death metal with technical pretensions, not far from Suffocation and early Death. Two fast technical blitzkriegers encircle an engaging opus: "Die Dreaming", which is a whirlwind of complex, labyrinthine riffs and structures, including a funeral doom "interlude" in the 2nh half. "Soul Pioneer" is another interesting piece, all-instrumental, with a few virtuoso sections and frequently changing tempos, among the pretty twisted riff patterns. The sound quality is a bit muddy, and Ivan is a scary brutal growler when it comes to his vocals, not miles away from Frank Mullen (Suffocation again).

Soul Pioneer Demo, 2005

Official Site

ABYSSALS (FRANCE)

The line-up consists of former members of two excellent extreme French thrash metal formations: Mutilated, and Mutilator who never managed to make it above the demo stage. This demo shows that despite the lengthy hiatus between these two bands' recordings, they haven't lost their touch. This is pure classic thrash, aggressive and fast, certainly bringing to mind both bands (staying closer to Mutilator), but having a 80's Slayer vibe, too, with pure death metal vocals and occasional blast-beats.

Demo Demo, 1994

ABYZMAL (AUSTRALIA)

Modern thrash with dark atmospheric overtones and deep semi-clean vocals; the music delivers with consistent heavy riffage becoming nicely speedy (the energetic speed/thrasher "Misconnected Lies"; the sincere headbanger "This Day Will Come") on demand as well as beautifully melodic, like on the good galloping instrumental "The End Of Time" which excels in the lead department.

This Day Will Come EP 2011

Official Site

ABYZZ (GERMANY)

Based on "EMPUSA", these guys pull out dark gothic thrash/death metal sounding surprisingly close to Cemetary's "Godless beauty" at times, including in the forceful death metal vocal department. "The Heritage" is a fine more intense number with formidable steam-rolling riffage, and the final "Reborn Again" is a great slab of fast headbanging thrash/death metal, but the rest is more on the atmospheric melancholic side with numerous melodic "decorations" and allusions to the doom/gothic metal field.

Ominous Silence EP, 2000
Terror Mundi Full-length, 2002
Warmasutra Full-length, 2004
Reminder EP, 2006
EMPUSA Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ABÜSOR (CANADA)

Very good all-out retro thrash (based on the "Living Death" demo), which opens nicely with the intense thrashing instrumental "Stealing Blood" and the deadly headbanger "Thrash Is Death". The other tracks preserve the energetic riffage, but add more melodic hooks; watch out for "Living Death" which is a first-class speed/thrasher worthy of the Angel Dust debut, and especially for the raging closer "Abüsor" which will pour tones of sharp speedy riffs over you.

Montreal Thrash Inferno Demo, 2008
Living Death Demo, 2008

My Space

ACADEMY BLACK (USA)

Thrash/crossover with quite a few experimental touches: "That's Uncool" crosses punk and funk (and thrash, of course), "Tonite I'm Gonna Rock You" is pure rock'n roll happiness, and "Dead Horse", the highlight here, brings cool alternative shades supported by a nice melodic guitar line.

24 Hour Foundation Project Demo, 1990

My Space

ACAO LIBERTARIA (BRAZIL)

Fast tight Wehrmacht-esque thrash/crossover; some tracks are pure unadulterated retro thrash ("Voce Escolhe"), some of which end up sounding pretty technical and jumpy (the frantic proto-deathy "Criptocracia"); others are kind of misplaced belonging to other genres (the aggressive death metal bomb "Pogoterapia"), all this assisted by indifferent shouty hardcore vocals.

Criptocracia EP, 2010

ACARIYA (USA)

Typical modern Swedish-influenced thrash, quite fast and intense, recalling early The Haunted, but with a more melodic, and better guitar work. There is some technicality involved (the standout riffest "The Understanding"), but it comes second to the sheer energy (the merciless "Burning The Bridges"). The clean vocals, of course, are also here, but they are very sparcely, and appropriately, used.

Acariya Full-length, 2008

My Space

ACARO (CHILE)

The self-titled demo is thrash/death metal of the retro variety, a bit chaotic but pretty heavy stuff never too fast except for the nice headbanger "Moraturi" at the end which lashes in a cool semi-technical death metal manner. The vocals are gruff semi-shouted death metal ones.

El Vacío Demo, 2002
Ludovico Treatment Demo, 2003
Entropía Demo, 2004
Perverso Demo, 2005
Acaro demo, 2009

Fan Site

ACAROS (ARGENTINA)

Based on both demos, this act plays modern thrash/death metal which switches tempos the whole time preferring the heavy mid-ones more, consequently ending uop sounding boring and repetitive, a situation worsened by the bad semi-shouty vocals and the very buzzy guitar sound. Some of the musicians also take part in the black metallers Demonic Soul.

El Principio del Final Demo, 2002
En vivo Demo, 2006

My Space

ACANTHA (CANADA)

The full-length offers a mixture of modern and classic thrash with a certain atmospheric progressive edge. The pace changes from slower to faster the whole time producing a couple of cool tracks: the excellent technical shredder "Blood Beast"; the more melodic epic thrasher "Feast of the Gods"; the galloping "Phrygian Skin". The final "On This Day We Prey" "breaks" the good behaviour blasting out in a crazy fashion, and is the only death metal-laced song to which the vicious death metal vocals suit better. Those vocals are quite a downpoint, by the way, and it's probably good that they are not given too much space near the end, with two pieces being purely instrumental.

Acantha EP, 2006
Eternal Punishment Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ACCELERATOR (GREECE)

3 tracks of melodic retro speed/thrash metal "courting" the 90's speed metal scene a bit also reminding of the American veterans Savage Grace and Omen. All the tracks are sustained in a vigorous up-tempo with melodic guitars, clean emotional vocals, catchy choruses, and screaming leads.

Demo Demo, 2010

My Space

ACCELERATOR (SWITZERLAND)

Mid-paced gothic-tinged thrash/death reminiscent of the Austrian legends Visceral Evisceration; the album is infused with atmospheric, semi-acoustic moments/instrumentals and other gothic gimmicks (keyboards, cleaner vocals, etc.). Even the really short 1.5-2min numbers occupying the middle, refuse to speed up, and that's a shame (isn't it?).

The Prophecy Full-length, 1997

ACCESSORY (GERMANY)

Based on the debut demo, this band tries to bring the depressive sludgy death metal of Autopsy with a more thrashy edge. Nothing exceptional, unfortunately, the final result being very underwhelming with awkward amateurish switches from slow doomy parts to very fast brutal ones. The unique decadent atmosphere of the Autopsy efforts is almost nowhere to be felt the negative impression further strengthened by the bad unrehearsed low throaty vocals.
The full-length sees the guys having matured musically now sounding much more convincing and much more death metal-inclined, with the aforementioned slower sections still present, but now much more professionally done ably assisting the predominating faster semi-technical passages. For fans of Floridian death metal this album would be a sure pick, but the thrash fans may not make much sense out of it.

Look into my eyes Demo, 1990
Symphonies of Disaster Demo, 1990
Promo Demo, 1991
Within Your Mind Full-length, 1992

ACCIDENT (MOLDOVA)

Based on "Tons of Powder", this is typical groovy modern thrash in the vein of... you know who.

Agonize! Full-length, 1992
Sugar Free Full-length, 1994
LSD Full-length, 1995
Tons Of Powder Full-length, 1996
Fuego Full-length, 1998
Psychosport Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ACCIO DIRECTA (SPAIN)

This band shared a member with Spain's most famous and celebrated band Legion (the drummer Joan Ross Loza). The style here is very similar to the other band: energetic thrash of a more straight-forward nature, with a slightly more simplistic guitar work, and probably a bit faster.

Imagínate Full-length, 1990

ACCURACY (GERMANY)

The full-length offers unimaginative modern 90's thrash with hardcore overtones on the faster material. This is tedious boring music which relies on heavy repetitive riffs which do not hide their involvement with the doom/sludge field ("Pawn" is an exemplary Crowbar-esque steam-roller, the best song here) where also the forceful semi-shouty vocals belong.

Accuracy EP, 1995
Absolut 100% Full-length, 1996

ACCURSED DAWN (USA)

This band reminds me of Hellwitch with its ultra-fast, albeit less technical, thrash/death metal style. The difference is that these guys like slowing down sometimes: "Euphony to the Night Treader" (and other separate sections from other tracks) is an example for that, but the rest is pretty much sheer speed and aggression. The vocals are in the same Patrick Ranieri (Hellwitch again)-like shrieky high-pitched unholy vein, and at least half of the songs are long (6-7min) mixing furious death/thrash, including a couple of blast-beats, with atmospheric laid-back passages.

Manifest Damnation Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

ACCUSER (GERMANY)

One of the better representatives of the German thrash metal scene, Accuser started with standard speed/thrash on "The Conviction", not too far stylistically from Rage's "Reign of Fear", maybe a bit more thrashy. But the band soon moved onto a more ambitious, semi-technical song-writing on "Experimental Errors" and "Who Dominates Who?", which featured more stylish guitar work and longer, more complex songs. "Double Talk" retained the technical edge, but the guitars have acquired a drier, more mechanical sound, still rooted in classic thrash, but hinting at an eventual future metamorphosis. At least on "Repent" there are no traces of any metamorphosis yet, and this album is an entertaining headbanging delight with razor sharp riffs and energetic tempos; this work also saw Frank Thoms- the band's founder, taking over the vocals after the previous singer's departure. The band held the fortress of classic thrash up to 1994 when they introduced modern metal sounds on "Reflections", which still contained fairly hard-hitting numbers. "Taken by the Throat" had very little to do with the band's past, going into a post-thrash, groovy direction, recalling mid-period Prong and other heroes from the 90's. The guys resurfaced in 2006 under the name Scartribe under which name they released one demo of more classically-sounding thrash. This act is on hold at the moment due to the guys' decision to proceed under their old name.
"Agitation": another old-timer is "back from the ashes", and in their case the question is: how far would they go in their back catalogue; will they go straight to their classic speed/thrashy roots, or will they stop earlier, at their 90's stage, where they were still able to produce a worthy competition to the angry sound of their US counterparts Pantera and Machine Head? In this case the truth is somewhere in the middle, which is hardly the best option: the guys have mixed both styles which come served with a boosted modern production, and as such creates a passing impression of competent workmanlike classic/modern thrash of the more laid-back variety, with striking lead guitar work which is by far the best part. The blend of faster and slower tracks is by all means achieved, but the modern leanings clearly predominate making this new effort sounding like a slightly more energetic version of "Reflections". Those who loved the band's later period will definitely be happier; the fans of their early years will have no choice but to frown here and there (maybe even more often than that)...
"Dependent Domination": after the not very impressive cross over their career done with "Agitation", the band are back, and this time they sound more convincing, and more retro. The music is a direct take on the guys' early 90's output ("Double Talk", "Repent"), with only Thoms' gruff semi-death metal vocals being a major difference. The opener "Beneath Your Dignity" serves plenty of classic headbanging riffs, but we already had those to open the previous album. No modern surprises on the next "Torn to Pieces" which is a major explosive retro thrasher with "Desolate Shape" just a tad less intense. So far the album is a nice reminder of Paradox's "Riot Squad" offering the same uncompromising rapid-fire approach all over seldom pausing for a break, with all the 90's cliches left behind, and the lead guitar work moving up a notch to provide the melodic relief from this constant riff-assault. This is a welcome entry into the band's catalogue, cancelling the previous shaky effort, re-inventing the steel from the good old past without any risky leanings this time.

The Conviction Full-length, 1987
Experimental Errors EP, 1988
Who Dominates Who? Full-length, 1989
Double Talk Full-length, 1991
Repent Full-length, 1992
Confusion/Romance EP, 1994
Reflections Full-length, 1994
Taken by the Throat Full-length, 1995
Agitation Full-length, 2010
Dependent Domination Full-length 2011

Official Site

ACE OF SPADES (JAPAN)

There is only one person known from this band's line-up, the guitarist Naojiroh Takarabe, who is respnsoble for these 6 songs of heavy, doomy post-thrash which is predictably groovy, without any attempts at more lively moments. The guitar sound is pretty abrasive, and the guy (if that's him) sings in a dispassionate, dry semi-clean tember.

Ace of Spades EP 1994

Official Site

ACE THE RAVEN (USA)

This is a one-man band, namely Mike "Ace the Raven" Kotarski, who has taken part in other acts before that, including the speed/thrashers from the late-80's Severe Warning. This album offers a wide range of metal styles: power, classic heavy metal, doom, thrash and even death metal. Every song is "decorated" with one style only (with a few exceptions where the combination of several sub-genres might be found either highly entertaining, or downright irritating, depending on the taste) making it almost completely different from the others. Few bands have attempted such risky mixtures, and having in mind that it is only one musician responsible for all that, kudos should be given him for the good job he has done.

Fortress Of Apathy Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ACELDAMA (USA)

A heavy doomy translation of the genre, sounding both classic and modern, coming close to Xentrix's "Kim", but the guitars here are crushingly heavy surrendering to the fields of doom quite a bit ("Rapture", "Devilworks") to the point of losing completely the thrash metal idea. The music is mid-paced at best with the slow descents too frequent to please the thrash metal fan who may only jump around for a while on the energetic closer "Wings Of Pain". The singer is a semi-death metal shouter spiced with casual, but highly effective high-pitched King Diamond-like, screams the latter hardly the better choice for the ultra-heavy music, but intriguing enough, and not only for nostalgic reasons.

Blood Full-length, 1996

ACETIC VOICE (GREECE)

These guys could have easily been worthy rivals to Flames on the Greek metal field, if they had been lucky enough to stay around for longer: excellent speed/thrash in the vein of Destruction, Sacrifice and early Whiplash; fast tempo, sharp guitars and a singer who doesn't stray too far from the vocals used by Tony Portaro on the early Whiplash works. The leads are worth mentioning, too, being quite proficient and maybe a bit more melodic than the ones which used to go with the style.

Behind Bars Demo, 1990

ACETYLENE (USA)

There is a mixture of several vocal styles here: clean, hysterical metalcore-ish, death-metal ones, you name it. If this could be a shortcoming to many, the music is a compensation being well played modern thrash with occasional fast death metal moments.

Elements of Insanity Full-length, 2000
Burning Times EP, 2001

My Space

ACHERON (SLOVAKIA)

Modern 90's thrash metal with elements of crossover sounding like a thrashy version of Clawfinger's debut album.

Brainstorm Full-length, 1996

Official Site

ACHERON (USA)

This is a fairly cool take on the good old American power/thrash, citing mostly early Overkill and Meliah Rage, with good clean vocals ala Steve Grimmett (Grimreaper, Onslaught), graced with the odd higher pitch ala Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (Overkill again). The music is edgy, crunchy power/thrash sticking to a solid mid-pace without any speedy digressions (the jumpy, semi-technical "Atrocity March" comes to mind). Softer nods to the heavy metal scene ("Committed!") "roam" around, but watch out for the more complex sounds on the closing "Hordes of Locusts", which flirts with funk to a positive impression. Later the guys split-up, only to re-appear under the name The Unholy, releasing 3 albums of solid traditional doom metal before disbanding again.

The Pain Dominion Full-length, 1993

ACHOKARLOS (SPAIN)

Very good semi-instrumental progressive death/thrash, which stays away from meanigless wankery concentrating on hard-hitting riffs and dynamics. The overall style is not far from the one of the Canadians Electro Quarterstaff, although here we don't have very sudden and very complex time changes and signatures, and the headbangers will be pleased to find a few sections to their liking, too. The compositions are mid to up-tempo, seldom becoming very fast, and there is a slow balladic section on every one, all graced by nice lead guitar work which strongly recalls Steve Vai's style. "Sin Rostro" is probably the only more immediate song, thrashing hard, except in the middle where another fine balladic section awaits you. Brutal death metal growls will welcome you on the furious grinding "Patience" and the more laid-back "Confused", which may "confuse" you a bit, accompanied by pure death metal riffage. After those 2 "unusual" tracks, things get back to normal on the hallucinogenic "Abstract Universe", which keeps the death metal guitars, but adds some twisted technicality, and is very close to being the highlight here, also helped by the expert leads and the jazzy passage ala Cynic and Atheist at the end. "Kutna Hora" features the same vocals, but scores high on speed and technicality, a clear nod to Suffocation. "Kid! Don?t Play With Your Food" is the closer, but it's a bit off-the-track, starting with an overlong balladic intro, before switching on slow-ish complex riffage with funky overtones: a weird and eclectic composition, still on par with the previous elaborate material, and a fitting end to this enjoyable and a bit hard-to-swallow effort.
"Parametric Milk" is less intense with not many nods to death metal, now being well-constructed instrumental progressive thrash. The title-opener is a meandering progressive composition without any hard-hitting moments close to Spastik Inc and the likes, but "El Amanecer De Los Muertos" is already a much edgier number, although the leads dominate over the riffs the whole time, as well as on the following "The Traveller". "El Temazo (The Great Song)" is excellent galloping thrash, and the 2-part "The Silence" is not bad, either, part 1 being a calm ballad, the 2nd one hitting harder with energetic speed/thrashing riffs. "C.A.R. (Criteria Of Acceptance And Rejection)" is another dreamy progressive number, before "Desires" thrashes more intensely still preserving some of the dreamy passages. The remaining tracks are lead-dominated mid to up-tempo, and despite their certain merits may be a bit of an annoyance with the omnipresence of the lead guitars. The closing "The Fly" is an abstract slightly industrialized instrumental closing this effort the way it started. Generally this is not entirely different from the previous album, but while the latter gave a lot of freedom to the sharp riffs to develop, this one sees the guy concentrating on his guitar virtuoso performance sacrificing the other components for the sake of the very well-accentuated leads.
"Mind Landscapes" features vocals (both male and female) for a change, and the music has become way more abstract and complex, and inevitably slower. There is a certain industrial atmosphere roaming around recalling Meshuggah quite a bit, if we exclude the excellent melodic leads which here are not that frequent. This is pretty mechanical sterile music with a heavy dispassionate machine-like sound, with only "Mind Landscapes" lifting the spirit up with brutal spasmodic death metal decisions. This is quite a different animal, a radical step away from the guy's initial delivery; but after all, who needs two albums released the same year of the same style?

Forget All You Know Full-Length, 2009
Parametric Milk Full-Length, 2009
Mind Landscapes Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ACHREN (UK)

Based on the full-length, this band plays a modern brand of black/thrash which is fast ("Bastards on the Gallows or Bastards on the Rack", "Fuck it Hard", etc.) for most of the time, but also slower and atmospheric ("The Way Of The Twilight Or The Aura Of Flies") on occasion. The guitar tone is kind of playful, and the rhythms are catchy, even on the fastest passages. The singer is the prototypical raven-like rasper, but his demonic antics are intelligible.

Fury of the Northmen EP, 2003 Blood Metal EP, 2006 The Forgotten King Full-length, 2011

Official Site

ACID (BELGIUM)

This band is one of the pioneers of the speed/thrash metal movement, and they should be mentioned right beside Anvil as the very first acts who introduced the more aggressive side of the genre in the distant 1982; ironically, the most speedy track on the band's debut is called "Anvil". Speed metal was literally born with this album: check also out the ferocious opener "Acid", the blitzkrieg proto-thrash bombs "Demon" and "Heaven’s Devil", the hellish closer "Satan", the cool blend of ballad and speed "Woman At Last". The compulsive enthusiastic spirit of the punk movement is all over the album, too, aggravated by the muddy sound quality. The singer is a girl, going under the name Kate, and in this aspect the band are pioneers as well, introducing the female vocals on the metal scene, along with the NWOBHM representatives Girlschool. If Anvil had concentrated on the heavier, pounding side of the genre, these folks had written the rules of speed metal, plain and simple.
The sophomore effort elaborates on the debut, providing better produced speed metal antics, which maybe don't sound as aggressive anymore compared to the fuller-on speed/thrash attacks offered by their American counterparts Metallica, Slayer and Hawaii. Still, this is pretty much one-of-its-kind music in Europe, predating the German scene, which at this time was just slowly waking up. Here the first examples of galloping up-tempo power/speed can be heard, later followed by many American acts: "Maniac", "Luciferia", the proto-thrash killer "Black Car", which may remind you of Anthrax's "Death from Above" from "Fistful of Metal". "America" is 6-min of a constant speedfest, and "No Time" comes as a more aggressive, more proficient Motorhead. "Bottoms Up" is the most brutal track, thrashing no worse than Metallica's "The Four Horsemen". The 3 bonus tracks at the end are first-rate speed metal, a sound which was later heard on Exciter's magnum opus "Violence and Force"; check out the raging "The Day You Die", or the pounding "Exterminator", which could have been an influence on "Pounding Metal" and "Delivering To The Master" from that same Exciter album.
"Engine Beast" is an all-out speed metal effort, with better production qualities, seeing the guys (and a girl) apparently not willing to join the thrash metal scene, which they helped establish, on a full-time basis. There is a lot of headbanging going here, mostly of the galloping speed/semi-thrash type: check out the vigorous anthem "Warriors Of The Dark", "Lost in Hell", "Big Ben". Heads-down speed/thrash can also be heard on the final "Engine Beast" and "Satan s Delivery", evil sinister thrashers, strongly recalling Metallica's "Kill'Em All", rather than their previous output. Two melodic fillers are included, which would make a few heads shaking, but rest assured that they are not much more than the obligatory breaks from the moshing. Having done their job to show to the world that metal also has its more "unpleasant", extreme side, and having seen that their legacy was so well carried by hordes of new acts, the band split up. Neither of the 5 members has ever been spotted after that taking part in any other musical formation, in or outside the metal field.

Acid Full-length, 1982
Maniac Full-length, 1983
Black Car EP, 1984
Engine Beast Full-length, 1985

Fan Site

ACID DEATH (GREECE)

One of the finest Greek metal bands to ever grace the scene; "Pieces of Mankind" is standout progressive thrash with shades of death metal (coming mostly from the vocal department), ranking among the highest achievements of bands like Mekong Delta, Coroner, and Death. The music is very technical, with great time changes, and a really impressive guitar work (great leads and stupendous riffs), twisting and turning quite a lot, but never going into very aggressive or fast grounds. The atmospheric passages, where the guitars take a nice jazz-y overtone, are some of the best ever used on a metal album.
"Random's Manifest" moves almost completely into a death metal territory, but the progressive tendencies of the debut are all intact, making this effort another stellar example of technically-minded metal, this time presented with even more complex, jazz-like song structures, and even more striking guitar work (especially the magnificent melodic leads), bringing it very close to the best from the technical death metal field: Atheist, Death again, Pestilence, Cynic.

"Balance of Power" is an explosive gem of intense thrash/death metal ala Massacra and Pestilence. It will sweep you away from the very first track: the raging monster "Apathy Murders Hope", before "Civil War" slows down, adding beautiful lead guitar work to the proceedings, along with fine technical licks. "Death From Above" is heads-down merciless thrash/death, followed by the more controlled, but by no means less appealing "Balance Of Power", which could qualify even for "Testimony of the Ancients". "Twilight Spirits" is technical thrash/death metal at its best, mixing tempos and moods, topped by outstanding lead guitar work again. The leads remain, while everything else disappears on the very cool peaceful closing instrumental "State Of Paranoia". It's quite a mystery why the band didn't capitalize immediately on the very well shaped sound of this small gem, choosing instead to remain in the underground for another 6 years.
The band are back in action with this short promising promo which starts with a new version of "Apathy Murders Hope", which remains fast and ripping with an added technical appeal. Then comes the superb technical thrash masterpiece "Convict", a total Coroner-worship, a varied number with marvellous elaborate structures. "Crossing The Line" settles for more moderate riffage, less technical and a bit more modern-sounding, but engaging nonetheless showing the guys in fine form to produce more great music in the near future.

Balance of Power Mini LP, 1992
Pieces of Mankind Full-length, 1998
Random's Manifest Full-length, 2000
Promo Promo, 2011

Official Site

ACID DRINKERS (POLAND)

One of the longest running bands from the Polish metal scene, Acid Drinkers offer a fusion of thrash, punk and crossover. Their beginnings are thrashier and more interesting, whereas later their style acquires hardcore elements (mainly in the vocal department) and is less thrashy.

Are You Rebel ? Full-length, 1990
Dirty Money, Dirty Tricks Full-length, 1991
Strip Tease Full-length, 1992
Vile Vicious Vision Full-length, 1993
Fishdick Full-length, 1993
Infernal Connection Full-length, 1994
Pump the Plastic Heart EP, 1995
Walkway to Heaven EP, 1996
The State of Mind Report Full-length, 1996
High Proof Cosmic Milk Full-length, 1998
(I Can't Get Now) Satisfaction EP, 1999
Amazing Atomic Activity Full-length, 1999
Broken Head Full-length, 2000
Acidofilia Full-length, 2002
Rock Is Not Enough, Give Me The Metal Full-length, 2004

Official Site

My Space

ACID REIGN (UK)

From the humble, but enthusiastic beginnings on "Moshkinstein", the band managed to develop into one of the more stylish members of the UK metal scene. "The Fear" offers interesting, energetic thrash and stands for the band's finest hour; this is really aggressive stuff (the opener "Reflection Of Truths" and most of the songs), but it has its original deviations: the long, complex "The Fear", the "intense thrash meets crossover" type "Blind Aggression", the wild "Lost In Solitude", mixing heavy, stomping riffs with super-fast ones. It was clear that the guys had more to show, and their potential was yet to be fully displayed, but they went too far on the next release: "Obnoxious" takes a much more experimental direction, with the band's sound becoming decidedly slower, progressive with longer, less catchy, and sometimes hard to follow, songs; still an intriguing listen, but far from an immediate one.

Moshkinstein EP, 1988
The Fear Full-length, 1989
Obnoxious Full-length, 1990
The Worst Of Acid Reign Full-length, 1991

My Space

ACID SPEECH (BRAZIL)

Based on the demo, these guys pull out intense speedy retro thrash akin to early Destruction and Kreator; the vocals go into the K. Weber (Toxic Shock (Germany)) mould. This is five songs of speedy relentless music featuring a cool instrumental ("Into the Depths of a Nightmare") of fast moshing "thrash attack" in the best tradition of the Destruction classic "Thrash Attack", but without the slower opening part of the latter.

Corrosive Riot Demo, 2009
Corrosive Warfare Split, 2009

Official Site

ACID STORM (BRAZIL)

One of the more interesting bands to come out of Brazil; the debut is more straight-forward, typical 80's speed/thrash without any particular highlights, but "Biotronic Genesis" is an ambitious and an engaging technical thrash effort, crossing the 1st two Forbidden albums in a seamless, a bit more complex though, way. It starts in a straight, uncompromising headbanging fashion with "Biologic Mechanization", which is a great speedy number. The technicality begins with the next track "Biological Holocaust" which is much longer, and uses the same fast-paced base, but the guitars are more technical, and the arrangements more complex. The aggression increases for the next two songs, but the steel technical riffs remain, and the marvellous "Metal Beasts" will remind you of the short-lived US act Have Mercy with its unique blend of technicality and intensity. The last two songs bring back the long elaborate structures with an increased presence of time-changes, although the intense hard-hitting riffs remain the major driving force here as well. The singer Robson Goulart is a great asset with his clean, emotional delivery quite close to the of Russ Anderson (Forbidden), seldom leaving the mid-ranged parametres, but satisfying all the mood changes with dexterity.
"No Man's Land" shows the band in good form once again, offering the same potent mix of technical and aggressive riffage, this time even more intense than before, even rubbing shoulders with Slayer and Vio-Lence on the more intense sections. These three songs could have served as a very good base for a new album, but the band disbanded soon after.

Why?... Dirty War Full-length, 1989
Biotronic Genesis Full-length, 1991
No Man's Land Demo, 1994

My Space

ACRAL NECROSIS (UK)

Excellent speed/black/thrash which could have sounded better if it wasn't for the sudden switches from nice headbanging speed/thrash to furious ultra-fast black metal sections; still the guitar work is quite good, and the guys play with energy and inspiration, providing numerous delights for the thrash fans. The sound quality is very good, and particularly impressive is the 8-min opus "Acral Necrosis" which thrashes non-stop from beginning to end. The rest is by no means less striking, moshing with the same intensity, very seldom posing for at least a mid-paced break. This is good headbanging fun all the way, with sharp riffs, great melodies, and the inevitable blast-beating moments.

Eternal Nuklear Violation EP, 2007
United In Annihilation Split, 2008

My Space

ACRANIA (MEXICO)

The full-length debut is a decent piece of melodic thrash/death metal with both progressive and gothic leanings. The guys vary things with semi-fusion insertions, more puzzling technical passages, more quiet atmospheric sections (including a surprising jazzy theme on "The Final Shot", which to these ears is pretty misplaced and hardly necessary, and is followed by a short speedy crossover take on Richie Valens' "La Bamba"), etc. The delivery is dynamic with plenty of up-tempo moments, but overall the album is dominated by the excellent lead guitar work which is the leading component here. The singer is not bad with a subdued semi-death metal tember quite close to the early Mathias Lodmalm (Cemetary) style. The band were previously known as Necrofilia with a style not too different from the one offered here.

In Peaceful Chaos EP, 2007
Unbreakable Fury Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ACRANIS (BRAZIL)

This hellish Brazilian trio provides aggressive thrash/death metal expressed in lengthy (5-7min) compositions which seldom contain anything more than standard thrashing accopmanied by a dual death metal vocal attack (one more, the other less shouty). Both styles alternate throughout, but at least on "Thrash Metal Strike" thrash should have been more widely covered, the song blasting at some point in a pure death metal fashion.

Valley of Death Demo, 2007

My Space

ACRASSICAUDA (IRAQ)

A 4-song EP of good classic power/thrash with a characteristic dark sound, nicely touching doom ("Garden of Stones") on the slower moments, ornated by good Oriental motives. The guitar work is cool although more speed for the future would be desirable; now this wall of heavy mid-paced riffs may come too tiring on a full-length. Still, kudos should be paid to the guys for trying to play an offically banned in their homeland brand of music, opposing to the pessimistic bleak war atmosphere which has been covering their country for quite a while.

Only the Dead See the End of War EP, 2010

Official Site

ACRID (GERMANY)

Based on the "Acrid Beasts" demo, these guys must have been an influence on the UK grindcore movement which started a bit later. This is easily the first really brutal metal act to come out of Europe. The music here is thrash/proto-death metal with a frequent adherence to grindcore not far from same year's Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted". This is brutal relentless stuff with short tracks, very fast bashing guitars, and guttural not very audible vocals. Impaled Nazarene must have gotten ahold of this as well since their early outrageous delivery resembles the music here quite a bit. Definitely not for the faint-hearted... Later the band changed their name to Etenal Trash, and toned down their merciless approach to come up with a more laid-back thrash/crossover sound.

Devil\'s Metal Demo, 1985
Acrid Beasts Demo, 1986

ACRID (HOLLAND)

This obscure Dutch outfit offers a more technical twist to the modern Swedish thrash/death metal trend. At their most inspired the guys touch Death: "For the Sake of...": a really nice progressive composition, with a great acoustic interlude and clever technical riffage. "...The Complete" is another Death-influenced composition providing a couple of intriguing sections, combined with cool melodic licks. The progressive motives take more epic, Opetn-esque proportions: "Withered", but here come the more straight thrashers: "The Speaking Eyes", still with a slight technical edge. "Your Burning Silhouette" is a stylish combination of haunting balladic passages and technical, but melodic, riffage.

Amalgamate Full-length, 1999

Official Site

ACRIDITY (USA)

Acridity's only album is ordinary thrash played by-the-book with the uninspired vocals being the major flaw. Apart from the intense, energetic thrashers more ambitious, longer numbers can also be found: "Beyond", and they are a sign that with a bit more imagination this band could really do a good job. The rest comes with a certain doze of decent, but standard riffage, borrowing from Slayer, Torture, Exumer, etc., but some tracks are worth hearing, being cool headbangers: "Lethal Idol", "Vigilante".

For Freedom I Cry Full-length, 1991

ACRIMONIA (POLAND)

Even if Beethoven wanted to be dead, it wouldn't have been possible, with so much interest shown towards his works from all sides of the music spectre. These Poles offer an interesting rendition of his output with the opening "Beethoven Is Dead", which is quite original progressive thrash with references made towards Beethoven's immortal 9th symphony; dark ominous riffs in mid-tempo mix with stylish technical classical-influenced sections. Then more direct thrash follows on "Killers From Evil", which picks some technicality in the lead and bass department in the 2nd half. Afterwards the sound takes a turn from thrash, with the doomy haunting "Story Of Evil". The situation is completely saved by the excellent stomping instrumental "Marrazm", which offers really interesting Oriental tunes, along with creepy technical riffage. "Company" nicely blends doomy funereal moments with more dynamic thrashy sections, although the "battle" is won by the doomy ones. "Spanish Dreams" is another instrumental which, as hinted by the title, is a combination of intense thrashy guitars and cool acoustic flamenco ones. "Fallen" is a worthy closer to this diverse saga bringing back the technical patterns, in mid-tempo, partially ruined by the awful hardcore vocals which fortunately are interrupted by much better female ones that suit better the jumpy, hectic riffs. This is an interesting listen, which could have benefited from more technical prowess; now it often sounds like testing the soil for something bolder to come this way, with less treading in safer doomy/gothic waters...
"Parasite" is another weird effort, this time not messing with any classical composers, but "flirting" quite a bit with jazz, but in a heavy pounding way. The pace is mid the whole time, and this creates a monotony sometimes ""broken" by the odd stylish insertion: the great melodic tune "On High", the nice rock'n roll variation on "Don`t Fuck With Me", the twisted technical abstractism on "Dreams" which is by far the highlight of the album being exemplary progressive/technical thrash with doomy overtones. Ths offering is not better than the follow-up although it's far from a disappointment providing at times dry cold riffage in a way not far from early Meshuggah ("Fallen"), and the female vocal participation, albeit short, is quite good, but the eclectism may come as too much for the more level-headed fans, and the lack of more energy doesn't give the technical moments a big chance to stand out.

Parasite Full-length, 2005
Beethoven is Dead Full-Length, 2007

Official Site

ACRIMONY (POLAND)

So there were other, more technical acts in Poland than Turbo and Wolf Spider; one just has to dig deeper there to find them. This is a real gem which could have fitted perfectly into the wave of progressive/technical thrash metal acts from Germany from the same time. This is really technical and complex stuff, which comes close to Mekong Delta and Target on quite a few moments. As you can imagine, this is not aggressive music, although the riffs are quite sharp, and the tempos jump from one to another all the time. There are, of course, numerous abstract and illogical at first listen tunes, but even they are quite captivating and interesting. Even the tracks which were meant as more immediate ones, are full of complex riffage: the 3-min technical thrash shredding masterpiece "What's That Light", or the brilliant semi-balladic piece "Y.R.U.B.Z.". This album, along with the other 90's one-album-wonder from Poland: Astharoth's "Gloomy Experiments", is one of the finest moments of the whole 90's metal scene.

In Unknown Direction Full-length, 1992

ACRITER (CZECH)

Thrash metal with a somewhat pagan atmosphere calling to mind Bifrost; these guys have the detrimental tendency to change the vocal styles every few seconds: you can hear Rob Halford-like screeches, awful synthesized shouts, death metal growls and, of course, clean ones. The music is mostly mid-paced with slower epic moments ("Thanalogia de Amor").

Horror Mortis EP, 2004

Official Site

ACRITUD (CHILE)

Quite good melodic, keyboard-driven thrash/death metal which is long on both atmosphere and musicianship; although the music is generally not very technical, some moments are really worth checking out by the technical lovers: "Desolacion", which also scores high in the lead department; quite high, actually. The pace is quite energetic, seldom adhering to blast-beating parts. As a matter of fact, often will the approach remind you of the Brits Bal-Sagoth. "Extinguio La Acritud" is a really cool semi-ballad with clean vocals, and the closer "La Cupula" is an awesome progressive number, boasting compelling operatic sections, among the whirlwind of moods and tempo changes.

La Cupula Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ACROPHET (USA)

Thrash metal delivered with a hardcore speed and intensity; the debut is more hardcore-influenced, good stuff and fast with really intense, aggressive tracks: "Slaves of Sin", "Crowd Mistress". The approach is slightly one-dimensional, but the energy put into the recording makes up for this. "Ceremonial Slaughter" is a glorious speed/thrasher, suggesting at better things to come.
"Faded Glory" moves into full-fledged thrash, retaining the aggressive delivery from the debut mixing the all-out speedy sections with slower galloping ones ("Silent Insanity", "Haunting Once Again"). These guys were definitely going somewhere, but they split-up soon after the release of their sophomore album.

Corrupt Minds Full-length, 1988
Faded Glory Full-length, 1990

My Space

ACROSTIC (CHILE)

Classic 80's thrash sounding like a cross between mid-80's Slayer and mid-period Sepultura.

Kids Playing Thrash Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ACT (ROMANIA)

Melodic groovy post-thrash: Rage Against the Machine on testosterones; enough said...

Exact EP, 2008

ACT OF FATE (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length, this band plays pretty decent retro thrash mixing the pace sounding energetic as a whole, especially on jollier takes on the good old thrash/crossover like "Cold Emotions". The singer is the prototypical death metal growler, and he suits best the steam-rolling smasher ala Bolt Thrower in the middle "Blinded By...", which is the only more death metal-laced track on the album. "Starvation" is another heavy killer with a speedy twist at the end, and generally the 2nd half is less dynamic livened up by the closing "Dream Destroyer" which again inserts steamy heavy riffage at some point.

Soul Puzzlement EP, 1998
Despise The Light Full-length, 1999

ACTION TOM BASS BAND (GERMANY)

Based on the "Fresh Flesh for Dürüm of Death" demo, this band plays heavy mostly mid-tempo thrash of the less serious hardcore-ish type. The guitar work is heavy, touching epic/doom at times, but tracks from the other extreme can also be found: the brutal fast bomb "UR Sick". The singer is a typical death metal growler of the more intelligible variety: think Don Cochino (Pungent Stench).

Sick Ass Fuck Demo, 2006
Fresh Flesh for Dürüm of Death Demo, 2007

Official Site

ACTING OUT (FRANCE)

These are the same guys who under the name Brain Decay have left a few demos and one good full-length release three years ago. The excellent thrashy death metal they used to play earlier, is almost completely gone on this EP; the modern industrial tendencies have been considerably increased, and now the sound is even closer to Prong, but whereas the Americans exceed in originality, this band produce at times something a bit more than just plain noise. Thrash metal is still present, but it's mixed with a big amount of hardcore, and the combination in this case is not on the positive side. In view of the 90's trends, this is a well-fitting album into the overall picture, but these guys have proved that they could do a lot better than that.

Disorder in space & time EP, 1996

ACUTOR (COLOMBIA)

Retro thrash oriented towards the German side of the genre which will please fans of Necronomicon, Darkness and Sodom; one of these bands is paid tribute to at the end with a cover of "Remember the Fallen" (guess which one!).

Dios ha muerto Full-length, 1998

Official Site

AD ASTRA (HUNGARY)

Good technical/progressive modern power/thrash with choppy, somewhat mechanical, but effective riffs, changing paces, but never becoming fast or aggressive, with melodic, balladic sections, including two full-blooded ballads ("One Minute Silence", "27K"). The Opeth influence is more than obvious, but these guys get carried away on the dreamy calmer passages: the soft, alternative "Waves". "The Other Self" is a more convincing progressive thrasher, but the atmospheric, quiet break is too long to be a cool touch. The last track is another soft number, with nods to Porcupine Tree. As a whole the progressive parts win over the thrashy ones; would they give thrash metal another chance?

Idegen Arcok EP, 2005
Crust of Ego Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

ADDICTIVE (AUSTRALIA)

One of the less known, but better Australian thrash metal bands; the style presented on both albums is of the heavy, mostly mid-paced variety with nice, original touches here and there, moving the music on the edge of technical thrash quite a few times. "Kick'Em Hard" could pass for the better effort, containing short, fast headbangers in the beginning, before going back to the slower technical numbers in the middle, featuring an excellent 3-min instrumental near the end: "Distemper", where the lead guitar is simply striking, and one might start wondering where these leads were before. A third album could have made these guys into something special, but they never recorded again.

Pity of Man Full-length, 1989
Kick 'Em Hard Full-length, 1993

My Space

ADEM (UKRAINE)

Bay-Area thrash made in Ukraine; "Time of Madness" is more simplistic, with a more relaxed guitar sound. The opener "Psychopathy" is quite an intriguing instrumental in an energetic tempo with interesting technical riffs. Later on the music retains the energy, and introduces heavy, Metallica-influenced guitars, which work quite well, especially on the slower, mid-paced numbers ("Time of Madness"), which are fewer than the faster ones, some of which are very cool speed/thrash attacks ("A Man On His Knees"). The bonus track "Nostalgy" is a quiet, nice balladic instrumental.

"Golgotha" increases both the technicality and the heaviness, and the bass bottom, which was really good on the debut, is even better now. As a result we have great pounding technical thrash, boasting really high achievements, like the dark instrumental pieces "Vision" and "Dance of Planets", served with superb guitar work. Even the more aggressive thrashers ("It's Hard To Be A God") are graced by stylish riffs and leads. On both albums the concentration is on music; the vocals play a secondary role in this band; not that they are really bad, being growly low-tuned of the semi-death metal variety; it's just that the musical aspect is a lot more impressive.
"Fight Without Rules" is actually a "fight" with strict modern "rules", very ordinary pedestrian 90's groovy thrash strongly recalling the early Biohazard works. The guys have gotten back together, and the release of a Best of Compilation in 2005 is apparently the first sign of a renewed activity in their camp, although they really like taking their time.

Time of Madness Full-length, 1988
Golgotha Full-length, 1989
Fight Without Rules Full-length, 1996

My Space

Official Site

ADEMUS (USA)

Based on debut demo, this band plays really cool classic thrash metal of the semi-technical creepy variety sitting somewhere between Forced Entry and Slammer. "Doomsday" is a formidable steam-roller which later turns into a wonderful faster technical piece topped by very good forceful semi-clean declamatory vocals. "Blood Red Stain" is an atmospheric doomy shredder creeping forward with a slight industrial edge of the guitars. This approach stays around for a few tracks, until the final "Shadows Of Black", which is a smashing dramatic closer with brutal ultra-heavy riffs and vortex-like arrangements. It would be interesting to check whether the guys were pulling out similar music on the 2nd demo...

Sumeda Demo, 1995
Degeneration Demo, 1996

ADERFIA

Modern melodic power/thrash with nu-metal elements; the best parts will remind you of the Argetinians acts Horcas and Hermetica (the energetic shredder "Inconscieste Egoista"), but the singer is not really an asset with his thin screamy melodic tone.

Aderfia EP, 2009

ADHAIA (PERU)

Cool energetic thrash mixing modern with classic influences, clinging more towards the old school, and the tracks are all mid to up-tempo affairs with forceful sharp riffs, a couple of nice melodic leads, and not very pleasant shouty vocals which would be more suitable for the hardcore scene.

Demo Demo, 2009

My Space

ADIMIRON (ITALY)

In their early stages this act played a death/black metal blend of the more melodic variety, but on "When Reality Wakes Up" they offer an alternative groovy form of the 90's post-thrash with a couple of more stylish leanings recalling Gorefest's later non-death metal period. More dynamic riffy passages take turns with more laid-back semi-progressive ones akin to Tool, with another alternation in the vocal department, between gruff semi-death metal vocals, again in the vein of Gorefest, and dispassionate clean ones. There are descends to ballads, and even blues on "Endeavouring" near the end where the album loses the little steam it had previously.

Eclipse EP, 2002
Burning Souls Full-length, 2004
When Reality Wakes Up Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ADONIS (USA)

Based on the "Visions of Terror" demo, this band provides merry roller-coaster speed/thrash metal ala early Exciter and Savage Grace with a dirty sound quality. The songs are predominantly fast with a few slower heavier breaks, the most pleasant surprise being the closing "Endangered Species" which is smashing speed/thrash bordering on hardcore. The singer doesn't deliver as well, though, his tember being low and semi-clean without a shade of emotion.
"Model Citizen" is the better achievement with a solid consistent sound in mid-pace with clever semi-technical arrangements not far from Acid Reign. The songs are longer all clocking around 5-min, and although the mid-tempo is seldom broken, the music delivers not without the help of the much better this time clean vocals. "O.B.I. (Obsessed by Insanity)" is a cool more lively composition which comes with heavy pounding riffs also nicely recalling Heathen's "Victims of Deception".

Visions of Terror Demo, 1987
Model Citizen Demo, 1989

ADRAMMA (BRAZIL)

Based on the "The Uncurable Disease" EP, these guys provide your average modern thrash, hesitating between the more intense direct type ala The Haunted and the angrier Pantera-sque one. The latter wins, although it seldom reaches the heights of "Vulgar Display..." or "Far Beyond Driven".

Highlight Flowers Make Words Hear The Pain EP, 2007
The Uncurable Disease EP, 2009

My Space

ADRENALIN (CANADA)

The first demo is aggressive thrash bordering on death metal at times; the second one retains the aggression, but adds a considerable doze of modern thrash; the third one is full-blooded modern thrash with hardcore elements in the Pro-Pain vein.

Cause and Effect Demo, 1992
Tension Demo, 1993
Control Demo, 1994

ADRENALINE (UK)

Based on the "Being This Side Of Insane" EP, this band come up with melodic modern groovy thrash, mid-paced, traditionally crossing harsh, hardcore with clean vocals. "Castrum Dolores" offers more vivid dynamic music, thrashing with gusto on a few moments ("Playing the Role of God", "Sins of a Thousand", "Inertia"), and the dragging groovy sections are not that annoying, neither are the clean melodic vocals which here take a more active participation. "No Ones Promised Tomorrow" is a cool touch: a romantic, albeit still heavy, ballad, with the clean singer doing a very good job, although there he sounds different from the rest of the album.

Inch of Skin EP, 2005
Being This Side Of Insane EP, 2007
Castrum Dolores Full-length, 2008

My Space

ADRENICIDE (UK)

Based on "Drunk with Power", these guys offer quite enjoyable, energetic thrash/crossover, very close to late period D.R.I. The shorter tracks ("Infernal Waves", "Cradle to the Grave", and especially the 1-min bomb "Little Jimmy") move towards the more aggressive spectre (think Slayer), but in an album of 15 songs they can't really change the picture a lot. And they don't have to, since the music is cool and fast-paced, staying closer to thrash, with very few exceptions: the cool short balladic instrumental "Visiting Hours ....". "Keeps Going Wrong" is a very brutal take on thrash/death, lasting for about a minute.
"Raging Full On" is 21 tracks of cool energetic thrash/srossover, which again draws resemblances to D.R.I., but this time there are moments which will remind you of Suicidal Tendencies, and Slayer on the more aggressive moments. "Forward Into Death" deserves a special mention, being half a min of aggressive, blasting thrash. Later on there is another 1-min explosion: "Junk Punk". "Guns In The Playground" and "At War With Next Door" are the odd slow, semi-groovy tracks.
"Natural Born Thrashers" tries hard to deserve its title, thrashing more intensely than the band's previous works, spreading far and wide the thrash metal idea with its 20-and-so tracks. Certainly, a couple of numbers are more crossover-oriented, but most of the time the guys thrash with confidence and gusto. The compositions this time are longer, some closing dangerously over the limit on 4-4.5min (the excellent crushing instrumental "Let The Violence Commence"- a headbanging fest at its best), as the shorter ones are left for the end where the crossover madness ala Suicidal Tendencies reigns supreme for a while ("Dying Time Crawls", "Garland Greene").
"Kill" is a brisk energetic exercise in classic thrash/crossover at its best; fast music, short explosive numbers, uncompromising attitude and a lot of mosh from beginning to end. Again a couple of tracks are longer than the majority, but thrash rules the game all over, and this effort will hardly leave anyone cold especially those who grew up listening to D.R.I., Nuclear Assault, Hellbastard and Ratos de Porao.
"War Begs No Mercy" is the band's most aggressive achievement, an all-out thrash attack for most of the time with Slayer being a close soundalike on the more brutal material (check out the explosive "W.B.N.W." and "The Last Experiment"; also the maddening thrasher "Planet Of The Dumb", and the ultra-furious "Tortured And Broken"). The songs are short and to-the-point, with fast fiery riffs seldom slowing down on the slower tracks ("The Hunter"), providing an almost non-stop headbanging fest to the fans, proving themselves a safe bet for all who love direct lashing mosh without any distractions.
"Power Shift", recorded just a few months after "War Begs No Mercy", shows no "shift" in sound, but delivers the same no-bars-held attitude thrashing in a wild Slayer-esque fashion all the way through those 18 songs of prime retro thrashing madness. The hardcore aesthetics are certainly here, especially on the shorter numbers, but this is pure thrash all the way, the only relief being the cool acoustic instrumental, a 1.5-min "oasis" amidst those raging numbers. The headbangers will by all means be pleased (and also quite exhausted), but this is really not for the sophisticated/refined side of the fanbase...

Impropaganda Full-length, 2003
All Went Black Full-length, 2004
Crossover-dose! EP, 2006
Drunk with Power Full-length, 2006
Raging Full On Full-length, 2007
Natural Born Thrashers Full-Length, 2008
Kill Full-length, 2009
Pioneers In The Land Of The Mad Full-length, 2009
War Begs No Mercy Full-length, 2010
Power Shift Full-length 2011

My Space

ADVENTUS (BRAZIL)

4 songs of classic power/thrash with a modern production, and a bit noisy guitar sound. Rough angry vocals meet melodic guitar lines and catchy choruses everywhere producing memorable tracks ("Sky or Hell") with a pinch of the modern trends.

Hell Will Fall Demo, 2011

ADVERMIX

Good classic power/thrash, which starts energetically with the speed/thrashing instrumental "Corre, Corre Transy", but later the music is mostly mid-paced with heavy meaty riffs and another pure speed metal delight ("Lords of War") thrown in the middle. The closer "The Monster Dick" is disappointing, though: an ordinary toothless heavy metal anthem (it's by all means a "dick", but by no means a "monster" one...).

Gates to Transilvania Full-Length, 2009

ADVERSARY (USA)

Modern thrash/death metal, which doesn't miss out on any of the typical for the genre gimmicks: the dual guitar melodies, the clean vocals, the energetic delivery, etc. Although the music stays closer to thrash most of the time, there is hardly anything which would strike a cord in the thrash metal fan's heart.

Singularity Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ADVERSITY (USA)

Fast and energetic thrash/crossover, similar to D.R.I. and early Suicidal Tendencies ("Destinized").

Lost It All Full-Length, 1988

ADVERTENCIA (ARGENTINA)

Look no further than the typical for the country power/speed/thrash metal mix (Horcas, Hermetica, Lethal), here brought with numerous balladic touches which kill the little sharpness the guitars have turning it into a boring pedestrian affair which some may lose interest listening to well before the end.

Al Escucrar Tu Voz Full-length, 2007

My Space

ADVOCATE (USA, CO)

This trio from Colorado specializes in dark classic heavy thrash with American power metal influences and good mid-levelled clean vocals. The mid-pace is sometimes "broken" ("Turn From Him"), but there is no shortage of slower balladic moments, either ("The Key"). "Paper Back Sword" is a speed metal delight which main riff strongly reminds of the one from Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years", only played faster. "Way To Right" immediately "cancels" it, being morose doom/thrash. Still, there is energy aplenty on the closing "Remember The Cross", which mixes the speedy and the heavier elements to a good effect.

Exigency EP, 1992

ADVOCATE (USA, NJ)

80's power/thrash metal band in the vein of Abattoir and Liege Lord; the music here is heavier, and not as fast; it starts in quite an impresive way with three stomping, almost doomy power/thrashers, before introducing some faster tunes ("Do or Die", "Agony"), which nicely break the somewhat monotonous atmosphere. Near the end the sound even acquires nice semi-technical tendencies, not too far from Liege Lord's "Master's Control" ("The Final Hour", "No Words Left To Say").

World Without End EP, 1995
World Without End Full-length, 1997

ADX (FRANCE)

The finest French thrash metal band; starting more as a speed metal outfit, the band have moved more and more towards the thrash metal spectre. The first three albums are more in the speed metal mould, with timid nods to thrash, along the lines of their compatriots Killers, the band running sucessfully as the European analogue to Agent Steel, and well deservedly so. A strong, and an appealing, characteristics for their style were the infectious choruses and the swirling melodic leads. "Weird Visions" is the band's real initiation into thrash, and their finest hour: one of the biggest achievements of the whole French metal scene. "King of Pain" keeps the tie to their past, with a more speed metal-like approach, but later things become more interesting: the melodic mix of speed and thrash "Lost Generation"; the mighty thrashy riff-fest "Sacrifice in the Ice", with a marvellous waltz-like outro; the superb instrumental "Mystical Warfare"; the intense speed/thrasher "Behind the Mirror". There is, however, at least one filler as well: the mid-paced heavy metal number "Sign of the Time", partially saved by the raging follower "Invasion". A nice cover of Rainbow's "Kill the King" is placed at the end of this masterpiece, which remained the band's last recording for quite some time.
"Résurrection" saw the band back, but not really in flying colours, like it was expected. This is by all means thrash, but the huge doze of speed, which made their previous works so great, is almost nowhere to be found ("Resurrection" is the exception: a great intense thrash delight, the highlight of the album; if only there were at least a few more of these around...). The songs are lengthy, at least according to the band's standards, and the guitar work is not bad, albeit one-dimensional: heavy, mid-paced, pounding riffs, with a modern edge here and there; this is what awaits you here for most of the time; not a really impressive picture, isn't it? Especially when I add that there is also one very long, tender 10-min ballad ("Jeux De Chair"). Well, the guys' penchant for nice melodic hooks can still be felt on at least half of the songs. The closing track is a remastered version of one of the band's lesser achievements: "Marquis Du Mal", this time sounding even worse, with an added modern sound. Apparently not fascinated with the acceptance this comeback album received, the band disappeared again not long after that.
"Division Blindee" is a glorious return to form for the band, although their fans had to wait for 8 whole years, also witnessing their idols falling behind their colleagues and compatriots from Killers, the latter having done a marvellous job on their last two albums. On this one ADX offer us the staple bombastic speed/thrash known from their 80's efforts. The fine guitar duels and leads are back along with the passionate, dramatic vocals and choruses; both the intro and the outro are also short, but fine additions. Slower, heavier tracks are added, as well as one with a more power metal edge, but the majority are all-out speed/thrashers (check out the closing "Demiure Morsure", which is a feast for the ears to those who like the Shrapnel acts and guitar pyrotechnics with a more aggressive edge): a big excuse for the not very convincing previous effort, and a major push forward for the French speed/thrash metal scene of the new millennium.

Exécution Full-length, 1985
La Terreur Full-length, 1986
Suprématie Full-length, 1987
Weird Visions Full-length, 1990
Résurrection Full-length, 1998
Division Blindee Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

My Space

AEON (SWEDEN)

The stoner/doom guru Christian 'Spice' Sjöstrand (The Mushroom Band, Spiritual Beggars, but also the modern thrashers Kayser) gives a more aggressive thrashy twist to his infatuation with the "stoned" sound. Based on the debut demo, this other project of his, which he runs along with one of his colleagues from Kayser Fredrik Finnander, plays modern power/thrash metal with an obligatory doomy shade, but rest assured that there will be a fair amount of moshing here: check out the wild shredder "Open Up To Life" and the short piece of proto-death brutality "Help Me Out". This is cool diverse music ably supported by Sjöstrand's convincing gruff mid-levelled Tom Araya-sque delivery.

All Becomes Ashes Demo, 1990
Missing Ground Single, 1991
Universe Wide Open Demo, 1992
Absence Demo, 1993

AEONS END (GERMANY)

This band included two future members of one of the leaders of the contemporary German thrash metal scene Red to Grey; actually in an early incarnation of that same band the guys have played classic death metal, and here shades of their old style can occasionally be heard. The singer here is a girl, and her clean mid-ranged voice, not miles away from her compatriot Doro Pesch, is probably the best choice for this exquisite technical/progressive fusion of power and thrash, which perfectly fits into the progressive/technical thrash wave which appeared a few years earlier in Germany. The opener "It Never Prays..." is a more laid-back progressive power metal track, but "Share In Fate" hardens the course, and is a standout technical/progressive thrasher with swirling riffs and really aggressive, proto-death sections combined with sudden, spiral-like (hence the album title) time changes. "Life Unlived" is a softer-sounding, but still quite complex, number clinging again more towards the power metal side, but "Unreal Perception" thrashes with full force, despite the balladic introduction; this is another exemplary progressive thrash piece, which sounds like a leftover from Sieges Even's "Life Cycle"; a slight letdown is the more quiet, semi-balladic ending which contrasts to the furious technical sections before that. "Refusal" is as elaborate as thrash metal can possibly get: a head-spinning labyrinthine song with hard-hitting guitars, nice fast leads, and straight speed/thrash parts. The only "flaw" of this masterpiece is that it's only 5 songs; the last track ("Soul Dreamer") is a 2-min acoustic instrumental, which is actually a great ending to this obscure, but essential work. Red to Grey are yet to match the technical brilliance of this album.

Spiral Seas Full-length, 1994

Official Site

AESIR (USA)

Energetic edgy thrash with an American power metal flavour, close to Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy" and early Helstar; the tempo is mid to up, but at times the guys get "pissed", and start thrashing in a less controlled manner (the raging sections from "Scream For The Light", and the speed/thrash monster "Mr. Neighbor"). "Evil Memories" tries something complex, being twice as long as the other songs, but the guys are not that impressive when they slow down, stretching bland balladic passages quite a bit topped by very screamy amateurish leads. "Save Us From Today" is not far behind in terms of length, but there the band never lets the speed go, and this one is a decent headbanger, where the singer tries to unleash very high-pitched screams not too far from early Warrel Dane.

Save Us From Today Demo, 1987

AETERNUM (SWITZERLAND)

Based on the 1996 split, this band is mostly in the death metal camp with the odd thrash riff added for good measure. The style ranges from the war-like, steam-rolling sound of the Brits Bolt Thrower and Benediction to very fast rhythms ala Mortification and Brutality.
The full-length has already mutated into symphonic black metal with certain support from death and a little bit of thrash. The music has acquired the expected hyper-blast tendencies, plus a few gothic, Cradle of Filth-styled decorations, and as a whole the thrash metal fan will feel cheated most of the time.

Fear of Mankind Demo, 1995
Promotape 1996 Demo, 1996
Defaced Creation / Aeternum Split, 1996
Aeternum / Evoke Split, 1999
Dreamy Silken Moontew Full-length, 1999
Promo 2001 Demo, 2001

Official Site

AETURNUS (USA)

This is complex, technical thrash with shades of death metal (but not too many), quite close to the Swedes Rosicrucian's "Silence", or the Americans Punisher's "Disillusioned". The riffs are crushingly heavy, and the tempo for that reason is not fast; there are moments from the groovy 90's scene as well, including the vocals, which are a mix between Burton Bell and Phil Anselmo, with a slight computerized/industrialized edge, and are simply bad, compared to the better music. There are long (6-8min) tracks where one could hear quite a few time changes including more speedy parts, but most of the time this is pounding, somewhat tedious stuff.

From Blackest Darkness Full-length, 1995

AFFLICTED (SWEDEN)

After one very good technical death metal release ("Prodigal Sin"-1992), this band switched onto power/thrash metal with this one. The style is close to the American standards- this is epic, mostly mid-paced to up-tempo stuff, reminiscent of old veterans like Omen, Savage Grace, Liege Lord, etc. It's too bad that the impressive technical sound of the debut is almost nowhere to be heard (maybe, a few moments on the battle opus "Raging Into Battle"). On the last two songs the guys let more aggression loose resulting in better, more thrashy music with quirky experimentations on bass on "Cross My Heart".

Dawn of Glory Full-length, 1995

My Space

AFFLICTED CONVULSION (SWEDEN)

This is the early incarnation of Afflicted (see the review above). The debut demo shows a band playing competent thrash metal with several more stylish insertions (check the ambitious diverse title track "Toxic Existence"), but the raging death metal parts are not missing, either, reaching an almost intolerable grinding intensity near at the end on the closing 1.5-min explosion "Batman".

Toxic Existence Demo, 1989
Psychedelic Grindcore Demo, 1989
Beyond Redemption Demo, 1990

AFFLICTION (TURKEY)

Based on "One Reality", these guys follow on the steps of their Swedish counterparts; in other words, this is modern thrash metal, quite fast bordering on death, the way bands like Carnal Forge and Hatesphere used to play it with slower sections inserted where you can hear cool melodic vocals. "Execution is Necessary" flows in the same vein, maybe a bit more aggressive, with more nods to death metal (In Flames, Dark Tranquillity).

One Reality Full-length, 2003
Execution is Necessary Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AFFLICTION (USA)

Heavy, technically competent thrash of the classic type; the music is a mix of fast-paced, intense pieces and heavy, mid-paced ones. The guitars are heavy with a dark, brooding sound which create an ominous atmosphere, also helped by the very good bass work. There are no real highlights here, all songs tend to come together, with the 1st and the last tracks being the fastest, and the most impressive ones (the last one is actually a short effective hardcore-ish piece: "Trying To Be Cool"). The vocals are a bit raw, with a gruff, semi-death metal tone, but suit the dark music well.

The Damnation of Humanization Full-length, 1992

My Space

AFTER ALL (BELGIUM)

The band's works during the 90's belong to the heavy/power metal genre. With "Mercury Rising" the music starts getting more interesting offering an interesting blend of doom, power, classic heavy metal and, of course, thrash. The last two releases are essential classic thrash metal picks. Those of you who have followed the band from the very beginning, will be stunned to hear this aggressive, intense stuff; both albums offer excellent, fast-paced to up-tempo music with great sharp riffs, with almost no shades of the other genres previously "courted" ("Cascade" from "The Vermin Breed" is a doomy, semi-balladic number, and "Second Time Around" from "This Violent Decline" is another good attempt at a semi-balladic song-writing of the heavier, Testament type). "This Violent Decline" could be considered the slightly better effort from the two, with a faster and more technical guitar work, bordering even on death metal at times (the Germans Final Breath might come to mind), although the inclusion of Gothenburg-styled melodies might be a pullback to some.
"Cult Of Sin" is an explosive work, wasting no time to prove its worth with the crushing opener "My Own Sacrifice", intense speedy thrash with a couple of more extreme death metal elements thrown in. In case of you wonder which style the guys have chosen to pursue, here comes "Scars Of My Actions": an old school thrash attack at its best with allusions to the German school (Paradox, Angel Dust). "Betrayed By The Gods" shows the band's other, slower and heavier side, a crushing piece of steam-roller aggression. "Devastation Done" is fast thrash/proto-death, a relentless downpour of riffs with a stomping mid-section. Death metal goes a level up on the brutal riff-fest "End Of Your World", and will remind you of early Pestilence and No Return's "Contamination Rises". "End Of Your World" is the odd power/thrasher with an epic shade, strengthened by the 1-min of peaceful balladic sounds on the instrumental "Doomsday Elegy (2012)". The "idyll" is over with those two, and "Embracing Eternity" rages on, thrashing with force for about 3-min, and this is where one can hear the vocal legend James Rivera adding a few hellish screams. "Hollow State" is another cool take on more epic thrash, but the speed comes back to stay on the final "Release", which provides a healthy doze of headbanging retro thrash lasting for about 5-min, before the fine balladic lead-driven outro takes over. The crisp production, courtesy of the Swedish maestro Dan Swanö, gives a great boost to the guitar sound, and these riffs cut like a knife, sounding equally as hard on both the fast and slow passages. It would hardly matter whether the death metal tendencies will take a fuller shape on future recordings: with a musicianship of such a calibre these guys would easily be a sure pick for any metal fan.

Mercury Rising Full-length, 2002
The Vermin Breed Full-length, 2005
This Violent Decline Full-Length, 2006
Cult Of Sin Full-length, 2009

Official Site

My Space

AFTER OBLIVION (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA)

A talented young act who give a nice speed/thrashy twist to later-period Death and Sceptic, a tendency already started under the name Path Beyond Serenity, with one EP released before the name change. Fans of the two aforementioned bands may find this addictive; it's that good. The debut EP is 4 songs of top-notch musicianship reflected in swirling leads, overwhelming Oriental melodies (the latter are the main fascination being present all over), fast tempos, slower progressively-tinged passages, and more. The singer imitates the style Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) acquired on the last 2 Death albums, but gives his tone a slightly screechy high pitch, which could be considered the only flaw on this otherwise perfectly executed slab of technical thrash which is played in an energetic up-pace for most of the time.
"Vultures" contains 3 compositions which show an icreased level of complexity, with the progressive overtones now more strongly present which, fortunately, is not for the sake of the speedy delivery the guys lashing with passion throughout. Still, the time-signatures are more complex, and the Oriental spirit of the 1st EP is somewhat left behind, but the shadow of Death looms even stronger here (check out "Deliverance", which is a tribute to "Flesh and the Power It Holds" from "The Sound of Perseverance", only shorter). The emulation of the guys' peers is probably too close, but it's done with professionalism and dedication; and there's certainly time for the band to find their own style, if necessary.

The Carnal Form EP, 2007
Vultures EP, 2011

Official Site

AFTER THE BOMBS (CANADA)

Based on the "Terminal Filth Stench Bastard" EP, these guys play fast intense thrash/crossover ala Nuclear Assault and D.R.I. with very abrasive guitars and high-pitched apocalyptic vocals, reminiscent of Torsten Bergman (Living Death). There will be a lot of jumping around on this one, the speed never goes down, and despite the samey approach on every track, as a whole this little slab of old school crossover aggression will hardly leave you indifferent.
"Relentless Onslaught" is in the same vein, but the vocals now are more controlled, and the guitars are less abrasive. The songs are longer, although the aggression hasn't been diminished: check out the furious "Condemned" and "Face of Brutality", and especially the short piece of extremity "This Hell". Still there are a couple of tracks which are mid-paced and jollier, carrying the early punk spirit.
"Bloody Aftermath/Black Horse of Famine" is just two tracks of the same carefree thrash/crossover this time more hardcore-tinged and with more shouty vocals. The abrasive edge of the guitars has been brought back as well as the short song-length.
The self-titled EP is 3 songs of aggressive thrashcore, fast and furious, reaching the intensity of the debut EP with its fast bashing guitars, again with an abrasive fuzzy sound, topped by the forceful shouty vocals.

Terminal Filth Stench Bastard EP, 2005
Relentless Onslaught Full-length, 2007
Bloody Aftermath / Black Horse of Famine EP, 2007
Spoils of War EP, 2007
After The Bombs EP, 2009

My Space

AFTER THE REIGN (USA)

Modern melodic thrash metal in a peaceful mid-pace with a gothic atmosphere achieved mainly by the gruff semi-whispered vocals and the beautiful melodies both of which are reminiscent of mid-period Sentenced.

After The Reign Demo, 2010

AFTERBIRTH (USA)

Based on the "Amniotic Daze" demo, these guys pull out intense thrash metal with more brutal proto-death shades and forceful mean vocals. The tracks are very short (1-1.5min), but the delivery doesn't need anything longer to prove its aggressive character.

Amniotic Daze Demo, 1987
Afterbirth Demo, 1988

Fan Site

AFTERDEATH (PORTUGAL)

Modern death/thrash metal with some groove involved and also interesting progressive moments, not too far from the Canadians Obliveon (their later period). The music is very crunchy, mid-paced most of the time. In the faster tracks ("Digital Horizons") the band come close to the classic thrash formula which is arguably their better side. These guys have definitely managed to forge their unique style, but split soon afterwards. They re-emerged "nameless" two years later under the name Nameless for the release of the much less impressive, albeit still classic-sounding and very interestingly titled "The Overcome of the Portuguese Bastards". The band's early demos are more simplistic straight-forward thrash/death metal with slower semi-gothic overtones not miles away from early Messiah.

Backwords Full-length, 1995

My Space

AFTERMASS (USA)

Fast aggressive thrash with slight death metal tendencies recalling early Kreator and the Italians Necrodeath in the more aggressive parts; apart from the basic death-ish vocals, there are clean ones, which are quite good, and might remind you of Jon Van Doorn from the Brits Deathwish. On the slower moments the music also brings this band to mind acquiring a somewhat darker gloomy atmosphere. But the concentration is clearly on speed and aggression, and as such this demo is a very good headbanging fun.

Demo Demo, 1989

AFTERMATH (IRELAND)

Based on the 3-song "S.S. Deity" demo, this young band play energetic thrash/death metal with a firm old school sound and aggressive, Slayer-esque riffage. The downpoint perhaps is the vocals which are of the shout-y type, the ones Tom Araya used on "God Hates Us All", and don't fit the music that well.

S.S. Deity Demo, 2000
To Die Or To Seize Demo, 2002
The Meeting of Blood With Blood EP, 2005

Official Site

AFTERMATH (USA, TUCSON, AZ)

"Straight From Hell" is a cool beginning, despite some minor flaws. It contains one nice up-tempo power/thrasher "Mask of Deception", one slower, and not as interesting heavy/power metal hymn "Pandemonium", one very cool speed/thrasher "Straight From Hell", which must have been an influence on the Agent Steel's "Rager" from "Unstoppable Force", and one energetic speed metal killer "You're Never Gonna Wake Up".
"Don't Cheer Me Up" is a kind of a hit-and-miss affair; it has some great moments, but also some not very convincing ones. "Beast of Wrath" is an ambitious, progressively-tinged song, but busy with the more complex arrangements, the guys seemed to have forgotten about the thrashy riffage, which comes up on the shorter, more satisfying numbers: "Black and Yellow", the great galloping power/thrasher "Lines of Horror", and especially the smashing stormy killer "Luci's Dance". Later on another, even more elaborate song comes: the 11-min long "Daemynspeke"; this is multi-layered stuff, which this time features really intriguing guitars, as well as more aggressive riffs; it could have been made shorter, though; some moments sound a bit strained and uninspired. "Don't Cheer Me Up" is another cool intense mid-paced track, which nicely speeds up near the end. "Nuclear Requiem" is a bit unnecessary, being a melodic pointless instrumental. It needed just a little refinement for the band to find the perfect winning formula to thrash with the best, but they folded soon after this one.

Straight From Hell EP, 1985
Don't Cheer Me Up Full-length, 1988

AFTERMATH (USA, CHICAGO, IL)

The band's demos from the 80's are standard, aggressive thrash, and show no signs of what would be at display on their only album. "Eyes of Tomorrow" is a standout technical thrash metal effort drawing comparisons to Coroner, Anacrusis and the likes. The songs are quite complex, rich on atmosphere, with very original guitar work. There are also post-thrash moments similar to those on Coroner's "Grin". This is one of the best efforts that the US 90's metal scene has to offer.
The demo is 4 songs of the same technical abstract stuff, this time sounding even more dreamy and "out there". "Japan" is a superior semi-doomy progressive thrasher with innovative "cosmic" surreal passages which would later be turned into a staple mark by the Australian avantgardists Alchemist. "Metallic Slums and Highrises" is a masterpiece of twisted serpentine riffs and indifferent robotic, but strangely compelling, singing, the former suddenly switching onto something more straight-forward and vice versa creating a disorienting hallucinogenic picture seldom achieved before or after; the experimental spirit of Pestilence's "Spheres" can clearly be felt, but this one sounds more appealing and more scarily atmospheric; a truly one-of-a-kind listen. Then comes "God is in the Details" which is pretty close to Coroner's "Grin" again being a creepy modern progressive piece of the haunting doomy type recalling the Coroner song "Shifter" from their 1995 compilation album quite a bit. "Strain" is more laid-back technicality-wise again in the doomy "sleepy" mould, not very diverse, but pretty effective, too, seeing the guys probably warming up for another full-length which, unfortunately, never materialized.

Eyes Of Tomorrow Full-length, 1994
Demo Demo, 1996

My Space

AFTERSHOCK (USA)

A cool demo of mid to up-tempo thrash akin to late-80's Overkill and Exodus ("Fabulous Disaster"); the singer is quite good, too, sounding like a mix between Steve Grimmett (Onslaught, Grim Reaper) and Bobby ``Blitz`` Ellsworth (Overkill).

Invading World Space Demo, 1990

AGANKAST (UK)

Based on "Dance Of The Dead", this band play simplistic, slightly raw power/thrash with brutal death metal vocals, which just plainly shout for most of the time. The music is quite heavy, mid-paced, and may remind you of the Germans Warpath. Don't get pulled back by some stoner/doom elements: "Suffocator", which could be considered the highlight of the album. "The Killing Spree" comes splashing in the middle, producing about 4-min of aggressive Slayer-esque thrash, and one could not help but wish these moments were more; well, your wishes may come true, since the next "Warlord" crushes majorly in a similar fashion showing the band having woken up to do more damage on a larger scale. But that's it since "Cockroaches" is just more dynamic doom followed by the jolly hard'n heavy closer "Return To The Valley Of The Kings".

Dance Of The Dead Full-length, 2005
Walking With Angels/Running With Devils Full-length, 2006
Welcome to Insanitarium Full-length, 2006
Runnig With Devils Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AGATHA BONES (UK)

Based on the 2nd demo, this band plays plays a mxiture of power, heavy, speed and thrash metal, and pompous titles like "Thrash Attack" are not really deserved, the only more intense piece being the lashing speed/thrasher "BSF" the rest staying close to early Exciter and Griffin. The singer is very high-pitched to the point of hysteria, and could have served as a model for Rob Halford for his delivery on "Painkiller" (ha ha- kidding, of course!).

Demo 1 Demo, ?
Demo 2 Demo, ?

AGENT STEEL (USA)

This great band made many metal fans' day back in the 80's. Whether you like his vocal style or not, John Cyriis remains one of the most unique voices in metal. The guys literally wrote the rules of American speed metal with their exemplary debut, which put them right on the very front row of the scene in the States. Two years later the band made a huge leap forward with the colossal "Unstoppable Force" which after all these years is still regarded as one one of the 10 best albums of the genre. From the explosive title opener, to the magnificent mid-paced steam-roller "Still Searching", to the superb destructive speed/thrash shredder "Rager", to arguably the finest instrumental in thrash metal history "The Days at Guyana", to the marvellous closing ballad "Traveller", this masterpiece is a breathtaking listen, which logically marked the band's creative peak. Without Cyriis, the band seem to have lost some of their magic after the reformation in the late 90's. The new sound is slower, more power metal-based and the guitar work is not as flashy. But once you adjust your senses to the music, you will find out that both albums are commendable efforts showing another side of Agent Steel.

After a long 4-year gap Agent Steel are back again with "Alienigma": a very good album which follows on the steps of its predecessors, with a more aggressive attitude. "Fashioned From Dust" starts thrashing with power and speed from the beginning, and this number sounds wonderfully close to their 80's efforts. Not for long, since the next composition settles for the prototypical for their more recent period heavy mid-paced power/thrash. The testosterone goes up a notch on the galloping more lively "Hail To The Chief", but the semi-balladic "Liberty Lying Bleeding" will calm the listener down once again in the 1st half; the 2nd one offers cool speed metal with a more melodic edge. "Hybridized" nicely mixes speed and heaviness, being also longer, with a more thought-out progressive edge. Get ready for forceful aggressive thrash on the explosive "Extinct", a fairly unexpected shorter killer of a song, never experienced before on an Agent Steel album. The pleasant surprises continue, with "Wormfood": dark more technical power/thrash in the vein of Nevermore with crushing ultra heavy riffs, which more than make up for the loss of speed on the previous track, adding a beautiful atmospheric balladic interlude as well. "W.P.D." preserves the heaviness, pounding in a forceful mid-tempo manner. Need for speed naturally arises after a couple of heavy numbers, and "Tiamat’s Fall" is the one to make the listener jump around, but it's not even a rehearsal for what follows: "Lamb To The SLaughter", violent brutal ultra-thrash in the 1st half, which easily beats the previously encountered "Extinct", decorated by unholy shrieks from the singer; the 2nd half slows down, providing stylish leads and the staple mid-paced power/thrash approach. This effort will apparently have to keep us thrashing for another 4 years, if the guys stick to their consistency, leaving the obligatory 4-year gap between releases.

Skeptics Apocalypse Full-length, 1985
Mad Locust Rising EP, 1985
Unstoppable Force Full-length, 1987
Omega Conspiracy Full-length, 1999
Order of the Illuminati Full-length, 2003
Alienigma Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AGE OF EVIL (USA)

Power/thrash metal, hesitating between the modern and the classic sound; this is melodic stuff which has its moments (the cool headbanger "A Call To Arms"), but there are times when the music is pure Savage Grace and Iced Earth worship. The leads are quite good, though, and there is some Jeff Waters influence in the guitar style. The opener "Call Me Evil" is a Ballistic cover, and Marty Friedman guests on guitar there.

Living a Sick Dream Full-Length, 2007

Official Site

AGGRESSA (AUSTRALIA)

Thrash metal which starts in a more melodic crossover way with catchy mid-tempo songs, until "Tunks", which is a brutal piece of thrash, finally hinting at the aggression suggested with the band's name, after which things become more intense for a few tracks, before they settle down again near the end. The vocals are the highlight here, and might remind you of David White from Heathen.

Nuclear Death Full-length, 1988

AGGRESSION (CANADA)

This band richly deserve their name: based on "The Full Treatment", this is very aggressive raw thrash which has definitely been an influence on many death metal bands later. The sound is so brutal that some of the more faint-hearted fans out there might not be able to stand through the whole album (ha ha, it's a joke-don't get scared!). The very poor sound quality also helps to aggravate the brutal impact the album has on the ears. This is an unpolished gem of merciless raging thrash metal.

The Full Treatment Full-length, 1987
Forgotten Skeleton Full-length, 2004

AGGRESSION (SPAIN)

This EP boasts a crystal clear sound quality, and apart from that blistering speed/thrash at its classic best. The sound is quite mixed, with more nods to the Bay-Area perhaps. The singer has a cool semi-clean, semi-screamy tember, which is hard to be compared to any of the old shouters. This small debut effort is full of catchy, sharp riffs ("Countdown"), which is a fairly aggressive number; "I Hate You", which is slower, with pounding rhythms, and a very cool vocal performance), more complex variations ("Never Surrender"), and very good bass work all over, which supports the razor-like riffage quite well.
"Moshpit" is an elaboration on the EP, with half of the tracks also present here, so expect another portion of speedy headbanging retro thrash with a crisp sharp guitar sound which this time brings a soundalike from the old times: Forbidden's debut. Ironically, the slowest number is called "Thrashing Your Brain" from the EP, which is also the longest one, and is not up to par with the smashing speedsters ("Moshpirit", "New Born War"). Still, it's far from a filler, a role here given to "Better You Run", a mild mid-tempo power/thrasher. "Psycho-Crime" comes splashing erasing all not very positive impressions left by it, with the final damage done by 2 more tracks from the EP ("I Hate You" & "Never Surrender").

Thrashing Your Brain EP, 2008
Moshpirit Full-Length, 2009

My Space

AGGRESSION OF DEATH (VENEZUELA)

Cool, tightly-executed retro thrash with a strong Devastation-vibe, and brutal death metal vocals. The guys play fast with the staple slower breaks inserted on almost every song to create a crushing, steam-rolling listening experience. The sound quality is crystal clear, except for the slight noise coming from the drums. An interesting, and fairly well done, cover awaits you at the end: Kreator's "Phobia" from their better attempt at less thrash-based dark metal "Outcast". The generally low-tuned singer on this one acquires a more screechy tone, with a black metal tinge.

Poesia De La Muerte Full-Length, 2009

AGGRESSION TALES (USA)

An excellent debut of classic, Bay Area-influenced thrash metal (think early Testament above all) with cool aggressive riffage in the Slayer vein popping up here and there. The singer does a fine job changing a few vocal styles in a way similar to Chuck Billy, and he's particularly good handling the harsher, death metal ones. He should try to avoid the occasional clean ones, though; they just don't fit the hard-hitting music too well.

Scribbles in Blood Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AGGRESSIVE (COLOMBIA)

The demo is actually just one song: "Despoiled", as you can guess, which is a really great speed/thrasher in the best Bay-Area tradition: think Forbidden's debut and Vio-Lence; fast, relentless stuff, with semi-high/semi-clean vocals. The EP is pure thrash/crossover mixing fast with slower songs topped by slightly screechy high-strung semi-declamatory vocals. "Despoiled" is here again without any changes made to it.
"Predators' Arrival" is a cool headbanging entertainment, the fun starting from the very 1st track: "Of Exploiter And Proletarian", which is an explosive Bay-Area piece, the hard-hitting music well supported by the clean dramatic vocals ala Mark Osegueda (Death Angel). "Corrosive Entertainment" adds a nice intriguing, technical touch to the proceedings, plus a merry crossover mid-break. "Unbalanced Architect" is pretty "unbalanced" mixing fast and slow rhythms, an approach closely followed by the title-track, too. "Idiosyncrasy" thrashes more wildly, but "The Metal Head Case" is another "case" of heavier, pounding riffs. "White Empire's Greed" is all-out thrash once again, and "Brainless State" doesn't fall too far behind, unleashing the final portion of deadly sharp riffage, the latter given a nice boost by the crystal clear production. These Colombians have done a pretty decent job here, and their inspired tribute to the old school could stand well beside the Brazilian competition.

Despoiled Demo, 2007
Brainless State EP, 2010
Predators' Arrival Full-length 2011

Official Site

AGGRESSIVE AGRICULTOR (FRANCE)

Based on the first two demos, this is a cool blend of punk and thrash/crossover.

Eructation Agronomic Demo, 1991
Hé Ho Tonton Marcel Demo, 1993
Adieu Toi Je T'Aimais Bien Demo, 1995
Les Années Vaches Folles Demo, 2006

Official Site

AGGRESSOR (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

Early Kreator-worship done with inspiration and understanding; this is fast energetic music with vicious early Mille vocals, a very good clear sound quality, and certain speed metal aesthetics from time to time ("Addicted to Blood"). There is a nice faithful cover of their idols included as well: "Tormentor".

Eternal Slaughtering Demo, 2010

My Space

AGGRESSOR (CANADA)

Based on the full-length: this band, headed by the former Annihilator bassist, who is the singer here, Brian Stephenson, offer quite cool retro thrash, with a Bay-Area shade ala Testament, with the guitar player at times paying tribute to the great Alex Scholnick. The music carries a nice technical edge, without overdoing it, and the tempo seldom goes into very intense territories. Still dynamic pieces like "Million Dollar Slaughter" and "Crimson Mark" will stir your blood in a major way, whereas a more complex song-writing can be heard on "Terror on Terror" and "Circle of Pain". "Burn on my Skin" is a cool ballad, but is more conventional, lacking the touch of originality and edge so typical for the similar efforts of their aforementioned American peers. Three more immediate shorter thrashers wrap it up near the end, with the closing "Mission to Mosh" adding more melodic crossover elements to the proceedings.

Pure Canadian Agression EP, 2008
Rape the Willing Full-length, 2008

Official Site

AGGRESSOR (ESTONIA)

Based on the band's debut: the music is crushingly heavy, mid-paced most of the time (with the exception of the fast headbangers "Fear the Future" and "Widow's Mourning"), sounding like a more thrashy version of Bolt Thrower (their later period) and Benediction.

Procreate the Petrifactions Full-length, 1993
Of Long Duration Anguish Full-length, 1994

AGGRESSOR (GERMANY)

Music-wise these guys are not miles away from early Venom and Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, but the vocals (if we could call this awful grunting vocals) are so shocking and horrifying (I mean, for the time of release), that even the grindcore acts later would find it hard to top it up in terms of nastiness. The last track "Psycho Metal" is a pure Hellhammer worship with its discordant rhythm and, again, the unholy tortured vocals.

Demo Demo, 1986

AGGRESSOR (ITALY)

Aggressive thrash in the Slayer, Dark Angel vein, mixed with early Death; this is fast good music, ruined partially by the awful sound quality, which stifles the vocals almost completely which in their turn are rough semi-whispered ones, quite low. The lead guitar is particularly good, whenever it can be heard clearly.

The Wings of Death Demo, 1987

AGGRESSOR (JAPAN)

A very twisted and brutal recording which could only be compared to Hellhammer's "Apocalyptic Raids"; the vocals are some of the most tortured sounds you might hear, and although the music makes sense at times, and is clearly better than the one performed by Hellhammer, even having a rock-ish vibe ("Fuck Satan"- could be a Christian metal band?!), this is very little more than just a rehearsal of a bunch of drunken metal heads who had gathered with the only intention to scare away the neighbourhood, and I'm sure they had admirably succeeded in doing this.

Demo Demo, 1986

AGGRESSOR (PANAMA)

This obscure Panamese trio plays raw messy thrash metal ala early Sodom and Razor turning to violent proto-death on "Total Extermination" for a while, which is the best track. The singer is an unrehearsed brutal growler, but suits the bad sound quality and the amateurish musical approach.

Call from the Crypt Demo, 1990

AGGRESSOR (SPAIN)

Aggressive proto-death bash with a muddy sound quality; brutal stuff as a whole the guitars still sounding recognizable despite the monolithic unchanging fast delivery topped by short screaming Kerry King-esque leads. Slayer can be a close call, as well as Dark Angel, but the sound here gets nicely deathy ("When the Light Fell") with a shade of early Death as well. The vocals are strictly in the death metal camp, though, being brutal low-tuned, but intellgible and forceful.

Brutal Aggression Demo, 1989

AGHAST (UK)

The "Aghast" EP is a cool mix of a little bit of heavy thrash, battle Bolt Thrower-like riffs, and cool technical licks ala Morbid Angel. "Chum" features a nice balladic passage, but generally the tempo is fast and energetic, "courting" the latter band above all.

Sardonic States of Comparison: Content EP, 2006
A Wolf in the Kingdom of Heaven EP, 2008
Aghast EP, 2009

Official Site

AGHAST INSANE (ITALY)

A cool demo of modern and classic thrash metal mixed together; the music varies from heavy mid-tempo modern numbers ("Aghast Insane") to great fast headbangers ("Alone").

Aghast Insane Demo, 2004

Official Site

AGNOSIA (PORTUGAL)

A nice obscure demo from the Portuguese underground, offering classic mid to up-tempo thrash, with a few more melodic moments, mostly on the two instrumental pieces. The vocal tracks are edgier, although the singer is hardly an asset with his strained semi-death/angry delivery, mixing direct retro headbanging sections with proto-modern groovy ones.

The First Gathering Demo, 1994

Fan Site

AGNOSIS (COLOMBIA)

Classic-sounding power/speed/thrash metal with a very bad sound quality; the music follows the patterns established by the Argentinian acts Horcas and Hermetica mixing faster and slower songs in almost equal dozes.

Cementerio de Sueńos Demo, 1992

AGONA (BRAZIL)

A 6-song EP of modern melodic thrash/death metal which could have gained something from a more energetic delivery; now this dark mid-tempo stuff with gothic decorations and balladic stretches will mostly serve to keep fans of flamboyant acts like The Project Hate happy, rather than the regular thrash metal fan.

Essencial Putrefaçăo EP, 2011

Official Site

AGONI (SWEDEN)

A 3-song demo of speed/thrash reminiscent of some German acts from around the same time: Warrant, Vectom, maybe a tad more melodic. The band later changed just the last letter of their name, to become Agony (see the review a few lines below), and to move into a more aggressive thrash direction, and to leave a few demos and one official release before splitting up.

The Future Is Ours Demo, 1985

AGONIA (SPAIN)

This is slow to mid-paced modern thrash with brutal death metal vocals; the guitars have at times this merry roller-coaster edge characteristic of early Six Feet Under, but the rhythm section doesn't falter much sticking to solid heavy riffage which may even make your head bang on the more dynamic "LegalizaR".

Frente al Espejo Demo, 1997

AGONICA (MEXICO)

Based on the "Hasta el Último Aliento" demo, this band pulls out a hesitation between the modern and the classic sound, which produces a few positive results, thrashing in a not very intense mid-pace, losing it a bit at the end with two clumsy heavy doom-laden tracks. The singer is the typical angry shouter.
The "Frontera" demo is 5 songs of more energetic thrash with both classic and modern overtones, plus an over hardcore shade at times ("Mucho A La Chingada"). "Vivir Morir" is a surprising faster offering. The final "Odiame" is a peaceful instrumental of the bluesy/baladic type; it's actually a re-worked, instrumental-only, version of a song from the preceding demo.

Bienvenidos Demo, 2002
Hasta el Último Aliento Demo, 2008
Frontera Demo, 2011

My Space

AGONIZE (DENMARK)

Based on the "Fall" demo, this is excellent aggressive death/thrash ala Devastation's "Idolatry" and Death's "Spiritual Healing" with nice slower breaks and stylish technical riffs.

Fall Demo, 1991
Promo Demo, 1993

AGONIZER (CUBA)

One of the very few representatives of the Cuban metal scene, Agonizer offer heavy, mid-paced thrash/death frequently bordering on doom metal, and an overall dark sound recalling the first two Six Feet Under albums and later period Bolt Thrower.

Bless The Innocence Full-length, 2000

Official Site

AGONY (BRAZIL)

4 tracks of fast-paced classic speed/thrash recalling Toxik's "World Circus", but without too much technicality present; good stuff offering speedy sharp, albeit a bit abrasive, riffs aplenty (one vicious Slayer-esque thrasher "The Maniac" springs suddenly at the end, too) with a bit hollowly-sounding drums and screamy clean vocals which need to do some more practice to get tuned with the better music.

A Second Sign Demo, 2005

AGONY (COLOMBIA)

The band's debut is a really pleasant surprise with its classic Sepultura-influenced sound, coming as a very acceptable follow-up to "Arise". The guys are equally expert at thrashing with aggression ("Die Alone", where the sound is quite brutal, with proto-death elements) and calming down with slower, dark pieces ("Forever Decay"), accompanied by nice melodic hooks. The songs are long with a genuine dark atmosphere; the guitar work is straight-forward with no technical pretensions, except on a few occasions ("Walls Of Black"). The second half is more interesting: the music is less aggressive, but the guitars start to sound more stylish ("Falling Again"). The album closer "The Last Power" is the heaviest piece, mixing stomping and very fast riffs, but the addition of groovy passages kind of lessen the impact.

Millenium Full-length, 1996
Reborn Full-length, 2002

Official Site

AGONY (SWEDEN)

This is the same band who were previously known as Agoni. This is typical, professionally done thrash metal with occasional genuine ideas and aggressive, fast tracks (the opener "Storm of the Apocalypse"). Although the intensity of this track is nowhere achieved later, some are not far behind: the energetic headbanger "The First Defiance". Later the band take turn towards a more ambitious song-writing: the 8-min stomper "Execution of Mankind", but the biting edge of the first two songs gets lost, and consequently the material loses its appeal as well, simply because there is not enough technicality involved to keep those longer tracks floating. The last song "Deadly Legacy" does a lot to capture the lost inertia, mixing technical and fast riffs in a fairly impressive way. If just there were a few more of the kind here....

First Defiance Full-Length, 1988

My Space

AGONY (USA)

This young act pulls out competent modern thrash/death, which ranges from slower dark pieces to raging fast ones. The latter are more accentuated on, and while the first few ones one may take as just interesting deviations, on the others he may just lose interest, especially when they start sounding too gothic ("Faceless Death", "Staratagem", which comes accompanied by a cool clean deep vocals), or too groovy ("Spirit Hunter"). Towards the end the guys pull themselves together, and start thrashing with more power ("The Devil’s Breath", the more classic-sounding "Absolute Power").

The Devil's Breath Full-length, 2009

AGONY COLUMN (USA)

This is an interesting band; their style has often been described as "boogie thrash". Well, the "thrash" part of the description could only loosely be applied, as the band's music is more into heavy/power metal. But on the first two efforts one could distinguish quite a few forceful thrash riffs which could focus the attention of the thrash metal fan; something worth checking out, if only from a curiosity point-of-view.

God, Guns And Guts Full-length, 1989
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles Full-length, 1991
Way back in the woods Full-length, 1996

My Space

AGONY ECLIPSED (USA)

Your average Gothenburg thrash/death metal, with slightly irritating muffled low-tuned semi-whispered vocals; the energy is here, as well as the melodic licks, but there's nothing new to be offered. At times the music takes a more melodic turn: "The Reverence of Inebriation", which is a cool instrumental in the mid-period In Flames vein; "Conquest of Corruption"- a jumpy stomping track, which again refuses to speed up. The EP finishes with a 30-sec drum solo recorded live.

The Reverence of Inebriation EP, 2008

Official Site

AGONY OF DECEIT (USA)

Modern mechanical thrash trying to reach the bleak futuristic atmosphere of mid-period Meshuggah and the French Gojira. The problem is that the few stylish decisions are sunk in mediocre groovy patterns and repetitive jumpy mid-tempo riffs, with one highlight in the middle: the modern thrash shredder "Wage Slave", and partially the brutal death metal madness "Fighting The Elements" near the end. The situation can not be saved by the several short balladic instrumentals, which are quite cool, by the way, but their contrast to the much noisier rest is not that pleasantly fitting. The guys offer a more technical and better death/thrash blend on their other project Beltfed Weapon.

Affliction Full-length, 2004

My Space

AGORAPHOBIA (SPAIN)

Based on the "Black Fire" EP, this band plays jumpy modern thrash metal with quirky rhythms and varyng tempos which often change within one composition to mixed effects. There is a certain hardcore attitude shown, also helped by the improvised choruses and the indifferent dry vocals.

Black Fire EP, 2006
Reflexion Full-length, 2010

My Space

AGRESION (COLOMBIA)

An ultimately underground recording showing an act playing raw primitive thrash in a clumsy mid-pace abruptly livened up by brutal death metal compositions ("Macho Cabrío"), but "shocks" of the kind a rarity, even on the last two very short compositions where the guys stick to ultra-heavy repetitive riffs in a slow tempo.

Rehearsal Demo Demo, 1990

Fan Site

AGRESOR (BULGARIA)

An obscure Bulgarian act who pull out clever semi-technical thrash/death metal obviously influenced by Death and Pestilence, but minimalistic and less flashy, which could have had more appeal, if it wasn't for the very buzzy guitar sound. The guys never speed up too much, except on the very cool intense instrumental "Prelud # 1", which is the highlight here. The band also rely on atmosphere created by quiet acoustic sections and other gimmicks, which find full realisation on the marvellous progressive opus at the end "Svetata Lubov" which, despite its enormous length (13-min), will keep you entertained with its wide gamut of moods and riffs.
"Pogled Kum Budesteto" is even better, with a much better sound quality and more technical guitars, bordering on progressive at times. The music is again mid to up-tempo, and the sound is drier, but not to a modern extent. "Voda (Water)"'s minimalistic approach will remind you of Voivod's "Killing Technology", and "Glasut (The Voice)" is a nice twisted Coroner-like instrumental, with weird tunes (flutes, etc.) springing up, as well as male church chants. But this is not all, since there is more technicality and originality involved, like on the more aggressive technical thrasher "Luks (Luxury)", or the creepy sinister doomy "Faza (Phase)", which seamlessly blends a modern sound ala Prong with a faster, early 90's Death-like ending. The 2nd half is not as striking, featuring heavy doom-laden tracks, with very little speed present, if any; one of those tracks "Turchin i Robinia (A Turk and A Slave)" mixes doom with elements from the Bulgarian folklore, and "Nevinni (Innocent)" is a cool acoustic ballad. Thie is quite a diverse listen, and some may regret that this effort was not sustained in the same technical vein till the end, but to hear such a refreshing work during the stale 90's will help improve anyone's sad mood in no time.

Idoli Na Stradanieto - Idols Of The Suffering Full-Length, 1993
Pogled Nazad Kum Budeshteto/A View Back To the Future Full-length, 1994

AGRESSOR (BRAZIL)

Agressor have been active since the early 90's, but it was in 2006 when they finally managed to release a full-length. Their early demos are a rough mixture of American power metal and thrash with an uneven quality. By the time of "Victim of Yourself" the power metal had been completely gone, and this album is classic thrash at its best; the music follows on the steps of the German veterans Destruction and Sodom, like many other contemporary Brazilian bands: energetic with sharp riffs and vicious, death metal-ish vocals; a couple of tracks in the middle slow down and carry the stomping, late 80's Slayer spirit for a while, ornated by very good leads with an Oriental touch ("P-36", "One Esta a Coragem?" (something about courage is the word here, I guess), and others). If they go on in the same spirit, these guys will easily manage to make their way through the fierce competition from the Brazilian metal scene these days, and why not to the very top?

Victim of Yourself Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

AGRESSOR (FRANCE)

One of the best French death metal bands, Agressor's beginnings are deeply rooted in thrash. "Neverending Destiny" is intense, very fast thrash which hits you like a hammer, although the death metal tendencies have already said their word, and the shorter numbers are pure death metal explosions: "Paralytic Disease", "The Unknown Spell", the furious, ultra-fast "The Arrival". Apart from the relentless thrashing, one could also hear touches of a more unconventional song-writing: the chaotic technical "Elemental Decay", the lightning speed/thrashers "Neverending Destiny" and "Bloody Corpse", the dark, more controlled "Dark Power". The follow-up introduces death metal into the band's sound, but thrash still prevails in some of the songs. Even though their later efforts belong strictly to the death metal genre, some of their thrash metal past is still present.

Neverending Destiny Full-length, 1990
Towards Beyond Full-length, 1992

Official Site

My Space

AGRETATOR (SWEDEN)

"Delusions" is an impressive debut: technical thrash/death metal calling to mind Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients" and the Belgians Chemical Breath on the more inspired moments. It nicely combines speed and technicality most of the time, like on the awesome opener "Prophecy", and the next couple of tracks, seldom going for a more aggressive, more death metal-based sound: "Merciless Living", which is also the song that contains the slowest riffs, but moments like this are not too many, and also include the heavy, dark "Internal Severity".
The EP is also good, but is much more melodic without any shades of death metal with strange, progressive song-structures, choppy riffs and a much stronger modern edge (think Coroner's "Grin", or early Meshuggah), offbeat moments (female/male choruses, a sweet quiet ballad, etc.). After the band split up, some members went to achieve bigger glories with their other band Darkane.

Delusions Full-length, 1994
Distorted Logic EP, 1996

Official Site

AGRO (SOUTH AFRICA)

Based on "Ritual 6", this is melodic thrash mixed with power metal, of the modern type, with a heavy, but tasteful use of keyboards. Sometimes they remind me of the Finns Sentenced ("Amok" and after).

From Within Full-length, 1995
Eyes Full-length, 1998
The Tree Full-length, 2000
Forthcoming Full-length, 2003
Gouda Than Hell Full-length, 2004
Ritual 6 Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

AHOORA (IRAN)

A good young Iranian act, who play slightly progressive power/thrash metal in the vein of early Iced Earth and late 80's/early 90's Testament. The music on the debut is mostly heavy with not many fast-paced moments, but the riffs are meaty and sharp, and the lead guitar work is quite good. The singer has a gruff, unmelodic voice, and kind of spoils the picture with his one-dimensional delivery.
"All In Blood With You" doesn't betray the approach heard on the debut, but the songs are longer, which is hardly the right decision, since again the lack of speed doesn't make them the best listen in the world. On the other hand, the consistent dark, almost doomy at times sound may enchant the fans, especially hits like the multi-layered gothic/progressive/thrash opus "Between Maybe & Never", which even finds time for more energetic riffage, amid the nice melodic hooks, the heavy doomy/gothic overtones, and the haunting keyboard implements. The end is preserved for a sheer exercise in doom metal in the best tradition of Saint Vitus and Solitude Aeturnus, in the face of "Human Within": an impressive achievement supported by fine female vocals, enchanting quiet balladic interludes, and a hammering heavy rhythm. This album would hardly be the headbanger's paradise, but the more open-minded thrashers will not be disappointed, as well as fans of doom, gothic and power metal.
"Awkward Diary" indeed starts very awkwardly with the pure electronic wave piece "Masks and Balefires" which is a total Depeche Mode/early Camouflage worship. The same wave-ish overtones slightly overshadow the hard thrashy riffage on the following dark mid-pacer "Unattended", and when "Nervous Ghost" delivers the exactly same electronic depression from the one of the opener, one may quickly realize that the band has shifted quite a bit, and from that moment on there is absolutely nothing to catch the thrash metal fan's ear, although the music takes an intriguing turn towards alternative electronics not miles away from Front Line Assembly and Clock DVA. Fans of the aforementioned bands will by all means rejoice, but now the guys sound like an entirely new act. Maybe a change of name will follow suit soon?

Ahoora Full-length, 2006
All In Blood With You Full-length, 2007
Awkward Diary Full-Length, 2009

Official Site

AION (JAPAN)

Excellent thrash metal similar to other Japanese bands- Jurassic Jade and Gargoyle, with truly impressive solos; it's probably more standard, without too many eclectic sections, typical for Gargoyle, for example. The tempo is quite speedy, but more moderate tracks are also here ("Captured In The Dreams", "Mistress Of Evil"). Rarely does the music get more aggressive and chaotic ("Struggle To Breathe"), but it's all-out thrashers like "Torment In Fire" which carry this album. For some reason unknown, the guys re-recorded the whole album under a different name: "Human Griefman", with only the song-titles being different. Then they changed their image, acquiring those glam-one from the late 80's (some trends reach the Far East later...), but on "Magma" the band carried on in the pretty same vein, nicely mixing power, speed and thrash metal with even better guitar work.
Like with most Japanese acts, it was hard to predict what direction the band would take, but "Aionism" is a nice continuation of the band's previous style. The bombastic opener "Launch Game" thrashes intensely with a technical shade, promising a lot. Later the album offers a similar to "Magma" blend; there are heads-down speed/thrashers ("Disarray"- watch out for the frantic, chaotic ending here!; "S.S.S.", which will make your head drop from banging; "Caution"; the 2.5-min aggressive closer "Chimeisho"), as well as a couple of melodic heavy/power metal tracks. Clearly the final impression is on the positive side, and later this approach was followed closely by many other Japanese acts (Hellhound, Cocobat, Sex Machineguns, Volcano, etc.).
"Absolute" concentrates on the speed metal side, and is another worthy effort, although there is only one piece with an overt thrashy edge: the short, chaotic delight "Demoniac Insanity". Having no idea what the following albums sound like, I stumbled upon another release from that band, not included in their discography (strange!), here featured under "Unknown Title". This is the same band all over, who apparently have decided to play awesome thrash again for a change, since reportedly their more recent affairs had nothing to do with the genre. Most of the songs thrash fast and intensely, surpassing even the earlier material at times; watch out for another 2.5-min aggressive bomb, this time served with a superb short lead: "Accidental Discharge", and another very similar one, even more brutal, with a shade of death metal: "Surprise Attack". Complex, chaotic takes on technical thrash are here as well ("Abnoral", "Stupid Man"), which might take more than one listen to be fully grasped. Very unjustly labelled "a glam metal band", totally based on their appearance, which doesn't do them justice (a reason why I've been avoiding their output for such a long time), this band thrash in a way which would put to shame many of the "full-fledged" thrash metal acts around the world.
"Eve" puts an end to the band's flirtation with more radio-friendly heavy rock, after a string of 4 albums, and is another intense speed/thrash affair comprising, for the most of part, of short bursting pieces ("Rise And War", "Disturbance", etc.) and longer, industrialized ("Cube The Face"; the groovy noiser "Crime") explorations, the latter being incoherent and not as attractive. Moments of more conventional power/thrash metal ("Circuit Breaker") as well as less controlled hardcore outbreaks ("Dance") can also be found, which are not too bad, but grindy nods to The Berserker ("N.S.") should have been avoided. The closing balladic piece "Loved Living Free", is a find, though: a pretty unexpected, but cool cut. The whole album comes with a pretty noisy, abrasive guitar sound, which doesn't do the guys' musical skills justice.
"Judge of Death Line" is a better offering, starting with the outrageous, albeit well done, death metal piece "Accuse Falsely", before thrash takes over on "Hysterie", a heavy volcanic number, which transforms into formidable thrash/death on "Declare". Happier speed/thrash will one encounter on "Dummy General" and "Slip Of Paper", both suffering from the very noisy, fuzzy guitar sound and the hissing drums. "Spiritualism" is an excellent power ballad with virtuoso lead performance, and the next "Fifty-Fifty" is a choppy thrasher with a high-speed exit. The thrash metal roller-coaster becomes quite scary on "Disgrace" and "Uncanny", but the final chords are another good ballad ("Adieu") and jokey rock'n roll variations ("Peter Thirteen - Openful Rock'n'Roll"). Nevertheless, despite its diversity at the end this effort remains a fairly cool proposition amidst the sea of modern 90's works which were still the dominant force at the time.
The guys' prolific output includes 3 albums released in 1999 alone, and "Ceremony of Cross Out" is another vigorous slab of the good old thrash with a slight modern twist. "Ceremony Of Cross Out" is the staple intense opener, speed/thrash at its best, paving the way for a string of energetic numbers, before the arrival of the pleasant heavy metal anthem "Hit Or Miss", which provides a short pause, rudely broken by the bursting speedster "Fetishism", which still pales before the aggressive thrash/death metal bomb "Accidental Discharge". "Jade" is soaring classic speed metal at its best, but the guys quickly switch onto full-throttle thrash with "Stupid Man", with "Surprise Attack" being another "surprise attack" of brutal death/thrash. The final instrumental piece "Extermination Peter-11" is happy speed metal all the way with great leads, finishing this fairly good release with aplomb.
"Magnitude" begins with the slightly annoying overlong intro "The Moment Of Death", which is plain industrial noise, the noise remaining in the guitar department, which hardly makes this effort the best listen in the world. Still, the opening "Paralysis" is a potent, heavy industrial thrasher, and the next "Narrow Escape From Death" already sounds more classic with ripping riffs, which get quite aggressive on the speed/thrash metal cut "Magnitude". "Shout Out" is a cool semi-ballad with a furious speedy ending, the latter staying around for the speed metal joy "Heaven And Earth", and the ultra-heavy thrashterpiece "Die Gallantly". Things remain on an energetic speed/thrash metal ground of the more relaxed variety, before "Crushers" does a good job to justify its title with some of the most crushing riffs around. Chaotic speed/thrash awaits you on "Talk In Bed", and jokey crossover on "The Past", as well as a 9-min instrumental extravaganza "Peter-Fourteenth/Short-Lived", a traditional way for the band to finish their albums of more recent times, but in this case we have dreamy, jazzy stuff with sparce leads with no traces of metal, not bad at all, but kind of too lengthy for what it was intended to be. Still, it is a nice quiet finish to a demented, wild album full of raging riffs and frenetic tempos.
"Manners of Kill and Wound" doesn't betray the spirit of the other two efforts released the same year, featuring similar high-speed antics spiced with slower "remnants" from their heavy metal period ("Destiny", "Electric Wave"), the latter making the album the most melodic of the last five. Still, cuts like the demented shredder "Scoop Out", or the short hyper-speed/thrashers "Bombing" and "Witch Craft" will cause you a headache easily. The traditional final "Peter" instrumental is a display of a virtuoso play of the power/speed metal type with great melodic leads, and is a pretty good closer to this diverse offering.

Deathrash Bound Full-length, 1989
Human Griefman Full-length, 1990
Magma EP, 1990
Aionism Full-length, 1991
Absolute Full-length, 1994
Eve Full-length 1998
Judge of Death Line Full-length 1999
Ceremony of Cross Out Full-length 1999
Manners of Kill and Wound Full-length 1999
Magnitude Full-length 2000
Unknown Title Full-Length, 2004

Official Site

AIRDASH (FINLAND)

The band's debut is well produced, but rather pedestrian thrash with just a few highlights, sounding close to the Bay Area scene (Metallica, Defiance, Testament); it has its cool headbanging moments ("Helluva Noise", "Spit Your Guts"), but similar stuff has been flowing out in heaps at the same time. "Hospital Hallucinations Take One" is an improvement in almost every department featuring good technical riffs, having quite a few things in common with the heavy late 80's Metallica period; the intensity has been preserved on some tracks, but the music has become mostly mid-paced with sharp, but also heavy, meaty guitars.
"Both Ends Of The Path" is quite a surprise, taking a very ambitious, and not a very expected approach to song-writing, putting it into the progressive thrash metal camp; standard hard-hitting moments are suddenly replaced by quirky, technical sections, which also finish without warning, and definitely arouse the listener's attention (this depends on the taste, since some might find these deviations illogical and irritating); certainly there are offbeat, non-conventional parts going with the style, but they are very well embedded into the overall interesting picture. By going further, the band haven't forgotten about their more straight forward nature, and some of the tracks still hold their more basic thrash metal roots; certainly not an immediate listen, but well worth the time.

Thank God It's Monday Full-length, 1988
Vengeance Through Violence EP, 1989
Hospital Hallucinations Take One Full-length, 1990
Both Ends Of The Path Full-length, 1991

AIRRAID (JAPAN)

Based on the "Armed Children" demo, this obscure Japanese trio plays pretty cool speed/thrash metal with bad screechy vocals. The band spices things up with a couple of heavier slower moments, but at the end the sound gets too unbridled bordering on hardcore ("The Creep").
The "Touched in the Head" demo is an entirely different story containing vicious raw thrash metal mixing heavy doom-laden Celtic Frost-like riffs with much faster ones topped by very brutal for the time proto-death metal vocals. The sound quality is not very good, and the overall result is much less appealing than the one achieved on later efforts.

Lunatic Asylum Demo, 1988
Touched in the Head Demo, 1988
Far East Thrash Army - Thrash Live in Savagery Split, 1989
Armed Children Demo, 1989

AJAL (MALAYSIA)

An old school mix of thrash and black metal topped by sinister witch-like whispers which can definitely not pass for singing. The music is both fast and mid-tempo with simplistic riffs and cool memorable melodic leads. The more speedy sections cling towards early Whiplash and Rigor Mortis whereas the slower ones ("Susuk Kheramat") come with a cool epic shade.

Ajal Tiba Bila Seruan Menjelma Demo, 2010

My Space

AJDATH (JORDAN)

A generally quite fast mixture of death and thrash metal (more death than thrash), more on the old school side with nice technical touches and Oriental melodies. The band founder Omar Al Kilani later moved to Poland, feeling unhappy with the music scene in his native country (I wonder why!?).

Triangle of Death EP, 2006

Official Site

AJNA (BRAZIL)

Heavy modern thrash metal not too far from Pantera and Machine Head, but more diverse with calmer stoner/doom passages and industrial elements.

Mirror Full-length, 1998

AK-47 (MEXICO)

Modern heavy thrashcore with a thunderous bass bottom and occasional ventures into pure thrash ("Cáustico") which never develop fully since the songs are short, within the 2-3min parametres. There are faster moments, of course, bu the majority of the tracks are heavy ploddign experiances even for the short time span. The singer is the prototypical aggro-shouter.

Crecerse Al Dolor Full-Length, 1999

AK'BAL (MEXICO)

Based on "Estado Alternativo", these guys offer alternative industrialized post-thrash with dry dispassionate guitars and not very vivid tempos. There are jumpy riffs aplenty ala Helmet as well as more stylish sections in the vein of Tool.

Reino de las Sombras y la Muerte Full-length, 1997
Estado Alternativo Full-length, 1998

Official Site

AKBAL (CHILE)

This is modern thrash with proto-death references, plus an added doze of hardcore, also in the shouty vocal department. The music is not very eventful sustained in an expected mid-tempo very seldom attempting something more aggressive: the energetic melo-thrasher "Sueno Irreal"; the jokey thrash/crossover closer "Starfuckers Inc.", which show an obvious fascination with the style of early Pro-Pain.

Cegado Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AKELA (HUNGARY)

The band's style throughout their long career is pretty consistent, being heavy, mid-tempo to slow power/thrash; monotonic, but delivers the goods. Their later works adopt a more melodic sound.

A Fenevad Full-length, 1992
Farkastörvények Full-length, 1993
Farkasfarsang Live album, 1994
Félelem Születése Full-length, 1994
Fekete Bárány Full-length, 1995
Földi Örömök EP, 1996
Fovárosi Emberkert Full-length, 1996
Fájdalomcsillapító Full-length, 1997
Fu Alatt Full-length, 1998
Forr A Dalom Full-length, 2004
Fejetlenség Full-length, 2006

Official Site

AKERONTE (ARGENTINA)

4 tracks of classic speed/thrash akin to the early efforts of their compatriots Lethal, with a pinch of the Bay-Area; the guys alternate fast with mid-paced rhythms throughout the tracks, adding the odd balladic passage ("Eternos Miedos") wherever needed. The leads are good, albeit too short, but the drum sound is hollow, successfully muffled by the forceful throaty semi-clean vocals.
The "E.P.I.D.E.M.I.A" demo is 3 tracks offering similar music with vivid crunchy guitars and fast tempos. The guys thrash wtih gusto "courting" both Slayer and the Bay-Area in equal dozes, even managing to sound curiously technical ("El Detractor") at times.

Mientras Los Reyes Rien EP, 2009
E.P.I.D.E.M.I.A Demo, 2010

My Space

AKKILA (USA)

This obscure band play American power metal with a certain doze of thrash, similar to early Laaz Rockit and Meliah Rage. "As For Me, As For You" is the more melodic affair, slower, with more nods towards the power metal field, featuring one track called "Speed Metal", which will remind you both of early Venom and Metallica's "Whiplash"; but... you'll have to wait till the 2nd half of the song to hear those influences, since the beginning is much slower, and not as promising.
"The Cursed" is more satisfying, with a thicker, more aggressive guitar sound, including quite cool speed/thrashing pieces: "Abstract Illusion", and the more pounding semi-technical "Prepare To Die".

As For Me, As For You Full-Length, 1988
The Cursed Full-Length, 1989

AKRAMEN (CHILE)

Good classic thrash; most of the album flows in the Germanic tradition- think Destruction, Necronomicon, but sometimes the band go into intense, aggressive thrashing ala Slayer ("Carcel De La Mente"). "Desierto De Sangre" even reaches out towards death metal, and is quite a brutal piece, but deviations of the kind are not many at all. The guitar work is simplistic with sparce more stylish sparkles (the leads on "10 Siglos Mas") thrown in.

Esclavos Del Nuevo Orden Full-length, 2004

Official Site

AL SIRAT (POLAND)

Based on "Warhead", this band play pedestrian modern groovy post-thrash, often exiting the field completely, stretching into many other directions (alternative, ballads, etc.), leaving just a little room for more intense thrashers ("No Harmony", "Alert!"). Reportedly on their earlier output the guys delivered the goods in a much better way playing cool thrash/death metal of the modern type.
"Kala" is hardly this better way, delivering the same bland, insipid groovy post-thrash, which occasionally gets faster and edgier ("Dno"), but most of the time it's just heavy rehashed riffs with better melodic variations from time to time.

Signa Tempori Full-length, 1999
Kala Full-length, 2004
Alert! EP, 2005
Warhead Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AL VIRIUS (RUSSIA)

A cool mixture of Bay-Area thrash and symphonic passages; sparce blast-beats can be heard ("The Book of the Dead", and elsewhere) as well. The sharp riffs are well fused with the piano and keyboard melodies, and the guitars always lead the way. The music softens a bit here and there ("The Voices", "Dying"), where the good melodic leads rule, but remains entertaining, topped by gruff vocals, slightly reminiscent of James Hetfield.

Beyond The Human Nation Full-length, 2007

My Space

ALAJA (RUSSIA)

Based on the EP, this band plays modern thrash metal which is both intense and fast, and melodic and heavy both sides working fine to produce a cool blend finished with a not very recognizable cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star" due to both the thrashy nature of the guitars and the brutal low-tuned death metal vocals; still, the melodic hook following the lead section can not be mistaken, and this is where the listener will exclaim, "Ha! These guys are covering Purple!".

Chaos Theory Full-length, 2009
The Mechanical God EP, 2010

Official Site

ALARUM (AUSTRALIA)

This talented outfit started greatly with "Fluid Motion": exemplary technical/progressive thrash/death, rubbing shoulders with the best in the genre: Atheist, Pestilence, late period Death, etc. So expect twisted technical riffage, suddenly intercepted by slower, atmospheric and jazzy sections. The complexity of most of the tracks is nicely compensated by the more accessible (this is relative) death/thrashers ("Internal"), which still come decorated with offbeat moments, and a certain technical charge. The tempos change all the time, creating a very complex, but quite compelling picture. Even songs where there is not a single speedy passage ("It Passes Always") sound great with hypnotic, more melodic guitars. The middle is preserved for a string of first-class progressive pieces: the larger-than-life, multi-layered progressive death/thrasher "Blueprint"; the quiet jazzy "Could This Be Real"; the technical riff-fest "Severed" in the best tradition of late period Death; the brilliant labyrinthine, Coroner-influenced "Taking Place". More brutal performance comes later ("Silence"- well, you won't get much silence with this one) to take away some of the complexity, but just for a while, since "Sustained Connection" brings back the swirling guitars of the calmer, slower type, only to give way to the "Unknown" closer which, despite the title, knows very well what it's doing, providing more laid-back progressive metal.
The Promo shows the band having given up the aggressive death metal shredding to a certain extent, although thrash metal remains almost intact mixed with straight progressive metal, reminiscent of late period Sieges Even and Spastic Ink. Still short technical death/thrashers, like "Woven Imbalance" and "Boundless Intent" are simply brilliant, recalling early Atheist. "Receiver" is progressive metal in its finest form, something which Spiral Architect should have done. "Remote Viewing" is a superb mix of more laid-back progressive and more intense technical thrash/death sections. "Sustained Connection" follows the same path, but is of a more aggressive nature, and some parts are pure headbanging thrash. And a few words about the awesome closing "Subject to Change", which is a wonderfully abstract, dreamy, but suddenly more intense, meandering delight, and will remind you of Pestilence's "Spheres".

The Promo showed the band in a great, albeit more controlled and less aggressive form, and that's why "Eventuality" comes as a big, maybe unpleasant surprise: it has almost no ties to thrash and death metal, and is a more melodic form of progressive metal, still quite complex, with a bigger number of quirky and jazzy sections. It's a good work on all counts, but the guys were capable of much better music earlier.
The band are back on the field, and "Natural Causes" sees them more aggressive and angrier, resulting in a strong progressive thrash offering with a myriad of other influences, among which jazz takes a particularly important place. The title-track opens the album in a more relaxed energetic fashion, but "Shifting Skies Like Nothing" is already a more complex affair with Cynic (think "Traced in Air) a very close soundalike. "For New Creation" is a soft progressive metaller with a nice memorable chorus and very good leads. "The Signal" brings back the thrashiness with hard-hitting riffs alternating with stylish jazz-isms; but it could hardly be viewed even as a rehearsal for the excellent jumpy, complex thrash/death which comes aplenty on "Non-Linear Parallels" with sudden time-switches occurring within 3-min. Top-notch twisted technical thrash ala Coroner comes on "Silent Betrayal", which also contains the necessary galloping riffage to keep the headbanging going. Dramatic spiral-like riffs overwhelm you on the hectic "Interface", another not very easy to swallow composition, which all of a sudden introduces quiet jazzy implements supported by violins and latino drums; another winner which takes the sound back to the band's very roots. "Boundless Intent Part 3" is a dreamy, semi-balladic cut, and "Sensory Endeavour" is the obligatory instrumental with great melodic leads and numerous funky/jazzy decisions thrown in. "Undivided" finishes the album in an awesome thrashy fashion, a first-rate progressive thrasher, with again Coroner and Cynic the reference points. This is a really strong comeback, which could have been a top ten pick even if released during the late-80s/early-90's, a testimony that the real talent can not possibly go wasted during the long breaks, also seamlessly crossing styles by only winning in the process.

Fluid Motion Full-length, 1999
Promo Demo, 2002
Eventuality Full-length, 2004
Natural Causes Full-length, 2011

Official Site

ALASTOR (CROATIA)

Based on the "World Of Wars" demo, this act plays moderate thrashy crossover with high-strung somewhat feminine vocals. This is pretty simplistic music with a thin guitar sound, mid to up-tempo, with surprising slower epic-smelling moments ("Dark Ages") plus one good ballad ("Alternations").

Alastor Demo 2001
World Of Wars Demo 2002
Endward Demo 2003

Official Site

ALASTOR (POLAND)

Alastor's debut has quite a few genuine, original ideas which could loosely put the album into a technical thrash metal territory, very close to the Americans Wrath, or even Toxik. The music is mid-paced to up-tempo, the exception being "Ides of March" (which is not an Iron Maiden cover), which is the most aggressive track on the album, recalling Slayer, but still containing stylish riffs. In the second half the music loses its edge a bit, and becomes more complex and slightly faster, but still remains quite impressive. These guys looked perfectly equipped to rival Wolf Spider and Turbo on the field of technical thrash in Poland, but unfortunately their next two releases "grabbed" modern, groovy thrash straignt for the throat.
"Spaaazm" is the comeback album which is not an exact return to the band's roots, but clings more towards the groovy 90's trends again. There is more speed involved compared to the last 2 efforts, and at least half of the tracks begin in an energetic semi-classic manner, before the groove settles in. The 2.5-min "Dosy´c" is all-out retro speedy thrash, but simply because there's no time for other elements to be inserted. Still, this is heavy stuff with meaty riffs and good tempos which some might find a cool deviation from the sea of the retro 80's thrash worshippers of recent years.

Syndroms of the Cities Full-length, 1989
Zlo Full-length, 1994
Zyj, Gnij i Milcz Full-length, 1997
Spaaazm Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ALASTOR (PORTUGAL)

Although the vocals might put this band into the black metal field, the music is vintage classic speed/thrash metal with a strong Germanic flavour (think Iron Angel, early Angel Dust, Warrant), very well done. The guys have the habit of making cover versions of their favourite bands (Iron Angel, Exciter, etc.).
The guys took a long break, so it should come as no surprise the lengthy new effort ("Demon Attack") featuring whole 19 brand new tracks of the good old speed/thrash metal with the staple black-ish apocalyptic vocals topping the energetic musical delivery which starts with two intense pieces, before the cool atmospheric stomper "Necromante" brings soemthing fresh and a bit more light-hearted. But then comes "As Portas Do Inferno", a furious thrasher,a sprain-necker of the highest order. A pleasant innovation follows suit: an excellent lead-driven instrumental ("Hino Funebre"), a great balladic piece with beautiful melodies, which seamlessly flows into another major headbanger: "Fogo E Sangue". "Orgia Nocturna" is another deviation, a more complex gothic-ornated composition switching from mid to up-tempos the whole time with catchy, memorable hooks. The speed/thrashing saga then continues with the more speed metal-based piece "A Măo esquerda de Deus" (think early Helloween, Vectom), and the cool cover of the Motley Crue hit "Red Hot" from the Americans' greatest album "Shout at the Devil", ruined a bit by the vocals, before another "calm before the storm" sneaks in: the peaceful acoustic interlude "Depois Do Ataque". No mercy later on, including the presence of the good cover version of Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave", here turned into a speedy roller-coaster well conformed with the style of the album. The final damage is done with the closing "Spawn Of Evil", which is another 5-min portion of intense speed/thrash. The guys were never meant to re-invent the wheel, but at least they make it spin quite well, without any hurdles along the way; and the only complaint may come from the buzzy guitar sound which takes away some of the sharpness of the riffs.

Crushing Christendom Full-length, 2000
Hellward Full-length, 2001
Infernal Lord Full-length, 2004
Demon Attack Full-length 2011

My Space

ALAZIF (CANADA)

A very aggressive mixture of thrash, hardcore and proto-death metal with short 1-2 min tracks; "Sect of the Damned" reaches the 3-min length, and is the highlight here, coming close to Slayer's "Reign in Blood".

Rotten Citizens Demo, 1987

ALCATRAZ (HUNGARY)

The self-titled demo features heavy modern post-thrash which breaks the pattern on a few times offering spontaneous hardcore "explosions". If those latter breaks are desirable giving the demo the necessary vigorous edge, check out the techno electronic outro: 1-min of the fans of Darude and DJ Tiesto's dream come true... hello!

Demo Demo, 2008
Alcatraz Demo, 2009

Official Site

ALCHEMICON (USA)

This is excellent fast and aggressive thrash combining Slayer's "Reign in Blood" with early Destruction with forceful early Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.)-like vocals. The music is really fast and relentless, but never ventures into death metal boasting stupendous guitar work, not often heard on the works of the two aforementioned bands (except probably on Destruction's more technical period: 1987-1990). This is great, but very obscure, headbanging stuff.

Witness To The Afflicted Demo, 1988

ALCHEMIST (CZECH)

Based on the EP: this band offers modern groovy post-thrash with alternative elements; this is mid-paced heavy music with also a few doomy elements. The guys have another band: Chewbacca, where they offer similar stuff.
"Alchemy of Rising" is an elaboration on the sound from the EP; so expect the same approach, a bit more complicated probably, with longer compositions which escape the groovy "traps" well, although the delivery is too soft to impress the regular thrash metal fan; and consequently it's the doom metal fans again who will have the last laugh, with the progressive metal ones a close second (check out the labyrinthine "GoDevil"). The singer offers a warm clean tember which doesn't emit a lot of passion, but is at least on par with the peaceful, moderately complex, musical approach.

Disaster Area Full-length, 2007
Doublemind EP, 2008
Alchemy of Rising Full-length, 2011

Official Site

ALCOHOL (HUNGARY)

Based on the debut, this act plays 90's power/post-thrash of the laid-back variety with the casual faster interlude ("Médiasztárok"; the crossover joys "Szakits Sz?t" & "J?l ?rzem Magam"), and gruff semi-clean vocals with a drunken flavour.

Ezen a Szinten Full-length 2007
Házam Egy Kocsma Full-length 2009

Official Site

ALCOHOLATOR (CANADA)

A 4-song demo of old school thrash of the fast dynamic variety; the sound quality is not very clean, and at times the music takes certain crossover aesthetics ably supported by the gruff hardcore vocals. Watch out for the hidden track which is a cover of "The Ballads of S.O.D.".
"Coma" arrives soon after the demo, and some fo the tracks from it have inevitably found their way into the full-length ("Liquid Thrash" & "Drink Beer or Die Trying"). The album opens with the razor-sharp instrumental "Intoxication 101", which warms up well for the ensuing speed/thrash "carnage", which will throw you into spontaneous headbanging on the merciless "Abduction". Then comes the pleasant surprise: the cover version of their compatriots Exciter's "Pounding Metal" from the legendary "Violence & Force", well done preserving the seismic, "pounding" character of this immortal cut. Later on the guys don't bother to slow down a lot, playing at breakneck speed at times with sharp, cutting riffs also recalling another big name from their homeland: Sacrifice (check out the varied, semi-technical closer "Wasted (All The Time)"). The vocals this time are btter, with a cool, mean semi-shouty edge. Some of the musicians also play in the death metal outfit Under the Grave.

Drunker than Thou Demo, 2010
Coma Full-length, 2011

My Space

ALCOHOLIC DISASTER (POLAND)

A decent take on the alcoholic... sorry, classic thrash/crossover idea with aggressive death-ish vocals; more modern-sounding elements sneak through ("Well Of Souls") here and there, bringing slower heavier guitars with them, as opposed to the brisker delivery on the rest.

Irrumabo Vos, Et Pedicabo Vos EP, 2010

ALCOHOLIC FORCE (COLOMBIA)

These Colombians pull out brisk retro thrash "courting" the German school above all (think "Pleasure to Kill", "Possessed by Fire"). So expect fast music with slightly screamy high-strung non-clean vocals, simplistic sharp riffs, and one much milder heavy metal delight ("Beers And Bitch") sounding like a leftover from an early Grave Digger album. The same guys are also responsible for the more speed metal-based Legacy, and the similarly-styled Savage Aggression.

Alcoholic Force EP, 2009

My Space

ALCOHOLIC RITES (EQUADOR)

Fight for your "alcoholic rights" with Alcoholic Rites! The full-length is a full-on "alcoholic" thrash metal attack of the "alcoholic"... sorry, old school, led by the black/death/thrash metal guru of Equador Lord Devastador. The music is predictably fast sometimes spiced with brutal blasting outrages (the maddening grinding 1-min madness "Violent Desecration", and elsewhere) ala Deathwitch and Torture Squad, but make sure not to miss the cool speed/thrashy headbanger after it "Tortured". The Devastator doesn't change his singing approach, the one he uses on his other more brutal death metal projects, and his brutal guttural growls do not quite suit the more laid-back music.

Metal Alcoholico - Destructivo EP, 2008
Alkomanifesto Full-length, 2010

My Space

ALCOHOLIC TRENDKILL (BRAZIL)

Modern thrash with hammering meaty riffs in mid-pace which doesn't change much throughout except for the stoner/doom joy in the middle "Alcoholic Trendkill" (!?) which is a bit more energetic. The angry attitude of Pantera is reached on the most intense moments, including in the semi-shouty semi-clean vocal department, but generally this is not very brutal stuff.

Alcoholic Trendkill Full-length 2010

Official Site

ALCOHOLICA (ARGENTINA)

This is melodic post-thrash with heavy/power metal overtones, carefree laid-back music with a lot of melody assisted by cool emotional clean vocals not far from Sebastian Bach (Skid Row); the musical approach may also remind you of the Americans' "Slave to the Grind", also based on the 3 very good ballads.

Danzando En El Fuego Demo, 1996

ALCOHOLOCAUST (PORTUGAL)

Based on the "Speed Degredo Metal" demo, these Portuguese pull out raw primal speedy black/thrash metal crossing early Whiplash with early Bathory to a mixed effect. The sound quality is awful, and at times it is quite difficult to distinguish what is going on with the vocals doing a particularly big damage with their screechy hysterical pitch. Some of the band members operate in the death/black metal circles with Dark Agression, and also take part in the pure black metal "misanthropers" Infernüs.

Ensaio Do Diabo Demo 2006
Speed Degredo Metal Demo 2008

My Space

ALCOHOLOKAUST (MEXICO)

Pretty decent intense retro thrash crossing the Bay-Area sound with the more aggressive cords of Slayer and Sacred Reich ("Ignorance"). The tempo is quite fast most of the time, and the guys take no prisoners on killing numbers like "Overdoze Of Violence" and "King Of Pain". "Genocidio" is sheer Slayer-esque madness, and the closing "Plaga Humana" is speed/thrash at its best. The singer slightly disappoints with his unemotional semi-shouted hardcore delivery.

Satan Inside Full-length, 2008

My Space

ALCOOTEST (FRANCE)

Pretty capable old school thrash with a modern production which gives the guitars a strong mechanical edge at times; the music has its technical leanings, and could be likened to some of the Bay-Area acts (Testament, Exodus) except that the fast moments are not too many, and the delivery is mid-paced with smashing steam-roller riffs which may wear out on a full-length, but for the time being they work just fine. The singer is more on the dispassionate, dry proto-hardcore side.

Hateman EP, 2011

Official Site

ALEISTER (FRANCE)

Aleister's only album is a very good example of how moderh 90's thrash metal can sound interesting and compelling. They have been active since the late 80's, but were never fortunate to get an album deal until the mid 90's when thrash metal was in its most dormant state. Despite the having-nothing-to-do-with-metal album title, the music is forceful thrash- complex and technical (so the "tech" part from the album-title is justified), and would probably remind you of the Canadians Obliveon (their early works). The band spare no energy, and although the music never gest too brutal, it really sounds intense and hard-hitting most of the time. Still, the concentration is more on complex, technical riffage, and tracks like "Tribal Tech" and "Scorn Dread" will require your concentration to get into the vortex of heavy, unconventional rhythms. "Criminal" is another highlight, quite hectic and choppy, putting together faster aggressive riffs and swirling technical ones within the short span of 3-min. Surprisingly, there is no groove involved, but the guitars have this characteristic for the 90's mechanical, clinical sound, which in this case is definitely on the positive side. The vocals might pull you back a bit, staying more on hardcore territory, but this is a minor complaint.

Tribal Tech Full-Length, 1994

ALEISTER (SPAIN)

This is groovy post-thrash of the playful, bluesy kind; mild riffing and hoarse semi-clean vocals.

Hijos De Los Hombres EP, 2010

ALFA (GREECE)

Based on the "Empire Of Fantasy" demo, this band plays heavy abrasive thrash/proto-death with brutal low-tuned vocals. Nothing exxceptional, if we exclude the atmospheric keyboard implements which remind of their compatriots Nightfall and Septic Flesh. The music is mid-paced with gothic/doomy overtones and a fuzzy guitar sound. Some of the band members are active again under the name Koronzon playing classic thrash reportedly more dynamic and less atmospheric.

Welcome To My Funeral Demo, 1994
Live in Salonika Live album, 1994
Empire Of Fantasy Demo, 1995

Fan Site

ALGESIC MASSACRE (USA)

This demo combines fast raw tracks with atmospheric slower parts resulting in a sound which comes pretty close to early Messiah (similarities in the vocal department, too), or their compatriots Silent Scream. There are more intense proto-death sections, but most of the time this is pedestrian unimpressive thrash.

Fate of Death Demo, 1988

ALIEN SQUAD (PORTUGAL)

Based on "Order Not Government", these guys pull out brisk speedy thrash/crossover ala D.R.I. mixed with the more thrashy attitude of Hellbastard's "Natural Order". The headbangers will be more than happy with this one and would hardly look for variety from this constant speedy downpour; there is one, though; the jolly punkish "Death Cycle", and the heavy metal hymn at the end "Laugh After Death (...Finally Free!!!)". Despite the one-dimensionality this effort delivers well with its jolly optimistic atmosphere which never gets lost for a split second.

From Alienation To An Alien Nation Full-length, 2000
Sons Of A Switch Full-length, 2002
Order Not Government Full-length, 2005

My Space

ALISTER (SERBIA)

Based on the EP, this band pulls out heavy pounding power/thrash of the classic type with cool Max Cavalera-like vocals. The songs are mid to up-tempo with hard sharp riffs; "Parted" is a nice heavy semi-ballad. The two Ivan's (Petrovic & Dulic) also take part in another Serbian act: the death/thrash metal outfit Stillborn.
"Memories and Dreams" shows the guys in a different light, as this is atmospheric thrash with slight shades of black and death metal, with a healthy presence of keyboards, bringing the delivery close to early Therion, Nocturnus, and late-period The Kovenant. There are quite a few quiet moments, atmospheric interludes, an abundant use of leads, which are very cool, by the way, as well as a couple of more laid-back power/thrashy passages where melodic clean vocals can be heard as opposed to the harsh death-ish main ones. The band spare no speed on at least half of the compositions, although those moments come close to the 90's power/speed metal movement.
"Obscurity" abandons the atmospheric keyboard passages, and concentrates on riff-driven music, with the softer power metal sections still "roaming" around. Watch out for awesome speed/thrashers, like "Cicatrice", which take no prisoners with their heavy pounding, but also quite fast, approach.
"Otrov" is a laid-back offering clinging between post-thrash and power metal; it's pleasant, smoothly flowing, music without too many edgy moments, those being the more vigorous speedster "Pruži mi Ruku Spasa" and the closing thrashy outburst "Ja Sam Tvoj Strah".

Memories and Dreams Full-length, 2002
Obscurity Full-length, 2002
Where Angels Bleed EP, 2006
Otrov Full-length 2010

Official Site

ALKATRAZ (POLAND)

Stylish dark/gothic thrash metal which starts with a very cool technical number ("Error") in the best tradition of Obliveon and Voivod, but moments of the kind are not to be heard later on. This is brooding music, rich in atmosphere with not much speed involved, except on a few occasions ("Słowa Prawie Te Same") with deep clean vocals taking turns with harsher ones. The descents to doom waters are inevitable, but they are done with style: the Oriental instrumental "Ayy...Yy G:or", which doesn't forget to thrash along with the best near the end. "Ycie-Pyk,Lufa-Pyk" is a nice ballad, after which the tempo doesn't leave the semi-balladic one, leaving this effort clinging more towards the doom/gothic side in the 2nd half, but is not bad at all, and will remind you of the British masters of the genre The Whores of Babylon.

Error Full-length, 2001

Official Site

ALKOHOLIZER (ITALY)

A worthy addition to the Italian thrash metal scene of the new millennium; the album starts with the infamous Tom Araya-esque shout from "Angel of Death", and the singer really delivers a tone close to his peer from Slayer. The "Reign In Blood"-like aggression later comes mixed with less intense, but equally as enjoyable speed/thrashers (the roller-coaster"Sardinian Beer", which may arouse your curiosity in trying this "sardinian beer"). Your head will definitely drop (if not your head, one of your jaws at least) on the explosive "Age Of Misery", but you will have time to fix it back on the following "Alcoholic Metal" which is optimistic melodic thrash/crossover. More extreme Slayer-sque thrash on "Kill Without Remorse", which lasts until the end, including the brutal hardcore joke "Sick Orthopedic", and the excellent more speed metal-fixated closer "Drinking Till Death".

Drunk of Dead... Full-length, 2009

My Space

ALL OUT WAR (USA)

Based on "Into The Killing Fields", this band plays modern thrash metal of the intense hardcore-ish type. The approach is not very predictable since the guys don't lash out in a stripped fashion the whole time, but vary things quite a bit: there are quite a few interesting gimmicks, like heavier more classic-sounding Slayer-esque passages which spring up on almost every song; more intriguing semi-technical arrangements, formidable steam-rolling exits (check the one on "Mercy Killer"), etc.

Destined to Burn EP, 1994
Truth in the Age of Lies Full-length, 1998
For Those Who Were Crucified Full-length, 1998
Condemned to Suffer Full-length, 2003
Assassins in the House of God Full-length, 2007
Into The Killing Fields Full-length, 2010

My Space

ALLEGIANCE (AUSTRALIA)

Although nothing spectacular or groundbreaking, Allegiance's debut is a fair piece of classic thrash metal on the more aggressive side with good, resembling a rougher version of James Hetfield, vocals ; Vio-Lence is an obvious influence on the band, but more aggressive, death metal-tinged riffage is also present ("Twisted Minds", "Path of Lies") as well as more melodic, groovy tracks ("One Step Beyond"). There is not much variety in the proceedings, but the album works fine as a whole. "Skinman" is the band's answer to modern 90's thrash, and is not as good.

D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n. Full-length, 1994
Skinman Full-length, 1996

My Space

ALLIGATOR (ITALY)

The band's first two albums are good competent Bay Area-influenced thrash metal. "Immortal Entity" may be considered the band's finest hour, featuring long, thought-out songs with very good, sometimes quite fast, sometimes semi-technical guitar work; the last three tracks go over the limit, being more than 7-8min long, but the guys manage to make them sound interesting and appealing, especially "Bog of Horror": a great instrumental with a particularly impressive start, with the main theme from the horror film "Halloween" opening with a nice thrashy edge, followed by stupendous speedy riffs and marvellous solos that won't let you loose until the very last minute; a truly impressive achievement, and one of the highlights of the whole Italian thrash metal scene.

It's 1994, and the band are back, showing total disregard towards what was going on the scene at the time, lashing out excellent retro thrash, this time maybe less striking and slower. The guys waste no time, starting thrashing with full force from the opening "Cerebral Implosion", which shows more respect towards mid-period Sepultura rather than the Bay-Area, with an atmospheric, technical twist. "The Cage" continues in the same vein, being a fast aggressive thrasher with great leads. "Decimator" is a cool technical piece, mixing more intriguing elements with furious thrash. Then comes an interesting merry thrash/crossover version of the The Beatles' big hit "Help", which may take a few listens before one recognizes it, although the soft mid-break, which may have been taken directly from the original, will "help". No more romantic deviations, and with "Lullaby For The Unborn" the album enters its most interesting part: the longer more technical songs; the latter is a puzzling slower composition bordering on doom/death, with clever technical riffs and a weird balladic/funky exit. "Skeletons' Beach" begins like a punk/crossover number, but the aggression picks up soon, although the slower atmospheric moments here predominate again. All is forgiven, after one hears the opening brutal grinding minutes of the 8-min "Tarantula", which certainly finds time for more elaborate sections, staying in the mid-tempo sector for most of the time. The band's "flirtation" with punk and funk finally finds full realisation, on the 40-sec joke song "Drinking Milk From My Knees", after which comes another slow heavy piece: "Fetching Fear". One may wish to hear something to bang his head on, and his wishes will come true on the final "Natural Victims", which excels in brutality, boldly jumping on the extreme death metal wagon, a situation saved by the peaceful mid-section; the end is again sustained in a fast aggressive thrash fashion with a hardcore tinge, coming mostly from the shouty group chorus.
In case of you wonder whether the band managed to stay clear off the modern trends, give a listen to their "Rules", where you'll see that they have become another "prey" to the groove ("get into the groove...", like Madonna used to sing), although this effort is quite heavy and intense, not far from the best Pantera works.

Immortal Entity Full-length, 1991
Cerebral Implosion Full-length, 1994
Rules Full-length, 1996

ALLTHENIKO (ITALY)

Speed/thrash of the more melodic variety; the opener "Thrash All Around", despite its title, is the most melodic piece here, more in the speed/power metal mould. Later things get more interesting with the smashing, "Painkiller"-influenced "Wheel of Fortune" and the brutal, almost death-ish "Dead Brain". Still, the music is mostly speed metal with a very good melodic lead work and cool fast tempos, and will please fans of early Helloween, Scanner, Stormwarrior, the French Killers, above all. The singer has a very good, high-pitched, Ralf Scheepers-like tember and, of course, suits the music just perfect.
"Devasterpiece" is an obvious improvement over the debut, starting energetically with the up-tempo "Erased". "The Evil Forces" is slower, but the heavy smashing riffage makes it even more satisfying than the opener. "Thunder And Steel" is a nice galloping power/thrasher, followed by the similar "Law Of The Stronger", which "surrenders" the album to the power/speed metal field. "Metal Unchained" carries on in the same vein: a speed metal winner ala Gamma Ray and Hammerfall, with the singer screaming his lungs out no worse than Rob Halford himself. "Rise And Fall" is not a Helloween cover (thank god- this is probably the worst Helloween song ever), but deepens further into speed metal territory, with no hints at thrash. "I'm A Fuckin' Zombie" is an instant speed metal classic, the best song here, paving the way for another cool speed metal winner: "Feel The Power". "When This Demon's Coming" returns to thrash metal territory, retaining the power metal elements, and this is quite good crunchy power/thrash ala Eidolon and Morgana Lefay. The closer "The Godfather" is very close in spirit to its predecessor: pounding heavy riffs attack you from all sides, but like every good closer, tries to sum up the whole album, adding the necessary amount of speed metal hooks, making this effort one of the better ones from this side of the spectre, but... thrash metal fans, there's enough here to keep you on the alert, so don't ignore this entertaining slab of pure old school metal.
Well you may have to ignore their "Millennium Re-Burn", though, since it strays further away from the thrash metal idea now a full-blooded power/speed metal affair, and quite good for what it is, still having quite a bit of energy within, but belonging to an entirely different field.

We Will Fight! Full-length, 2006
Devasterpiece Full-length, 2008
Millennium Re-Burn Full-length, 2011

Official Site

ALLTORMENT (BRAZIL)

A nice short effort serving pounding modern thrash with angry death metal vocals and several classic shades. There is a lot of melody as well mostly reflected in the stylish lead guitar work (check out the cool semi-ballad "Covered Eyes"). "Vengeance" is a smashing headbanger with proto-death touches, which shows another, arguably more appealing, side to the band's style.

The End Of Peace Season EP, 2010

ALMOST IS NOTHING (USA)

Based on "Ways to Spend the End of Days", this act plays run-of-the-mill modern thrash with the staple energetic pace and the melodic tunes. Professionally executed and all, but heard so many times before... The final "Solace" is a nice touch, though, being a nice atmospheric peaceful instrumental.

The Long Emergency EP, 2005
Ways to Spend the End of Days Full-length, 2007
Wings of Deliverance Full-length, 2008
Almost Is Nothing EP, 2009
Scavengers Remain EP, 2010

My Space

ALTAR (HOLLAND)

Based on "Red Harvest", these guys play pretty decent modern thrash/death, not too far from acts like Dew-Scented and Carnal Forge. The tempo is mostly energetic and fast, seldom reaching for the ultra-brutal death metal sound: the beginning of "On The Throne", and the following death metal-ish "The Unbeliever". Some melancholic, gothic-tinged tracks are also present (To My Friends"), as well as some which sound surprisingly classic (the closing "Punishment For Decency").
"In the Name of the Father" is a much better work; it's more brutal and faster, with more nods to death metal, with great headbanging riffs. There are certainly pure thrashers present, but the more aggressive death metal numbers also work very well, with respect shown towards the Floridian scene. "Our Dominion" is the odd lighter track, slower and atmospheric, with a certain gothic edge, recalling the Greeks Septic Flesh. The last song is a cool, and a faithful cover version (if we exclude the brutal vocals, of course) of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper", with the staple dual guitar melodies, typical for the Brits, well performed.

Youth Against Christ Full-length, 1994
Ego Art Full-length, 1996
Provoke Full-length, 1998
In the Name of the Father Full-length, 1999
Until Heaven Forbids Best of/Compilation, 2000
Red Harvest Full-length, 2001

Official Site

ALTAR (ROMANIA)

Based on "Respect", this is minimalistic modern groovy post-thrash with hardcore touches. "Born Again" tones down the heaviness opting for a sound not far removed from The Black Album, but the approach is too melodic exiting the post-thrash fields on a few times, trying its hands on a couple of ballads/semi-ballads, among which "Freedom" is a nice piece with good melodic leads. The singer is close to James Hetfield, but comes softer on the balladic numbers.

The Last Warning Full-length, 1993
Respect Full-length, 1995
Born Again Full-length, 1998
Atitudine Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ALTAR OF DAGON (USA)

A diverse interesting mix of doom and thrash metal; both styles are given an equal room with doom metal probably covered a bit more widely. Still, when the guys thrash, they can rank among the best in the field: the heavy steam-rollers "Hell City" and "It's Alive"; the raging proto-deathster "Dead Man's Eyes"; the technical chaotic "Murders in the Dark"; the galloping power/thrasher "Plague Called Man". The closer "Names of the Dead" is a compelling 8-min opus mixing the two trends into one adding a couple of furious death metal sections to increase the already wider appeal. The guys have done a good job blending two contrasting genres coming up with an effort which will please fans of both styles.

Scriptures For This Dead Earth Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ALTAR OF SIN (SPAIN)

These guys pull out brutal merciless death/thrash metal, constantly fast and bashing, not devoid of several blast-beats, but with a clearly audible guitar sound. The vocalist is a real violent death growler, but his style suits the relentless aural assault, except on the Exorcist cover at the end "Black Mass" where the pace nicely changes into more controlled speed/thrash.

Altar of Sin EP, 2006
Praise Evil Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ALTAR OF THE KING (USA)

A decent album of modern/classic power/thrash metal of the more melodic variety; "Fire" opens it in an energetic headbanging manner, but later on the sound gets slower, with doomy overtones ("Burn To The End", "Undertaker") even, which is not too bad, but songs like the very toothless heavy metal anthem "You Broke The Rules" would hardly make the thrash metal fan jump with joy. "The King Is Coming" captures the lost inertia with sharp faster riffage, but with also badly distorted synthesized vocals. "Outta Sight" is horrible jazzy pop with no shades of metal at all, and here I can see quite a few listeners losing their patience. Then the guys move to semi-doom tracks before the fierce "Glass Kingdom" explodes, but too late to save the day. Sadly, the end is preserved for another hard'n heavy experience: "Say Goodbye", which would please fans of Ratt or Bonfire, rather than the more hard-boiled metal ones.

Altar of the King Full-length, 1995

ALTER (USA)

Based on "Mirrored Thoughts", this obscure act pulls out a more intriguing version of the 90's thrash trends coming up with a very heavy abrasive guitar sound which shares some of the dark complexity of Nevermore and the Germans Courageous, but also has a sound of its own which is more aggressive, spiced with a cool keyboard background. The album starts with two brooding proto-doomy progressivers, but the heavy riffage kind of steps aside for "Purgatory", a good semi-ballad with excellent leads. "The Burning" is a dramatic steam-roller, a bit faster than the preceding song, but at this point the listener is already aware that this is not going to be the fastest release in the world, and has probably adapted to this moderately elaborate heavy affair which livens up at the end for the more energetic closer "Mirrored Thoughts" which thrashes more intensely, with a contrasting quiet lead-driven break in the middle. This is not bad at all in consideration of the fashionalbe at the time musical tastes, albeit somewhat samey and not very diverse, with the crushing riffs not carrying a lot of melody, despite the compensation offered by the lead guitarist who is truly the star of the show. The singer is a hoarse semi-cleaner, at times more passionate, at others more indifferent, but always on par with the sombre musical approach. The guys tried more melodic progressive metal with their other band The Odyssey Project, with one demo recorded in 2008.
"Half in Shadows" is more deeply immersed in doom, thrash metal now only slightly hinted at. Still, this remains pretty good music with heavy crushing guitars and a vague keyboard background. The vocalist (if it's the same one) pulls out standout performance with his attached dramatic delivery summing the best from Buddy Lackey (Psychotic Waltz) and Michael Coons (Laaz Rockit). "Rest In Pieces" is a good dynamic power/thrasher, but the rest is more of the dark brooding variety, also eliciting a lot of atmosphere: check out the diverse closing instrumental "Daybreak In Hades", which concentrates on the virtuoso lead guitar work.

Half in Shadows Full-length, 1994
Mirrored Thoughts Full-length, 1998

ALTER SELF (GREECE)

The guitarist/vocalist Andrew Geo from the technical death/thrashers Raw in Sect takes part here for the release of another technically-minded stuff not far from the music offered on the other band's demo. The guitar work is equally as complex, but the pace varies more, from mid to up, with a more frequent inclusion of melodic hooks which starkly contrast to the brutal low-tuned vocals.

Ashes over Eden Demo, 2009

My Space

ALTERED AEON (SWEDEN)

This band features Kjell Andersson- the singer of the progressive thrashers Azotic Reign. This is excellent technical thrash which has something in common with Azotic Reign, but takes the music on a higher level. The sound is modern, quite intense with dark overtones, sounding like a more aggressive version of Scariot, Nevermore, and Azotic Reign again. Such mind-blowing technical riffs have not been heard for quite a while. At the end there is a bonus track: a very good cover of King Diamond's "Welcome Home".
"Reborn as Gods" comes after a 3-year break, and although the audience expected another full-length, the guys for the moment take it easy, with only 4 tracks recorded at this stage, all of them short blistering technical thrashers, pretty much in the vein of the debut. This is great music; some of the songs are furious riff-fests: "Vortex", others have this dark, brooding Nevermore vibe ("Darkness Profound"), but this one provides a whirlwind of superb technical riffs. Hopefully this is a rehearsal for the new album, and judging by it, the band are more than ready to strike again with full force...

Dispiritism Full-length, 2004
Reborn as Gods Demo, 2007

My Space

ALTERED DOMINANCE (USA)

This is a project of Mike Hickey- the guitar player who took part in both Venom and Cronos earlier in the late-80's/early-90's, and is presently operating under the name Goatreign playing classic heavy metal. This 3-track demo is hardly his highest achievement showing the guy "enamorated" with the groovy post-thrash sound of the time, producing bland dragging stuff with also bluesy and stoner overtones. Mike sings in a drunken gruff manner with the casual more emotional higher-pitched tone.

Demo Demo 1995

Fan Site

ALTERED MOVES TWO (HOLLAND)

Standout progressive thrash metal combining the manic hectic patterns of Realm and Sieges Even with the elaborate arrangements of Toxik's "Think This". So this is both energetic and thoughtout music which already sounds ambitious enough on the engaging menacing opener "Fear`s the Conductor", which twists and turns into many directions blending fast headbanging (short, though) with puzzling structures, a couple of interesting discordant moments, and weird spacey soloing. "Shifter of Minds" will try to "shift your mind" with another demanding mix of speed/thrash and complex progressive, the latter being more melodic this time, although the fast blitzkrieg passages will try to compensate for them big time. "Rammstein (Murderous Rashness)" (could have influenced the German industrial metallers for the name) is built around heavy pounding riffage with an American power metal flavour, but the technicality doesn't drop much, only that the speed disappears almost completely. "Action Speaks (Louder Than Words)" will overwhelm you with edgy galloping riffs which will grow into several raging sections in the middle; the technical performance goes off a little on this one, the guys bashing more directly also adding a cool chorus reminiscent of Skyclad's "Men of Straw" from "A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol". "La Villa Strangiato" is a virtuoso instrumental, a meandering piece of the calmer type, even with adherences to blues, but done tastefully with the obligatory frantic speedy moments, among other gimmicks (proto-jazzy breaks, spacey hooks ala Spastik Inc, etc.). This is actually the closer to this obscure gem which rings truer than same year's Donor's "Triangle of the Lost", and even Deathrow's "Life Beyond", and could have been a fitting addition to the progressive/technical thrash metal wave in Germany which started around the same time.

Shifter of Minds Full-length, 1992

ALTERED SAINTS (VENEZUELA)

The "Santos Y Prejuicios" single is just one song, the title-one, of course, which shows the band fond of classic-sounding thrash/death metal with a cool progressive edge ala Misanhtrope and Nocturnus. The guys blast at times, but in a good technical way, playing in fast pace with interesting stylish hooks, the singer being a low-tuned death growler.

Ritos De La Noche Single 1999
Santos Y Prejuicios Single 2004

Official Site

ALTERED STATE (USA)

There is only one person known from this band's line-up, and this is the legendary Ski: the Deadly Blessing singer who later took part in less known acts like Obliterator and Faith Factor. This demo is his 1st venture after his exit from Deadly Blessing, and is quite a good slab of technically-minded power/thrash, slower and more complex than the style of his other band. "Minds Realm" is a twisting mazey number with time and tempo changes aplenty, but enters "Off with His Head", and things get more straight-forward in a vigorous galloping manner; this one is vintage late 80's Helstar. "Judge for Yourself" is a nice ballad with great leads, cancelled by another brisk track: "Leading Me Blindly" (not "Killing Me Softly"- ha ha!) which lashes in a heavy pounding fashion, but delivers with sharp riffs and clever technical decisions. "Winter Warlock" is more ordinary American power metal with a catchy memorable chorus, a tendency continued on the final "Mental Rage" which is a bit more aggressive again recalling Helstar, but their early years. Ski traditionally pulls out standout performance with his versatile tember covering all pitches with ease and confidence constantly switching from one to another. Less than a year later the band was no more, and Ski was seen in the power/thrash metallers Obliterator for another very good demo in a similat vein.

Demo Demo, 1991

ALTERED STATES (CHILE)

Heavy bass-dominated thrash metal, having already acquired a few heavier modern shades. the guys excel in the instrumental part, not giving too many chances to the bland semi-shouty singer to perform, with the excellent "Punto Muerto" which, despite the fuzzy guitars, is a convincing piece in up-pace with a nice balladic mid-break. The other songs are longer without offering anything too interesting the bass overshadowing the other instruments almost completely adding a cool funky/jazzy vibe on the final "Get Ready".

Punto Muerto Demo 1991

ALTERNATIVE ATTACK (UK)

This act features Spike T. Smith- the drummer who hit in the beginning for Sacrilege. His next very short-lived project pulls out good dynamic speed/thrash metal along the lines of Toxic Shock and early Exumer. "Wheels Wheels" at the end takes a jollier crossover direction ala Suicidal Tendencies. The band changed their name later to Destroy Babylon, but there's no information as to what musical direction they took.

No Turnin' Back EP, 1987

ALTHARIA

Groovy noisy industrialized post-thrash with brutal death metal vocals; heavy mid-paced stuff with a few faster surprises and sparce shades of gothic ("Fill the Silence").

Brainsexxx EP, 2010

ALWAYS FALLEN (BELGIUM)

Modern thrash metal of the energetic, but also generic, type mixing melodic with more aggressive faster riffs, the latter delivering in a better way (the cool headbangers "Prophecy" and "Morality"), although "Back Where I Belong" is not bad, either, a cool semi-balladic pounder; neither is the closing "Ra'ad", an atmospheric doomy Oriental composition. The music packs a punch, and although it brings nothing new to the already overfull table, will please fans of both the harder and the more lyrical side of the genre.

Reflection Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ALTUS MORTEM (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Based on "Sentenced Era", this band offers a dark blend of classic and modern thrash metal with brutal death metal growls. The music has its progressive leanings, and is relatively complex trying to mix fast and slow sections the latter clearly predominating coming close to the dreamy landscapes of Opeth on the longer compositions (the ambitious closer "Dust Becomes Hope"). There are a few clever technical riffs to be heard here and there, and they should be given more space for the future, for the sake of the overlong more quiet progressive passages.

METAi Full-length, 2004
Sentenced Era Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ALYIS (USA)

The debut is a raging thrashing demo which easily surpasses most of the official releases at the same time in terms of aggression. Dark Angels "Darkness Descends" and the works of Wehrmacht are an obvious influence; there are proto-death parts, too, but the music is pretty much very aggressive thrash with short, 1.5-2.5min long tracks; definitely not for the faint-hearted.
The "Suffer At Birth" demo is whole 11 songs long, and shows the guys trying to adjust to the growing death metal fashion. The adjustment is still pretty thrashy, though, coming on the form of a not very even blend of fast proto-death sections and heavy, almost doom/deathy, ones topped by the brutal death metal vocals which are surprisingly expressive and intelligble despite the bad underground sound quality. This is aggressive stuff again, showing a band on the way to transforming into a full-fledged death metal outfit, if having lasted longer.

Demo Demo, 1989
Suffer At Birth Demo 1991

AM I BLOOD (FINLAND)

There have been quite a few bands from Finland recently, who have tried to walk in Metallica's shoes. Apparently Metallica's size fits this band best. All their works stick to the post-thrash style of the Black Album. At times the music leaves the thrash metal realm, and wades into other (classic heavy or power metal) territories, but then safely returns to the established formula. For fans of the Black Album this band are a must.
Wow, these guys are still alive, which is pretty surprising provided that theY have remained silent for over 10 years. Despite the big hiatus don't expect any surprises on "Existence of Trauma", though: there's no change of style the band sticking to the familiar post-thrash style already well familiar from their early output. The problem is that this new offering is hardly an improvement over their last effort, reducing the edgy riffage for the sake of a more polished, even grungy at times, guitar sound which lacks "teeth", only thrashing harder on occasion ("The Dawn Became Their Pride"), leaving the album hanging outside the thrashy fields for at least half the time. Modern metal hasn't said its final word yet, but these Finns will have to put more effort in the future in order to keep their boat "floating", especially after their presence on the scene is not very frequent at all.

Am I Blood Full-length, 1997
Agitation Full-length, 1998
Gone With You EP, 2000
The Truth Inside The Dying Sun Full-length, 2001
Existence of Trauma Full-length 2011

Official Site

My Space

AMAK KUOK (MEXICO)

If it wasn't for the messy sound quality, the listener could have enjoyed this quite cool concoction of speed, thrash and power metal with an interesting edge, reminiscent of Aftermath and early Attacker. The singer is an acquired taste with his very dramatic and very high-pitched tone, not too far from King Diamond himself, which he mixes with more straight singing from time to time. Nevertheless, the thin leads, and the drums, which are put too up front in the mix, leave a lot to be desired, although some noteworthy speed killers ("Holocausto") and heavy more complex power/thrashers ("Templos Caidos") will make you listen with care.

Despertar del Guerrero Demo, 2007

My Space

AMARAN (SWEDEN)

This talented act only lasted for 4 years, before disbanding; which is a pity since the music at display is pretty good. The characteristic trait of the band is the soulful, emotional female vocals, courtesy of Johanna DePierre, whose excellent performance is a potent blend of her compatriot Mariana Holmberg (Left Hand Solution) and Valčne De Santis (Crushing Blow). Her voice accompanies very well executed modern power/thrash, not far from the works of Arch Enemy from around the same time (think "Anthems of Rebellion", "Doomsday Machine"), with equally as flashy guitar work. The debut contains the softer material, where also shades of gothic and doom can be felt ("Imperfect"; the brilliant semi-ballad "Little Victory"; the atmospheric closer "Void") among the crunchy heavy riffage. "Lullaby" is a very good dramatic thrasher, with the more intense shredder "Received A Kiss" coming close with its consistent semi-technical rhythms.
"Pristine in Bondage" is a more aggressive affair, starting with the thundering "Atropine", which sets the tone for this almost purely thrashy effort, which gets more aggressive on the following "Revolution Without Arms", an intense headbanger, also recalling the early works of the French Carcariass. Catchy melodic licks ala The Amott brothers will one enjoy on the galloping speedster "Coming Home", sustained in the best vein of the Canadian one-album-wonder Messiah Force. "Inflict" is an ultra-heavy shredder with doomy overtones, but there will be "back on the horses' back" on "Without Stains", which is a nice mixture of fast and heavy riffs. Guitar virtuoso parts awaits you later on, on a string of more temperate mid-paced numbers, before the seismic "Crow Me" comes crashing down with another portion of hammering riffs of the doom-laden type. The closing "Primal Nature" sums up the album with sweeping melodies, galloping rhythms, and hard crunchy riffs, remaining the last song composed by the band, who scattered in various directions after that: the drummer Robin Bergh joined the reformed doom/deathsters October Tide, while DePierre disappeared without a trace, to the metal world's utter chagrin; unlike the bass player Ronnie Bergerstĺhl, who keeps himself busy with quite a few acts around the Swedish metal circuit: the legends Grave, the doom metal heroes World Below, etc.

A World Depraved Full-length, 2002
Pristine in Bondage Full-length, 2004

Official Site

AMAXEZ (ISRAEL)

This act is famous for giving "shelter" to the Kreator guys during the Germans' visit to Israel, and their controversial stance against the obligatory military service in their homeland. Music-wise the band are not very close to Kreator, offering a more serious, albeit more flawed, delivery crossing thrash, power and progressive metal in the not very best way. The music has its merits, but the mix is a bit awkward on the longer compositions, whereas on the shorter ones ("My Powerful Shade") the thrash attack is well achieved. "Memorialist" is an overlong ballad, but its clumsiness is compensated right after, with the cool dramatic thrasher "Hell Raiser". No such highlights later on, the guys producing another mess at the end, with the 9-min opus "Grimy Formula", which has doom, thrash, and death metal all thrown chaotically on top of each other to another not very impressive results. The vocalist is more on the death metal side, semi-declamating with no shade of attachment for most of the time, coming close at times to the early delivery of Daniel Brennare (Lake of Tears).

Absolute Egoism Demo, 1992

AMAZARAK (BRAZIL)

Black/thrash of the old school sounding close to early Bathory, and early Whiplash on the more "stylish" moments ("Ascensăo Do Anticristo"); fast simplistic music with raspy vocals occasionally blasting in a less controlled modern black metal fashion ("Sob O Sinal De Lúcifer"). "Sovereign And Proud" is a nice mid-paced pounder, but expect heads to fall on the next smashing "Lendários Batedores De Cabeça" and on the total nod to the early speed metal school "The Horsemen Of The Black Circle".

Do Anticristo Full-length, 2009

AMBOOG-A-LARD (USA)

The band's demos are really good energetic classic thrash metal which would not leave your CD player for a long time, although the odd exotic name might have pulled back quite a few fans back in those days. That's why their debut (although it brings a "new hope") comes as a surprise, being progressive power/thrash metal: quite complex, meandering and not very easy to swallow even after a few repeated listens; on top of that the modern trends have taken a considerable part of the band's potent sound (think mostly Metallica's Black Album, but here the music is even more modern-sounding), especially on the longer songs ("New Hope", "Medicine Man"). There is, of course, the obligatory ballad, which, unfortunately, is miles away from the Metallica achievements that it tries to imitate. Not a completely bad album, but the guys would have been perfectly well off carrying on with their compelling old school sound.

Demo Demo, 1990
Demo Demo, 1991
A New Hope Full-length, 1993
Faith in Chaos 2001 Full-length, 2001
Faith in Chaos 2003 Full-length, 2003

My Space

AMBULANCE (SWEDEN)

This is intense crusty thrashcore which has a characteristic surreal sound with a shade of black metal, despite the dominant bashing approach, which is on the listenable side, producing a couple of weird, spacey riffs, which are way better than the strained shouty vocals. "Programmed to Receive" is an atmospheric post-blacky, all-instrumental, number, contrasting with the other no-bars-held material.

The End Of Our Time Full-Length, 2004

AMBUSH (SERBIA)

This promo comes with a very good sound quality, the guys dividing their delivery between the two camps: one half of the songs are sheer speedy delights, the other one is aggro-thrashy, expressed in longer less immediate tracks. Both approaches alternate throughout, as the effort opens and closes with the fastest tracks, the closing "Lizards In Democracy" being an industrialized hardcore-ish raver to which the hoarse semi-death metal vocals are a perfect match. The guys mix thrash and groove in their other project CounterIgnition, and some of them go straight into a metalcore territory with another outfit, StrikeBack.

Promo Demo, 2003

AMBRYO (FRANCE)

A modern mixture of thrash and death metal in various tempos and a touch of industrial, but nothing really extraordinary, despite some not very successful attempts at a more atmospheric technical play ala Obliveon and Baghead.

aMbryO Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

AMEBIX (UK)

This band are important to many metal sub-genres, but their involvement with thrash is not very big, and it includes the two full-lengths. The music is very psychedelic, crusty, doomy, progressive and even industrial. Venom is an obvious influence, but these guys do a lot more using this base. A cult band whose shadow would later be seen in bands like Godflesh, Neurosis, Cult of Luna, etc.
The legends of the crusty idea are back after a long absence, to pour more life into the reunion mania. "Sonic Mass" starts in a fairly subdued manner with the new wavw cut "Days", and the fans will immediately get terrified. But enters the heavy, abrasive guitar wall of sound on "Shield Wall", and everything is back to normal, the guys switching onto their staple moody, psychedelic, industrialized, one-of-a-kind style which sounds like the perfect blend of mid-period Prong, Treponem Pal, and Godflesh. The sterile, machine-like delivery will be interrupted by another romantic, balladic moment ("Sonic Mass Part 1") in the middle, but "Sonic Mass Part 2" will bury you under galvanizing dispassionate riffs topped by some of the driest shouty vocals on the field... ever. "Here Come The Wolf" features cool melodic cuts amidst the robotic guitars, and the remaining two tracks show a more serious approach, with longer song-structures and less abstract riffage, the closing "Knights Of The Black Sun" being a nice grungy take on the ballad, a worthy finish to this really good comeback effort which will serve its purpose both ways: fans of the band will be happy all over, their heroes having not lost their penchant for puzzling, head-scratching, music, whereas the hard-core thrash metal audience will probably use this album as a needed change from the intense headbanging schedule.

No Sanctuary EP, 1983
Arise! Full-length, 1985
Monolith Full-length, 1987
Redux EP 2010
Sonic Mass Full-length 2011

My Space

AMEN (CROATIA)

Capable retro thrash with very brutal low-tuned death metal vocals; the approach is dynamic with more prevalent mid-paced qualities, although almost every song has a faster moment. "Dead Dream" is a nice technical up-tempo thrasher, and "Face the God" is a short hardcore outburst. From this moment on the sound acquires more brutal dimensions reaching for blasting death metal on "Jesus", before calming down near the end on the creepy semi-technical "L.S.D.", and the final "Monument of Blood", which is a morose doomster with dark funeral overtones. This is quite a diverse offering spreading far'n wide, in the 2nd half mostly, but manages to sound appealing for most of the time.
"Repent" starts in a late-80's Slayer fashion with the dark pounding title-track, when "Return Of The Stormrider" delivers exactly the same seismic steam-roller sound, one has to adjust his senses a bit, because this is the prevalent approach on this short 7-song effort, which still has surprises for the hadbangers: "Sign of God", the short bursting "Salvation". "Ironcross" is a pure epic heavy metal hymn with modern tendencies, and "Defenders of Faith" is a moody mid-paced power/thrasher ruined by the guttural death metal vocals which are not really a match, for most of the time, to this more-laid-back stuff.

The Eyes of Truth Are Always Watching You Full-length, 2005
Repent Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

AMEN CORNER (BRAZIL)
Based on "Leviathan Destroyer", this act plays moody dark thrash metal with black and doom touches, and an overall approach not far from the Finns Barathrum. The muic moments are included (cool galloping rhythms, etc.) as well resulting in a fairly good, albeit a bit depressing, listen. The singer is a mean black-ish rasper, but pretty intelligible, and very fitting to the minimalistic musical approach.

The debut is mostly doom/death (much more doom than death) with thrash and black metal references. As such it's a fairly moody listen lacking dynamics, but making up with a lot of atmosphere, again pretty depressing at times, but many of you will jump around on the speedy passages on "The Infinite Empire Of Satanaz" and the raging speedy beginning of "The Crossing Of Souls".
"Jachol Ve Tehila" is a very good exercise in elegiac semi-epic doom metal without many thrashy/deathy/blacky distractions; slow atmospheric music at its best.
The band's works of the 90's were quite immersed in doom, but with "Lucification" things have changed towards faster more energetic rhythms on occasion. The approach now contains thrash, even power/speed metal on the more optimistic material; run for cover on the hyper-blasts on "The Lord Of The Inner Circle", although you will have plenty of time to recover afterwards since the dominant tone is again quite doomy and moody with outbreaks of energy here and there, the latter tendencies more fully applied on the follow-up. The band members are also involved in the black metal outfits Aqueronte and Pillars of Empire.

Fall, Ascension, Domination Full-length, 1993
The Final Celebration EP, 1994
Jachol Ve Tehila Full-length, 1995
Darken in Quir Haresete EP, 1999
Lucification Full-length, 2007
Leviathan Destroyer Full-length, 2010

My Space

AMENDFOIL (FINLAND)

Peaceful progressively-inclined thrash/death metal not far from Opeth, but without the too sprawling quiet interludes. The riffs are melodic bursting into a few aggressive passages, but most of the time the music is mid-tempo supported by decent hoarse semi-clean vocals which become both more melodic and more brutal on occasion.
"EON" is not a distant departure from the meditative, pensive mood of the EP providing peaceful stuff which shifts into melodic progressive waters more often than the good taste allows, but surprisingly pulling it out on the more melancholic sections which are vintage later-period Katatonia. The singer is not bad with his mid-ranged clean tember which carries quite a bit of emotion in a way not far from Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (Katatonia again).

Act Of Grace EP, 2009
EON Full-length 2011

Official Site

AMENTI (UK)

A good attempt at classic thrash with modern "updates": an approach similar to Exodus' and Onslaught's recent efforts. The style is actually not too different from the last three Exodus works; most of the tracks are in an energetic tempo, with several exceptions: the stomping instrumental with the strange title "Nibiru", and the 8-min opus "Mother Terra" which betrays the classic sound, and goes into modern thrash metal territory.

Under the Dying Sun Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AMENTIA (SWEDEN)

This is a "remnant" from the dying classic thrash/death metal movement providing a capable mix of the two styles not far from early Pestilence, but without any technical ptetensions, a pretty straight stuff with very good leads, gruff death-y vocals, and dynamic up-tempos.

Demo Demo, 1992

AMESSION (FINLAND)

Modern thrash with gothic elements; there is a punk-ish attitude in the song-writing (the demo "Fuck the Authority, Rape the System"), too. Throughout their works the guys experiment with the use of different vocal styles, including female ones. The "Redemption: No Way Out" EP boasts a better production, and the style is more consistent, featuring a couple of quality thrashers. Some of the guys are also active in the thrash/death metal outfit Scarcyde.
"Thorns Within" is in a very similar vein, leaning more towards the post-thrash side, which in its turn is ruined by the rough deathy vocals. The guitar work is melodic recalling both mid-period Sentenced and Cemetary, so again expect gothic passages with plenty of infectious melodic hooks.

Frozen Grave Demo, 2002
Heart Of Darkness Demo, 2003
Fuck The Authority Rape The System Demo, 2004
Redemption: No Way Out EP, 2005
Thorns Within EP, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AMETHYST (ITALY)

Another cool addition to the flourishing Italian thrash metal scene: these guys offer decently executed retro thrash spiced with quite a few melodic licks, some of them having an intriguing Oriental flavour ("Entrapped"). The "aggression" should have been more, though: "Attitude to Aggression" is such a cut, with the cheesy-titled "Explosive Metal Night" a close second; but the rest is not as intense, if we exclude the shocking deathy section on the closing "Welcome to Hell", which is not a Venom cover. The singer is a mid-ranged semi-cleaner whose declamatory antics lack emotion and depth.

Time of Slaughters Full-length, 2011

Official Site

AMMENTIA (ARGENTINA)

A really promising demo of aggressive fast-paced thrash metal performed by just one person: Alejandro, who also plays in 4 other acts from different walks of metal (black, death, doom, folk, etc.) No traces of those other styles on this one: 4 song of straight headbanging thrash with occasional stylish semi-technical implements ("Y la Tierra Bebió Sangre..."). "In the Night of Desperation" is a fine turn to mid-paced crushing thrash with heavy sharp riffs and genuine dark atmosphere. The singer has a sinister black-ish rasp which suits well the intense musical approach.

Old Skull Demo, 2008

My Space

AMMIT (CHILE)

A direct take on the very early days of black/thrash metal: think early Sodom, Bathory, Hellhammer, with the typical for the time dirty fuzzy guitar sound and raspy vocals. "Armageddon Cobra" fits the above description just perfect, also this time a strong Venom aesthetics can also be felt. The sound has become a bit carefree, and overall more speedy. "Don Death" is a curious exercise in sinister doom, and "Inside the Electric Circus" is, of course, a W.A.S.P. cover, done in quite a cool black-ish Venom-esque manner, and if you don't follow the lyrics you may not be able to recognize it easily.
"Extreme Speed Satan" is an extreme affair in the 1st half, mostly fast blasting black metal with just a little bit of thrash, but the 2nd one slows down to introduce more laid-back, even playful ("Pact with the Devil") stuff which clings somewhere between early Venom and Celtic Frost. The musicianship is really amateurish, though, with a very fuzzy guitar sound and rough declamatory vocals which mostly chant without any real singing. It has its raw charm recreating the early underground sound quite well, but at the same time we have heard more "extreme speed satans", before and after... Anyway, the guys are pretty busy with half the acts around Chile at the moment: some of them take part in the death/thrashers Teofobia, some play more intense black/death metal in Gneneshen and Senderos del Mal, while others devote their souls to black metal exclusively with Kratherion.

Steel Inferno Full-length, 1998
Mass Suicide Full-length, 2000
Extreme Speed Satan Full-length, 2003
Hammer of Darkness Full-length, 2005
Armageddon Cobra Full-length, 2009

My Space

AMMUNITION (PHILIPPINES)

A not very convincing mix between modern post-thrash and the classic thrash/crossover sound; the problem is that the music is soft with not many sharp headbanging riffs evolving in an uneventful mid-tempo without any highlights; the same can be said about the vocals which are of the harsh slightly hysterical type with an annoying synthesized blend.

Final Rage Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AMNESIA (SERBIA)

This was a very short-lived project of members from Rapidforce and Heller. The demo contains 5 tracks (the 1st one is an intro) of vigorous speed/thrash metal of the German school not far from the other two acts, maybe faster and more direct. The guitars lash without any compromises in a stripped-down manner providing very short lead sections and even shorter slower mid-paced breaks.

Demo Demo, 1988

Fan Site

AMNESIA (UK)

This is 80's thrash more on the melodic side, calling to mind Flotsam & Jetsam (in its more straight approach) and Megadeth (when it gets more technical). The music is actually quite hard-hitting at times, but the clean, melodic vocals decrease the impact a bit. Like with many other bands, the guys were not brave ehough to enter fully into technical thrash territory, and despite its quite a few good moments, this album leaves something to be desired.

Unknown Entity Full-length, 1991

AMOK (UK)

Quite good retro thrash with a sharp edge recalling Anthrax and some Bay-Area acts; the tempo is energetic with the obligatory mid-tempo stomping parts. "Global Hangover" adds nice melodic Oriental hooks, and is a great combination of hard-hitting riffs and more laid-back lines. It's really hard to beat such a fine thrasher after that, but the level remains high on compositions like the smashing killer "Downhill without Brakes", the mid-paced steam-roller "Thrash Island", or the speed/thrashing delight at the end "Kill the Gestapo". The singer does a very good job with his excellent semi-clean delivery which has both emotion and an edge, and will remind you of quite a few veteran singers from the 80-s: Chris Astley (Xentrix), Bob Mayo (Wargasm), Mike Munro (Meliah Rage), etc.

Downhill Without Brakes Full-length, 2008

My Space

AMONG THE MISSING (UK)

Based on "Disorder of the Templar", these guys pull out a chaotic frenetic mix of modern thrash/hardcore and sludge/doom. Both tendencies are mixed together on most songs as the balance is well found, the music sitting somewhere between EyeHateGod and Pro-Pain. The vocal variety is big, but neither style delivers, all being of the hysterical shouty hardcore type.
"Cease To Exist" serves a similar sludge/core hybrid as both sides try to co-exist within one song in the beginning, like it was the case on the debut, and again the symbiosis is well achieved. The 2nd half is devoted exclusively to stoner/doom, with the two overlong spacey/psychedelic doomsters "Knights of the Sun" and "Finsbury Park" which go well beyond the mushroom-induced hallucinogenic landscapes of Sleep and Acrimony; the more energetic Cathedral-esque "Trembling Before"; and the spacey closing 11-min opus "Cease To Exist", which is a fine, albeit too expanded, tribute to Hawkwind.

Disorder of the Templar Full-length, 2005
Cease To Exist Full-length, 2007

My Space

AMOR COMMITTED SUICIDE (FINLAND)

A good mixture of old school death metal and thrash with nice melodic twists calling to mind early 90's Messiah, but a bit slower and less technical.

Upavitika EP, 1995

AMORAL (FINLAND)

This band came on the scene with "Wound Creations", which was a fairly good slab of technical thrash/death (more thrash than death) metal, mostly mid-paced, occasionally more up-tempo, with clever tempo-changes, fine, not very sharp riffage, numerous melodic hooks, including the excellent unobtrusive leads, and very brutal low-tuned death metal vocals. It's hard to cite an exact soundalike, maybe early Obliveon, crossed with the Czechs Scenery: the Finns share the same tendency towards dreamy romantic sections, but are not as original, and at times fall for the traps of the modern thrash/death metal movement, when they start sounding more conventional.
"Decrowning" is pretty much the same, maybe a tad more death metal-oriented, but on "Reptile Ride" the guys have torn it loose, adding more genres to the mix, like power metal, gothic, etc. As a result the sound is much softer and less technical, and despite its wider appeal to the metal audience, it hardly shows the band in their brightest light.
The band never bothered with thrash anymore, "Show Your Colors" being a typical modern power metal work, with a pinch of Gothenburg-styled melodies ala mid-period In Flames and Night in Gales. "Beneath" is an even softer offering, not missing the more aggressive death metal touches, sounding like the most standard heavy/power metal album out there; a shocking u-turn from the band's early output, arguably the most drastic one to be witnessed through the new millennium so far.

Wound Creations Full-length, 2004
Decrowning Full-length, 2005
Reptile Ride Full-length, 2007
Show Your Colors Full-length, 2009
Beneath Full-length, 2011

My Space

AMOREEN (GERMANY)

Very good thrash reminding of Wargasm's "Why Play Around", maybe a bit more melodic, with an impressive guitar work, especially in the lead section, and powerful clean vocals. The demo comes with a decidedly more modern sound, and again follows on the steps of Wargasm, this time "Ugly", mixed with the sound of Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro", and several balladic sections. The guys have the talent to write catchy, memorable songs: "Ten Days", which despite its melodic nature, is a great number.

Welcome, My Name is... Full-length, 1990
Trust in What You See Demo, 1994

AMORICIDE (GERMANY)

Based on the debut, this German trio pulls out energetic retro thrash with sparce death metal sections ("Enslaved"). Seldom does the music stretch into longer pounding thrashers ("Flood of Sand"), but rest assured that there will be no moments of peace on equally as long, but much more aggressive, offerings: the death/thrashing madness "Impending Devastation". Atmospheric abstract elements sneak on "Skull Island" which is a stylish piece with a shade of early Voivod. "Unmarked Grave" moves up the speed scale with heavy galloping riffs, but it gets lost once again on the mid-tempo stomping "When the First of Many Falls". Still, there would be no complaints on the fast-paced closer "Kill Again" which is vintage early Death.
The EP treads the same path of intense classic thrash with more extreme proto-death metal insertions. The music is expectedly fast, slowing down a bit for the dark creepy "Soul Ripper", although the following "Bleed from the Mouth" will shatter you with its sharp lashing riffs in the best tradition of the Swedes Merciless and Rigor Mortis.
"Storm of Violence" arrives several months after its predecessor, and delivers almost as well despite the obvious deceleration. The guys lash out in a fast merciless fashion from the get-go adding the heavier stomping element ala late-80's Slayer whenever appropriate. After the 1st two blitzkriag thrashers comes the mid-paced creeper "Cesspool", but then the guys accelerate again reaching death metal heights on "Row of Caskets". "Eye of the Storm" is a 3-min quiet acoustic instrumental, but expect a relentless thrash/death metal assault on "Left for Dead". "Unspeakable" is another instrumental-only piece recalling Rigor Mortis in a very good way, a compelling dynamic number with plenty of tempo changes and a few more technical moments. 7-min of intense headbanging thrash await you on "Linguistic Rapists" which is followed by a shorter, but equally as aggressive, thrash attack ("Descendants of Ashes"). A more engaging, more technical, material comes served on the 8.5-min closer "The Order of Dagon", a diverse track the dominant slower doomy riffs nicely interrupted by compulsive speedy sections with a Slayer-esque vibe. The death metal shades are not very widely covered here, but this new, more thoughtout delivery works on all counts with the forceful intellgible Tom Araya-sque vocals a fine addition.

The Essence of Evil Full-length, 2004
Horror in the Flesh EP, 2010
Storm of Violence Full-length 2011

Official Site

AMORPHEAD (ITALY)

Based on the "Chaos Expression" EP, these guys serve modern post-thrash with the staple heavy riffage and angry semi-death metal vocals. There are a few more atmospheric moments ("Holes") with a melo-deathy shade, as well as longer, more serious experiments ("Chaos Expression").

Psychotic EP 2009 1
Chaos Expression EP 2011

My Space

AMPORA (USA)

Laid-back melodic modern thrash/death metal of the metalcore type; fast ripping riffs alternate with soaring melodc leads to predictable results. Still, the clean vocals are not bad...

Last Chance EP, 2011

AMPUTATION (NORWAY)

Probably the first thrah/death metal band from Norway with a dark heavy sound reminiscent of Possessed's "Seven Churches" and Slaughter's "Strappado", but more aggressive, with more brutal faster moments, closer to the death metal field. The band's members later took an active part in the formation of the Norwegian black metal scene, founding bands like Hades Almighty, Immortal, Old Funeral, etc.

Achieve The Mutilation Demo, 1989
Slaughtered in the Arms of God Demo, 1990

AMPUTIST (USA)

An intense brutal blend of thrash and death metal, very retro-sounding, with more adherence to death metal including in the vocal department where one will hear some of the most low-tuned growls on the scene ever. The guys mix fast with slower tracks the latter the more appealing side with "Aborted Buffet" hitting the top being an awesome death/doomster with twisted riffage. On the other opposite we have pure "outbreaks of evil" aggression, blast-beating exercises with a pinch of technicality ala Morbid Angel who are the main target for worship. Some of the band members were later seen in the death/thrash metal formation Apostle of Perversion and the immediate continuation of that act Ungodly where the style is pretty much the same.

Amputist Demo, 1995

AMUK (MALAISIA)

Based on "Akar Dan Bumi", this very productive Malaysian band serve pleasant, feelgood power/thrash metal with both modern and classic tendencies. So expect mostly mid-paced music with plenty of melodic hooks, more or less predictable, assisted by clean mid-ranged vocals with a slight drunken shade.

Tanpa Prejudis Full-length 1998
Tak Relevent Full-length 1999
Akar Dan Bumi Full-length 2000
Dikir Timur Full-length 2001
Hakikat Full-length 2002
Dendam Full-length 2004
Interpretasi Full-length 2005
Interpretasi ++ Full-length 2005
2 Juta Full-length 2006
Bertemu Ruas Full-length 2007

Official Site

AMULANCE (USA)

Good power/speed/thrash metal akin to early Overkill and Helstar; the band mix all the 3 styles within one song, some of which are more focused on speed ("Death Wish", "Feel the Pain", and especially the raging "Holocaust"), and are the better ones. The more melodic power metal-based side of the music is also presented ("Schizophrenia", "Witch's Sin"). The singer has this high tember with a slight snarly touch similar to Kai Hansen and Dirk Schröder (Iron Angel).
The Best of Compilation contains the band's first demo, as well as 5 other songs, previously unreleased, under the title "The Aftermath Sessions"; the style of these 5 songs is more speedy and thrashy, and more technical, again recalling Helstar ("Distant Thunder").
The "Deutschland" EP is a sign that the guys are apparently willing to join the thrash metal resurrection movement, and as such their old fans have no reasons to worry tha they will mess it up: the 5 songs included are sure-handed slabs of old school American power/thrash metal in a heavy mid-tempo with melodic choruses, lashing, but also melodic, guitar work, and good semi-high emotional vocals. There are no high-speed antics to be encountered, and the last two tracks are epic takes on power metal with no ties to thrash, but one never knows how the band will pull it out on the eventual full-length... The EP-title is a tribute to the guys' first appearance on Headbangers Open Air in Germany earlier that same year.

Feel the pain Full-length, 1989
The Rage Within and the Aftermath Best of/Compilation, 2007
Deutschland EP, 2010

My Space

AN HANDFUL OF DUST (ITALY)

This young Italian band plays somewhat progressive power metal with a few hints at thrash and meandering, sometimes hard to follow, songs (the longer ones), quiet, balladic moments, and good semi-clean vocals, which are seldom accompanied by rough, death metal ones. Although the sound clings toward the classic side, unnecessary groovy variations are also included ("To Give or to Leave"), but they are nothing more than fillers, and do not add to the overall ambitious picture. At their best the band are not too far from early Fates Warning, or Liege Lord: the multi-layered, epic-tinged "Bungler's Blame", and the nice more aggressive closer "Psychotic Dream", but these moments are not too many, and as a whole this album will score higher among the progressive metal fans.

I'll Show You My Fear Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ANACHRONIC (CZECH)

This is heavy, mid-paced progressive/thrash metal; the sound recalls late 80's Slayer (the slower songs on their two albums from that time- "Deadskin Mask", "The Crooked Cross", etc.). Combined with the heavy technical riffs this album makes for a very good listening experience. The band only occasionally speed up, and the album is quite long, which creates a slightly monotonous feeling near the end, but the originality of the music alone will make you go back to it more than now and then.

Lame Gart And... Full-length, 1993

Official Site

ANACRUSIS (USA)

The band's state-of-the-art progressive thrash has written some of the finest pages in metal history. "Suffering Hour" was an explosive debut, with a raw and primitive at times sound, but highly-inspired, combining furious thrashers, bordering on proto-death, with genuine stylish technical moments, which would take the upper hand on the band's future works; this album also contained a very fast, aggressive version of the early Black Sabbath hymn "N.I.B.". All this came nicely topped by the unique, multi-layered vocals of Ken Nardy, one of the most original thrash metal singers. "Reason" was a big step forward, seeing the band moving boldly towards the progressive side of metal, with complex song-structures, and the inimitable cold technical riffs which would later be a big influence on many 90's bands. Their next two efforts are the absolute peak of the progressive thrash metal genre: "Manic Impressions" was the more accessible, and more aggressive effort (also featuring a great cover version of the New Model Army's "I Love the World"), whereas "Screams and Whispers" was a colossal multi-layered work of progressive thrash, which logically marked the end of the band's career. All the band's works are free for download from their official website.

Suffering Hour Full-length, 1988
Reason Full-length, 1990
Manic Impressions Full-length, 1991
Screams and Whispers Full-length, 1993

Official Site

My Space

ANAFLAXIA (TURKEY)

A death/thrash metal band with great both technical and melodic guitar work; the guys play at a respectable speed most of the time. The overall sound is not too far from Hellwitch and later-period Death, also strongly recalling their compatriots Blaster's "Chaotic Noise" released a year earlier (no relations to the act reviewed here member-wise), only that Anaflaxia vary things more with mid-tempo tracks. The only downpoint would be the overuse of intros, outros and also interludes which kind of break the otherwise excellent monolithic sound. Some of those melodies are addictive: check out the opener "Opus Demontre" and the blitzkrieg follower "Blasphemy And Bloodthirst". "A Colder Day In Heaven" offers a nice change in pace in the first half, being a laid-back dark gothic death/thrasher, but the rage goes on on "The Cloudy Fortress", which mixes brutal chaotic with melodic technical riffs. More purer thrash follows suit on the excellent galloping "Living Flesh, Dying Soul", before the brilliant instrumental "A Victim Shadow Of Twilight" takes your soul: an impeccable blend of melody and speed, seldom achieved before or after. "A Wolfen's Cry" is an exemplary closer, lashing fast steel technical riffs for about 3-min. The bonus track after it "Portal of Misery" is a sinister slow doomster, with deep operatic vocals accompanying the main death metal rasps.

This strong debut was followed by a shorter 6-song one containing covers-only of their favourite acts: Kreator ("Coma of Souls); Slayer ("War Ensemble"); Sodom (Agent Orange"); Sepultura ("Dead Embryonic Cells"); In Flames ("Behind the Space"); and Testament ("Legions of the Dead"), all well done although to these ears neither of the chosen bands could be cited as an influence on the band except, probably, In Flames a little bit.

In To The Sound Of Slaughter Full-length, 2004
Modus Operandi Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ANAKA (USA)

Based on "The Glorified Crusade", this band offers modern 90's post-thrash, coming as a more aggressive "Load" (Metallica). So expect not very edgy mostly mid-tempo music, with a frequent adherence to balladic sections. Still, this is not completely without merits, and "The Glorified Crusade" is a cool interesting progressive composition mixing intriguing riffs with really striking melodies.

Down Devil's Road Full-length, 2001
Rust & Jade Full-length, 2004
The Glorified Crusade Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ANARCHUZ (CZECH)

Based on "Prestan Me Srát", these guys offer modern hardcore-ish post-thrash with bad synthesized vocals, which miraculously find the way to cool melodic insertions on the mellower moments. This is radio-friednly stuff with doom/stoner tendencies and pleasant bluesy touches. Not for the hard-corers...
The debut is a more laid-back from of the already established post-thrash, the "therapy" coming in the form of cool heavy metal passages and not as suitable balladic touches which should have been fewer. Near the end the album compeltely exits the thrash field branching out into folk, funk, and blues to a fairly laughable effect, slightly restoring the "faith" with the edgy closer "Talks We Don´t Care". The singer is a not very pleasant throaty hardcore semi-shouter.

Unusable Instincts Full-length, 1993
Inner Conflict Full-length, 1996
Prestan Me Srát Full-length, 2011

ANARION (AUSTRALIA)

This talented Australian outfit have created a nice cross between the 90's power/speed metal movement and classic thrash. Their "journey begins" with the excellent galloping opener "Space-Time" from their debut, a straight-ahead speedster with screaming leads. "My Own" is more intense speed/thrash ala the Poles Hellfire with good choruses and a few soaring melodies. "The Battle Of Old" is pretty much in the same vein with a bit more complex musicianship with several quiet semi-acoustic sections added. "Kingdom Of Stone" is a slower take on the power/thrash metal idea, and "Earth Reborn" is a bit more intense cross between those styles, leaving the damage to the more invigorating thrasher "Life Of Descent" which marches forward with razor-sharp semi-galloping riffs. "Hidden Mind" is a more thoughtful progressive composition, semi-balladic and lyrical, with a few faster revelations near the end, minuc, of course, the purely acoustic ending which is identical to the beginning. "Principles Of Uncertainty" is a nice 4-min instrumental of shredding melodic thrash, its short elngth totally clouded by the monstrous 13-min closing saga "The Journey Begins..." which is kind of underwhelming developing in a predictable mid-pace with the odd balladic twist. The singer is pretty good with a mid-ranged emotional tone who could have tried some higher-pitched lines from time to time.
"Beneath It All" starts very misleadingly with the alternative balladic "Fog Of War", but inertia is very quickly picked up with the next ripping galloper "Dispusion" which also shows nice technical tendencies. "Persistance Of Hate" is pure headbanging thrash, direct and to-the-point, and there's no much ado on the next "Into The Rage" which lashes "raging" riffs left and right both in mid and up-tempo. "Sufferance" is dramatic pounding thrash with sure-handed keyboard insertions and sparce Oriental hints. "Demons Of Pride" is modern thrash preserving the dramatism also adding cool lead-driven balladic moments. "Pity The Weak" is more laid-back melodic thrash ala recent Squealer and Eldritch, but "Defying Regime" is a faster proposition again with more modern riffs which disappear for the all-out retro thrasher "Bleeding Disease", and the energetic galloping power/thrashing closer "Enduring Enemy". The guitars here bite more with a much more accentuated thrashy edge recalling both Paradox and Hellfire sounding both intense and technical to a fairly positive effect. The vocalist does a better job adjusting his effective emotional style with the appropriate higher inclusion now sounding pretty close to Krzysztof Dziwosz (Hellfire).
"Unbroken" is the band's least achievement sticking to well-established power/speed metal patterns with just a few edgier numbers: the vicious speedster "Greed Of Man"; the more ambitious peed/thrasher "Broken Truths". There are several ballads, and generally the concentration is not on speed opting for a calmer mid-paced delivery.

The Journey Begins Full-length, 2001
Unbroken Full-length, 2006
Beneath It All Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ANARKO (SPAIN)

Based on the debut: another addition to the 90's groovy scene; at least the guys here pull out more energetic, jolly tracks with a cool crossover touch ("Obligacon", "Legado Criminal"). The music is on the melodic side, lacking the aggression put by Pantera and the likes most of the time, with one pleasant surprise: the intense fast-paced headbanger "Bien Machaca Bien", which leaves a very good impression, immediately ruined by the awful techno-industrial closer.
"La Marcha De Los Muńecos Egocéntricos" offers grroovy post-thrash on the soft, dancey side, with playful rhythms and a few more intense moments the latter recalling Skid Row's "Slave to the Grind". There is also a distant alternative echo present ala later period Misery Loves Co.

Anarko Full-length, 1998
Degeneración X Full-length, 2000
La Marcha De Los Muńecos Egocéntricos Full-length, 2001

Official Site

ANASA STAXTI (GREECE)

Thrash/crossover ala Hellbastard, but with shorter tracks, with nice melodic implements and gruff semi-death metal vocals; the tempo is dynamic bordering on speed metal at times, which serves better the shorter material ("Zwi En Tafw").

Anasa Staxti Full-Length, 1994

ANCESTHOR (MEXICO)

A decent slab of the good old school thrash which comes served with a healthy doze of 90's speed metal, resulting in vigorous, energetic pieces topped by not very suitable death metal vocals, which sound particularly ridiculous on the several attempts at sing-along choruses, which may cause a few laughs along the way. Still, the guitar work is not bad at all, if we exclude the thin screaming leads, and uncompromising Slayer-esque headbangers like "T.M.I.S." & "Until You Die" will make you jump around in no time, while more epic speed metal cuts like "Death Or Glory" will make you sing along with nostalgic memories of a movement long gone. "Annihilation Of Mankind" is a cool heavy stomper with capable melodic hooks, and the closing "The Human Nature" may come as a surprise, being a long (7-min) romantic ballad, which acquits itself with the best lead sections on the album.

The Human Nature Full-length, 2011

Official Site

ANCESTRAL (BRAZIL)

Modern power/thrash metal on the more melodic side, quite close to Flotsam & Jetsam 90's period and Metallica's Black Album, with nice melodic lead guitars, and a singer who does a good job to impersonate James Hetfield, and succeeds most of the time. The music takes a more aggressive edge at times ("Endless Trip"), but most of the time it is heavy, mid-tempo and semi-balladish.

Helleluiah EP, 2005
The Famous Unknown Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

ANCESTRAL SIN (HOLLAND)

This is intense thrashcore, still more classic-sounding, bordering on grind when things get more violent. Overall the approach sits somewhere between early Prong and Attitude Adjustment, with echoes of Cryptic Slaughter on the aforementioned wilder moments. The vocalist is the staple quarrelsome shouter, maybe a bit higher-pitched than the norm.

Feel It Erupt Demo, 1992

ANCESTRAL TERROR (BRAZIL)

Cool thrash of the old school close to the Canadians Slaughter and late 80's Slayer; the music is catchy, mid-paced most of the time, with simple, but effective riffage. The vocals are in the death metal camp: brutal, low-tuned, with a shade of Karl Willets (Bolt Thrower), and not very suitable. "Call Upon Death" is a nice attempt at more energetic, technical stuff, which ends up in a brutal, blast-beat manner. The closing "The Endless Incursion" is a cool acoustic instrumental.

Hallways of Pain Demo, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ANCESTRO (URUGUAY)

Crunchy abrasive thrash of the modern type; a pretty heavy crushing affair never leaving the mid-tempo parametres, but the consistent steam-roller riffs will please the fan, as well as the very good forceful clean singer.

Guerra Nuclear Demo 2006

ANCHONY (GERMANY)

Cool modern-ish thrash with meaty sharp riffs and intriguing semi-technical decisions; the band have a taste for both dark slow-ish numbers ("Erazer") and more energetic ones (Pi"). "Slow Race" needs very little to indeed spawn the "slow race": a morose atmospheric doomster with a clever technical thrashy exit. The vocals are a bit of an awkward choice, though: throaty low-tuned death metal ones, with a slight hysterical pitch coming up from time to time.

Anchony Demo, 2008

Official Site

ANCIENT CURSE (GERMANY)

Based on "The Landing", this band plays a dark brand of thrashy progressive power metal similar to Sanctuary's "Into the Mirror Black" and mid-80's Fates Warning. The tempo is mid and the guitars are both sharp and heavy also recalling the Canadians Eidolon. There are a couple of peaceful moments scattered around, including two full-fledged ballads: one very cool and heavy: "One Second of Lifetime"; the other one too tender and boring: "Not Prepared to Speak". The sound favours power metal more, but when the guys step the pedal, they lash with force: the heavy stomper "Not Supposed", the 9-min progressive power/thrash opus "Utopia", etc. The singer is far from the flamboyance and pitch of the typical for the style vocal performers, delivering a mid-ranged not very emotional semi-clean tember.
"Thirsty Fields" follows a similar pattern mixing power and thrash metal with a strong progressive shade, with the quiet balladic passages scattered appropriately, as well as the harder more intense ones. The obligatory ballad ("Harmful Remains") is here again, but is good and heavy, followed by the even better semi-ballad "Return of the Summer". The speed has been reduced a bit, and now the sound comes close to doom metal at times: the heavy stomper "Dictator".

Thirsty Fields EP, 1995
The Landing Full-length, 1997
Thirsty Fields Full-length, 1997

ANCIENT DOME (ITALY)

Based on the self-titled demo, this band pull out classic speed/thrash along the lines of Paradox (closer to their debut, rather than "Heresy"), or more recent Tankard. The tempo is energetic, and the guitar leads are quite good. There are moments which recall the 90's power/speed metal scene ("Metalmaniacs"), as well as an atmospheric bass instrumental ("Ode to a Muse").
The 2008 promo thrashes more in a Bay-Area, rather than a German, fashion, but is frequently entertaining, bashing relentlessly with sharp riffs, cool melodic hooks, nice short leads, even providing more semi-technical moments on the longer "State of Regression". "Fall of the Dominion" is the break from the intense pattern stretching into softer speed/power metal territories with a nice balladic acoustic ending.
"Human Key" continues mostly in the Germanic speed/thrash metal vein with the two highlights from the last demo ("Fall of the Dominion", "State of Regression") occupying the front. Their "company" is anything but unappealing, though: the speed metal monster "Tyrants"; the heavy doomy power/thrasher with Oriental motives "Human Key"; the slightly less than 3-min speed/thrashing instrumental "Aeons". "Cold September" is a bit debatable being a heavy ballad, as well as the more modern-sounding, slightly dragging "Lost Creature". Fortunately the last two songs deliver, one being a nice speed metal killer ala Paradox and early Helloween: "Architects Of Dreams", the closer "Total Command" a more aggressive thrashing delight with an American flavour.
"Perception of This World" starts with an excellent introductory instrumental growing into the Bay-Areasque headbanger "Liar". Melody takes over on "When Day Dies..." which is much slower, too, before "Predominance" speeds up again with vigorous crisp riffage. To the listener's utter disappointment, what follows is a string of much mellower dreamy power/thrashers with strong balladic overtones occupying a considerable space from the album making "Face The Facts" sounding really awkward with its speedy optimistic riffs later. The closing "DevastHate" is a really nice exercise in more technical thrash ala Forbidden's "Twisted into Form" and Megadeth's "Rust in Peace" mixing fast moments with more intriguing elaborate decisions. As a whole we have quite a hit-and-miss affair the band not sure which path to take settling for a contrasting work which lacks in consistency, but makes up with its wider appeal.

Once Were Thrashers Demo, 2004
Bustock Live album, 2005
Ancient Dome Demo, 2005
Promo Demo, 2008
Human Key Full-Length, 2009
Perception of This World Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ANCIENT OBLITERATION (CANADA)

These guys offer thrash/death metal of the old school mixing fast Floridian riffs with slower almost battle-like ones, in the vein of Bolt Thrower and Benediction. The mix predictably stays closer to death metal. There are technical pretensions to be heard ("Shogun"), and the melodic hooks are interesting and atmospheric, but the gruff unrehearsed vocals and the annoying introductions before every song, which are nothing but non-music noise serving to no purpose, make this effort sound like a draft for something bigger, and hopefully better, to come.

Destruction from the Past EP, 2009

Official Site

ANCIENT SLUMBER (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Abandon Your Voltaire Garden" demo, this act plays cool diverse classic stuff ranging from heavy Bay Area-sque thrash with technical overtones ("Scissors, Paper and Stone", the sharp technical riif-fest "Et tu, Zarathustra") to shorter doom-laden pounders ("Shadow of Infamity"). The singer delivers with his gruff semi-clean, but forceful, delivery reminiscent of Howard Smith (Acid Reign).

Burn Thy Map of Your Life Demo, 1992
Abandon Your Voltaire Garden Demo, 1993

ANCIENT SORROW (SERBIA)

This is just one track (guess the title!) done by two people who practice dark evil black/thrash metal with a heavy, steam-roller rhythm and subdued raspy vocals with a death metal shade.

Blasphemy Demo 2007

My Space

ANCIENTERROR (CHILE)

Intense fast-paced retro thrash metal with forceful death metal vocals; the guitar work is not very diverse, but the riffs flow smoothly being both sharp and melodic. "Only Shadows" is a particularly stylish song offering a cool mid-paced break ala Slayer (remember the beginning of "Post Mortem"), but this is not all since later on the guitar work takes a very nice semi-technical edge. The following "Second Coming" is a stark contrast with its raging aggressive riffs, amidst which there is one calmer interlude. "Terminal" slows down once again without any faster surprises, but the closing "Your God" will split your head: an awesome thrash/death metal killer, a fine mixture of very fast, slower and up-tempo galloping rhythms; well, the more melodic semi-clean vocals which suddenly come up on the scene could have been spared.

Arguments For Aggresion EP, 2007

Official Site

ANCKORA (RUSSIA)

A strange mix of power, post-thrash, and doom/gothic all this blended on an atmospheric keyboard-infused background, with both the modern and classic sound given a fair share. Diverse affair with cool speedy moments as well, and very good mid-ranged female vocals. This would be too mild for the regular thrash metal fan, but it's interesting to hear how hard riffs can co-exist with keyboards without this being annoying.

Vechnaia Zima EP, 2010

ANDRALLS (BRAZIL)

The Brazilian metal scene has finally produced an heir to its most precious "child" (you know who I have in mind). Andralls very well fill the gap left by Sepultura after "Arise". The guys are not strangers to modern sounds as well; even industrial touches could be found on their albums. "Massacre, Corruption, Destruction..." is a sure-handed debut, also courting Slayer along the way, both their faster and heavier period, the "innovation" coming in the form of the more shouted semi-hardcore vocals. The sound develops in an energetic classic manner, with all the tracks being cool headbangers, except for the doomy proto-modern "The Future of Life". The modern "winds" also blow on "No Chance to Escape", which sounds close to the fashionable at the time thrash/death metal hybrids.
"Force Against Mind" elaborates on the modern hints from the debut, but retains the retro aggression quite a bit as well, and this modern/classic thrash mixture is appealing enough, especially on the faster material: "Thrash Bloods Mine", "Andralls On Fire (Part II)" (part I is from the debut), "Desire Of Glorify". There are actually very few songs which slide down below the up-tempo, the closer "Against Myself (T.C.D.I)" coming out with all the guns blazing, thrashing really hard with an added proto-death intensity.
"Inner Trauma" begins with a heavy stomping intro ("Unexpected") in the spirit of late 80's Slayer, but the moshing starts very soon after with the uncompromising speedy "Fear Is My Ally". Things only get more aggressive with "Down the Jokers" and the frantic "The Age of Rage", which again is a nod to Slayer, but their more extreme mid-80's period. There is no mercy on the rest, either, the speed being preserved until the very end, with barely traces of any modern sound, pure old school attack with a bonus track at the end in the form of a re-mastered version of "Andralls on Fire" (part I).
The self-title in Andralls' case is not a sign for a new path taken: the album offers nice old school headbanging thrash from beginning to end, fast brisk riffs which seldom pause for a break topped up by angry semi-shouty vocals. There's absolutely no introduction or any similar ados here: "Two Sides" begins in an immediate bashing fashion, the aggression very soon easily reaching "Reign in Blood" dimensions ("You Mean Shit", which is a vicious piece of pure unbridled aggression; the explosive ultra-thrash on "Last Enemy"), and even the slower breaks smell Slayer ("In The Eyes of The Killer"). "Blind Leads the Blind" is kind of misplaced with its more moderate modern-sounding riffs, but at least offers a relief from the constant mosh in the middle. After it the music takes an even more extreme direction, the remaining 6 tracks bashing in a furious merciless manner. This is by far the band's most aggressive work to date, which may prove a tiring experience to those who are not used to a non-stop all-out speed assault.

Massacre, Corruption, Destruction... Full-length, 2000
Force Against Mind Full-length, 2003
Inner Trauma Full-length, 2005
Andralls Full-Length, 2009

Official Site

My Space

ANESTESIA (SPAIN)

Based on the “Anestesia Cerebral” demo, this band, whose line-up includes Mikel Kazalis- the guitarist who also took part in Estigia, offer very fast and aggressive thrash/hardcore coming as a blend of Wehrmacht and Psychic Possession. Short brutal tracks with hard-hitting riffs will you find here; good headbanging stuff, except for “B.U.F.”: a melodic crossover instrumental. Reportedly on later efforts the band adopted more modern tendencies, and decreased the aggression considerably, acquiring a more restrained hardcore-based sound.

Anestesia Cerebral Demo, 1989
Moralidad Demo, 1990
Toki Berean EP, 1991
Gorrotoaren Ahotsa Full-length, 1993
Erantzun Full-length, 1995
GU Full-length, 1997
Ultra-Komunikatzen Full-length, 2000
Terapia Full-length, 2006

My Space

ANESTESYA (BRAZIL)

A very good newcomer on the progressive thrash metal field; their debut is state-of-the-art work of complex thought-out music with quite long progressive opuses, numerous time/tempo changes, predominantly mid to up-tempo with quite a few, clever, almost addictive riffs, and sudden speedy outbursts. Watchtower and Sieges Even can be cited as influences (the labyrinthine "Powerful Mind") on at least half of the tracks, but the guys often adhere to straight, speedy passages within the songs, which makes them quite comprehensible, despite the considerable length of most of them. The instrumental "Concerto in F# minor Op.1" is a very ambitious attempt at mixing thrash and classical music of the more standard, less abstract (ala Mekong Delta) variety, and quite successful at that, producing great melodic riffs. Another highlight is the larger-than-life progressive thrashfest "Bloody Revolution", which closes on slightly less than 11-min, and is a small album in itself. After these two crowning achievements comes a time for a more conventional sound with the stomping instrumental "Metal Procreation" and the closing mid-paced thrasher "Second Death".

Cruel Fear Full-Length, 2008

ANESTEZIJA (SERBIA)

Heavy groovy post-thrash coming as an angrier Biohazard, the exception being "W.A.R.", which is both more aggressive and melodic, featuring a nice atmospheric semi-balladic mid-section, along with the fastest and most thrashy riffs on the EP. The guys also have another project: Downstroy, where they play pretty similar music, maybe a bit faster and more hardcore-based.

Hate Power Inside EP, 2006

ANESTHESIA (CROATIA)

Based on "Eye for an Eye": 80's thrash reminiscent of Tankard and other representatives of the German school; there are jolly, non-thrash tunes thrown in here and there; a good job- "party" thrash we can call it... "Bone" has no ties to thrash metal being a modern brand of rock/metal.

Eye For An Eye Full-length, 1993
Bone Full-length, 1995

ANESTHESIA (GERMANY)

This band was formed by two ex-Gamma Ray members, but their style is more thrash-oriented. Actually it's a mixture of power and thrash metal reminding of Testament from the early 90's, so it's not aggressive, but is more laid-back, still featuring a few faster headbangers. The singer is not very convincing, with his voice sounding like John Bush crossed with Chris Cornell (Soundgarden). The guys like it longer, with most of the songs going over the 5-min limit, with the 9-min opus "Atrocious Silence" reaching the extremes, being an abstract and a boring attempt at progressive metal ala more aggressive Porcupine Tree. There are even awkward alternative-sounding tracks which recall 90's Anthrax, and are hardly necessary; 13 songs of such a mixed nature will definitely come as too much for the regular thrash metal fan.

The State Of Being Unable To Feel Pain Full-length, 1997

ANESTHESIA OF BEER (BRAZIL)

This young Brazilian outfit pulls out aggressive classic thrash/death metal with elements of hardcore; fast blitzkrieg songs sounding kind of unfinished, ending on a enjoyable thrashy moment sometimes. The middle is preserved for the cool cover of S.O.D.'s hit "United Forces". The singer is somewhat disappointing with his drunken (everything is about "beer" here, in case of you haven't noticed!) hoarse semi-death metal delivery.

Reign in Beer Demo, 2009

ANESTHESY (BELGIUM)

A good mixture of death and thrash metal, calling to mind Protector and mid-period Messiah (based on the EP): check out the technical thrashing opus "Just Married"; the songs mix fast aggressive parts with peaceful balladic ones topped up by brutal throaty death metal vocals. "The Ballad Of Jimmy F." is a 1-min brutal deathcore joke, and "Rerisin' Humanist" is a cool heavy doomster with a few speedier sections.
"Exaltation of the Eclipse" speeds up a bit, and adds more intense riffs ala Benediction and Bolt Thrower, as well as more technical ones, but preserves the doomy moments from the EP. Death metal has taken over, as evident from the heavy opener "Beyond Sadness", which nicely mixes fast furious riffs with ponderous doomy ones. Later on both styles alternate, seldom blended together in one track, as more room has been given to the slower dark riffage, although all hell breaks loose on blitzkrieg thrashers like "Enstrangled Minds". The singer now sounds even scarier and lower, a really brutal growler not far from Karl Willets.
"The Fifth Season" abandons the thrash metal idea almost completely, and is full-fledged death metal, faster than the previous effort, and also more technical. The overall approach now recalls mid-period Bolt Thrower quite a bit, mixed with faster more technical moments ala Morbid Angel. Nothing stands on the way of overwhelming steam-rollers like "Cruelty" and "Brutal Expressions:, although the more dynamic side is by no means worse: the raging ball of fury "Forgotten Epitaph", the brisk speedy opener "Black Soul". There is also one exercise in pure traditional doom: "Across The Burning Fields", and the closing "Perishable Considerations" finally offers something thrashy in a heavy crushing tone akin to late 80's Slayer.

Just Married EP, 1991
Exaltation of the Eclipse Full-length, 1994
The Fifth Season Full-length, 1998
Let the Mayhem Begin Full-length, 1999

ANETIA INSIGNIS (FRANCE)

Two guys are in charge of the music here, which is dark, moody thrash/death/gothic/doom on a dreamy, melodic base. The album develops in a predictable mid-pace, the music accompanied by brutal low-tuned vocals, which are intercepted by more expressive clean ones with a deep dark wave-ish tember; there are also sparce female inclusions of the angelic, semi-operatic variety. The lack of dynamics makes the longer songs a bit boring with not much offered on the faster side (the brooding semi-galloper "Hear the Remains Crying"). The ballad is quite well covered ("Is it a Destiny", and elsewhere), killing the more thrashy attempts, which are reflected in edgy, sharp riffs featured on almost every song. This is melancholic, depressive stuff which will also remind of early Katatonia and their counterparts Ophthalamia.

Persistence in Negativity Full-length, 1999

ANEURISMA (EQUADOR)

Capable old school thrash reminiscent of Anthrax with a touch of the Bay-Area; the guys thrash with force and a slightly noisy guitar sound topped by mean semi-clean vocals. Seldom do they turn to thrash/crossover for inspiration ("Mutilating All Faith That Bleeds"), but all-out thrash attacks, like "Pain Fest" and "Beast Of Destruction" lead the pack with, although the closing "Although We Loose The War" also goes astray into a mellower semi-balladic direction with slower mid-paced riffage.

Army Of Apocalypse Full-Length, 2009

ANEURYSM (ITALY)

A mixture of progressive and thrash metal of the modern variety, with numerous influences from other sides of the metal spectre; not bad, but might pull back some thrash fans because of its somewhat alternative passages.

Aware Full-length, 2002
Shades Full-length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

ANGEL BEAST (CANADA)

Based on the "The Transition" demo, this is a melodic power/thrash metal band; the music is mid-paced and heavy, sounding like a more melodic version of Nasty Savage's debut. "In the Meantime" increases the speed ("Dead Child's Eyes") and the technicality ("It's Insane"), but the sound becomes more melodic, this time closer to Omen, Savage Grace and other veterans from the American metal scene.

The Transition Demo, 1988
In The Meantime EP, 1990

ANGEL DEATH (ITALY)

Based on the "Death To Christianity" demo, this band are one of the very first practitioners of brutal and raw thrash/death metal in Europe. Their music is not too far from early Messiah, probably with a lower level of musicianship, and with a shade of hardcore, recalling the Exploited.

Death To Christianity Demo, 1986
Gore (Blood of War) Single, 1991
Demo ´91 Demo, 1991
Exorcisin' the Pain Single, 1992

ANGEL DUST (GERMANY)

"Into the Dark Past" is brilliant speed/thrash metal, easily one of the best works of the whole scene. Once the speed/thrash classic "I'll Come Back" hits you, you know you'll be coming back (no pun intended) over and over again to listen to this masterpiece. Although this album clearly shows its age, few are those which can capture the magic of the German 80's thrash metal scene as well as this one. Every other song is actually as strong as the opener. "Legions of Destruction" thrashes with no mercy, even attempting something more technical for a while in the middle. "Gambler" is a 7-min speed/thrash riff-fest at its finest, followed by another similar explosion: "Fighter's Return". "Atomic Roar" will crush you with its heavy, and at the same time intense, fast rhythms. "Victims of Madness" finally slows down: a nice up-tempo thrasher, a well deserved break for the guys, before "Marching for Revenge" closes this incredible work in a raging, furious way.
"To Dust You Will Decay" brings the winds of change with it (too early: Scorpions made the song 2 years later!); the first new thing is the singer S.L. Coe, who has a great voice, but is more melodic, and it seems as though the rest try to adjust the music to better suit his less aggressive delivery. "Mr. Inferno" is an awesome opener, pretty much in the spirit of the debut. "Wings of an Angel" has too gentle a title to be a hard-hitting thrasher, and this is not the case: this is a moderate power metal number, and this is where quite a few heads will start shaking in doubt. "Into the Dark Past (Chapter II)" will raise some hopes, because of its title, but the music is more on the power/speed metal side. "The King" hits hard, thrashing with power, hopefully setting the tone for the rest of the album, and the following "To Dust You Will Decay" does exactly that: thrashing relentlessly, accompanied by an enormous sigh of relief from the listener. "Stranger" is not bad, but is more melodic and more power metal-based, with a great chorus. "The Duell" is a speed metal track, and one could easily see how much the 90's power/speed metal scene owes to songs like that. "Hold On" is an inauspicious ending, with ordinary heavy/power rhythms, causing anxiety as to what direction the band would take from now on. It was probably a kind of relief that they disbanded soon after, with S.L. Coe joining Scanner for one last temptation a year later. The others were back in the mid-90's, but their works after the reformation have completed the transformation into a power metal band with progressive overtones, with the occasional presence of some thrashy riffs from their "dark past".

Into the Dark Past Full-length, 1986
To Dust You Will Decay Full-length, 1988

Official Site

My Space

ANGEL FALLEN (USA)

Thrash/death metal of the modern variety, aiming at the progressive audience as well, mainly based on sprawling atmospheric, peaceful middle sections, recalling Opeth. The compositions are long, with the exception of the ordinary weak "Descent" which is even further ruined by bland clean vocals. The rest is not bad at all, mostly mid-paced to slow with complex passages, where more energy could have made them more interesting; now they would definitely find a lot of fans from the gothic metal camp as well.

Angel Fallen Demo, 2008

ANGEL NEGRO (SPAIN)

Based on the "Hombre Rico, Hombre Pobre" demo, this outfit practices a modern brand of thrash/crossover with classic references. This is diverse stuff with an alternation of slow and fast songs on a slightly noisy guitar base, with a use of leads, which are of the screamy type, but deliver. The vocalist is a typical death metal growler, but his rendings are intellgible.

Trashgüerta Demo 1992
Hombre Rico, Hombre Pobre Demo 1993
Er Total Disaster Tour 93 Demo 1994

ANGEL REAPER (HUNGARY)

Based on the "Végzet Utolér" demo, this band offer raw amateurish black/thrash metal which at times sounds close to the Slayer debut, but when it speeds up, it goes straight into the Brazilian camp: Sarcofago, Vulcano, etc. The guys are not aggressive all the time, and jolly crossover numbers are also present: "Kannibálok Támadása", "Ősi dicsőség", livened up by melodic guitar lines, which could have been taken from the Hungarian folklore. The musicianship is on a low level, despite the effort put by the guitar players; unfortunately the singer is placed too much in the front, which is bad, because his sinister rasps are not good at all, and the parts where he doesn't sing are the better ones.

"Exhumált Világ" is better in terms of musicianship, and this time the mix is between thrash and death metal. As a result we have 7 pretty intense headbangers, not too far from the works of Protector or Messiah from the 90's. The bonus track "Hitler A Messiás" at the end, is apparently a leftover from their more black metal-inclined past, but is a cool minimalistic mid-paced black-ish thrasher, partially ruined by the listless declamatory vocals.

Demo I Demo, 1987
Végzet Utolér Demo, 1989
Exhumált Világ Demo, 1992

Official Site

ANGELCRYPT (MALTA)

Based on the "From Abyss to Glory" EP, this band play epic power metal mixed with thrash and speed metal in a way not entirely different from the Polish Hellfire or Manticora from Denmark. The vocals are a bit roughly-sounding for this kind of music, but this is not a big obstacle. There is some cheesiness involved which often goes hand in hand with epic power metal (the use of keyboards, epic choruses, etc.), but there are also enough heavy sharp riffs to give the music the necessary edge.
"Echoes of Death" offers a similar concoction with more concentration on power metal not far from early Omen and Manowar. The pace is mid with more speedy "decorations" here and there, the singer again being the underperformer with his hoarse drunken blend.

From Abyss to Glory EP, 2003
Echoes of Death EP, 2007

Official Site

My Space

ANGELDEATH (USA)

Based on the "Hordes of Sickness/Legions of Hate" EP, this is a typical old school thrash/death metal hybrid with early Massacra a very close soundalike. So expect predominantly fast music with gruff semi-whispered death metal vocals. The guys are not for all-out speed the whole time, and heavier breaks are scattered all over making the music diverse and interesting.

Screams From Beyond EP, 2003
Hordes of Sickness/Legions of Hate EP, 2004

My Space

ANGELKILL (USA)

Based on "Beyond the Black", this band pulls out heavy still classic-sounding thrash with a couple of groovy passages thrown in ("Bodies On The Ice", which also offers a nice classical section recalling Verdi's "To Elise"), heavy and mid-paced for most of the time with gruff death metal vocals. The music goes down to doom at times in a way similar to the Dutch Asphyx, and since there are 10 songs which are quite close to each other sound-wise, this album may tire the listener as the guys are not willing to make things faster at all.

"Bloodstained Memories" is a better offering, more dynamic and diverse, albeit a tad more modern-sounding, starting with the nice progressive mix of thrash and doom "Infernal Names". Later on the material is in the same vein, mixing intense faster passages with heavy hammering ones with a strong doze of technicality at times: the excellent constantly hectic jumpy "Unliving Sleep"; the Death-esque "Spiritual Amputation" which crushes like an intelligent technical steam-roller. When "Flesh Defiled" delights again with its heavy technical riffs, one may start wondering whether he has heard such heavy stuff so well embedded with technicality before. "Sinners Dance" speeds up a bit (after all, it's a "dance") offering a nice "violin-versus-guitar" section ala Skyclad. "The Secret Room" is doomy technical thrash at its best, while "Orgy of Self Mutilation" is again a bit faster, with crushing jumping guitars and a cool lead passage near the end. The final "Dearly Beheaded" is another slab of doomy heaviness abandoning the technicality for the sake of more gloomy atmosphere.

"Casket Lullabies", released the same year as "Bloodstained Memories", should be no surprise, offering the same heavy technical sound, this time with a bigger nod to the classic school, with more proficient lead guitar work. The opening "Wolfen" starts in a predictable fashion, mixing doom-laden with technical riffage, before a very fast raging section scares you somewhere in the middle. "Sewn Shut Eyes" is great technical thrash with a fine Oriental motive, and a brilliant doomy exit in the best tradition of Candlemass. "Impaled Visions" is shorter and jumpy, but "The Curse" makes up with lashing heavy crushing riffs for about 8-min, even containing another fast-paced part. More speed coming with the fine galloping "Throughout Oblivian", something quite new in the band's delivery; watch out for the marvellous melodic lead passage in the middle, which also springs up at the end. "Moon on the 7th" is more ordinary, sounding like a leftover from Testament's "Souls of Black", and "Master of Nightmares" switches onto crushing heavy thrash ala Cerebral Fix, the exception coming in the form of the nice melodic leads. The band's staple style returns with "Man Eating Man", although this piece clings more towards doom. "Crown of Flies" closes the album with style, thrashing far and wide (and fast) with a nice Oriental blend again, without forgetting about the trade mark heavy technical guitars, which here simply crush skulls. This interesting characteristic, clearly classic-sounding, approach to thrash should have found more exposure back in those days, especially when the guys in the beginning were steadfastly defending an already lost cause, heriocally surviving long enough to see the first "light in the tunnel" in the late 90's.
The debut is a messy affair, seeing the guys still "honing their weapons", providing a very abrasive heavy guitar sound, which at times sounds like one buzzy wasp-y guitar. Technicality is very slightly covered, as well as doom ("Imagined Ugliness" is the sole slow exception), and most of the time the music is a hesitation between thrash and death metal, mixing fast and mid tempos to a not very impressive effect: the switches are not very smooth, and there is a lot of unmelodic chugga-chugga riffage ala Meshuggah to be heard, but this one serves to no purpose, simply because nothing technical or more interesting goes on.
"Artist of the Flesh" is another capable effort, more dynamic (if we exclude the great exercise in ponderous Sabbath-esque doom "Morbid Confessions" near the end) and diverse than "Beyond the Black", and more classic-sounding in a way not too far from Cerebral Fix's "Death Erotica". Some of the songs are in a cool up-tempo, and the jumpy technical tempos which made the next two albums so memorable, have been introduced (the intense pounding "Born in Blood") although here they still play a secondary role. It's still a bit dry in the guitar depertment, with the nice melodic hooks and leads just starting to show up.

Garden of Crosses Full-length, 1993
Lady Cadaver EP, 1995
Beyond the Black Full-length, 1995
Artist of the Flesh Full-length, 1996
Bloodstained Memories Full-length, 1998
Casket Lullabies Full-length, 1998

Official Site

ANGELLIC RAGE (USA)

This is actually a very old band, their early demos dating back as far as 1990. There is very little information as to what caused this very long delay till the first full-length release, but it's a fact, and the good news is that the band are capable of producing good dark thrashy power metal with progressive overtones: think Sanctuary's "Into the Mirror Black", Liege Lord's "Master Control", the Swedes Pathos. The music is mid-paced and heavy, topped up by excellent melodic mid-ranged vocals, quite close to the ones of Jeoff Tate and William Wren (Mystic Force, Oracle). "Total Suspect" is quite a good take on the early Queensryche sound (the debut), and is the softest composition. The album is whole 14 songs long (after all, it's been nearly 20 years of collecting a material for this album), so expect variety in the sound on offer: more modern-sounding numbers ("Born Into") ala The Black Album; faster thrashy monsters ("Final Sacrament", "Lost Face"); impressive technical power/thrash ("Pained", the twisted in the best tradition of Helstar's "Nosferatu" "Industrial Genocide"); heavy doomy thrash ("Dr Jeckyl"); even one funky heavy/power metal track ("Seeing Believing") as a finishing touch, which is hardly the best way to end this nice work, but by that time one should be fully satisfied, going through a wide spectre of technical/progressive power/speed/thrash metal nuances.

Generation Enraged Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ANGELRAPE (SWEDEN)

Based on the self-titled debut demo, this outfit provides 3 songs of aggressive black/thrash crossing early Absu with Impaled Nazarene in a comprehensive, sure-handed way. There are short, to-the-point, outbreaks ("Black Winds"), as well as long more thrashy ("Satanic Bless") pieces, topped by unholy raspy black metal vocals.

Angelrape Demo 2004
Unholy Proclamation Demo 2005

ANGELS TORMENT (AUSTRIA)

This demo contains 4 songs of fast intense black/thrash/death metal "courting" the more modern 90's school coming close to early Dissection on the more inspired moments.

Angels Torment Demo, 2006

ANGELUS (GERMANY)

A curious offering which is built around the so much loved thrash/crossover, but there is certain speed metal aesthetics and pure 90's proto-groovy elements, quite an early phenomenon at the time. The problem is that the guys lose the thrash metal idea more than now and then, and descend to funky, punky and what-not passages. There is a perennial jolly optimistic atmosphere throughout, but the thrash metal fan will lose his patience long before the end.

Kneel Down and Pray Full-length, 1991

ANGELUS (HUNGARY)

Both sexes are presented equally in this Hungarian quartet (the singer is a guy, though, although his hysterical screeches may mislead) which offers heavy semi-angry modern post-thrash with jumpy heavy riffs which seldom pleasantly surprises with more vivid proto-classic riffage, but such deviations are not many at all, and despite the cool dark atmosphere created this effort will hardly make a lot of eyebrows raise.

Halhatatlantalanítás Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ANGELUS APATRIDA (SPAIN)

The debut: a mix of more melodic power metal and Pantera, not bad with cool edgy riffs; at the end the band pay tribute to their idols with a cover version of "Domination". "Give'Em War" is a major improvement over the debut, with a more thrashy sound (also displayed by the song-titles: "Thrash Atack"), leaving the power metal influences far behind, and along with the crushing Pantera-sque riffs one could hear cool Jeff Waters-like ones, too, as well as really good classic thrash guitars.
"Clockwork" leaves all the modern gimmicks behind, and focuses on brisk retro speed/thrash metal in a dynamic up-tempo with good mid-ranged semi-clean vocals with a slight throaty shade ala Dave Mustaine. The overall style resembles the Bay-Area acts (Exodus, above all; and Testament, on the more technical leanings ("The Misanthropist")), the guys exiting their speedy approach with sparce, but convincing, heavy mid-paced moshers ("Get Out Of My Way"; "My Insanity"; the excellent more melodic closer "National Disgrace", which also acquits itself with a couple of edgy galloping riffs in the 2nd half). A bonus track for a "dessert" awaits you at the very end: a nice speedy cover of Iron Maiden's "Be Quick Or Be Dead".

Evil Unleashed Full-length, 2006
Give 'Em War Full-length, 2007
Clockwork Full-length, 2010

Official Site

My Space

ANGER AS ART (USA)

Based on "Anger as Art", which is actually a re-recording of an album initially made 2 years earlier, with Steve Gaines playing all the instruments, using a drum machine: the fast, intense delivery of the band draws inevitable comparisons to Violence's "Eternal Nightmare", although the opening "Attitude Adjustment" is pure unbridled crossover/hardcore, quite similar to the style of the old band to which the song-title refers. The music hits you like a steam roller and never lets you loose. This is a really fine piece of pure aggression: no flaws, except for the last number which is a hardcore-laced, not as good as the opener, joke. The final "Blood Of My Enemies", which is not a Manowar cover, nicely hints at the band's bigger technical potential, which finds a fuller realisation on the sophomore release. The bonus tracks are live versions of songs from the album, with one very fast-paced cover of Sepultura's "Troops of Doom" added as a finishing touch. Gaines (Abbattoir, Bloodlust, Dreams of Damnation,etc.) does a good job behind the mike, toning down his vicious death metal tember for the sake of cool semi-clean melodic lines.
"Callous And Furor", released the same year, is a similar merciless thrash metal assault, sounding like a nice companion to the debut, with the guitar work becoming both more technical and more melodic ("Gnashing of Teeth" is a great example of a mixture of both; "Callous And Furor" is glorious technical speed/thrash, recalling the Swedish masters from the distant past Midas Touch; "Still I Hate" is a brilliant short raging piece of technical thrash/death metal), which makes it an even better listening experience. This time there is more variety: "Bane of My Existence" slows down, featuring a nice solo, too; "Watch Me Suffer, Watch Me Die" is the odd galloping power/thrash metal number in the spirit of Griffin and Omen; "Invaders from Within" blasts out for a while in a mighty technical death metal fashion, later carrying on in a splendid speed metal spirit not heard since Helloween's "Walls of Jericho", before the nice acoustic balladic section in the end, where Gaines shows his more tender vocal talents.
"Disfigure" comes after a 3-year break which shouldn't be a surprise having in mind the guys' occupations with other acts around the metal circuit, including all of their taking part in the resurrection of the 80's power/speed metal legends Abattoir, including Gaines himself. So shall we be delighted again? By all means, as the guys waste no time proving their worth with the energetic opener "The Crush", vintage old school Bay-Area thrash with a nice doomy twist at the end. This is the just the beginning, though, as both speed and technicality reach new heights on the raging speedster "Appease an Angry God", a mosher of a very high order with an addictive main riff. Still with a headshake from the last offering, one will be thrown into another headbanging tornado with "It Feels Like Blood", a semi-technical lasher in a very fast tempo. "Disfigure" is the obligatory "break" from the mosh, a heavy doomy thrasher. "The All Fall Down" is very quick to compensate with a very short fierce grinding section in the beginning, just to suggest that there will be no much rest on this "monster", and indded, this one is fast relentless thrash with the grinding passage springing up several times later on leaving room for an interesting semi-melodic/semi-technical ending. "Master Becomes the Slave" prefers to mosh in a slightly slower up-tempo way, but "Seed of Hate" is sheer speed metal fury taken straight from the early 80's German scene. Technical, still quite fast, thrash takes over on "I Am Your Enemy" where the guys shred like demented for the whole 4-min. No rest for the wicked, and "Anger is a Gift" is another all-out thrash assault with a cool technical edge, but the final "Dissention" beats it all "marrying" technical riffs, sweeping melodies and very fast pace to an overwhelming effect, the headbanger's paradise, ending this masterpiece in the best possible fashion. Probably the only newcomer of the past few years to boldly stand on the very front echelon with the veterans, even surpassing them at the present moment, and a main pretender for the "best thrash metal act of the decade" title right now.

Anger As Art Full Length, 2006
Callous And Furor Full Length, 2006
Disfigure Full-length, 2009

Official Site

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ANGER REIGN (USA)

Based on the "Technodeath", this band do not belong exactly to the technical camp opting instead for a more standard sound ala Anthrax and mid-period Overkill with elements of power metal. There is a certain lack of speed the guys sticking to the mid-pace for most of the time with heavy smashing riffs, screaming leads, and very good clean vocals which often hit the high mark without sounding annoying. Some of the guys later formed Graphic Violence with whom they acquired a slightly more modern sound.

Anger Reign Demo, 1990
Technodeath Demo, 1991

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ANGER WITHIN (USA)

Cool classic crossover/thrash of the more aggressive type with elements of death metal.

Rise from the Violence Demo, 2000

Official Site

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ANGHELL (USA)

Decent classic power/thrash metal played by women/girls only; the girls play with energy, mostly in mid-tempo, with a few nice balladic passages present. The one behind the mike delivers with a forceful comprehensive delivery, pretty clean and convincing, but the guitar sound is quite dirty with a punkish vibe, but it can not possibly stand on the way of the great aggressive pounder "Psych War" near the end. Hats down to the girls for coming with a pretty classic-sounding for the time stuff, although they had to accept the new models 3 years later under the name Bitchcraft where the style is pretty ordinary 90's post-thrash.

FeMetal Demo, 1993

Fan Site

ANGKOR VAT (URUGUAY)

Based on the "Southern Blood" EP, this band are not far from the more brutal side of the Brazilian metal scene- think Sepultura ("Schizophrenia", "Beneath the Remains"), Holocausto's debut. The music is actually a good early thrash/death metal hybrid with speedy riffs inserted, recalling early Destruction and Kreator.

Vat-tack Demo, 1988
Southern Blood EP, 1989
Neutro EP, 1999

ANGKOR WAT (USA)

This band features Adam Grossman-the man who later founded the industrial metal wizards Skrew, and went into much bigger glories. The style on the 1st album is an unusual, occasionally interesting, almost hysterical take on thrash with hardcore, even punk-ish overtones; not for everyone, although the opening track "Innnocence 89" thrashes intensely in a respectable manner, ruined by the hysterical, shouty vocals. Later the songs vary from serious attempts at thrash, even with more technical guitars ("Under Lock & Key", "Emotional Blackmail") to intense, fast-paced ones ("Warsaw", "Die Young").
"Corpus Christi" is a major improvement with a much more serious song-writing, containing a couple of nice catchy thrashers. Slight industrial elements are also present to suggest at bigger things to come. The music on this one is a good rehearsal for the Grossnman's career with Skrew; it's even technical and choppy, more reminding of the last two Skrew efforts, rather than the all-out triple guitar attack on the first two. Really cool exercises in abstract, technical thrash will one find here: "Turn of the Screw" (here at least "screw" is spelt correctly (pun intended)): a very cool track, which offers a whirlwind of moods and music; the same effect is achieved later on the other highlight: the multi-layered "Ordinary Madness". The other material is more ordinary, but still offers enough twisted riffs ("Schizophrenic Storm") which nicely go along with the more direct aggressive ones. The album closer "Sour Born" is pure noisy industrial similar to the way Skrew used to end their albums.

When Obscenity Becomes The Norm... Awake ! Full-length, 1989
Corpus Christi Full-length, 1990

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ANGREPP (SWEDEN)

A varied effort mixing black, thrash and death metal with an old school spirit. The closest reference point would be the Canadians Slaughter, but there is also Bathory, Celtic Frost and early Swedish death metal to be heard. "Scandinavian Dawns" is a cool nod to old Burzum, a hypnotic blasting composition with only the vocals straying from the Norwegian's approach with their gruff low death metal tone.
"Warfare" is much more faithful to thrash metal than to the other styles, and as a whole this effort is more melodic and much more immediate. More than the tracks are in an energetic up-tempo, but there are a couple of numbers with a heavy stomping quality akin to early Celtic Frost. The bad news is that the guitar work is very simplistic sticking to the frolic punky patterns for most of the time, an approach also recently acquired by Darkthrone. So it's probably good in this case that the closing "Dictator" abandons those patterns, and opts for a much more brutal death metal sound with a dominant blast-beat flavour.

Prepare for the Attack Demo, 2006
Warfare Full-length, 2010

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ANGRIFF (PORTUGAL)

"War of Life" is heavy, modern thrash; "Under the Decadence" moves towards the old school sound akin to the Brazilians Atomica and Sepultura (the early albums). It is fairly energetic and brisk, seldom betraying the pattern with slower, pounding tracks ("Betrayer", the steam-rolling smasher "Decadence"). Still, killing explosions like "In Paranoia´s Dominion" and "Born in Vain", or the speedy thrash/crossover closer "Killing for Living" are what one expects to hear on a work like this.
"Art of Aggression" is another commendable slab of brisk energetic old school thrash, maybe a bit more laid-back, but sharp and speedy all over. The guys thrash with competence touching the Bay-Area ("Paradox Within"), or entering the German speed/thrash metal arena ("War To Honour Your God"), or moshing out in an 80's American fashion ("Steel Damage") ala early Whiplash.

War of Life Full-length, 2001
Under the Decadence Full-length, 2006
Art of Aggression EP, 2010

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ANGUISH (USA)

A 3-track EP of violent hardcore/thrash with brutal low-tuned death metal vocals; quite fast and intense stuff with direct riffs and mid-tempo breaks, and references to early Celtic Frost ("Winds Of Death").

Within The Darkness EP, 2009

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ANIALATOR (USA)

Violent aggressive thrash is what these guys offer on both EP's; long on aggression and short on ideas, but could be appealing to some. The band's approach definitely has a lot in common with Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" and Slayer's "Reign in Blood", but at times the guitar work takes a more intriguing, semi-technical edge ("Extermination By Dawn" from the first EP).

Anialator EP, 1988
Anialator II EP, 1989

ANIGMA (NEW ZEALAND)

An underground gem from New Zealand this way has been dug out; this obscure outfit serves a mix of power/thrash and thrash/crossover, which is definitely on the merry, uplifting side, but still providing more solid thrashers ("Trademark Killer"), as well as awkward noisy outros ("Nocimonorcen"). The guitars are sharp, but with a light-hearted melodic edge, and the singer resembles Mike Muir quite a bit, maybe a bit less attached, and not as omnipresent leaving more space for the music.

World of Fear Demo 1989

ANIHILATED (UK)

The UK answer to Slayer; that's quite a compliment and well deserved at that. The sound on the debut is dirty, almost hardcore-ish, but the sheer enthusiasm and inspiration behind the music is hard to be disguised. With a better production qualities, "The Ultimate Desecration" is really an impressive piece of forceful, well-executed thrash. "Desolation" is a stylish, heavy opening instrumental, setting the scene for the killer pieces to follow. The generally fast-pace of the songs is often "broken" by heavy, slower sections, quite similar to Slayer's late 80's period. There are also a few pure heavy, stomping numbers ("Lost Souls"), and some speed/thrash mixtures, nicely recalling their compatriots Sabbat: "Lethal Dose". "Internal Darkness" is a complex, dark song, again not as fast, followed by the two most aggressive tracks, returning to the Slayer-like patterns, followed for most of the time.
It seems as though every veteran from the 80's thrash metal scene is coming back these days. No complaints at all; the guys have done a good job on their comeback release staying true to the retro sound, although this effort is not as aggressive as "The Ultimate Desecration"; shades of Slayer can be felt on occasion ("Predator"), but the sound predominantly moves in energetic speed/thrash territories not too far from early Whiplash and Sacrifice's "Soldiers of Misfortune". The speedy delivery is partially "broken" on the heavy stomper "Full Circle" in the middle, but the merry-go-round goes on unabated on "Despair and Retribution", which carries a slight hardcore flavour in the debut vein, and on the 2 remaining tracks which are cool brisk headbangers. Hopefully this nice work will resonate well with the fans to encourage more British acts from the old times to reform; the UK hasn't taken a very active part in the resurrection process yet (Onslaught; Seventh Angel, although their new album has very few ties to thrash).

Path to Destruction EP, 1986
Created in Hate Full-length, 1988
The Ultimate Desecration Full-length, 1989
Live EP, 2005
Scorched Earth Policy Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ANIMATED VIOLENCE (USA)

A 4-track demo of brutal black/thrash which is at times quite heavy, recalling Celtic Frost and The Canadians Slaughter, at others quite fast and brutal, with the use of furious blast-beats. The mixture in this case doesn't work, as the two sides of the music are strictly separated from each other, awkwardly interrupting each other as well. On top of that the sound quality is awful, with a buzzy guitar sound and horrible synthesized shouty vocals.

Demo Demo, 1989

ANIMOSITY (USA, CO)

This mini-album contains energetic, albeit one-dimensional, but appealing thrash. The jolly atmosphere it creates would put it in the same camp as bands like Sonick Plague or Gothic Slam. Although all the songs flow in the same fast brisk vein, the final outcome is firmly on the positive side.

Get Off My Back EP, 1989

ANIMOSITY (USA, MI)

The first demo contains decent raw thrash, sometimes more energetic with elements of hardcore, sometimes heavy and gloomy along the lines of early Celtic Frost; the musicianship is not on a very high level. The 2nd one is a lot better, featuring one cool mid-paced instrumental ("Lupus Vulgaris"), one semi-ballad ("The Rehabilitation"), and the rest is a capable blend of thrash and American power metal.

Beneath The 13th Stone Demo, 1989
Life And Times Of The Humble Narrator Demo, 1989

AnJ (RUSSIA)

Based on the debut, this is progressive power/thrash: heavy, mid-tempo, with cool keyboard implements. The guys have a penchant for ballads, but they're done with a more edgy touch, fitting to the general heavy sound of the album.

Under An Intent Sight Full-length, 2004
100 Miles Straight Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ANNATHEMA (SERBIA)

"Annathema" is mostly speed metal with power and thrash metal elements thrown in; not bad and quite catchy at times, but more on the melodic side. "Empire Of Noise" is a heavier and thrashier affair, no traces of speed metal here, and could be considered one of the early works from the 90's angry thrash scene. The heavy, but not very fast guitars might pull back the fans of the debut, but jolly more melodic numbers ("Ride the Shooting Star", "Sleepless Night") are still present to please the less thrash-inclined fans. "Empire of Noise" speeds up quite a bit, but is the only effort in this direction, if we exclude the short intense instrumental "Nuclear Jazz", which actually deserves its title with cool jazzy interludes inserted amid the raging riffage. At the end the guys provide the listener with a cool live cover version of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe" (hey, quite a few acts out there have been fascinated by this song...).

Annathema Full-length, 1989
Empire Of Noise Full-length, 1991
Don't Go Down Full-length, 1997

ANNEXED ASYLUM (USA)

A cool new band, which sticks to the classic 80's laws to produce an interesting demo featuring a nice dark mid-paced thrasher ("Combustion"); a creepy minimalistic slightly chaotic, but well worth the listen, proto-black/thrash number ("Censor Control"), which could well fit the description "a more proficient, and more listenable Hellhammer"; an intense mid-paced smasher, somewhat reminding me of Slayer's "Postmortem": the early slower section ("World of Decay"). "Morbid Torture" is not too far from "World of Decay", but the guitars take a more melodic edge. "Six Years in Hell" refuses to speed up, and preserves the mid-pace, which the band has epitomized so well, and as such may be able to find a niche for themselves on the flourishing contemporary metal scene, as opposed to the acts which try to play as fast and aggressive as possible. Reportedly the guys are working on their full-length which should be out some time in 2009.

Starved and Batered Demo, 2008

ANNIHILATION (UK)

An ok hesitation between the modern and classic trends, starting with the decidedly modern-sounding headbanger "In The Shadow Of The Bomb". Then comes the retro galloping delight "Screams To The Skies", ruined a bit by the brutal semi-death metal vocals. From this moment on the guys adhere to long semi-progressive numbers of the mid-paced variety which kill the speed quite a bit relying mostly on monotonous heavy riffage that leads nowhere, but to create boredom near the end. There are cool more elaborate passages, but they are not fully developed, a main obstacle for which is the repetitive uneventful nature of the band's delivery.

Silent Hell Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ANNIHILATION (USA)

In an early incarnation of the band the line-up included two members of Taunted. Based on the "Timeless Transition" demo, this band offer excellent pounding, mostly mid-paced, but very frequently changing pace, technical thrash which is not miles away from Liege Lord's "Master's Control" (but more aggressive), or Deus Vult's "Soul Assault". There is a certain shade of American power metal ala Omen ("Deadly and Mean"), but combined with the sharp thrashy guitars and the slightly frantic, but highly appropriate delivery, this demo is a nice little gem in the crown of late 80's American thrash metal.

Laugh at the Sight of Pain Demo, 1985
Why the Nipple Hard-On? Demo, 1987
Timeless Transition Demo, 1989
Fourth Reich Demo, 1991

ANNIHILATIONMANCER (ITALY)

A stylish entry into the progressive thrash metal catalogue from Italy which recalls both late-80's Metallica and mid-period Death on the encompassing diverse opener "Etereo". "The Involution Philosophy" is not as dynamic, developing in a crushing mid-pace for about 9-min with the obligatory clever riffage involved. "Apolide" livens up the situation big time with energetic galloping riffs which step down in the middle for very cool balladic insertions, also showing the singer in a bright light, but generally this is an entertaining ripping piece with a Bay-Area vibe. "Impoverishment God Existence" follows a similar patern, except that it scores high in the lead department. "Corner Of The Answers" could pass for a semi-ballad with its hypnotic doomy riffs, with the expressive bass bottom a nice touch. "Reflected In Her Life" is a peaceful lead-driven instrumental, and the closing "Mind Surrounds, The Cavities Of Fear" is another complex thrasher in the Metallica mould which could fit on "...And Justice for All" any time, and not without the excellent leads ala Kirk hammett. The singer is a great asset singing in a clean dramatic manner echoing both David Wayne (R.I.P.) and Charles Rytkönen (Morgana Lefay) in a very good way, spicing his repertoire with a more venomous Mille-like delivery from time to time. Some of the musicians also play in the power/thrash metal outfit Power Beyond.

The Involution Philosophy Full-length 2010

Official Site

ANNIHILATION OF POWER (USA)

An obscure release offering classic power/thrash; a good reminder of the 80's American metal scene with cool attempts at a more progressive song-writing ("Path Through Darkness") and short, but effective, heavy thrashers ("Chaostrain"). "Runnin' Away" could have been spared, being a pointless soft punk-ish track.

Changes EP, 1996

ANNIHILATOR (CANADA)

With the phenomenal "Alice in Hell" Jeff Waters logically closed the decade for the Canadian metal scene, bringing its technical side to its culmination gracefully finishing what was started by his contemporaries (Voivod, Savage Steel, Sadistic Vision, DBC, etc.). The album's sounding success encouraged Waters to persevere through the difficult 90's, and "Never Neverland" appeared the very next year; unfortunately, the technical flamboyance and brave musicianship which made the debut so unforgettable, was nowhere to be heard, and this effort was consequently a disappointment, despite its merits as a pretty decent progressive power/thrash metal offering. Still, it was far from a flop, although that aforementioned flop was just around the corner: "Set the World on Fire" not only didn't "set the world on fire", but it virtually "killed" one of the very few hopes for classic thrash metal to carry on through the new decade, seeing the band having exhausted all their ideas and originality producing an effort not nearly half as good as the previous one.
Waters and his ever-changing gang looked for inspiration into other genres, consequently pulling the band's style into all possible directions: heavy metal, modern leanings, ballads, etc. This album considerably diminished the interest in the band although Waters managed to "recuperate" with the good "King Of The Kill" two years later, bringing the thrash back to a big extent with a more modern sound, preserving some of the melodic touches from the last one ("In the Blood" is one of best ballads of the 90's). But after that the guy started repeating himself, feeling obviously nostalgic, not willing to leave his crowning achievement to rest: whole passages from "Alice.." have been repeated directly or slightly rehashed which would inevitably put a smile on the fan's face for its sheer audacity (or shamelessness- is there such a word? If not, here it is!); the problem is that surrounded by much less impressive decisions/arrangements on every album since 1994, those passages could no longer deliver. Even the participation of half the metal constellation on "Metal" didn't seem to help: Waters has proved a long time ago that when doing things alone he could reach much further. However, with only one great album in their very long discography, it's really hard to place Annihilator on the front row with the finest, despite the mainman's undisputable talent.

It's 2010, and the next Annihilator album is a fact; and it's self-titled, too. So is this a new beginning for the band, or a direct, not badly disguised anymore, return to the days of "Alice..."? Well, it's neither of the two, but is a pretty decent entry into the the band's voluminous catalogue, arguably the finest one since "King of the King". The opening riffs from the opening "The Trend" will hardly please anyone with their soft heavy metal beat, but the thrashing starts not before long on this one, and the next "Coward" makes sure there'll be noone sitting down while listening to it, aggressive thrash to the bone with sparce melodic "reliefs". But this is not all, as "Ambush" arrives with another portion of furious headbanging riffs, and one may start wondering whether this is an Annihilator record: there's so much intense thrashin' to be heard here. And here comes the "proof" to dissipate your doubts: "Betrayed" is the prototypical for the guys mid-paced proto-modern thrasher followed by the semi-technical oddity "25 Seconds", a slightly uneven mix of very fast thrash and jumpy more elaborate decisions. "Nowhere To Go" delivers the trade mark mid-tempo power/thrash so familiar from the band's more recent efforts, but "The Other Side" is a cool turn to the classic 80's American speed/power/thrash metal scene, recalling Attacker's "Second Coming" with its galloping guitars. "Death In Your Eyes" is a technical/progressive extravaganza, another flawed, but by all means interesting, concoction of brutal, at times pure death metal, riffage and stylish complex arrangements the latter good reminders of "Alice...". The bad news is that the last two tracks are mere fillers, "Payback" an ordinary uneventful groover, and the closer "Romeo Delight" a somewhat unnecessary cover of the Van Halen merry rock'n roll roller-coaster. A homogeneous and consistent Annihilator album nowadays would be mere fantasy, but this one most of the time avoids the bad taste "traps", also finding a good balance between thrash metal and the rest, with some of the most raging riffs ever featured on an Annihilator album.

Alice in Hell Full-length, 1989
Never Neverland Full-Length,1990
Stonewall EP, 1991
Set the World on Fire Full-length, 1993
King Of The Kill Full-length, 1994
Refresh the Demon Full-length, 1996
Remains Full-length, 1997
Criteria for a Black Widow Full-length, 1999
Carnival Diablos Full-length, 2001
Waking The Fury Full-length, 2002
The One EP, 2004
All for You Full-length, 2004
Schizo Deluxe Full-length, 2005
Metal Full-length, 2007
Annihilator Full-length, 2010

Official Site

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ANNIHILISM (AUSTRALIA)

Classic thrash with influences from old school death metal reminiscent of early Mortification; a very good band (check out "Chaotic Embrace").

Annihilism Demo, 2002

Official Site

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ANNULATION (SWITZERLAND)

Based on "Human Creatures": although this is definitely thrash (music-wise) with death metal vocals, the overall sound reminds me of the Kovenant's "Animatronic". It has this industrial, electronic edge which many other bands have adopted more or less successfully. In this case it works well also calling to mind another album in the same niche: Nefilim's "Zoon".
"Burning Time" is more ordinary-sounding, being heavy abrasive modern thrash hesitating between the aggro-sound and the more atmospheric gothic side. Still, this hesitation remains of the less impressive type being one-dimensional mid-paced stuff with pounding noisy guitars and brutal death metal vocals.

Burning Time Full-length, 2002
Human Creatures Full-length, 2004

Official Site

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ANNUNAKI (USA)

Thrash, black and death metal mixed together; for some reason the style reminds me of a thrashy version of Deicide, and the Swedes Deathwitch. The tempo is frequently fast and intense with the obligatory inclusion of blast-beats, but the music gives its fair share to thrash metal, and the guitars thrash mightily on the best songs ("Eucharist", "Ruler of None"). "Torture" is a curious number being an interesting mix of beautiful acoustic melodies and furious blast-beats. The vocals are of the dual type: ones are deep low death growls, the others higher-pitched and snarly, also death metal-styled.

Incarcerate in Rapture EP, 2005
Throne of the Annunaki Full-Length, 2007

Official Site

ANODIZE (CHINA)

Based on "Action Figures", these Hong Kong "metallers" pull out light-hearted groovy post-thrash with funky and balladic overtones. The band rose from the ashes of the controversial hip-hop formation LMF (Lazy Mutha Fucka/Lazy Mother Fucker), and their pop-oriented past can easily be heard over the album. This is soft stuff, with a few hard-edged guitars and melodic alternative vocals.

Anodize Full-length, 1994
Welcome To Beijing Motel Full-length, 1995
Action Figures Full-length, 1997
4 EP, 1999

My Space

ANOMALLY (PORTUGAL)

Dark gothic thrash, bringing to mind mid-period Cemetary ("Godless Beauty", "Sundown") and a thrashy Lacuna Coli; this is mid-paced music with gruff low-tuned death metal vocals, keyboards, and cool, but overdone, orchestral arrangements.

Once In Hell... Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ANONYMUS (CANADA)

While Annihilator were trying to raise their music back to the high standards of "Alice In Hell", the Canadian thrash metal scene found its new heroes. One of the better Canadian thrash metal bands of the past 15 years, Anonymus' first 2 albums are technical thrash masterpieces, one of the culminations of the genre. "Ni Vu Ni Connu" is a fabulous debut, with excellent guitar work, head-spinning tempo changes and brilliant leads, quite melodic, contrasting to the hard-hitting riffage. The music is heavy, mid to up-tempo, with the exception of the magnificent speedy jolly "Amen Toé", and the hectic, violent closer "Demonomane".
"Stress" betrays the heavy, pounding sound of its predecessor, opting for a faster, but an equally intriguing one. The music is kind of uplifting, and more optimistic than the slightly brooding tone of the debut, featuirng a fine mid-paced thrasher "Un Pied Dans La Tombe", with a stupendous lead performance. "Sans Dessein" is a sudden turn to aggressive thrash/death, but is quite enjoyable.
"Instinct" elaborates on that jolly shade, and here the band jumps the hardcore wagon ("Out Of Breath", etc.) on quite a few times; if the sound before was a nice mix between the classic and the modern school, here it is purely modern, with a strong shade of groove ("Feed The Dragon"). The guitars are much more ordinary, and although some numbers still carry the technical flair of the past ("Goal"), as a whole this album is a much less impressive offering.
"Daemonium" provides an even bigger cocktail; now apart from hardcore and thrash, we have death metal with a nice Gothenburg touch ("Burning The Candle Both Ends": a really cool track, by the way), and power metal ("Twice"); the tracks are even shorter with no traces of technical play; a mixed bag, which definitely has its moments, but was not a sure stop on the way down, and it looked as though the guys would not be able to leave a more lasting impression on the scene than Annihilator, and even fade away faster.
Surprisingly, "L'Académie du Massacre" is a good experiment, a collaboration with the folk-rock singer Mononc' Serge, which combines the hard-hitting thrash of the band's first two albums with the light rock-ish style of Serge; certainly not an all-out thrash affair, with at least one-third of the songs having no relations to the genre, this effort showed that the guys haven't said their final word yet, and they can still thrash with the best out there.

"Chapter Chaos Begins" is far from a failure, but the more aggressive death metal elements have come to stay, and although it might be appealing to some, the blend at least to these ears doesn't seem to work at quite a few times. The songs are longer, and the superb lead guitar work, which was kind of lost for a while, has been brought back; still those blast-beats are somewhat annoying, especially when they come in the middle of a cool thrashy passage. Quite a few technical hooks can also be heard, although this is not a full-blooded work of technical death/thrash.

"Musique Barbare" is another collaboration between the band and Mononc' Serge. This time the "thrash brigade" has spread its wings over a wider spectre of influences: 90's post-thrash, crossover, modern technical thrash (the excellent "Resistance Festive"), etc. The bad news is that concentrated on making this cocktail as listenable as possible, the guys have at times completely forgotten about the thrashy side of things, and apart from the aforementioned composition, there is only one track, which will make you recall the band's past, thrashing with gusto: "Tout L'monde Se Crisse". As a whole this is light-hearted feelgood stuff with no big ties to thrash metal which is hardly the expected "excuse" after the not so convincing "Chapter Chaos Begins".
"Etat Brute": fans of "Chapter Chaos Begins" will be happy all over with this new offering, which provides the same roller-coaster modern thrash with both melodic and more brutal elements. There are not many hints at anything more technical ("L'Heure De La Vérité" comes to mind, but...), but the guys excel in melody to a positive effect, and keep the pace energetic the whole time, adding the casual blast-beat ("Rage De Vivre") here and there. The vocals have become even gruffer and more shouty, but this raw approach kind of fits the not very demanding musical delivery. Some of the musiccians are also active with the diverse act Spelldown, which started as a power metal act (the demo "Damnation From the Highest Point", 1999), before switching onto similar to Anomymus modern thrash/death metal (the self-titled EP, 2011).

Ni Vu Ni Connu Full-length, 1994
Stress Full-length, 1997
Instinct Full-length, 1999
Daemonium Full-length, 2002
L'Académie du Massacre Full-length, 2003
Chapter Chaos Begins Full-length, 2006
Musique Barbare Full-Length, 2008
Etat Brute Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

My Space

ANOPHELES (ITALY)

Dark brooding thrash reminiscent of Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy" (especially in the vocal department) and the Brits Deathwish; the music has its speedy moments, and although it is not technical or original, it packs a punch with heavy meaty riffs and interesting guitar melodies.

Eversio Demo, 1989

ANOTHER KIND OF DEATH (SPAIN)

Modern thrash with elements of metalcore; a hectic, jumpy affair, but pretty familiar and not very hard-hitting, relying on laid-back riffage and plenty of melody, whch contrast with the rough, slightly synthesized vocals.

Legacy Full-Length, 2011

ANOXIA (DENMARK)

Based on "A Lapdance For The Devil", this band plays melodic power/thrash metal which sits between the modern and the classic school "courting" both along the way, although its ties to the 90's power/speed metal scene are more than clear ("Risky on the Rocks"), and more aggressive pieces like "Flowers on My Grave" are not a very frequent event. The closing "Hell Bent for Heaven" comes close to the latter at times, but this is predominantly pleasant feelgood stuff in mid-pace with quite good clean mid-ranged dramatic vocals recalling the Gamma Ray works with Ralf Scheepers. Some of the musicians taking part here can also be seen in the groovy post-thrashers Megalomania 999.

Melanchollision Full-length, 2003
A Lapdance For The Devil Full-length, 2010

Official Site

ANOXIA (UK)

Based on the debut EP, these Londoners pull out aggressive thrash/death metal, more death than thrash, which is fast-paced for most of the time, except on "Anomalous" and "Fall To Fire", which are otherwise cool twisted semi-doomy technical tracks in the vein of Morbid Angel. This is brisk music, speedy, with a slightly buzzy guitar sound and brutal low-tuned death metal vocals.

Manufacturing The End EP, 2007
If You Want Peace, Prepare For War EP, 2008
Empire Of Intolerance Full-length, 2009

My Space

ANSCHLUSS (BRAZIL)

Although being active since the mid 80's, it was more than ten years later when these guys finally got lucky to sign an album deal: heavy modern death/thrash with interesting Bolt Thrower-like riffs. Their early demos are amateurish brutal black/thrash, copying their peers from Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sextrash in hardly the best possible way.

Fate Full-length, 1997

My Space

ANSHAR (USA)

This is heavy mid-paced power/thrash metal with strong doomy overtones, still more classic-sounding for the time; the approach actually recalls Black Sabbath's "Dehumanizer", which was released just a year earlier. The rhythm section is heavy and threatening (check out the steam rollers "Lobotomy" and "Gridlock"), but the guys never feel the temptation to make things more interesting by speeding up, except for the closing more energetic power/thrasher "Shockwave".

Defacing Humanity Full-length, 1993

ANTACID (MALAYSIA)

Based on the split, this is good retro thrash with black-ish vocals reminiscent of the Swedes Bewitched and Witchery, "supported" by elements from the more melodic power/heavy metal field, mostly in the lead guitar work.

Thrashing Mania Demo, 2004
Demon Seed of Thrash Split, 2005
Steel Thrashing Massacre Demo, 2006

My Space

ANTAGON (COLOMBIA)

Cool classic thrash with a dark, brooding sound, not very fast, sounding a bit like early Destruction and Sacrifice's "Soldiers of Misfortune", but the guitars are not that sharp, and the vocals are strictly in the death/black metal camp.

Mental Pollution Demo, 1992

ANTAGONIST (GERMANY)

Based on "Demons", these guys pull out a dynamic mix of modern and retro thrash recalling more recent Kreator. The sense of melody is probably bigger here, for better or worse, but the approach is exactly the same as the one on "Violent Revolution" and "Enemy of God": a potent balanced blend of fast and slower numbers and vocals which are a deadringer for the more recently acquired singing style by Mille. The blend gets broken near the end, but this brings the most entertaining headbanging moments on the album on the last two songs which are nice pure classic speed/thrashing delights.

Mosaik EP, 1995
Perfect Human Comprehension Full-length, 1999
New Zombie Dead EP, 2002
Demons Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ANTAGONIST (USA, GREEN BAY, WI)

Based on "Antagonist", this is good technical thrash which at times gets quite aggressive; Forbidden meets Gammacide would be a good description. The only downpoint is "Live In Fear", an awkward heavy rock number which is bad even if intended as a joke. Reportedly, the band changed their style for their second EP into a Manowar clone (including also a cover version of "Kill With Power") which is quite hard to believe, and very sad if it's true, considering the sheer skill displayed in the beginning.

Antagonist EP, 1993
Open Face Surgery EP, 2000

ANTAGONIST (USA, WHITTIER, CA)

Modern thrash/death with metalcore vocals; I know, it doesn't sound attractive, especially when I add that they also have the detrimental tendency to throw those clean vocals here and there although the music is not a total waste with a fair share of energetic fast-paced riffs.
"World In Decline" is an intense affair blending modern thrash with death metal; the guitar work is melodic and catchy, and certain metalcore breaks have sneaked in here and there. Still, this effort is not a total waste relying on fast-paced rhythms which, combined with the melodic hooks and the sparce more technical decisions, will appeal to quite a few contemporary metal fans, mostly to those who are fonder of the Swedish trends in the genre.

Eschatology EP, 2004
Samsara EP, 2005
The Architecture of Discord Full-length, 2005
An Envy of Innocence Full-length, 2006
Exist Full-length, 2008
World In Decline Full-length, 2010

Official Site

My Space

ANTARES PREDATOR (NORWAY)

These guys were previously known as Wolf 327. The EP is a blend of black and thrash metal, quite furious and brutal, at least in the beginning: the orchestral black opus "Erosion of Eternity". Later things settle down for a couple of cool straight thrash pieces: "As Dragons Roam The Sky", the heavy mid-paced "Midnight Wolf", which are the more appealing side of this EP. "Sacrament" is a nod to the more eclectic, avantgarde side of black metal (Khold, Thorns, recent Satyricon) with its slow, doomy, ominous riffs.
"Twilight of the Apocalypse" is both an elaboration and an improvement on the EP, featuring very fast (at least the two opening numbers), not as fast, and almost doomy compositions. Nice semi-technical edge can be heard throughout as well as a cool keyboard background on some tracks. Thrash is very well covered, and there is a death metal flavour on a few songs ("As Dragons Roam The Sky", "Wastelands"). "Sacrament" is a great composition mixing the moody doomy side of black metal with fine haunting melodies. "Mark 13" is actually the only hyper-blasting track here, but the next "Orion" is excellent sharp mid-paced thrash with an epic touch. But the best on the album is yet to come, first with the technical thrash/deathfest "Through The Deep", and then with the progressive opus "Twilight of the Apocalypse", a compelling mix of galloping thrash and operatic keyboard melodies which create a nice "duel" with the leads at some point, remaining quite a highlight. The final "Death" betrays the energy experienced so far (after all it's "death" we're talking about), but in a cool way being an atmospheric lead-driven instrumental. This is a nice full-length debut giving a headstart to the Italian metal scene for 2010 with its encompassing diverse sure-handed approach.

Banquet of Ashes EP, 2008
Twilight of the Apocalypse Full-length, 2010

My Space

ANTEMORTEM (COLOMBIA)

Based on the Split, this act offers evil misanthropic black/thrash metal of the fast extreme type, strictly old school. Still, the music is more thrash-based reaching for the early German school ("Through Death") on the more inspired moments. The guitar work is very simplistic, just above the amateurish level, the drums are very hollow, and the singer unleashes a sinister semi-whispered tone which becomes barely audible at times.

Through Death Demo, 2005
Galeras Thrash Assault Split, 2006
Blasphemy Thrashing Metal Demo, 2006
Unholy Mutilator of Christ Best of/Compilation, 2007

Official Site

ANTERIOR (USA)

Another representative of the modern thrash/death metal wave.

This Age of Silence Full-length, 2007

My Space

ANTESSER (RUSSIA)

This is classic-sounding speed/power/thrash, more on the melodic side, energetic and competently done, but the lack of sharpness in the riffs, and the numerous melodic hooks will hardly make it the headbanger's first choice. Still the energy behind numbers like "Slavery Of Darkness" and "From Love To Hate" will not pass unnoticed, and "Buried Alive" is good doom metal with a nice organ tune in the end, cancelled by the closing 1.5-min furious grinding "Destroy The World": quite a surprise, featured on this not very hard-hitting album.

Demolition Star Full-length, 2006

ANTHARES (BRAZIL)

Very cool speed/thrash metal with nods to the German School- Vectom, Toxic Shock, Exumer, Paradox; this is fast, energetic stuff, with harsh, vicious vocals along the lines of Tony Portaro (Whiplash).

No Limite da Força Full-length, 1987

Official Site

ANTHARES (FRANCE)

Most of the time these guys pull out heavy mid-paced thrash in the vein of the Germans Warpath, or Slayer's late 80's period on the better moments, which are not that many, in the first half. Some attempts to break the monotonous formula in the second one lead to one odd funky track ("Dance With The Fog"), and one not very impressive heavy/power metal one ("Soldier of Hell"). "Only the Best" partially saves the day, being a really cool energetic thrasher (it's "only the best", after all), and the following "The World in Flame" also comes with brisk hard-hitting riffage. The ending is saved for a cover version of Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide". The vocals are bad, shouted hardcore-ish ones.

Pro Memoria Full-length, 1999

Official Site

ANTHONY (FINLAND)

Based on the "Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction" demo, these guys pull out cool fast-paced thrash similar to early Kreator and Toxic Shock. The guitar work is simplistic, but quite hard-hitting, and the vocals are gruff, semi-death metalish, recalling Martin Van Drunen (Pestilence, Asphyx, etc.).

Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction Demo, 1989
Two Songs of Sorrow Single, 1991

ANTHRAX (USA)

A compulsory band, needless to say; "Fistful of Metal" was an inspired, rough around the edges debut, which virtually started the speed/thrash metal movement, along with the same year's works of Metallica, Exciter and Slayer. Two years later the band tested the soil with the excellent EP "Armed and Dangerous", which also introduced the new singer Joey Belladonna, whose clean, higher-pitched tember gave a strong individual edge to the band's style. "Spreading the Disease" summed the best from the already established speed and thrash metal genres, featuring again the mighty semi-ballad from the EP "Armed and Dangerous". Then came the full-on thrash assault on "Among the Living", considered by many the band's finest hour, full with instant thrash metal hits ("I Am the Law", "Efilnikufecin", "Indians",etc.). "State of Euphoria" was a nice companion to its predecessor, but the guys reached their summit with the dark, haunting, progressive sound on the incredible "Persistence Of Time", which showed in a great way the band's more serious, thought-out side, introducing longer, complex compositions, leaving behind the hit potential which the previous material had (except, of course, for the excellent energetic crossover cover of Joe Jackson's "Got the Time"). Then Joey Belladonna left to form his own band, but Anthrax voted to continue, and recruited John Bush from the power metallers Armored Saint. "The Sound Of White Noise" followed a similar to the Black Album post-thrash pattern, and admirably hit the mark, but the later works moved into a direction which has nothing to do with thrash.
Joey Belladonna is again with his old comrades (although, based on the interviews he's been giving recently, the future of this reunion is not very certain), and the fans will rejoice to hear one of the most characteristic voices of thrash metal back to the fore. Certainly, those same fans will have to settle for the fact that "Among the Living" or "Persistence of Time" can not possibly be recreated; and with that frame of mind they should approach "Worship Music". So, is this new offering from the legendary New Yorkers worth "worshipping"? The answer would inevitably vary from one song to another, depending on the listener's taste, who will come across a few influences here. The classic, "moshing" Anthrax is well mixed with the proto-groovy rhythms of "Sound Of White Noise" on the energetic opener "Earth On Hell", a promising beginning overall. "The Devil You Know" is a milder power/thrasher reminding of the Belladonna solo period quite a bit, the "cure" provided by the following "Fight 'Em Til You Can't", which is an edgier piece with a nice catchy chotus. Then comes a time for several softer tracks with a modern edge, "In The End" supplying the desirable retro galloping digression. A string of angrier, groovier compositions follow suit, which get lost in repetitive, predictable riffs. "The Constant" is a post-classic "echo" from "Sound Of White Noise", the closing "Revolution Screams" remaining faithful to the aforementioned album with its pounding, slightly alternative, delivery, and the good memorable chorus. As a whole there is very little to be heard from Anthrax of the 80's, the guys producing a mildly entertaining tribute to their 90's period with a passing retro twist. Belladonna surprisingly fits this material, pulling out a good performance, without straining himself too much. The band's fans will probably hope for a more classic-sounding, post-reunion offering in the near future, but at this stage they will have to try and find an "antidote" for the aftertaste which this album would by all means leave.

Fistful of Metal Full-length, 1983
Armed and Dangerous EP, 1985
Spreading the Disease Full-length, 1985
Among the Living Full-length, 1987
State of Euphoria Full-length, 1988
Penikufesin EP, 1989
Persistence of Time Full-length, 1990
Attack Of The Killer B's Best of/Compilation, 1991
Sound Of White Noise Full-length, 1993
Worship Music Full-length 2011

Official Site

My Space

ANTHROPHOBIA

Modern post-thrash borrowing from both the alternative and the hardcore arena; there's not much to delight the regular thrash fan, but those who are into the nu-sound of the 90's: Helmet, Biohazard, Tool, etc., will do no wrong checking these guys out.

Framework EP, 1996

ANTI (BELARUS)

Light-hearted mellow modern post-thrash with a slightly rough sound which is suitable at least for the cool cover of New Model Army's "The Hunt", the same one which also fascinated Sepultura. The guitars have a certain punky/alternative edge which disappears on the best material, like the doom/psychedelic number "Green Hell".

Anger Full-Length, 2010

ANTI TOXIN (GERMANY)

Thrash/crossover of the more simplistic, raw type, with excellent bass performance; the style is quite close to early Prong and The Accused, with a badly disguised punk-ish attitude.

The Enemy Is You EP, 1988

ANTICHRIST (HUNGARY)

This formation, along with Tormentor, had introduced the black side of metal in Hungary and Eastern Europe in general, although these guys are more thrashy, but lesser musicians. The music on this demo is one-dimensional, very simple black-ish thrash, obviously influenced by early Bathory, mostly up-tempo, with horrible unholy snarly vocals, which might scare someone, even nowadays. "Night of the Living Deads", which is a bonus track, is probably one of the first attempts at brutal death metal from Hungary, although the musicianship there is also on quite a low level.

Dark Age... in the Very Beginning Demo, 1989

ANTICHRIST (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Put to Death" demo: cool retro thrash metal ala Possessed's "Seven Churches"; dark ominous sound, moderately fast tempos, vicious semi-death metal vocals, and a few attempts at more direct speed metal ("Virgin's Blood"). The riffs are a bit mellower carrying more melody which at times grow into really catchy memorable hooks (check "Virgin's Blood" again).
"Forbidden World" is a really good debut, the guys having epitomized their style with more nods towards the German speed/thrash metal school, the fierce opener "Dark Sorcery" sounding like the song Angel Dust never wrote: a speed/thrashfest at its best, graced by fine melodic leads. "Militia Of Death" is less than 3-min of pure thrashing madness, with the next "Torment in Hell" bringing the "winds" of speed metal again. "Forbidden World" is 1.5-min of peaceful semi-acoustic guitars, and "Necropolis" is an ambitious 8-min composition of intense headbanging speed/thrash with slight progressive leanings and an imposing doomy ending. Then the speed/thrashing madness carries on for another 3 tracks, and those survive it (this is some ultra-furious stuff, folks!) will reach another larger-than-life number: "Minotaur", an instrumental-only opus, which tones down the aggression concentrating on more moderate galloping riffs and beautiful melodic hooks, mostly in the lead department. The final "Terror Dimension" is a total early Destruction-worship, a fitting finish to this no-brainer of a classic speed/thrash metal, which is very close to topping up the thrash metal movement in their homeland.
The band members keep themselves busy with numerous other acts: the classic heavy metal newcomers Witchgrave, the death metal outfits Eviscerated (which is on hold at the moment) and Awaken Horror, etc.

Crushing Metal Tape Demo, 2009
Put to Death Demo, 2010
Forbidden World Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

ANTIDOTE (FINLAND)

These late comers on the Finnish thrash metal scene started quite well with "The Truth": nice, multi-layered semi-technical thrash with interesting, diverse compositions. It really offered an interesting approach to thrash, at times quite frenetic and chaotic ("Symphony of Death"), at times pure thrashing madness ("Act of Violence"), at times heavy and crushing ("Melancolia"). The fast pace predominates, and the very technical moments are not that many, so this work will be a sure pick for the headbangers.
Later the band abandoned this formula, and stuck to heavy, mostly mid-paced songs somewhat along the lines of Metallica's late 80's period, also quite good, but less original. The compositions are increased in length, and are decidedly more technical, obviously influenced by the approach on "...And Justice For All". Of course, there are speedy moments, but they could be viewed as breaks from the monolithic heavy wall of sound, created by the rest. Attempts at a more melodic, heavy metal-based song-writing are also made ("My Million Years" from "Total"), as well as at modern, groovy post-thrash, again recalling more Metallica's Black Album ("The Aggressor Within" from "Mind Alive"), rather than Pantera or Machine Head. Quite a few of the tracks border on heavy, doomy, semi-balladic thrash, which create a somewhat tedious atmosphere.

The Truth Full-length, 1992
Total Full-length, 1994
Mind Alive Full-length, 1996

ANTIDRASI (GREECE)

Based on the debut, this band plays intense thrash/crossover, clinging more towards the hardcore side. Some songs are pure bashing bordering on grind ("Gennimenoi Nekroi"), some, but much fewer, are more melodic punk-ish pieces ("Genoktonia"), and as a whole the music of those Greeks is fairly more aggressive than the majority of the thrash/crossover acts having walked the Earth during the late 80's/early 90's. The tracks are short and vicious, and the sound quality, at least on this album, is bad, with a buzzy guitar sound. The singer is vintage Tommy Victor (Prong), and the overall musical approach of those guys is not too far from the early works of Prong.
"Pantou & Pouthena" shows the band in an inspired form to produce more aggressive hardcore-ish thrash, after a long 11-year absence. The music this time is more laid-back, very seldom reaching grinding intensity, also relying on more melodic patterns, taken straight from the efforts of Suicidal Tendencies and Lawnmower Deth.

Katastasi Kindunou Full-length, 1990
Enantia Full-length, 1991
E 7 EP, 1995
Pantou & Pouthena Full-Length, 2006

ANTIQUE DOLL (JAPAN)

Based on the "Pleasure Land" EP, this act plays a decent mix of classic and modern thrash, blending fast uncompromising passages with more laid-back ones with a shade of power metal. "Pleasure Land" is a doomy, semi-balladic sleeper, but "Another" is a compensation with its merry crossover rhythms. The singer is a high-strung emotioner, his style very close to the one of his compatriot Anchang from Sex Machineguns.

Pleasure Land EP 1996
Maze EP 1996

Official Site

ANTIQUUS (CANADA)

Another very talented technical/progressive act from Canada; the band's style is a potent mixture of progressive, power, thrash and doom. The music is mostly heavy, mid-paced, with not many faster sections; the compositions are lengthy, some of them easily reaching the 9-10min mark. The riffs are crushing and heavy, interrupted by nice melodic tunes (especially those on the debut are marvellous; this same album is permeated by a great Oriental atmosphere). The band's style has a lot in common with acts like Zero Hour, although the Canadians don't rely on technicality all the time; Communic, the Swedes Pathos, Memento Mori, the last Hexenhaus album. The lead guitar work is, expectedly, on a very high level, but it's the wide amalgam of riffage and moods which makes both works a wonder to listen to. The singer has a cool melodic tember, coming as a slightly lower-pitched version of Messiah Marcolin, although he also does a good job when hitting the higher tones. "Ramayana" is the more technical and heavier effort- a marvellous combination of smashing aggressive riffage and enchanting melodies; "Eleutheria" is more conventional, but is more dynamic and faster, and there the guys produce some fine galloping riffs.

Ramayana Full-Length, 2005
Eleutheria Full-Length, 2006

Official Site

ANTIQUUS SCRIPTUM (PORTUGAL)

The single is only one song, made by just one man operating under the name Sacerdos Magus, and this is a question for the thrash metal fans in their early teens: who is the band covered here? Quite a capable cover, if you ask me, with very well imitated Warrior-like vocals. Otherwise the music is a faithful rendition of this immortal hit with the guitar sound having the same low-tuned funereal quality.

Abi In Malam Pestem Full-length, 2002
Immortalis Factus Full-length, 2008
Dethroned Emperor Single, 2010

My Space

ANTISILENCE (TURKEY)

Based on "Suffer Hits": a mix of classic and modern thrash in almost equal dozes; the classic and shorter numbers seem to work better ("K!E!S!M!E! S!E!S!I!N!I!"), coming with a pinch of hardcore. The modern tracks are long, a bit boring, and come served with balladic moments ("Da H8 Song"), unpleasantly industrialized ("Let's Consume"), or punk-tinged ("Faceslap!"). "I Came, I Saw, I Lost" is the exception, being a nice fusion of soft balladic parts and really cool technical riffs; "Somebody Call Me A Starship" is another cool moment: thrash/crossover with a twist. Near the end the guys completely lose it, offering awkward melodic, long ("Tw Is Twastebreakhurt" alone is 11-min long), instrumental-only tracks, with no relations to metal.

New World Order Sucks Full-length, 1995
Suffer Hits Full-length, 2000

Official Site

ANTISYSTEM (RUSSIA)

This band was founded by the ultimate guru of Russian thrash metal: Maxim "S Boltom" Layko, who is also responsible for Korrozia Metalla, D.I.V., Manic Depression, etc. This is well executed speed/thrash of the more melodic variety, with fast riffage and very cool leads. The German school- early Heloween, Warrant, Iron Angel, is an obvious influence, but there are shades of crossover, and even some Jeff Waters-like guitars can be heard from time to time. The second half of the album is less impressive and much more meloidc, with three ballads included, and one classic heavy metal number ("Krev i Honor").

Memorial for Szczery EP, 2007
Worse Is Better Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ANTITESE (BRAZIL)

This band safely walk on the well trodden path of vicious brutal Brazilian thrash along the lines of Sarcofago and Sepultura. They are actually better than those early efforts offering more laid-back, sensible and listenable material, and a more sincere approach, expressed by song-titles like "Thrash", for example. The guitar work is simplistic, but catchy, sounding a little buzzy, topped by vicious death metal vocals. Despite the somewhat one-dimensional delivery, some room has been found for more melodic moments ("Atlantis", which is a very cool speed/thrasher, reminding of the early German speed/thrash scene). The closing "The Infinity" is a cool change being an atmospheric mid-paced instrumental with very good leads which were hidden somewhere on the rest.

Antitese Full-length, 1989

My Space

ANTITHESIS (USA)

A highly recommended progressive power/thrash metal band whose style takes the best from the 80's American power metal scene and the German progressive thrash wave of the early-mid 90's. "Antithesis" starts with a splash with the brilliant opener "Netherworld"- arguably the band's finest number, a magnificent progressive power thrasher with superb guitar work and a galloping rhythm. What follows is no less impressive; especially the guitar performance remains on a very high level. Some fine exercises in technical thrash are worth of note: "Sword of Mouth" and "Plastic", as well as the excellent acoustic ballad "Secret Fires".
"Dying for Life" goes in the same vein. The opener "Soul of Ice" again carries the best of the album; the tracks are longer and more technical, and the tempo changes are more frequent. "Times of Trial" is a heavy semi-ballad, which slows the album down, and is too long for the kind closing on 8.5 min. The following songs are more satisfying, but fail to capture the speed lost, and come with a more aggressive and heavier, but also slower riffage ("Politicide").

"Dreaming Reality" is finally a fact, after numerous delays, but is welcome to add more fuel to the guys' small, but impressive, catalogue. With some of them having honed their weapons with Dark Arena, it would come as no surprise the strong material here which starts with the forceful dark power/thrasher "The Madness", a crunchy moody piece with excellent passionate clean vocals courtesy of the new vocalist Matt Adkins. "Endless Circle" is faster and more aggressive, but "The Prophecy" brings the "darkness" back, as well as the more complex heavier riffs. "Dreaming Reality" is progressive power/thrash metal of the pensive doomy type, and "Venom Divine" is another staple for the band heavy number with semi-balladic overtones. "The Bleeding" is a heavy crusher with shattering riffage, and things desitably speed up on the more vivid power metal razor "Final Season". Then follows "Blue" which is a more dreamy progressive piece, the seeming filler, before the closing "Breaking My Will" "breaks your will" with faster sharper riffs. Speed has never been the 1st word to come to mind when listening to this band, and those who were happy with the first 2 albums will find no flaws here, although the song-writing has been simplified a bit with not too much complexity going on also resulting in shorter more immediate songs.

Antithesis Full-length, 2000
Dying For Life Full-length, 2001
Dreaming Reality Full-length, 2010

Official Site

My Space

ANTON (MEXICO)

Based on the "Bestiario" full-length, this act pulls out a decent mix of modern and classic thrash, energetic stuff with a couple of atmospheric semi-industrial elements. The singer is a gruff black-ish rasper who kind of doesn't quite fit the music. The modern and the classic elements alternate, as well as the faster and the slower sections as the former predominate sounding close to more recent Kreator, and one can not possibly ignore the proto-death fury of "This Crippled Earth" or the sophisticated dry Voivod-esque technical aggression on "Mind Over".

Creador del Dolor Full-length, 1996
En el Umbral del Caos Full-length, 1998
Todos Morirán Hoy Full-length, 2004
Adicción Satánica EP, 2006
Bestiario EP, 2008
Bestiario Full-length, 2008

Official Site

My Space

ANTRACIT (CZECH)

The awful sound quality is major detraction for one to grasp completely this intense thrash/death metal mixture which offers a not very balanced alternation between fast and slow riffs, the latter having a gloomy, dark colouring. The vocalist is nothing special, with his strained gruff death metal tember, who tries to overshout the instruments when in action which, fortunately, doesn't happen very often.

The Perfect Kill Demo, 1990

ANTROFORCE (BRAZIL)

This unknown act indulges in direct, simplistic Germanic thrash with early Destruction and Kreator the closest soundalikes. The delivery is pretty amateurish, the guys just bashing hard with very buzzy, thin guitars and unrehearsed, shouty death metal vocals. The sound quality is quite muddy, with the bass almost non-existent in the beginning; but, since this is a compilation of some sorts, in the 2nd half things start getting more stylish, the guys having found the right way to speed/thrash in a more cohesive manner, although the music is still pretty derivative and not very exciting.

Compilation Compilation, 2009/2010

ANTROPOID (SLOVAKIA)

Based on the demo, this is good energetic classic thrash which has certain shades of the Bay Area scene, but most of the time it is close to Paradox's "Collision Course"; some Slayer-esque aggression is slightly hinted at here and there ("Frontline"). The music is speedy, the leads are great, and the riffs have this genuine technical edge here and there; the only complaint would probably be the raw throaty vocals which are supported by not too good semi-clean ones from time to time.

Insane Bullets & Live Fuck Live album, 2005
Insane Bullets Demo, 2005
Danger Full-length, 2007

Official Site

ANUBIS (BRAZIL)

A 4-track demo of competent energetic retro thrash which sounds like a nice mix between less aggressive Death and the Germanic thrash metal heroes from the 80's (Destruction, Kreator). Apart from the fast-paced moments, there are quite a few slower, heavy parts, and the alternation between the two sides leads to some fine results: the complex "Anubis", but speed antics, like the vigorous "Forbidden Game", are almost as good.
"Legacy Of Humanity" elaborates on the sound heard on the demo, with all the 4 tracks from it included, as well as those from the preceding single so those who already had the first two short efforts, have almost nothing new to headbang to. Still, this blend of heavy stomping and fast blitzkrieg riffs has its moments, especially on the more complex technical numbers at the end "Slaves Of Misery" and "Dream Beyond The Mirror", the latter also "courting " the Swedish school being more modern-sounding. Those two, after all, had to compensate for the loss of dynamics on the preceding two tracks: the clumsy doomy "P.O.W." and the peaceful balladic instrumental "Under the Influence".

Anubis Demo, 2006
Dark Hope Single, 2008
Legacy Of Humanity Full-length, 2010

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ANUBIS UNBOUND (USA)

Modern thrash with metalcore leanings following closely the path "carved" by their peers Killswitch Engage and God Forbid. Some of the hooks are melodic and catchy, but the sound gets tired after a while, seldom moving away from the not very interesting mid-tempo hectic song-arrangements, the exception being the nice more aggressive thrasher in the middle "Last Day of Darkness", and the closing extreme death metal moments from "When Innocence Dies".

"Treachery" brings nothing new to the scene: melodic laid-back post-thrash this time richer in melodies sometimes bordering on the semi-balladic. The more aggressive death metal touches are only slightly hinted at on the steam-rolling early Six Feet Under worship "Circus In My Head"; the rest is too toothless even for NWOAHM standards.

Through Cursed Eyes Full-length, 2008
Doors of Redemption EP, 2009
Treachery Full-length, 2010

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ANUBLAR CETRO (ARGENTINA)

Based on the "Absolute Substance" EP, this talented Argentinian act offers thrashy progressive metal sustained in a solid mid-pace with crushing, hammering riffs and a certain doze of keyboard tunes. The leads are pretty stylish, and in the meandering riff-section elements of both Symphony X and Zero Hour can be felt. "The Ultimate" is an excellent (maybe not the "ultimate") instrumental piece with a great technical rhythm-section and hectic time-changes. "Garden of Predator" is a dark power/thrasher with hammering doomy "reliefs", and the final instrumental "Disturbed Within" is a more dynamic number, managing to keep the listener's attention thrughout its almost 9-min of running time with puzzling technical decisions, creepy melodies, and stylish keyboard insertions which "duel" with the great leads at times, the latter very close to being the highlight, both technical and melodic at will. The singer is another asset with his clean, authoritative blend hitting all ranges with confidence, coming close to the dramatic orchestral style of none other than Ronnie James DIO (R.I.P.) himself.

The Insurgent's Shadow EP 2003
Absolute Substance EP 2005

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ANVIL (CANADA)

Anvil played a very important role in forging (in fire) the more extreme genres of metal in the 80's. "Hard 'n' Heavy" delivered exactly what the title promised: typical for its time pleasant hard'n heavy, not miles away (but definitely not better) from Motley Crue's same year's "Too Fast for Love", but on "Metal on Metal" things became really serious, and this work, along with same year's Accept's "Restless & Wild" and Raven's "Wiped Out", suggested at more aggressive dimensions to be explored by the metal genre. Of all the three bands, it was only Anvil who continued in the same vein, but one year later "Forged in Fire", albeit a great album, didn't sound as aggressive anymore, compared to the full-fledged speed/thrash debuts of Metallica, Slayer, Hawaii and Anthrax. It was interesting to see how the guys would answer to the challenge, but they took a low profile, apparently seriously thinking what their next step would be, but too much thinking has never produced very good results, and "Strength of Steel" was a big disappointment, going back to the radio-friendly sound of the debut, with very few notes to justify the album's "steel" title. However, Lips (the founder and the main face of the band) and Co. quickly realized their mistake, and "Pound for Pound" finally saw the guys trying their hands on some thrash. The problem was that, having been released in one of the strongest years for metal, this effort remained in the shadow of the works of the already established thrash metal forces.
Another time-out for re-thinking was taken, again lasting for about 4 years, and this time it offered much better results: the excellent "Worth the Weight", which showed the band hitting hard with exemplary classic power/thrash metal, at a time when most of its practitioners were shying away from it. Despite the warm reception, Anvil went underground once again, for another 4 years (this is what I call consistency!). "Plugged in Permanent" was another good work of retro thrash, the band being the "lonesome wolf" of the 80's style during the 90's. This time they apparently have decided to keep the inertia gained, and a string of strong albums followed, although by the time of "Still Going Strong" (well, not exactly) the band's approach has worn thin, repeating the same formula, also trying to break the pattern by inserting mellower tracks which completely took over on the very weak "Back to Basics", which richly deserved its title, going straight back to the sound of the debut with no ties to thrash.
"This Is Thirteen" is only slightly better than the previous one, with some songs carrying the thrashy charge ("Bombs Away", "Axe to Grind"), but the rest is pretty ordinary, and not very impressive, heavy/power metal. Apparently at this stage Anvil seem to have lost interest in thrash metal.

Hard 'n' Heavy Full-length, 1981
Anvil EP, 1982
Metal on Metal Full-length, 1982
Forged in Fire Full-length, 1983
Strength Of Steel Full-length, 1987
Pound for Pound Full-length, 1988
Worth the Weight Full-length, 1992
Plugged in Permanent Full-length, 1996
Absolutely No Alternative Full-length, 1997
Speed of Sound Full-length, 1999
Plenty Of Power Full-length, 2001
Still Going Strong Full-length, 2002
Back to Basics Full-length, 2004
This Is Thirteen Full-length, 2007

Official Site

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ANVIL BITCH (USA)

A typical 80's speed/thrash metal band; the album starts in an impressive manner with "Rise To Offend"- easily the best song here, along with the follower "Lie Through Your Teeth", which show the band quite capable of thrashing with the best, but the rest is not even half as good: odd heavy metal numbers are here as well ("Time To Die", "Argue With a Sick Mind"), and the speed gets lost completely at some stage. "Maggot Infestation" and "Shark Attack" bring it back with a more aggressive, hardcore intensity. Worth of note are the vocal's attempts at the high-pitched screams, reminding of Blessed Death's singer Larry Portelli. Later the band changed their name to Dominance, but the style remained pretty much the same.

Rise To Offend Full-length, 1986

ANXIETY (GERMANY)

This not very known German act provides energetic old school thrash which comprises fast pieces mostly, with the exception of the merry punk-ish "An Abuse". The tracks are generally long (5-7min), and the guys pull sparce more stylish performance, mostly boosted by the strong bass bottom and the good lead guitars. The singer is not very convincing singing in a semi-drunken clean manner, more on the declamatory side, taking quite a bit of space as well.

...Then It's Silence Demo 1994

ANXIUS (HUNGARY)

Based on the second album, Anxius play cool power/thrash metal with nice, melodic guitar work not too far from the Finns Mokoma (their first two albums), but the music here is more melodic, also acoustic at times.

História Full-length, 2004
Az örök lét határán Full-length, 2006

Official Site

AONIKENK (ARGENTINA)

Based on "A Mi Argentina", this act pull out decent melodic power/thrash, predictably modelled after their peers and compatriots Hermetica and Horcas. The guys alternate laid-back mid-tempo compositions with more intense faster ones, as the concentration is clearly on melody. Glorious speedsters, like "Desde Adentro" and "Juan que no Existe" will remind you of the early exploits of the 80's German scene (Warrant, Helloween), but one would not get a headshake from them: the band have taken care of that with a ballad, numerous catchy sing-along choruses, and other pleasant mellow moments.

Aonikenk-Gente del Sur Demo, 1998
Ruta del Sur Full-length, 2000
Sentir Metalero Full-length, 2001
Aun De Pie EP, 2004
A Mi Argentina Full-length, 2005

Official Site

AORTIC REGURGITATION (CHINA)

A boy and a girl from Hong Kong indulge in fast old school Germanic thrash metal with a slight pinch of death and brutal not very intelligbile vocals which sit somewhere between black and death metal, and one will be shocked to find out that it's the girl who provides them, sounding way more vicious than Angela Kossoff (Arch Enemy). Slow more elaborate rhythms overtake on the very cool instrumental "Alien Worlds" which is a more complex exercise with more clever riffs and various tempos which doesn't lose much from the singer's absence also providing a couple of more thought-out technical passages. This is good stuff, and it could definitely serve as a foundation for a capable full-length.

Aortic Regurgitation EP, 2010

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APATHETIC (TURKEY)

Dark classic thrash with brutal low-tuned death metal vocals; the more immediate energy of the opener "Create Puppet Murders" is suddenly replaced by more stylish progressive delivery on "Feel This Sinergy", which is a captivating opus with fast lashing guitars and beautiful Oriental tunes. Those tunes stay around until the end, but the speed disappears almost completely for the sake of doom/gothic rhythms which carry a lot of melody, the latter not bad at all, but too overused sitfling the biting riffage quite a bit.

Scream Of The Violence EP, 2006

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APATHY (USA, CA)

A very obscure 4-song demo of intense thrash along the lines of Slayer and Possessed; the tempo is fast, and although in terms of musicianship this demo can not score very high, it makes up with aggression and speed, but without any ventures into death metal. There is a cool cover version of Slayer's "Black Magic", too.

Demo Demo, 1988

APATHY (USA, NJ)

Slassic power/speed/thrash is what is on offer here, with one of the guitar players (Warren Conditi) having done service in Whiplash; the music is a very similar to the last two Whiplash efforts mix of speed/thrash bombs and laid-back heavy/power metal hymns which alternate throughout without leaving any lasting impression although the more hard-hitting moments will bang quite a few heads ("War Torn"; watch out for the nice slower melodic mid-section; the "violent" closer "Violent Nature", which is a nice "wink" at the Bay-Area scene).

A Decade Of Violence Full-length, 2009

Official Site

APES WITH HOBBIES (UK)

This young talented act offers an interesting combination of modern thrash and symphonic/progressive metal, instrumental-only, which develops in mid-pace with very heavy, pounding riffs and an omnipresent orchestral background. The "good tone" is rudely broken with "F**kface", which is a furious deathster, but on the rest the chugga-chugga riffage goes on unabated also assisted by surreal lead guitar work, which is quite good, despite the several synthesized insertions. "The Old Black" is a fine dynamic technical thrasher, but on the other hand there are 4 purely balladic pieces, where the leads reign supreme. This is not bad, although the approach is a bit samey, and the keyboard sections may annoy the thrash metal fan due to their overuse.

2012 Full-Length, 2011

APOCALIPS (ROMANIA)

Based on "Gate to Infinity", this band plays melodic modern power/thrash metal which at times boldly ventures into the 90's power/speed metal fields. The music is graced by numerous melodic hooks a situation ruined by the more brutal death metal-laced vocals. The songs are lengthy affairs where gothic, doom, and industrial can also be heard, as well as sparce clean vocal participation. They certainly border on progressive, but the riffage is a bit monotonous creating a dark depressing mood.

Depresie totala Full-length, 2002
Gate to Infinity Full-length, 2010

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APOCALYPSE (SWITZERLAND)

This band could have outclassed Celtic Frost, and even Coroner, to become the most prominent Swiss band if they had been lucky (or not that lazy) to release albums on more regular terms. Their self-titled debut is a striking piece of semi-technical power/thrash with great riffs and memorable tracks; the opening track "Digital Life" is a truly impressive beginning, at the same time speedy, catchy and technical. What follows is equally as strong, including two great energetic technical instrumentals ("Smash" and "Dark Sword").

The long 6-year break between the two albums was detrimental to the band, as most of the fanbase had almost completely forgotten about them. However, they reminded of themselves in a fairly convincing way with "Faithless" featuring the same flamboyant style of the past, immediately shown with the very first track: "House of Confusion"- a blistering fast-paced technical thrasher, with a long, and slightly annoying quiet ending; the sound is more aggressive with mighty intense, speedy pieces present: "Division", accompanied by others, slower, but graced by really stylish technical breaks: "Extreme Sensation"- the most technical track on the album. "Shoot You Down" is perhaps the odd song: longer and slower than the rest, apparently designed as a semi-ballad, with a more restrained guitar presence. Another great aggressive thrasher ("Bad Breath") closes this fairly entertaining album, which, alas, remained the band's last work.

Apocalypse Full-length, 1987
Faithless Full-length, 1993

APOCALYPSE (USA)

Fast, aggressive thrash metal along the lines of Slayer and Dark Angel with grindcore moments ("Scientific Force" from the 1st demo) included.

Demo Demo, 1987
Demo Demo, 1988

APOCALYPSE NOW (FRANCE)

Based on "Empires Fall", this act, who features Boban Tomic- a drummer who has taken part in both Korum and No Return, specializes in intense thrash/crossover which stays more on the modern side, with annoying shouty vocals. The dominant delivery recalls Madball, but more melodic Swedish melo-thrash elements ("The New Icon") can also be felt on occasion, and the guitar players as a whole seem well-eqipped to handle both the more direct, and the more melodic sections with ease.

Confrontation With God Full-length, 2006
Empires Fall Full-length, 2008

Official Site

APOCALYPSE WARHEAD (FINLAND)

There are only two men involved here, one of them being the death metal stalwart Nate Gould (The Rotted, Gorerotted, etc.). So it should be no wonder that the style is clinging more towards death metal with a frequent participation of thrash, but expect no mercy either way, the band lashing out fast, fiery riffs to no end, graced by stylish technical insertions and very good melodic leads. The guitars have a certain mechanical, sterile edge, but this only helps in the process since the delivery is pretty intense, with grinding sections inserted at the most appropriate times. There are attempts at a more progressive song-writing: "Experimental Warfare", where the barrage is just a tad less intense than on the more immediate material. The all-instrumental masterpiece "Rk 62" is the other place where more clever arrangements can be felt, and this one is a major technical ripper of the Sceptic, Quo Vadis (Canada) type with puzzling riffs and piercing leads, a state-of-the-art affair which influences the remaining 2 songs where another portion of stylish technical performance can be heard, among the no-bars-held speedy approach. This is a really cool effort, which may cause you a headache due to the super-fast delivery, which never falls apart, supported by very brutal low-tuned vocals.

Opening The Silos Full-length, 2011

Official Site

APOCRYPHA (ARGENTINA)

Based on "Convicción Salvaje", this power trio pulls out a more classic mix of speed and thrash metal, heavy and dynamic, and surprisingly do not sound like their frequently imitated peers Hermetica or Horcas, to these ears offering better harder music. Moments of the Bay-Area can be heard mixed with proto-modern pounding riffs, and almost every track in the 1st half crosses mid-paced crushing sections with faster headbanging ones. "Dictadores Divinos" will shock you in the middle with its short super-blasting death metal passage, and is an overall quite cool more elaborate speed/thrash composition. After it the album really takes off: "Vendepatria" is exemplary intense speed/thrash; "El Lamento del Traidor" is nice jumpy technical thrash, with another very short blasting section; "El Milagro" is a cool epic thrasher with a great chorus and striking lead guitar work; "Odio" and "Mentiras" are short aggressive thrash killers; "El Dolor de tu Ausencia" is speedy optimistic thrash/crossover with much more stylish for the style leads. The singer has a very good emotional semi-clean tember which handles both the more aggressive and more melodic vocals with dexterity.