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.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 any 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.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.

Demo 1988 Demo, 1988
Painful Awakening EP, 1989
AnnODomini Best of/Compilation, 2001

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 some 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 some really impressive excercises at 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 BURIAL AT SEA (NORWAY)

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

Pestilent Demo, 2007
Like a Blessing EP, 2009

My Space

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 some slower, doomy sections, as well as some 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"), and some exercises in modern groove ( the closing "The Power Of Why"), but generally the guitar sound is sharper and more aggressive.

A Lower Deep Full-length, 2002
Parable of the Thorn Full-length, 2004
Trinity Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

A PUNTO (ARGENTINA)

A modern blend of thrash and death metal, with some 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 some pounding, heavy rhythms, as well as several groovy ones.

Popular Poder Full-length, 1996

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 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 some 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.

Profondo Rosso, Full-length, 1999
Conglomerate, Full-length, 2002

Official Site

My Space

ABACABB (USA)

Heavy groovy thrash, not too bad, with hammering Pantera-sque ("Far Beyond Driven") riffs, with some 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 great headbanging thrash.

Out of the System, Demo, 1991

ABACINATE (USA)

These guys pull out a very wild mix of thrash, death 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 some 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"). Some 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 some 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

ABANDON HOPE (GERMANY)

Another band who play modern groovy thrash apparently influenced by Pantera and Machine Head, this time spiced up with some stoner/doom elements, as well as some more interesting, semi-progressive guitar work. When the guys pull themselves together, they can come up with some 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

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. Surprisingly, Abandoned don't follow on the steps of their legendary compatriots, but have looked for inspiration on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, and have made a quite good Bay-Area thrash album ("Thrash Notes").Their debut is better, more aggressive, really cool hard-hitting thrash. The follow-up is not bad, either, but the sound is kind of more laid back and slower.

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

Official Site

My Space

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, 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, and 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 very 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 some 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-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.

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 some death metal-like intensity). The guitar peformance is particularly good, boasting some great leads and hard-hitting riffs.

House of Cards Demo, 1991

Official Site

ABHORRANCE (USA)

Based on the EP, this is 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.

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 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 thrash metal with some references to early Bathory, and the "black metal" tag they deserve rather 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.

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

My Space

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, unecessary 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 mid-ranged clean, solid 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 some 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

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), and 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

My Space

ABRACADATHRASH (USA)

The information here is insufficient, so if anyone could help, I would be really grateful. 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".

Demo

ABROGATION (GERMANY)

The band's style is consistently cool modern thrash/death metal, which ranges from more moderate, mid-paced gothic-tinged tracks, to some 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 some 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

ABSOLUTE ZERO (USA)

A 4-song demo (one track is actually instrumental- "Zappa Death") of excellent technical thrash; the music is a bit hectic, but never loses coherence, with frequent change of tempos, and numerous twisted technical riffs, recalling Mekong Delta, the Dutch Donor and Watchtower. This is great stuff with a magnificent closer: "The King": a 7.5-min long technical opus featuring some 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 ones 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 the melody and the complex arrangements, and partially losing in the long run (almost 9-min).

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

Official Site

ABSTRACT RAPTURE (LUXEMBOURG)

The people from the richest country in the world 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 some faster, better ones ("Noxious Utopia").

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 some 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 some 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"- thrash and death shaking hands here. The technicality disappears, but the speed and 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 some tasteful deviations to their merciless delivery.

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

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 quite enjoyable. The vocals are put a bit forward in the mix, and their presence "chokes" the instruments a bit.

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

ABSURD CONFLICT (CZECH)

Based on the Promo, this band play modern thrash/death with a technical twist. The music moves from very fast early Dark Tranquillity-like moments, to some choppy modern breaks, to some 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.

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, some 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...

Absurd� EP, 2004

Official Site

ABSURDITY (FRANCE)

A modern death/thrash metal band with a strong presence of hardcore on the second demo.

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

Official Site

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 some 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, rubbing shoulders with early Meshuggah and Obliveon. The compositions are longer, and are not "deprived" of mighty 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 hard guitar sound will bring better results.

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

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

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 some 80's Slayer vibe, too, with pure death metal vocals and some occasional blast-beats.

Demo Demo, 1994

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 some cool alternative shades, supported by a nice melodic guitar line.

24 Hour Foundation Project Demo, 1990

My Space

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

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

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

ACCURSED DAWN (USA)

This band reminds me of Hellwitch with its ultra fast, albeit less technical thrash/death 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 tone, 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 more ambitious, semi-technical song-writing on "Experimental Errors" and "Who Dominates Who?", which featured some really 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 eventual future metamorphosis. At least on "Repent" there are no traces of 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 some modern metal sounds on "Reflections", which still contained some fairly hard-hitting numbers. "Taken by the Throat" has very little to do with the band's past, going into post-thrash, groovy direction, recalling mid-period Prong and other heroes from the 90's.

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

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

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 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 for many, the music is a compensation, being well played modern thrash with some occasional fast death-ish 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

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 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 constant speed fest, and "No Time" is 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, 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 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 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 some 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 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 some 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 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 on this small gem, choosing instead to remain in the underground for another 6 years.

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

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 some 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 some 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 some 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 STORM (BRAZIL)

One of the most interesting bands to come out of Brazil; the debut is more straight-forward, typical 80's thrash, but "Biotronic Genesis" is an ambitious and quite an impressive technical thrash album. 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 great Have Mercy, with its unique blend of technicality and intensity. The last two songs bring back the long, elaborate structures, with the more time changes, although the hard-hitting, intense riffs are the major driving force here as well.
"No Man's Land" shows the band in great form once again, offering the same potent mix of technical and aggressive riffage, this time even more intense than before, rubbing shoulders with Slayer and Vio-Lence. These three songs could have served as a very good base for a new album, but the band disbanded after this one.

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 some 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, thrashing 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, some great melodies, and the inevitable blast-beating moments.

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

My Space

ACRID (HOLLAND)

This obscure Dutch outfit offers a more technical twist of 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, some 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

ACRIMÖNIA (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 a fairly 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 some more direct thrash follows on "Killers From Evil", which picks some technicality in the lead and bass department in the second 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 some really interesting Oriental tunes, along with some 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 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 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 in 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 one-album-wonder from the Poland: Astharoth's "Gloomy Experiments", is one of the finest moments from the whole 90's metal scene.

In Unknown Direction Full-length, 1992

ACRITER (CZECH)

Thrash metal with 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, some death metal growls and, of course, some clean ones. The music is mostly mid-paced with some 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 some 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, quite good and fast, with some 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, but mixing the all-out speedy sections with some slower, galloping ones ("Silent Insanity", "Haunting Once Again"). These guys were definitely going somewhere, but they split-up soon after the release of their second album.

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

My Space

ACROSTIC (CHILE)

Classic 80's thrash sounding like a cross between Slayer and 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

ACTING OUT (FRANCE)

These are the same guys who under the name Brain Decay have left a few demos, and one very 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 in 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)

Quite 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 in 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 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" is the better effort, containing some 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 really 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, with an energetic tempo and some interesting technical riffs. Later on the music retains the energy, and introduces some 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, now is even better. As a result we have great pounding technical thrash, boasting some 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 some 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; it's just that the musical aspect is a lot more impressive.

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

My Space

Official Site

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 like 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 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 some 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.

Inch of Skin EP, 2005
Being This Side Of Insane EP, 2007

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 very 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").

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

My Space

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 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

ADVOCATE (USA)

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 some 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 guys are masters of 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 thrash metal scene. "King of Pain" keeps the tie to their past, with some 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 in 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 not long after that.
"Division Blindee" is a glorious return to form for the band, although the band's fans had to wait for 8 whole years, who have fallen 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. Some 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

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; this is probably one of its finest achievements. 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 some 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 on the furious technical sections before that. "Refusal" is as elaborate as thrash can get, a head-spinning, labyrinthine song, with hard-hitting guitars, nice fast leads, and some 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 very obscure, but utterly essential work. Red to Grey are yet to reach the technical brilliance of this album.

Spiral Seas Full-length, 1994

Official Site

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 some very fast rhythms ala Mortification and Brutality.

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 some long (6-8min) tracks where one could hear quite a few time changes, including some 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 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 some quirky experimentations on bass on "Cross My Heart".

Dawn of Glory Full-length, 1995

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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 and bordering on death, the way bands like Carnal Forge and Hatesphere used to play it, with some slower sections where you can hear some 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

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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

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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 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 some Gothenburg-styled melodies might be a pullback to some. This is one of the finest thrash metal acts of the past few years.

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

Official Site

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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 brutality "This Hell". Still there are a couple of tracks which are mid-paced and jollier, carrying the early punk spirit.

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

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AFTERDEATH (PORTUGAL)

Modern death/thrash with some groove involved and also some 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.

Backwords Full-length, 1995

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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 some clean ones, which are quite good, and might remind you of Jon Van Doorn from the Brits Deathwish. In 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 stuff.

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 quite 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 some really intriguing guitars, as well as some 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 stand-out technical thrash work drawing comparisons to Coroner, Anacrusis and the likes. The songs are quite complex, rich on atmosphere, with some very original guitar work. There are also some post-thrash moments similar to those on Coroner's "Grin". This is one of the best efforts that the 90's metal scene has to offer.

Eyes Of Tomorrow Full-length, 1994

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AFTERSHOCK (USA)

A very cool demo of mid to up-tempo thrash akin to late 80's Overkill and Exodus ("Fabulous Disaster"); the singer is quite good, 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 some damage on a larger scale. But that's it, and "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

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 the speed metal genre with their exemplary debut, which put them right on the very front row of American metal. Two years later the band made a huge leap forward, with the colossal "Unstoppable Force", which after all these years is often regarded as one one of the ten best releases of the genre. From the explosive opener "Unstoppable Force", to the 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 magnificent 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 very 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 some 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 some 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 some crushing ultra heavy riffs, which more than make up for the loss of speed from the previous bomb, and a beautiful atmospheric balladic interlude. "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 some unholy shrieks from the singer; the 2nd half slows down, providing some stylish leads and the staple mid-paced power/thrash approach. This really strong 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

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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.

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 some 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.

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), some more complex variations ("Never Surrender"), and very good bass work all over, which supports the razor-like riffage quite well.

Thrashing Your Brain EP, 2008

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AGGRESSION TALES (USA)

An excellent debut of classic, Bay Area-influenced thrash metal (think early Testament above all), with some 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

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AGGRESSIVE (COLOMBIA)

This 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.

Despoiled Demo, 2007

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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 (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 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 some more melodic crossover element 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 grind-core 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, very 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 some 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

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 some heavy, mid-tempo modern numbers ("Aghast Insane") to some great fast headbangers ("Alone").

Aghast Insane Demo, 2004

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 more aggressive thrash direction, and to leave a few demos and one official release before splitting up.

The Future Is Ours Demo, 1985

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 some 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 (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 some 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 some 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 some occasional genuine ideas and some 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 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

AGRESOR (BULGARIA)

An obscure Bulgarian act who pull out clever, semi-technical thrash/death, 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 some 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 the wide gamut of moods and riffs.
"Pogled Kum Budesteto" is even better, with a much better sound quality, and with much 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 very 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 some 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 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 with some 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 some 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

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AGRETATOR (SWEDEN)

"Delusions" is a very 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, with no any shades of death metal, with some 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

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AHOORA (ITALY)

A good young Italian act, who play slightly progressive power/thrash 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 heavy 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 some 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 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.

Ahoora Full-length, 2006
All In Blood With You Full-length, 2007

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 fairly 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 some 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 some 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 some offbeat, non-conventional parts going with the style, but they are very well embedded in the overall quite interesting picture. By going further, the band haven't forgotten their more straight forward nature, and some of the tracks still hold their more basic thrash 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

AION (JAPAN)

Excellent thrash metal similar to other Japanese bands- Jurassic Jade and Gargoyle, with some truly impressive solos; it's probably more standard, without too many eclectic sections, typical for Gargoyle, for example. The tempo is quite speedy, but some 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, 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 some 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 two-and-a-half min aggressive closer "Chimeisho"), as well as more 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 some awesome thrash again for a change, since reportedly their more recent affairs have 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 two-and-a-half 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". Some 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.

Deathrash Bound Full-length, 1989
Human Griefman Full-length, 1990
Magma EP, 1990
Aionism Full-length, 1991
Absolute Full-length, 1994
Unknown Title Full-Length, 2004

Official Site

AJDATH (JORDAN)

A generally quite fast mixture of death and thrash metal (more death than thrash), more on the old school side, with some 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.

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 some calmer, stoner-doom passages and some industrial elements.

Mirror Full-length, 1998

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

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 second 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 some 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 thrash, often exiting the field completely, stretching into many other directions (alternative, ballads, etc.), leaving just a little room for some 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.

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; some 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

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ALARUM (AUSTRALIA)

This very 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 utterly 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". Some 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 some 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 some 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 even more quirky and jazzy sections. It's a good work on all counts, but the guys were capable of much better music earlier.

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

Official Site

ALASTOR (POLAND)

Alastor's debut has quite a few genuine, original ideas which could loosely put the album into technical thrash territory, very close to the Americans Wrath, or even Toxik. The music is mid-paced to up-tempo, with 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 some 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.

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

Official Site

ALASTOR (PORTUGAL)

Although the vocals might put this band into the black metal field, the music is vintage classic speed/thrash with 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.).

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

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

ALCHEMICON

That was all I could dig out about this band so far, and that's a pity, since this is excellent fast and aggressive thrash combining Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and 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 some stupendous guitar work, not often heard in 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 Affliction Demo

ALCOHOLOKAUST (MEXICO)

Pretty decent intense retro thrash crossing the Bya-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

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ALEISTER (FRANCE)

Aleister's only album is a very good example of how moderh 90's thrash 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, 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 some faster, aggressive riffs and some swirling, technical ones within the short time 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 very minor complaint.

Tribal Tech Full-Length, 1994

ALGESIC MASSACRE (USA)

This demo combines fast, raw tracks with some 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 some more intense, proto-death sections, but most of the time this is pedestrian, unimpressive thrash.

Fate of Death Demo, 1988

ALKATRAZ (POLAND)

Stylish dark/gothic thrash, 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 on atmosphere, with no much speed involved, except on a few occasions ("S³owa 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 second 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

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 some 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

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ALLIGATOR (ITALY)

The band's first two albums are good, albeit a bit one-dimensional Bay Area-influenced thrash metal. "Immortal Entity" is the band's finest hour, featuirng some 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. "Rules" is the band's tribute to the modern 90's thrash metal scene.

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 very 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 fans, there's enough here to keep you on the alert, so don't ingore this fairly entertaining slab of pure old school metal.

We Will Fight! Full-length, 2006
Devasterpiece Full-length, 2008

Official Site

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 some 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 nice dual guitar melodies, typical for the Brits.

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 thrash with some hardcore touches.

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

Official Site

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ALTAR OF SIN (SPAIN)

These guys pull out brutal, merciless death/thrash, 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 of the more melodic variety; "Fire" opens it in an energetic, headbanging manner, but later on the sound gets slower, even with some doomy overtones ("Burn To The End", "Undertaker"), which is not too bad, but songs like the very toothless heavy metal anthem "You Broke The Rules" would hardly make the thrash fan jump with joy. "The King Is Coming" captures the lost inertia, with sharp faster riffage, but with also some bad distorted, synthesized vocals. "Outta Sight" is a 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 some 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 fan.

Altar of the King Full-length, 1995

ALTERED AEON (SWEDEN)

This band features Kjell Andersson- the singer of the great progressive thrashers Azotic Reign. This is marvellous 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 in 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

Official Site

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ALYIS (USA)

This is a raging thrashing demo which easily surpasses most of the official releases at the same time in terms of aggression. Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" and the works of Wehrmacht are an obvious influence; there are some 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.

Demo Demo, 1989

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 semi-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.

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

Official Site

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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 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 some 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

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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-pun intended) 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's achievements that it tries to imitate. Not a completely bad album, but the guys would have been perfectly well off, carrying on with their old, but quite compelling sound.

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

My Space

AMBRYO (FRANCE)

A modern mixture of thrash and death metal, with 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, 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.

No Sanctuary EP, 1983
Arise! Full-length, 1985
Monolith Full-length, 1987

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AMENTI (UK)

A good attempt at classic thrash with some 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 some 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 territory.

Under the Dying Sun Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AMESSION (FINLAND)

Modern thrash with some gothic elements; there is some punk-ish attitude in the songwriting (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 EP boasts a better production, and the style is more consistent, featuring a couple of quality thrashers.

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

Official Site

My Space

AMMENTIA (ARGENTINA)

A really promising demo of aggressive, fast-paced thrash, 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 some 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 atmopshere. The singer has a sinister black-ish rasp, which suits well the intense musical approach.

Old Skull Demo, 2008

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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.

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

My Space

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 some 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

AMOR COMMITTED SUICIDE (FINLAND)

A good mixture of old school death metal and thrash with some 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 movement, when they start sounding more conventional.
"Decrowning" was 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.

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

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

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

AMULANCE (USA)

Very 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 another 5 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").

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

My Space

AN HANDFUL OF DUST (ITALY)

This young Italian band play somewhat progressive power metal, with a few hints of 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, some 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 with 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 very highly inspired, combining furious thrashers, bordering on proto-death, with some 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 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

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ANAFLAXIA (TURKEY)

A death/thrash metal band with some very cool technical guitar work; the guys play at a respectable speed most of the time. The overall sound is not too far from Hellwitch, only that Anaflaxia vary things more with some 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.

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

Official Site

ANARKO (SPAIN)

Another addition to the 90's groovy scene; at least the guys here pull out some 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.

Anarko Full-length, 1998
Degeneración X Full-length, 2000
La marcha de los muñecos egocéntricos Full-length, 2001

Official Site

ANCESTTRAL (BRAZIL)

Modern power/thrash, 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

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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

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ANCHONY (GERMANY)

Cool modern-ish thrash with meaty sharp riffs and some 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: morose atmospheric doomster with a clever technical thrashy exit. The vocals are a bit of an awkward choice, though: throaty low-tuned death ones, with a slight hysterical pitch coming up from time to time.

Anchony Demo, 2008

Official Site

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, thrashing relentlessly, with sharp riffs, cool melodic hooks, nice short leads, even providing some 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 vein, with the two highlights from the last demo ("Fall of the Dominion", "State of Regression") taking the up-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 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.

Once Were Thrashers Demo, 2004
Bustock Live album, 2005
Ancient Dome Demo, 2005
Promo Demo, 2008
Human Key Full-Length, 2009

Official Site

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

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 some modern sounds as well; even some industrial touches could be found on their albums. "Inner Trauma" leaves the Sepultura influences somewhat behind, focusing more on a crushing, Slayer-esque delivery.

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

Official Site

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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 some 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 some 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 some 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 some more conventional sound, with the stomping instrumental "Metal Procreation" and the closing mid-paced thrasher "Second Death".

Cruel Fear Full-Length, 2008

ANESTHESIA (CROATIA)

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

ANESTHESY (BELGIUM)

A very good mixture of death and thrash metal, calling to mind Protector and mid-period Messiah (based on the demo); "Exaltation of the Eclipse" speeds up a bit, and adds some more intense riffs ala Benediction and Bolt Thrower, as well as some more technical ones, but preserves the doomy moments from the EP, and the final result is quite good. "The Fifth Season" abandons the thrash metal idea almost completely, and is full-fledged death metal, faster than the previous effort.

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

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

Official Site

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ANGEL BEAST (CANADA)

Based on the "The Transition" demo, this is 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, 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 two years later-pun intended!); 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 some 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

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ANGEL FALLEN (USA)

Thrash/death 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 some bland clean vocals. The rest is not bad at all, mostly mid-paced to slow, with complex passages, where some more energy could have made them more interesting; now they would definitely find a lot of fans from the gothic camp as well.

Angel Fallen Demo, 2008

ANGEL REAPER (HUNGARY)

Based on the "Végzet Utolér" demo, this band offer raw, amateurish black/thrash, 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 some jolly crossover numbers are also present: "Kannibálok Támadása", "Õsi dicsõség", livened up by some 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 rough-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.

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

Official Site

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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 quite 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, toped 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: some more modern-sounding numbers ("Born Into") ala The Black Album; some faster thrashy monsters ("Final Sacrament", "Lost Face"); some 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 nuances.

Generation Enraged Full-length, 2009

Official Site

ANGELUS APATRIDA (SPAIN)

The debut: a mix of more melodic power metal and Pantera; not bad, with some cool 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 some song-titles: "Thrash Atack"), leaving the power metal influences far behind, and along with the crushing Pantera-sque riffs, one could hear some cool Jeff Waters-like ones, too, as well as some really good classic thrash guitars.

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

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ANGER AS ART (USA)

Based on "Anger as Art", which is actually a re-recording of an album initially made two 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 cited in the title. 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 fuller realisation on the sophomore release. The bonus tracks are live versions of songs from the album, with one very fast-paced version 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, this time toning down his vicious tember for the sake of some 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), 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 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.

Anger As Art Full Length, 2006
Callous And Furor Full Length, 2006

Official Site

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ANGER WITHIN (USA)

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

Rise from the Violence Demo, 2000

Official Site

My Space

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 some 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 first album is a very 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 some serious attempts at thrash, even with more technical guitars ("Under Lock & Key", "Emotional Blackmail"), to some intense, fast-paced ones ("Warsaw", "Die Young").
"Corpus Christi" is a major improvement, with a much more serious song-writing, and some very 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. Some superb exercises on abstract, technical thrash will one find here: "Turn of the Screw" (here at least "screw" is spelt correctly (pun intended))- a magnificent 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

My Space

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.

War of Life Full-length, 2001
Under the Decadence Full-length, 2006

My Space

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 some mid-tempo breaks, and some references to early Celtic Frost ("Winds Of Death").

Within The Darkness EP, 2009

My Space

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

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.

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

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, and at other times 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 some energetic, albeit one-dimensional, but quite 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 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 some 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 some 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 some 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, which features 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 first, 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, whcih should be out some time in 2009.

Starved and Batered Demo, 2008

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

ANNIHILATION OF POWER (USA)

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

Changes EP, 1996

ANNIHILATOR (CANADA)

Apparently with the phenomenal "Alice in Hell" Jeff Waters has exhausted all his ideas and originality that everything which was released after it, was not nearly half as good. Some of the genius was still present on "Never, Neverland", but then... So it's no wonder why Waters and his ever-changing gang have looked for inspiration into other genres, consequently pulling the band's style into all possible directions, with very mixed results ("King Of The Kill" is perhaps the only exception, being a better effort). Whole passages from "Alice.." are being repeated directly or slightly rehashed which inevitably puts a smile on the fan's face for its sheer audacity (or shamelessness-is there such a word? If not, here it is!). 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 much further. With only one great album in their very long discography, it's really hard to place Annihilator on the front row with the finest.

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

Official Site

My Space

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 very well, also calling to mind another album in the same niche: Nefilim's "Zoon".

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 of thrash, and the guitars thrash mightily on some of 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

ANOMALLY (PORTUGAL)

Dark gothic thrash, bringing to mind mid-period Cemetary ("Godless Beauty", "Sundown") and 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 for the past 15 years, Anonymus' first two 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 on 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 quite a few times jumps the hardcore wagon ("Out Of Breath"); 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 some death metal, with a nice Gothenburg touch ("Burning The Candle Both Ends": a really cool track, by the way), and some 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 leave a more lasting impression on the scene than Annihilator, and even fade away faster.
Surprisingly, "L'Académie du Massacre" is a very 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 full force.
"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.
"Thrash Brigade" 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 a light-hearted, feelgood stuff with no big ties to thrash, which is hardly the expected excuse after the not so convincing "Chapter Chaos Begins".

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

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 is not technical or original, packs a punch with meaty, heavy riffs and some interesting guitar melodies.

Eversio Demo, 1989

ANOXIA (UK)

Based on the debut EP, these Londoners pull out aggressive thrash/death metal, more death than thrash, which is fast-paced most of the time, except on "Anomalous" and "Fall To Fire", which are otherwise cool twisted 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 some interesting, Bolt Thrower-like riffs. Their early demos are amateurish brutal thrash, copying their peers from Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sextrash.

Fate Full-length, 1997

My Space

ANSHAR (USA)

This is heavy mid-paced power/thrash, 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 (USA, GREEN BAY, WI)

Based on "Antagonist", this is some really 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 some clean vocals here and there, but the music is actually quite good with a fair share of thrash metal to secure the band's place here.

Eschatology EP, 2004
Samsara EP, 2005
The Architecture of Discord Full-length, 2005
An Envy of Innocence Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ANTARES PREDATOR (NORWAY)

A blend of black and thrash, 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.

Banquet of Ashes EP, 2008

My Space

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, and the following "The World in Flame" also comes with some hard-hitting riffage. The ending is saved for one 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 quite 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 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 magnificent way the band's more serious, thought-out side, introducing longer, complex compositions, leaving behind the hit potential which the previous material had. 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 a post-thrash pattern, and admirably hit the mark, but the later works moved into a direction having nothing to do with thrash.

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

Official Site

My Space

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, have introduced the black side of metal, 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 a quite low level.

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

ANTIDOTE (FINLAND)

These late comers on the Finnish thrash metal scene started greatly with "The Truth": nice, multi-layered semi-technical thrash with interesting, diverse compositions. It really offered a fairly 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"), 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 some 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 works of Suicidal Tendencies and Lawnmower Deth.

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

ANTIQUUS (CANADA)

Another very talented technical/progressive act from Canada; the band's style is a very 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

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 some 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 some 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 some 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- 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 some 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- 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").

Antithesis Full-length, 2000
Dying For Life Full-length, 2001

Official Site

My Space

ANTON (MEXICO)

A classic mixture of thrash and death with some heavy metal elements; quite good.

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

Official Site

My Space

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 some 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 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.

Anubis Demo, 2006

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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 heard'n heavy, but on "Metal on Metal" things became really serious, and this work, along with the 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, Exciter 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. 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, 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 great work of retro thrash, the band being the "lonesome wolf" of the 80's style in 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" the band's approach has worn thin, repeating the same formula, and inserting some more mellow tracks, which completely took over on the very weak "Back to Basics", which richly deserved its title, going 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.

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

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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: some odd heavy metal numbers are here as well ("Time To Die", "Argue With a Sick Mind"), and the speed gets lost completely. "Maggot Infestation" and "Shark Attack" bring it back, with a more aggressive, hardcore intensity. Worth of note are the vocal's attempts at some 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

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 exloits of the 80's German scene (Warrant, Helloween), but one would 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

APATHY (USA)

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

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 fan-base had almost completely forgotten about them. However, they reminded of themselves in a magnificent 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 some mighty intense, speedy pieces present: "Division", accompanied by others, slower, but graced by some 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 along the lines of Slayer and Dark Angel, with some grind-core moments ("Scientific Force").

Demo Demo, 1987

APOCALYPTIC RAIDS (BRAZIL)

The band name already suggests a lot and it doesn't mislead: Hellhammer-worship this is, but it also goes beyond that, including some up-tempo, intense parts ala Bulldozer; some of the more twisted song structures will even remind you of Burzum ("Voyeur"); this is really a very interesting listen. The delivery is often chaotic and hectic (on the faster tracks), but the band's sincere approach to song-writing is simply charming, including the 1.5-min drum bashing "Skullkrusher".

Only Death Is Real... Full-length, 2001
The Return of The Satanic Rites Full-length, 2003
The Third Storm - World War III Full-length, 2005

Official Site

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APOCRYPHA (USA)

This band boast the presence of the guitar wizard Tony Fredianelli. The debut is in the power/speed metal mould, with the band's style still shaky and not very convincing; still the guitar pyrotechnics of Fredianelli are quite impressive to completely ignore this effort. However, the machine has started working quite well just a year later on the sophomore album which was stylish, heavy technical power/thrash with excellent guitar work and characteristic high vocals sometimes reminding of Rob Halford; some tracks were in the spirit of the debut, being cool melodic speed/power metal ones (there is also one very good ballad: "Mystic"), but heavy, stomping riff-fests like "Father Time" and the smashing up-tempo thrasher "The Hour Glass" raise the level much higher. "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow" is another heavy piece, but with a more technical, but equally as intense guitar work (check also the superb leads on this one). The closing "West World" is a raging speed/thrasher, with a heavy break accompanying the chorus. Actually the overall tempo is not fast, but mid-paced to slow on the heavier numbers, and some might consider this a pullback, since Fredianelli kind of submits his flamboyant style to the not really demanding delivery, still shining all over, whereas the debut was virtually a one-man-show for most of the time, but it had its quite a few downsides as well.
"Area 54" is the band's magnum opus, with a more aggressive (but also slower) approach, featuring some great crushing, but at the same time quite technical, riffs. Even "Area 54", apparently intended as a ballad, will squash you with its ultra-heavy riffage. "Catch 22" is a 10-tone steam-roller, which crushes everything in its way- seldom can a band sound so aggressively, without adhering to a very fast or brutal play. On the other hand we have more dynamic, more technical, but equally as heavy songs: "Terrors Holding On To You", and the marvellous technical riff-fest "Tian'anmen Square". There are, of course, some more melodic, heavy/power tunes to take away the pressure: "The Detriment Of Man" (the final cords from this one will remind you of Judas Priest's "Electric Eye").

The Forgotten Scroll Full-length, 1987
The Eyes of Time Full-length, 1988
Area 54 Full-length, 1990

Official Site

APOKATASTASIA (SWITZERLAND)

This is progressive, all instrumental thrash, with numerous nods to other styles, including several outside the metal spectre. This is avantgarde, eclectic stuff, which will remind you of the first couple of works of the French Misanthrope, among others. An instrument which takes a considerable room from the sound, is the violin, but this is far from folk-ish metal ala Skyclad. Certainly, tracks like the 9-min long "LysergSureDithylamid", which has no shade of metal, let alone thrash, could have been left out. If you manage to stay with the album after this one (some of you would definitely turn the players off), you will enjoy awesome progressive thrashers, like the great "Raped Visions", where a cool duel is formed between the violin and the guitars, ending with a brilliant lead near the end. Just when you start filling with joy and expectations, comes another non-metal number: "Rebellion"; those compositions are actually very close to the Finns Apocalyptica. It's followed by the highlight: the 10-min progressive opus "Nothing", a heavy, stomping song, with meaty, smashing riffs, and again, great violin themes. "Empty Flower Vox"- the bonus track, features vocals, and is a nice technical thrasher of a less elaborate nature. This is a fairly interesting approach to thrash, but it might not be a full-blooded entertainment for the regular fan.

Shedding Full-length, 2005

Official Site

APOKRYPHA (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length debut, these guys play a decent mixture of black, death and thrash metal, with the three styles well mixed together (maybe black metal dominates a bit). The pace is never very fast, compared to other similar blends, and the guitar work contains some really good thrashy riffs.

Black Demons EP, 2003
To The Seven Full-length, 2004

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APOLLYON SUN (SWITZERLAND)

After the Celtic Frost guys were unable to erase the stain thrown over their name with the disastrous "Cold Lake", with the much better "Vanity/Nemesis", split-up was the next logical step, and the band was no more. However, Tom G. Warrior was not happy just sitting around, waiting for better times to come, and he founded another act, along with Marky Edelmann from Coroner, and his old comrade from Hellhammer and the early Celtic Frost days Stephen Priestly. Don't expect anything like Celtic Frost here: this is strictly modern industrial post-thrash, much closer to the Coroner's swansong "Grin", and the Peter Tatgren side project Pain. The music has its edge, although it very seldom goes over the mid-pace, but the electronic samples and the quiet, almost progressive moments are quite a few. Warrior sings in an unemotional synthesized manner, recalling the US experimentalists G.G.F.H., which better suits the slow doomy sections, which their music has aplenty as well. There are a couple of pure ambient electronic tracks, too, and the thrash fan may lose his patience while waiting for something more dynamic to happen. The project was put an end to after Warrior joined the reformed Celtic Frost in 2002.

God Leaves (And Dies) EP, 1998
Sub Sampler EP, 2000
Sub Full-length, 2000

Official Site

APOSENTO (SPAIN)

Good old school thrash/death with some black metal elements.

Welcome to Darkness EP, 1997

APOSTASY (CHILE)

This is by all means one of the highlights of the whole Chilean thrash metal scene: this is classy dark, brooding thrash akin to Slayer's late 80's period, and Infernal Majesty. The guys vary things nicely, alternating between aggressive play and crushing heavy riffage. The songs are long, especially the 11-min monster "Malignant Beauty", and the music is not overtly technical, but by no means boring, with the frequent change of tempos and some stylish guitar work. At times the sound acquires some slight death metal tendencies recalling early Death, but as a whole the music doesn't stray too much from the thrash metal path.

Sunset of the End Full-length, 1991

APPARITION (USA)

Based on the "Human Fear" demo, this band are probably one of the first doom/death metal acts, although here there is only one track which fits the definition: "Human Fear". The rest is aggressive thrash/death, although the doom elements are present on each of the other two songs.
The debut demo features very good energetic thrash in the vein of early Whiplash and Slayer, with a short doomy section on "Vicious Kill". The single is only two songs, both of which are intense death/thrashers in the spirit of early Death, graced by some slower, stomping passages, but having nothing to do with doom.

Demo I Demo, 1988
Human Fear Demo, 1989
Eternally Forgotten / Curse the Sunrise Single, 1990

AQUAMORTA (BELARUS)

Very good thrash with a pagan atmosphere which brings it close to Bifrost and even the great Sabbat. The songs are heavy with up-tempo galloping rhythms. There is an unexpected choice for a cover version at the end, but an excellent one: Destruction's "The Ritual" from "Infernal Overkill".

Zaklik Kryvi (Call Of Blood) Full-length, 2001

Official Site

AQUER (CHILE)

Based on "Iä", this band bash old school black/thrash which is pretty close to the early unsuccessful efforts of Sodom to play. The music of the Chileans makes more sense, mostly on the moments when they manage to come up with some genuinely heavy riffs ala early Celtic Frost ("Nova Orden Imperium Sathanas"). "Nuptiae Sabbatti" awkwardly falls into meaningless blast-beats, and "Alcohol" is a jolly crossover track. "In thy Crypt... Iä" tries to conquer the doom metal arena, but could have succeeded if it wasn't for the awful hollow sound of the drums.

Iä Full-length, 2003
Atomic Watts Live Demo, 2005
Athanatos Full-length, 2005
Unbited by Demoniacal Obsession Split, 2006

Official Site

AQUILON (FRANCE)

An intriguing mixture of atmospheric gothic metal and thrash (based on "Intramedia"); the riffs are razor shapr, but the tempo is slow-ish and doomy. There is a good vocal triangle formed by two male (one clean, the other one-harsh) and the nice clean female one. Music of such various nature tends to cling towards the melodic part, but here the thrashy guitars will keep you on the alert.
"Immobile" is quite a disappointment; it doesn't lack the aggressive thrashy riffage, but it's much less adhered to, and has a strong shade of groove, and the pointless melodic, keyboard-driven deviations are much more frequent, accompanied by awful clean vocals. There is a main alternative theme running through the album, broken on the quirky, "electronic-versus-thrash" piece "A Demi-Mot", which is sustained in the best tradition of the German industrial veterans Die Krupps. No more highlights, as the rest merges into one big ambitious, but ultimately flawed gothic metal opera with bad industrialized clean main vocals, among other shortcomings, and numerous stretches into electronic/industrial territories, bringing even more confusing results.

Les Ombres de Quatre Murs EP, 2003
Intramedia Full-length, 2004
Immobile Full-length, 2008

Official Site

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ARAGON (USA)

Very good, speedy thrash with high vocals, similar to Blessed Death; there is a very fast cover version of Sex Pistols' "I Am Not Your Stepping Stone", and a very cool intro/outro with the suggestive title "Straitjacket".

Aragon EP, 1987

ARAKAIN (CZECH)

Arguably the most celebrated Czech thrash metal band; with a string of five strong consecutive albums they established their reputation as an energetic, but also technical thrash outfit which easily stood above the rest. Their debut was a strong piece of intense, but also technically-minded speed/thrash, with great guitar work and soaring, clean vocals, well fitting in the overall picture; this is probably the finest thrash metal work of the whole Szech metal scene (along with Crionic's "Different"): a blistering display of effortlessly played, but quite compelling speed/thrash.
"Schizofrenie" is a capable follow-up, offering longer, more complex compositions, and more technical guitars; this time the speedy formula is broken ("Øekni A Máš Mì", "Kamennej Andìl"), but this is done with smashing heavy riffs; "Sedmá Peèe" is a marvellous instrumental piece, arguably the finest achievement of the band.
"Black Jack" was a lesser, albeit still not a bad effort, showing the band introducing more slower tracks (including one ballad), with a much less technical edge; there are actually only two all-out speed/thrashers; a transitional album, which set the scene for the coming of "Salto Mortale", which did not pretend to sympathize the thrash metal scene anymore, and despite the presence of a few classically-laced numbers, this was a more modern, and a more melodic work. Later on the band completely adopted this style, playing laid-back modern power metal, with just hints of thrash.

Thrash The Trash Full-length, 1990
Schizofrenie Full-length, 1991
Black Jack Full-length, 1992
Salto Mortale Full-length, 1993
Thrash Full-length, 1994

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ARALLU (ISRAEL)

Based on "Desert Battles - Descending to the Sands", this Middle Eastern act offers an aggressive blend of black, thrash and death metal. The music stays closest to black probably, and at times manages to capture the magic of the Oriental style of their compatriots Melechesh (the band founder: Moti Daniel, actually had a short spell with Melechesh, but the "stars" decided that he was not good enough): "Old Form Of Evil", the creepy slower "The Demon's Curse". The thrash is more appealing, though, and comes not very fast, in mid to up-tempo: "The Union of Babylon". Most of the time the guys prefer to play quite fast, with a frequent inclusion of black hyper-blasts.

The War on the Wailing Wall Full-length, 2000
Satanic War In Jerusalem Full-length, 2002
The Demon From The Ancient World Full-length, 2005
Desert Battles - Descending to the Sands Full-length, 2009

My Space

ARBITRATER (UK)

One of the latecomers on the British UK metal scene, Arbitrater play stylish old school thrash metal. There is not much variety at offer, but all the numbers flow nicely and pack a punch. The debut is the faster release, with great guitar work and speedy riffs; on its best moments this album could reach Agent Steel and Toxik easily ("Allegiance", "The Treaty"). "Graveyard of Fools" slows down, increasing the technicality a bit, showing the other side of the band which was to find its full realisation very soon. The sophomore album, depending on the taste, could be considered the better one, with dark atmosphere, heavier, slower, and longer songs, more technical guitars and a more thought-out song writing.

Balance of Power Full-length, 1991
Darkened Reality Full-length, 1993

ARBITRATOR (RUSSIA)

The debut features some cool aggressive thrash, but the awful snarls of the singer ruin things a bit. "Voice Of The Dead" is definitely an improvement both in the musical and vocal department, with tighter riffs and better developed tracks, by far the band's magnum opus. It starts in a merciless fashion, with the aggressive "Inhumanity", but the approach is more varied this time, and "In A Nunnery" is more melodic, slower, albeit not as satisfactory. Fortunately the bigger part of this release is speedy tracks, all of them "broken", but in a good way, by heavier, less intense passages. Their style is not as stale as some other contemporary Russian thrash metal bands, and these guys really have to remind of themselves more often. "Children Of Apocalypse" bears no surprises, but the music is kind of less serious and more melodic, reminding me of mid-90's Sodom at times: a mixture of power, speed and thrash, but not that engaging.

Kill Their Religion Full-length, 1998
Voice of the Dead Full-length, 2004
Children Of Apocalypse Full-length, 2007

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ARCANE (USA)

The band's debut is power/thrash with progressive overtones, not too far from Liege Lord's "Master's Control" and Helstar's 'Remnants of War", beating those albums on the most inspired moments. It is far from a failure; on the contrary: it manages to keep an energetic tempo for most of the time, and some of the leads are really good ("Ancient Internecine"). "Life's Illusion" features some stylish Oriental tunes, very well intertwined with the heavy, galloping riffs. "Impasse of Humanity" is a marvellous technical power/thrasher, with a nice balladic intermission in the middle, followed by the equally as impressive instrumental "Mirror of Deception".
"Ambiguity" is a great piece of the same, but it actually contains only 3 tracks, and the musicianship is tighter, and more thrash-oriented. The guitar work is more technical, and moves again in a Helstar direction- their late 80's period; these guys come up with some stupendous sharp technical riffs here- really impressive. This small gem could have been a preparation for a very worthy full-length follow-up, but the band split up.

Destination Unknown Full-length, 1990
Ambiguity EP, 1994

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ARCANIUM (USA)

Modern thrash with very angry semi-death/semi-hardcore vocals; the riffs pound with passion, but why have the guys decided to insert these utterly annoying clean alternative vocals, and these melodic metalcore leanings?! Near the middle the music takes off for a while with the edgier, even technical "Inclination", but soon does it degenerate into the previous generic material, with one lively moment at the end on "Metamorphosis", where the guys thrash with force.

The Architects Full-Length, 2009

ARCHAIC (HUNGARY)

A strong debut of classic thrash; the vocals have some death-y edge, but the music is just fine. The album starts in an awesome, fast manner with the blasting "True Death of Life", where even some blast-beats have been added as a final touch. The next three tracks follow in the same fast-paced pattern, with great sharp guitars. Then comes "Cornu" which is a break with its gothic, doomy atmosphere and heavy riffs. "Memories" is a pure gothic number with a somewhat progressive shade, and is the only song which doesn't quite belong here. At the end the band pay tribute to one of the legends of Hungarian thrash: Tormentor, before the coming of the closer: "Woodland of Black Treasury": another gothic-tinged number.

Time Has Come To Envy The Dead Full-Length, 2006

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ARCHAIC MASS (USA)

Based on "Mortal Extremeties": Death's "Spiritual Healing" meets thrash half the way through; a very good, aggressive and fast stuff, also reminiscent of Incubus' debut and Slayer's "Reign in Blood". Some blast-beats could be heard as well, but they are not of the annoying type, and are nicely compensated by the excellent leads. This EP flows in a merciless, uncompromising fashion, until it reaches the last track: "Orchestrated Death", which is a fine complex piece of more technically-minded thrash/death.

Mortal Extremeties EP, 1990
Canticles of Dissolution EP, 1992
Erotic Martyrdom EP, 1994

ARCHAIC TORSE (GERMANY)

Excellent dark, heavy thrash which also features aggressive proto-death pieces (the first three tracks), which bring the band closer to bands like the French Agressor and Incubus, but with a more technical edge, even recalling Nocturnus. This truly impressive beginning remains the highlight of the album, although later on there is more offered, but of the slower, stomping type; the steam-roller like wall of sound is broken once, for another fast-paced smasher: "Compulsion to Kill" .

Sneak Attack Full-length, 1994

ARCHENEMY (USA)

The only known member from this obscure band, is the drummer: Kenneth Loiza, who later joined Bloodcum. This rehearsal shows another band determined to change the face of thrash the way quite a few bands tried in the distant 1985; along with another very unknown act: Mayhem, and another much more famous: Possessed, these guys introduce the proto-death metal on the scene. The music is brutal and very fast thrash/death, bordering on grind-core; the tracks are short, relentless assaults, but one could distinguish some really cool speedy riffs, recalling Rigor Mortis. Things would have been better if the guys had slowed down and had let these interesting moments develop beyond sheer speed; now this ultra-fast downpour might come too much, even for the contemporary fan.

Rehearsal Demo, 1985

ARCH ENEMY (SWEDEN)

From their Gothenburg-influenced beginnings, the band started moving more and more towards thrash metal, and despite the distinctive vocals of Angela Kossof which firmly belong to the death metal camp, the style on these four albums is more thrashy compared to their earlier works. "Wages Of Sin" still sounds quite death-ish,though. Mentioning "Wages Of Sin", their new offering-"Rise Of The Tyrant", is a return to the faster and more aggressive sound of that album with the traditional stellar guitar performance by the Amott brothers, featuring some killer thrashers: "In This Shallow Grave", "Rise Of The Tyrant". Having established themselves as a potent force on the contemporary metal scene, Arch Enemy do not take risks by adding any innovations to their sound, but when the music works so well, this is hardly the most urgent step.

Wages Of Sin Full-Length, 2001
Anthems of Rebellion Full-length, 2003
Doomsday Machine Full-length, 2005
Rise Of The Tyrant Full-length, 2007

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ARCTIC CIRCLE (CANADA)

A vicious and quite fast blend of thrash and black metal akin to Suicidal Winds and Vexed; there is an almost hardcore-like intensity in the delivery with short mostly 2-min-or-so long tracks, except for "Horrible Impossible" which goes into the other extreme, being a slow, doomy song which speeds up a bit near the end. There are also a few acousitc quiet moments to relieve the pressure from the band's very aggressive approach.

Forcing the Astral Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ARDKORE (UK)

An obscure thrash/crossover band with a fast aggressive approach recalling Wehrmacht, and Recipients Of Death in the more thrashy sections.

Napalm Stix To Kidz Full-length, 1989

AREA 54 (UK)

A band who mix modern thrash with some more traditional metal passages. In the guitar department they will remind you of Iron Maiden with the melodic solos and the guitar harmonies. Style-wise Area 54 are close to Hypnotic Face from The Czech Republic, but without the more technical, Annihilator-influenced passages of the latter.

Fear Inside EP, 1998
No Visible Scars Full-length, 2000
Beckoning Of The End Full-length, 2003
Bring Out Your Dead Full-length, 2007

Official Site

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ARES KINGDOM (USA)

The band's style is a mixture of black, death and thrash metal. Later period Barathrum could be a good reference, although Ares Kingdom are more thrashy and diverse. There are no ultra fast parts typical for such mixtures: the songs are mostly mid-tempo, spiced up with some slower doomy parts ala early Katatonia; an interesting band.

Chaosmongers Alive EP, 2003
Firestorm Redemption EP, 2006
Return to Dust Full-length, 2006

Official Site

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ARGILE (FRANCE)

S.A.S de l'Argilière and Jean-Jacques Moréac from arguably the finest French metal act of all times Misanthrope have decided once again to try their hands on more eclectic, avantgarde sound, after the last couple of Misanthrope releases could be considered pretty straight-forward, even by more conventional standards. After having flirted with almost every metal genre on the Misanthrope works, the guys have finally decided to pay attention to thrash. Don't expect the experimental avantgardism of the first two Misanhrope albums, though: the style is still complex and progressive, with the opening "Satanic Music" a very good example of the latter. "Pandemonic Necronomicon" follows suit, but is more of a gothic/thrash/doom mix, still quite cool. "Pyramid Paradise" is first-rate technical/progressive thrash, rich on both atmosphere and guitar pyrotechnics, including a couple (but of course) in the bass department expertly carried out by Moreac. "Heart Of The Celestial Empire" is a hectic frantic piece, combining very fast parts with some nice melodic deviations. "Heart Of The Celestial Empire" is a hypnotic, monotonous composition, speeding in an early black-ish Celtic Frost fashion near the end, before exiting with furious, head-splitting blast-beats. "Danse Macabre Mist" is steam-rolling, mid-paced thrash, nothing too technical here. "A Lugubrious Funeral" is 6-min of orchestral operatic extravaganza, no shades of metal here, and the closer "God's Degenerated Angel" is another dark gothic thrash opus, enriched by some fine melodic hooks. Overall the approach here is not too far from the one of the Misanthrope releases of around the same time, and actually comes as a more melodic, thrashy version of "Libertine Humiliations", plus an added doze of the band's old eccentric ideas; would definitely be of interest to the Misanthrope fans, as well as to those thrash fans who like their thrash more uncanny and weird.

The Monotonous Moment of a Monologue Full-length, 2002

Official Site

ARISE (SWEDEN)

A typical representative of the Swedish thrash/death metal wave- fast and catchy, but pretty derivative music.

The Godly Work of Art Full-length, 2001
Kings of a Cloned Generation Full-length, 2003
The Beautiful New World Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ARISE & RUIN

Modern thrash/death metal, with gruff hardcore vocals, and some metalcore breaks; nothing to catch the classic thrash metal fan's ear, although this effort doesn't lack energy: the short headbanger "Unbound" and the softer hardcore-laced "Always The Same".

The Final Dawn Full-Length, 2007

ARISE IN STABILITY (JAPAN)

2 songs of typical modern thrash/death, melodic and generally fast, although a couple of deviations can be heard on the 8-min long "Wheel Of Paradox", which digresses from the formula, with sprawling quite semi-balladic sections, heavy groovy ones, choppy semi-technical guitars, very melodic, albeit capable, leads, clean vocals, and a few metalcore breaks.

Over Humanity Demo, 2006
As Actual as a Desire Demo, 2007

Official Site

ARISER (RUSSIA)

Thse are 5 tracks of intense thrash, mixing the classic and the modern trends, at times sounding close to mid-period Sepultura ("Hide and Run Away"), at times getting angry ala Pantera ("Breaking the Cage"), at others moving onto Germanic speed/thrash ("Burn"), or paying tribute to the Black Album ("Pyramid").

Posthuman EP, 2009

ARKAYIC REVOLT (CANADA)

Very cool classic thrash, crossing the intense thrashing of the Bay-Area bands with the more speed metal aesthetics of German metal (Paradox, above all); the EP is full of great sharp riffs and screaming leads, and the tempos change all the time. The guitarists add some more melodic lines here and there ("Tread the Blade"), and generally the sound is not too aggressive, relying on up-tempo delivery for most of the time, and some softer interludes, where the vocals take a more melodic edge ("Undead Man Walking"), as opposed to the mid-levelled semi-clean style heard most of the time. "Immortal Visions" kind of betrays the overall mood at the end, being slower and modern-ish, with clear allusions to the Black Album, and is a bit long for its kind (7-min), partially saved by the very cool bass performance in the middle.

Undead Man Walking EP, 2009

Official Site

ARKANGEL (BELGIUM)

Based on "Hope you Die by Overdose", Arkangel play mid-paced thrash metal with a classic-vibe, mixed with some more energetic death metal as well as a few slower, doom-laden riffs; so don't look for speed or extreme aggression here. Still, there is quite a variety in this album, and this is good, if we exclude the vocals which are annoying at times, with their high-pitched screaming.

Prayers upon deaf ears EP, 1998
Dead man walking Full-length, 1999
Hope you Die by Overdose Full-length, 2004

Official Site

My Space

ARKENSTONE (GREECE)

"Dead Human Resource" is an explosive debut of classic technical speed/thrash, moving towards the progressive field at times, which puts this young Greek hope right next to heroes like the Danish Manticora, the Polish Hellfire, and the Americans Cauldron Born; early Iced Earth (the first two albums) is another close call. "Fall" is a mighty fast-paced thrasher, with forceful sharp riffs, followed by the more technical, but equally as intense "Psychopath's Salvation", whcih will also remind you of Helstar's "Nosferatu", as well as the 90's power/speed metal scene. "Blame" is more ordinary mid-tempo power/thrash, but the album gains inertia immediately with the next "Righteous Murderer": smashing galloping thrash with great vivid sharp guitars, a headbanger of the highest order. "Forevermore" is standout speed metal in the spirit of early Helloween and Gamma Ray, but the intense thrashing returns for "Eyes Of The Dark", after which the guys give way to their more progressive nature with "Majestic Tales Untold", which tones down the aggression, sticking to the power/speed metal patterns more. "World Of Corruption" thrashes with full force to the point of death metal extremity even, despite the melodic leads and the more technical guitars. "Pain Horror Stigmata" continues in the same vein, crushing everything in its way, setting the scene for the coming of the magnificent "Dead Human Resource": a progressive thrash masterpiece, an impeccable combination of aggressive thrashing (some blast-beats involved even) and intricate riffage; the peaceful break in the middle is outstanding, after which some of the catchiest melodic leads start out of nowhere, to give way to some galloping rhythms as a finishing touch. The singer is a bit gruff probably for this kind of music, but his efforts pay off; if you remember the first Iced earth singer John Greely: this one is close, but more varied, trying some aggressive proto-death metal singing from time to time. It's not very often these days that one can hear such a convincing debut; one of the main pretenders for "debut of the year" award for 2008.
The band's early demos have nothing to do with thrash, but are fairly enjoyable offerings of classic 90's speed/power metal, with epic shades.

Both Of Demos (CD 2005) Full-length, 2005
Dead Human Resource Full-length, 2008

Official Site

ARKILLERY (USA)

Based on "The Berserker", this is the viking/death/thrash metal sound of Bathory's (R.I.P.) "Blood Fire Death" mixed with his early efforts, brought into the new millennium. The musicianship, however, is on a lower level, and the majestic epic atmosphere of Bathory's work is somewhat missing, or at least rarely shows up. Otherwise this album offers a similar mixture of heavy, semi-epic songs ("Dragon Ships in Winter") and speed/thrash outbreaks ("Blood Spikes And Noise"). The singer most of the time sticks to the early Bathory rasp, but sometimes he uses his cleaner voice (or maybe it's another singer?), and he definitely does a better job then. There is also a certain number of acoustic outros, intros and interludes which would have been a nice touch if they were fewer.

Dark Ages Full-length, 2003
The Berserker Full-length, 2003
Return Of The Wolves Full-length, 2004

My Space

ARKUS (CZECH)

Based on the Live, this female-fronted band play cool speed/thrash (more speed metal-based, as a matter of fact) reminiscent of the German acts Not Fragile and Iron Angel ("Winds of War"). The music is up-tempo, straight-forward, without any technical pretensions, never very fast, and there is a considerable presence of heavy riffs. The girl has a cool semi-clean, lower-pitched voice, and she could have tried to lay some higher screams which suit this style. The sound is very good for a concert recording, and the guitarists attempt some interesting melodic leads, recalling Kai Hansen.

Live Live, 1992
Poutnik v Case Full-length, 2003

ARMAGEDOM (BRAZIL)

Based on the debut, this band offer a raw, undeveloped blend of early Slayer and hardcore. This is one-dimensional, up-tempo, unappealing music, with short, 1.5-2min tracks, and a hollow and fuzzy guitar sound.

Silêncio Fúnebre Full-length, 1986
Das Cinzas ao Inferno Full-length, 2001
Pricipio da Agonia - 1984 Full-length, 2003

Official Site

ARMATAGE (FINLAND)

Based on the "Conscience Decays", this band play excellent technically-inclined thrash, which comes between Destruction's "Release from Agony" and Mandator's "Perfect Progeny". The tempo is quite energetic and fast, but never too aggressive, and the steel riffs keep flowing from all sides. There are some superb exercises in more complex technical thrash: "Uncertain Existence", but the rest is more accessible headbanging stuff, still with a certain technical edge. This is great music which easily overshadows most of the more known names from the Finnish metal scene at the time.

Conscience Decays Demo, 1990
No Therapy Demo, 1991

ARMISTICE (GERMANY)

One of the representatives of the wave of German thrash metal bands which started in the late 90's; the band's sound is modern akin to recent Annihilator; professionally done, but a bit generic.

Tied Full-length, 1997
Hot On The Trail Full-length, 2000
Roots of Evil Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

ARMORED (MEXICO)

The rehearsal is just one song, "Faster" + the intro, which is called "Bloodthirsty". The song is up-tempo black/thrash in the vein of early Bathory, with bad synthesized vocals simpe raw guitars.

Rehearsal Demo, 1985
Rising From Hell Demo, 2005
Chaos & Violence Split, 2008

My Space

ARMORED ASSASSIN (USA)

A really commendable debut of classic speed/thrash, graced by more melodic hooks ala Exciter and Motorhead; the opener "Forces of Evil" is a violent piece of speed/thrash, but soon does the sound acquire softer tendencies, resulting in a cool string of catchy, feelgood tracks. It's not exactly "Violence and Force" or "Stay Ugly" of the new millennium, but is not too far behind.

Damaged Youth Full-Length, 2008

ARMOROS (CANADA)

A very good blend of aggression and technical riffs; a more technical and diverse Slayer would be perhaps a good description. The music gets quite brutal on some tracks, bordering on death metal, but the technicality never gets lost. Fans of Gammacide and Massacra will love this one as well.

Pieces Full-length, 1988

My Space

ARMOURED ANGEL (AUSTRALIA)

This cool popular death metal act played some really good thrash on their demos. On "Communion" the guys offer nice headbanging tracks, both of the heavy, steam-roller like variety ("Castration", "Communion") and of the speedy, energetic one ("Tergiversator", "My Fist, Your Face").

Baptism In Blood Demo, 1985
Wings Of Death Demo, 1989
Communion Demo, 1990

My Space

ARNION (BRAZIL)

A new act who play a heavy, mid to up-tempo mix of classic and a bit of modern thrash. The classic riffs dominate, and one can not help but bang his head with joy on smashing Bay-Area numbers like "Get Ready For The War", or galloping thrashers like "Fall Like Rain", or all-out speed/thrashing delights like "Obtenetration". "Whitened Graves" is a cool closing track, longer than the others, blending some heavy, almost doomy riffage in the beginning, before exploding into another massive wall of Bay-Area headbanging riffage.

Refuge EP, 2008
Fall Like Rain Full-length, 2008

My Space

ARS MORIENDI (AUSTRIA)

A band with that name will probably make you dismiss them as just another gothic/doom metal act, especially after they come from the country which has all the claims to be the new "motherland" of gothic/doom of recent years, and this will be a mistake. Based on "Journey To Your Agony", this band offer a pleasant deviation from the modern thrash/death metal formula (which is the base for the band's sound) by adding some intriguing technical/progressive riffs ala Pestilence and Death. The tempo is generally up-tempo to fast, with vocals which alternate between death metal grunts and higher pitched screaming.

Ars Moriendi EP, 2001
Dissimulated Full-length, 2004
Your Soul On Our Screen EP, 2005
Journey To Your Agony Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ARSENAL (PERU)

Modern feelgood power/thrash, not very hard-hitting or fast, kind of reminding of the early works of the Argentinians Hermetica, but with a more modern edge, and a touch of stoner/doom in the guitar work.

Resistiendo Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ARSENIC (USA)

The "Seeds Of Darkness" compilation features some utterly raw and amateurish thrash in the beginning that even the early Sodom and Messiah works sound like polished, professional music, compared to that. Later things improve considerably, and apparently on the later demos Arsenic have managed to pull out some quite technical and at the same quite aggressive death/thrash, calling to mind Merciless from Sweden and early Death.

Beneath the Grave Demo, 1985
First Blood Demo, 1985
Souls Lie Screaming Demo, 1988
Hallucinations Demo, 1989
Seeds of Darkness Best of/Compilation, 2006

My Space

ARSONAL FURY (USA)

This is a nice 4-track EP of speed/thrash metal, reminiscent of Destructor and Blessed Death's debut. "Axed" is a furious little speed/thrasher, followed by the more temperate speed/power metal piece "Infected Brains". Another more intense thrashy number comes: "Toxic Waste", before the excellent galloping speed metal killer "Fall To Ruins" wraps it up nicely.

Demo Demo, 1987

ARTAS (AUSTRIA)

A thrash/death metal hybrid, which hesitates between the modern and the classic school; the more classically-inclined compositions are more attractive and edgy: "Fick Das Fett", but fast modern melodic death/thrashers, like "Rhagenfels" are not too far behind. Make sure not to miss the very entertaining brutal speedy thrash/death version of the Coolio hit "Gangsta Paradise". There is another pleasant surprise near the end: the epic/viking thrasher "A Song of Ice and Fire".

The Healing Full-length, 2008

My Space

ARTE SACRA (PORTUGAL)

This great Portuguese act plays state-of-the-art progressive thrash/death. "Land Divine" is more on the death metal side, with great atmospheric sections, outstanding bass performance ala Steve DiGiorgio, and an overall style which recalls late period Atheist and Pestilence, but without the jazzy moments, and some faster parts in the spirit of late period Death, plus a pinch of Coroner's "Grin". At times the music becomes too dreamy and "out there", seldom accompanied by cool clean vocals ala Opeth. Although there's absolutely no fast-paced play here, the slow-ish, meandering technical riffs will enchant you, along with the stylish keyboard implements.
"Formula" is a stunning full-length debut. The music has gotten a bit faster and more thrashy, and overall more complex. Imagine a more elaborate version of Death and the Polish Sceptic, combined with the haunting keyboard presence in the tradition of Nocturnus and the Australians Alchemist. The atmospheric, dreamy sections are also present, and some of the most technical, head-spinning parts will remind you of Coroner's "Mental Vortex" ("The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean", "Voyage at the Other Side of Time", the marvellous "Regressing"). Some songs are the peaks of the progressive thrash/death metal genre of recent years ("The Vision We Preserve", "Prophets and Shadows"), although some may complain because of the overuse of keyboards, which in those two cases give the compositions a somewhat gothic decoration. "Formula" richly deserves to carry the album title, being exemplary technical death/thrash, providing some of the finest guitar play around, including a few faster sections. "Andromeda" is a cool laid-back "acoustic meets leads" instrumental.

Land Divine EP, 1999
The Infinite Law EP, 2004
Formula Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ARTERIAL PRESSURE (SPAIN)

The finest piece of Spanish thrash I've listened in a looong time. The music is firmly in the classic mould- quite fast, with a certain shade of technical play similar to Kreator's "Extreme Aggression". The vocals also go into the Kreator direction, sounding like a more hysterical Mille. The album has a peculiar structure: the aggressive songs are placed in the beginning, whereas the slower, heavier pieces occupy the second half, until the last one-"Mortal Crash": a fist of fury which will break your neck. Classic thrash in the new millennium seldom comes any better than that.

Human Brain Full-Length, 2005

Official Site

ARTES NEGRAS (ARGENTINA)

Black/speed/thrash; the style is close to early Whiplash ("Power and Pain"), but there are the obligatory brutal sections which will remind you of Impaled Nazarene ("Tyrannica", "Corpse Tormentor"), including the vocals which are strictly in the black metal camp.

Let there be Death Full-length, 2004

Fan Site

ARTIFICIAL TEETH (GERMANY)

If the songs have been twice as short, this demo would have been a winner. But six 6-7 minute-long tracks of one-dimensional modern-tinged thrash, without any hooks or twists, is too much for one to bear. The band's style has its merits, but even the best moments can not completely hide its plodding and forgettable nature.

Inborn Error Of Dental Doom Demo, 1992

Official Site

ARTILHARIA (BRAZIL)

This demo recalls the early efforts from the Brazilian metal scene: the works of Vulcano, Sarcofago, Sepultura, etc. This is aggressive thrash metal bordering on death with sinister, black-ish vocals. The sound is dirty and raw, recreating the old school atmosphere quite well. Some of the songs are slower with a darker quality, bringing to mind early Protector and Celtic Frost.

Assassinos do Abissmo Demo, 2007

ARTILLERY (DENMARK)

One of the stalwarts of European technical thrash metal; after the raw-ish, more standard, but very promising debut, the guys pulled out two outstanding technical thrash albums, which crushed almost all competition around, with "Terror Squad" arguably being their magnum opus. The demo "Mind Factory", which followed several months after "Inheritance", was a stunning piece of technical thrash, which almost overshadowed all their previous material, albeit only containing 3 songs; it sounded like a rehearsal for a new strong effort, but instead the band split-up, with the Stützer brothers (the guitar duo in the band) later forming the much less impressive, modern power/thrash outfit Missing Link. The band returned to the scene in 1999 with the appropriately titled "B.A.C.K.". This release, however, is not such a great return to form: there are some typical nice technical moments, recalling the guys' past, but there is also a lot of modern metal involved, as well as elements hardly having anything to do with metal alone, something one would not expect to hear in an Artillery album. I guess that's the reason why it takes so long for the band to come up with something new; this time they really should do better.
The "Jester" EP serves as a warm-up for the coming of "B.A.C.K.", featuring two tracks of a similar to the old days style: "Fly" is a heavy semi-ballad, reminiscent of "Don't believe" from "By Inheritance" and the two more balladic songs from the "Mind Factory" demo; "Jester" is a truly satisfying piece of classic technical thrash sounding like a leftover from "By Inheritance", with the biting riffs and the nice Oriental melodies; even the best tracks on "B.A.C.K." can not touch this great number, which should have been included there.
One almost forgot that the band were "B.A.C.K." in 1999, but better late than never... The news, which may be quite a bad piece to most of you, is that Flemming Rönsdorf is no longer with the band, and I know that quite a few will stop reading here, because Artillery without Rönsdorf is the same as Accept without Udo, Judas without Rob Halford, or Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickinson: everyone knows how "successful" these bands were without their frontmen. Well, one also shouldn't forget that the main creative force behind Artilley's music have always been the Stützer brothers, and they are here to do some more damage, although 10 years may be too big a gap to be filled successfully. Anyway, the album is a real winner in every department: "When Death Comes" is excellent speed/thrash opener, with the new singer Søren Nico Adamsen, who had honed his voice previously in a couple of power metal acts around Sweden, being quite a pleasant surprise with his melodic emotional high-pitched tone, not far from Leszek Szpigiel (Scanner, Mekong Delta). "Upon My Cross I Crawl" is even more crushing and faster, and will make you mosh around with joy and bliss. "10.000 Devils" slows down, but the heavy dynamic riffs are far from a disappointment; just when one adjusts his senses to the calmer delivery, starts some fierce thrash out of nowhere, occupying the middle. Another raging thrash bomb follows: "Rise Above It All", and this is where the first more technical guitars can be heard. "Sandbox Philosophy" thrashes like there's no tomorrow once again, with the technical edge retained, after which it's finally time for a break on the semi-ballad "Delusions Of Grandeure", which still contains some heavy intense sections, and shows the singer in a very bright light. "Not A Nightmare" is mid-tempo pounding thrash, probably the most ordinary composition here, slightly influencing the next "Damned Religion", which doesn't speed up, but the nice duel between the heavy and the melodic guitars is a good excuse; for the first time here can one hear the staple Artillery melodic semi-Oriental hooks. Enough with the breaks, and indeed "Uniform" returns to the more aggressive patterns, producing some forceful speedy thrash. "The End" is a very nice end to the album, blending the speedy and the mid-paced riffage, adding some genuine technical moments plus the aforementioned semi-Oriental melodies, summing up all that was heard up to this point in a fairly convincing way. Yes, the 10-year gap has been filled more than well, and one could easily forget about the shaky "B.A.C.K." when listening to this. The technical leanings so characteristic of the band's past output are somewhat left behind, but this speed/thrash monster is so compelling that they are hardly missed. This is the real comeback for the Danish masters, and hopefully this time they will manage to keep the singer, to come up with something of the same high calibre, hopefully before 2019...

Fear of Tomorrow Full-length, 1985
Terror Squad Full-length, 1987
By Inheritance Full-length, 1990
Mind Factory Demo, 1991
B.A.C.K. Full-length, 1999
When Death Comes Full-Length, 2009

Official Site

My Space

ARTSONIC (FRANCE)

Based on "Fashion Victim": groovy, industrial semi-thrash sounding like a poor combination between Die Krupps and Helmet; nothing special, with weak alternative vocals, which harden the course on some tracks with some harsher tones. There is a strange, not very impressive cover version of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall".

Sonic Area Full-length, 1997
Fake Full-length, 1998
Fashion Victim Full-length, 2000
Hacktivist Full-length, 2002
Recidivist EP, 2003

AS THEY SLEEP (USA)

This band tries to mix death and thrash metal, with preferences to the more modern side, and surprisingly do not suck, mainly due to the clever sharp riffage, the predominant thrashy tempo, and the good sense of melody displayed all over. Don't expect any "miracles" in the vocal department, though: the so common nowadays mixture of gruff and clean vocals await you here, and not the best one. This is by no means groundbreaking stuff, but we have heard a lot worse examples of the blend, before and after...

Blacken the Sun Full-length, 2008

My Space

ASATRU (UK)

This band is a project of Rob Engvikson who is also a full-time member of the British death/thrashers Cancer. With this demo he tries to inject into the already established as a genre viking metal a considerable doze of thrash. The result of such a "therapy" is mixed, with a sound coming closer to a thrashy version of Enslaved's viking period, or Bathory's "Blood, Fire, Death" on the best moments. Downpoints are the keyboards which are overused and stifle the thrashy riffs, and the high-pitched black-ish vocals, not too far from Danny Filth from Cradle of Filth, which do not suit the music too well.

2249 RE - Demos Demo, 1999

Official Site

ASBEEL (POLAND)

Excellent dark haunting retro thrash, which strangely reminds me of the German underground heroes Criminal Justice, with very cool clean vocals, similar to the ones used by Dax Riggs on the Acid Bath albums. The music is heavy and mid-paced with some occasional more melodic power metal leanings ("Free Of Twilight"). "18" is a powerful more dynamic thrasher, and "Relief In Fight" tries to keep the pace up, among the pounding doomy riffage, and the nice Oriental implements. "Stronger Than Destiny" is a crushing steam-roller, never leaving the mid-pace, but the closing "Asbeel" is a fine galloping power/thrasher, bringing the speed up, along with some stylish melodic hooks. The music sounds underground, the way the aforementioned Germans did, but this approach has to be exposed to a wider audience: there is a lot here which will appeal to the metal fan.

Stronger Than Destiny Demo, 2001

ASBEEL (VENEZUELA)

Intense classic thrash with a rough sound quality, not too removed from the early efforts of the Brazilian scene from the 80's. This is really simplistic stuff, quite amateurish, with the instruments often going out of synchronicity; that's why I guess the pure bashing suits the guys best: the uncompromising brutal thrasher "Pacto Con El Maestro".

Inification of Evil Split, 2008

ASCRAEUS (TURKEY)

Based on "Disgust": this is not disgusting (pun intended), but is nothing more than derivative, tedious groovy thrash, recalling Biohazard, and Machine Head in the more intense sections ("Hate").

Dare To Live Full-length, 1994
Red Full-length, 1997
Disgust Full-length, 2000

Official Site

ASENBLUT (GERMANY)

A 3-song demo of sharp intense black/thrash, which still leaves room for a few melodic sections and hooks; when the guys speed up, they come close to the unbridled fury of the Finns Impaled Nazarene (parts from every track), but there are some epic/pagan shades to be felt ("Klingenschmiede") as well, which should be further developed on future releases.

Kampfruf Demo, 2008

Official Site

ASEYEAM (GERMANY)

These are the same guys who are also behind the black metal outfit Dakria. The style here is a blend of black and thrash, quite fast at times ("Breeding Hatred"), but there are numerous melodic hooks scattered throughout. Thrash clearly predominates, and is of quite good quality: check out the smashing "For All Eternity", "Spirit In Motion". Black metal takes over for "Blackened Dreams Beneath An Apocalypse Sun", which is furious black ala Cradle of Filth with atmospheric keyboard implements all over. Be prepared for a short explosive thrash/death bomb at the end: the 1-min madness "The Day I Die".

Spirit In Motion Demo, 2000

Official Site

ASFIXIA (SPAIN)

Excellent classic technical thrash with hard-hitting riffs, and some interesting guitar melodies, slightly offbeat, but utterly logical; the tempo is energetic, but not very fast, and the overall style might remind you of the Dutch Mandator ("Perfect Progeny") or the Americans Deus Vult, although the Spaniards are more technical, despite the presence of a few tracks, which are shorter, with a slight crossover edge, and are sung in Spanish. The bass performance is particularly strong. On the last two songs ("Asfixia", "Avenger") the guys really hit the mark, producing two outstanding technical/progressive thrashers with great leads and numerous tempos.

The World is Over Demo, 2007

Official Site

ASGARD (HOLLAND)

One of the first speed/thrash metal bands from Holland (along with Mysto Dysto); good music reminiscent of early Helloween, Warrant and Vectom: fast-paced, with deviations from the pattern on some longer tracks ("Witches Brew", "Metal Tonight"), where the sound loses its edge, falling into heavy, monotonous one which doesn't serve the guys right.

In the Ancient Days Full-length, 1986

ASH & ELM (USA)

The band offer a very wide variety of styles on both albums: melodic death, thrash, folk, progressive metal. The vocals stretch in all directions, trying to keep up with the style played at the present moment. There are shades of classic heavy metal in the Iron Maiden-vein, too. A really interesting band, but the diverse nature of their music might come as too much for the regular thrash metal fan.

Ash & Elm Full-length, 2003
The Death of Compassion Full-length, 2004

Official Site

ASH TO ASHS (JAPAN)

Melodic speed/thrash, with very good Iron Maiden-like leads (some of them sound as though directly taken from some of the Brits' songs), and good catchy choruses. This band strangely remind me of the excellent American band Holy Terror, since their music also has shades of several styles, without betraying the thrash metal idea. The tempo is quite energetic, except for the galloping power/thrash metal number "Slaughterhouse", which is also very good.

Demo Demo, 1988
Demo Demo, 1990

ASMODEUS (CZECH)

The Czech scene woke up relatively late for thrash, and this is probably the reason why it was one of the very few ones which kept on producing quality thrash albums in the early 90's. Asmodeus are a fine example for that, and could even be considered the best practitioners of the genre at that time from this country, along with Arakain. On the debut the guys play standout classic thrash, with short compositions, excellent guitar work, and some more stylish "decorations". The music is accessibly complex, and the more furious and direct side of the style is far from forgotten: the aggressive Slayer-esque "Panoptikum", the speed/thrash killer "Mesto Padl?ch Soch", the proto-death monster "Tenkrat Na Zapade". The pace is quite energetic, by the way, and seldom do the guys adhere to slower patterns. There are a couple of instrumentals thrown in, some of them melodic, lead-driven, others heavy and mid-paced, with a cool technical edge ("Stvoritel") and some fine leads. The band take it easy at the end, and the last 3 compositions are just very jolly, sing-along speedy crossover numbers, the last being a merry take on the Christmas carol "Jingle Bells", sung in Czech.
"Pøíjezd Krále" is such a sudden U-turn towards melodic progressive metal, with no any thrash metal remnants whatsoever, that it might take a few listens before one starts to realize what had happened here. This trend remained with the band until 2003, when their heart was sold again for some more thrash.
"Sabat v Carnegie Hall" is another commendable achievement, focusing on the technical aspect, producing some awesome complex sections ("Nanosferatu"), among which those packed in less than 3-min are a wonder to listen to: "Živé Svìtlo"; but, please, don't get pulled back by the saxophone tunes popping-up from time to time. The guys step on the pedal for more intense headbanging moments later on ("Zavátý Svìt"), and just when one starts to appreciate the music for its sheer classic nature, comes the groovy spoiler "Mrtvá Voda", which heavily influences the following "Turisté Smrti", and the listener will be relieved to hear "Na Øadì Je Mars", which safely goes back to the technical patterns from the beginning, adding nice jumpy hectic riffs to the picture. More groovy post-thrash on "Ten, Kdo Vidí", livened up by a couple of more energetic guitars, and one semi-ballad as a finishing touch: "Žraloèí Oèi". Having been away from the thrash metal field for about 8 years, the band show with confidence that their days are far from numbered.
"Na Jehlách" sees the guys taking a break from the hard course, with some laid-back modern groovy post-thrash, of a much more simplistic character.

Prosincová noc blíže neurèeného roku Full-length, 1992
Den zúètování EP, 1994
Pøíjezd krále Full-length, 1995
Vchod Do Kruhu Full-length, 1998
Na Jehlách Full-length, 2000
Sabat v Carnegie Hall Full-length, 2003
Øetìz kritických událostí. Full-length, 2006

Official Site

ASMODIA (UK)

Good thrash of the old school by the same guys who are also behind the thrash/crossover outfit Chewin' Druids. After the aggressive direct 2-min opener "Bring The Pain" the band start pulling something more serious and thought-out: the diverse, but still quite intense "Suicide Angel", where the guys unleash some proficient leads and melodic hooks. "Burn The Cross" is mid-paced and pounding, and the next more dynamic "Concrete Jungle" may remind you of Chewin' Druids, with its more hardcore-based sound. "Eagles Fly Free" (which is not a Helloween cover) is the most melodic track, more in the speed/power metal camp, catchy and optimistic.

Burn the Cross Full-length, 2003

My Space

ASMODIS (GERMANY)

The band have been disturbing the underground since 1985, but fate has smiled at them when classic thrash metal has been reduced to just a chapter from the students' textbooks. But these guys haven't seemed to care, and have done exactly that: an excellent classic thrash album. The style is very similar to the legendary Erosion debut (reportedly members of Erosion have played on some of the bands' works- demos or full-length?). The album starts in a blistering headbanging fashion with the speed/thrasher "Despot of Evil", which will also remind you of Paradox's "Heresy". Later on the sound even gets faster and more aggressive ("Transgression", "Superior War", etc.), graced by some fine leads and very fast hard-hitting riffs. The only complaint is for the two lengthy songs at the end where the album starts to drag a bit, with somewhat repetitive, albeit still quite energetic, intense riffs.

Fahr zur Hölle Pfleischmütze Full-length, 1993

My Space

ASPHYXIA (BELGIUM)

Bay Area-influenced thrash; professionally done, but nothing out of the ordinary; the band put the necessary energy in the proceedings, they even come up with some catchy numbers ("Capital Punishment"), as well as some more aggressive, Slayer-esque ones ("One Big Family", "No Thanks"), but it requires more to really stand out, especially at the time when thrash metal was falling from grace.

Exit Reality Full-length, 1991

ASPHYXIA (IRELAND)

A 4-song demo of heavy, dark thrash, which reminds me of late period Protector; there are no shades of death metal here, however, and the tracks are long, the shortest one being 7.5-min, albeit not technical; there's just a constant change of slower, pounding rhythms and faster, aggressive ones. This is good stuff, intense and energetic, with vicious, death metal vocals.

Bury the Hatchet EP, 2004

Official Site

ASPHYXIATION (USA)

Rough around the edges thrash of the heavy type, similar to the Hallows Eve debut, with a doze of hardcore, and a kind of a hollow (another nod to the aforementioned Americans perhaps?) sound; could have been more appealing if it wasn't for the awful sound quality.

Demo Demo, 1987

ASPID (RUSSIA)

The greatest one-album wonder that the Russian metal scene ever produced; this is stupendous technical thrash with complex song structures and some of the finest technical riffs around. The best description for this unique band would be a mix of Infernal Majesty (the dark sound and the elaborate song structures) and Coroner (some of the technical riffs are taken directly from the Swiss' textbooks). Half of the songs are long, with intense, speedy passages, taking turns with slower, more technical ones; some of the riffs create a vortex-like atmosphere, with the quick changes, merging into one another, and may be a bit hard to follow, if you lose focus. The shorter tracks are more immediate, of the speed/thrash variety, and not as technical. Some sparce blast-beats could be heard at times, but other than that the music has no shades of death metal. If we exclude the typical for so many Russian bands mean-sounding, semi-clean vocals, everything else is nothing short of perfect.

Krovoyziliyanie Full-length, 1993

My Space

ASSACRE (USA)

A one man project (who's homosexual,by the way, and I'm not insulting anyone mentioning this as he himself is announcing it without any worries). Apart from this, everything else is decent, the music being industrialized death/thrash metal of the modern type. The sound is quite tecnical and complex on at least half of the album, but the "guy" likes it various, and here come the rock-ish songs ("Cyclops Genesis"), and the bland, offbeat exercises in noise/ambient ("Kalos K' Agathos", "The Ultimate Value of Human Life", which is whole 11-min long, to the listener's utter annoyance).

Fantastic Illusions Worth Dying For Full-length, 2005

Official Site

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ASSALANT (USA)

It seems as though at one point there wasn't a band in Texas who looked able to start a career without the presence of Mike Soliz. His vocals graced half of the representatives of the metal scene there. This 3-song demo is typical American power/thrash along the lines of Aftermath, Helstar and Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy", with some good semi-intricate guitar work. Soliz's vocals are quite good here, even his notorious high-pitched screams are not as annoying as, say, the ones he used on the Militia releases.

The Damage Is Done Demo, 1987

ASSAILANT (SWEDEN)

Melodic progressive power/thrash metal with some tasteful use of keyboards and guitar work which slightly reminds of the Gothenburg school at times, but never ventures into death metal-territory. There is no much variety of tempos: the music is heavy, mid-paced recalling Morgana Le Fay, with the exception of "Lies", which speeds things up near the end.

Nemesis Within Full-length, 2006

ASSASSIN (GERMANY)

"The Upcoming Terror" showed some promise with its energetic, intense delivery, shown from the very beginning with the short opening instrumental "Speed of Light". "Forbidden Reality" continues the assault, with some really aggressive riffage, mixed with slower, more controlled moments. "Nemesis" is an all out speed/thrashing attack, again graced by some less extreme sections. "Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)" is an excellent speed metal number, in the best tradition of early Helloween. More complex material follows on the longer "The Last Man" and "Assassin", which combine numerous great elements from the speed/thrash metal scene. Mored direct aggressive fast-paced speed/thrash on "Holy Terror" ala Exumer's "Possessed by Fire", but the guys go over the top on the brutal closer "Bullets".
If the debut was giving its fair share to both speed and thrash, the follow-up did not take prisoners with its uncompromising delivery. "Abstract War" is a raging opener, and "AGD" is another heads-down thrasher, slower, with sharp riffs, and some fine lead guitar work. "A Message To Survive" is a bursting aggressive track, followed by the great short instrumental "Pipeline". The aggression returns for "Resolution 588", before the speed metal patterns are brought back, on "Junk Food" and the fine instrumental piece "Interstellar Experience", which second part is plain ambient theme, quite "interstellar", if you ask me, but somewhat underwhelming; a situation greatly improved by another, similar to the debut, brutal short closer "Baka". Strange to the more technical trends which took over quite a few of their compatriots' sound in the late 80's (Destruction, Living Death, Deathrow, Kreator, etc.), the guys looked like the perfect champions of the more straight and aggressive side of thrash, but these two efforts were their only output for a very long time.
"The Club", along with Nuclear Assault's "Third World Genocide" and Cancer's "Spirti in Flames", remains one of the worst comeback attempts made by 80's veterans during the new millennium. It contains almost nothing to recall the unbridled aggression of the band's early works, and is a very uneven mixture of the old and modern sound, resulting in a confusing and unfocused approach, which even with more refinement will be miles away from the high standards of the 80's. I guess few were those from their old fans who joined "the club" this time...

The Upcoming Terror Full-length, 1986
Interstellar Experience Full-length, 1988
The Club Full-length, 2005

Official Site

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ASSASSINATE

Thrash/crossover- think The Accused, but more melodic, with some tracks recalling early Voivod ("Babylons Burning") as well.

Assassinate Full-Length, 2003

ASSAULT (CANADA)

Melodic speed/thrash obviously influenced by Motorhead and Tank; some thrash metal fans might find it too soft for their taste.

Survival In The Street Full-length, 1987

ASSAULTER (AUSTRALIA)

A black/thrash metal band formed by an ex-member of Destroyer 666: S. Berserker; the style is reminiscent of his old band: mid-paced, heavy, with epic elements and some death metal tunes thrown in, as well as some more speedy sections. The first demo fits this description perfectly, whereas the second one speeds up quite a bit, going towards speed/thrash at times.
"Salvation Like Destruction" offers good speed/thrash, with some black-ish additions, which put the music on a more brutal level, but the guys nicely keep things interesting, pulling out some slower, epic-tinged numbers ("The Axiom Star"), which work even better than the faster material. "Glory Alone" is a very good nod to the Bathory epic/viking period, and the singer overall adheres to Quorthon's (R.I.P.) vocal style, but more vicious, and less comprehensive. "Proselytiser" is first-rate speed/thrash, in the best tradition of Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past". "Awe of Fire" is exemplary epic thrash, with some of the finest melodic hooks around- a masterpiece. "Vengeance Whips" is in a similar vein, despite the fast-paced beginning, and the closer "Between Gods and Men" softens a bit, being a cool epic heavy metal hymn.

Proselytiser Demo, 2005
Omnipotent Demo, 2006
Salvation Like Destruction Full-length, 2008

My Space

ASSCHAPEL (USA)

Apart from another improper choice for a band name (which might put some smile on your face), this is quite a cool blend of death, thrash and hardcore which straddles between the classic and the modern style. The music is quite energetic and fast most of the time, but there are some heavy, slower sections which will remind you of Six Feet Under's "Haunted" or even Obituary. If we exclude these moments, the rest of the music is nice headbanging thrash attack-simple and direct.

Rotting The Body 7" EP, 2001
Total Worship 12" EP, 2001
Fire And Destruction Full-length, 2003
Satanation EP, 2003

Official Site

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ASSESOR (CZECH)

Chaotic, technical thrash which has quite a few interesting moments scattered throughout; the music often acquires a more brutal, proto-death aspect ("Volaní Bitvy", "Setkani"), and this is where the guys add some intriguing, almost surreal guitar lines, which sound strangely compelling, ocasionally even reaching the heights of Hellwitch and Invocator. The tracks are no longer than 3-4 min, and with the complex riffage within, are quite an intense, but fairly satisfying listen. The band are no strangers to some galloping technical thrashers ("Hrad", the excellent instrumental "Apokalipsa"), which show their slower, but equally as impressive side. Some songs are nice attempts at abstract technical thrash ala Voivod, with a more aggressive delivery ("Svit Luny"). The album closer "Destrukce", despite its brutal title, is a doomy atmospheric piece, which strangely reminds me of a theme I've heard some place else. Despite the many good moments here, one couldn't get rid of the feeling that these guys were capable of more, but they never recorded again.

Invaze Full-length, 1990

ASSHOLE (FRANCE)

Brutal thrash bordering on hardcore, with some surprisingly stylish, but misplaced solos.

CYTTOYLP Full-length, 1991

ASSORTED HEAP (GERMANY)

With its dark, brooding style this band could have made quite an impact on the scene if having appeared 3-4 years earlier. The debut is quite compelling with its mixture of dark thrash and technical riffs ala Pestilence's "Testimony Of The Ancients" (I have no information as to which album was released earlier). "Unexplained Bloodshed" is a marvellous opener, sounding as a leftover from the Pestilence album- fast, tight and technical, with a crushing heavy middle break. The aggression continues unabated on the smashing "Experience of Horror", which at this point would have set the listener to think that this would be a more death metal-based recording, especially when the next track comes crushing mercilessly through the speakers ("Remembrance of Tomorrow"). After the short acoustic intermission "In Vain", the sound takes a more thrashy direction, but remains quite fast and intense. Then comes the magnificent speedy technical explosion: "Trick to Your Mind", followed by a more ordinary headbanging thrasher, before the closer "Grave New World" offers another whirlwind of furious technical riffage (man, can these guy play!), superb bass performance, and a marvellous atmospheric lead guitar outro. It was albums like this which made 1991 the last great year for metal in a long time.
After such a climactic start, it was interesting to hear what the continuation would be. Something more of the same would have been just perfect, but the guys were determined to explore more. "Mindwaves" is more diverse and arguably more impressive (here the opinions can be divided). The beginning ("Coloured Eyes") promises another technical speedy feast, but the sound becomes slower, and more complex, reaching the top with "What I Confess"- a doomy, varied track. Afterwards the music acquires the faster patterns again, but the heavier sound comes back, at times accompanied by some genuine technical guitars ("Cardinal Sin"). In the long run this work doesn't sound a lot different from the debut, but it was obvious that the band were more ambitious, and definitely had more to offer. Later some members were seen in BK 49- a band whose sound is a lot more ordinary death/thrash metal.

The Experience of Horror Full-length, 1991
Mindwaves Full-length, 1992

ASTAROTT (HUNGARY)

When the best song on a thrash metal album is a ballad ("Akarom" in this case, whatever that may mean), you know that something 's wrong. Well, not exactly, because this is competent, but one-dimensional and unmemorable thrash.

Az Igazság Letisztul Full-length, 1993

ASTHAROTH (POLAND)

Along with Turbo and Wolf Spider on the field of Polish technical thrash, another band stand proud: Astharoth; this effort is probably the finest achievement in the field from this country, along with another one-album-wonder: Acrimony. These guys use late 80's Kreator ("Extreme Aggression", "Coma of Souls") as a base, and in terms of aggression they easily reach the former, whereas in terms of technicality they go well beyond the latter. All compositions are wonderful blends of aggressive and very technical play, and this is one of the few technical/progressive thrash works, which will completely win the fans of the more extreme side of the genre. The aggression sometimes turns into all-out bashing, but the very technical break is just around the corner. The complex passages may be a bit hard to swallow at times, accumulating a layer after layer of very technical guitars, bordering on Voivod-ish abstractism and Mekong Delta-like illogicisms on quite a few moments, but they are never very long, and this contrasting picture is just a wonder to listen to. It's hard to think of other releases, which reach the same level of greatness combining aggression and technicality; maybe Hellwitch at their less brutal, Sadus, early Invocator, the French Witches' debut effort, but this one really excels in both departments; by all means one of the most impressive works from the Polish metal scene.

Gloomy Experiments Full-length, 1990

My Space

ASTRAL CARNEVAL (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Torture to Reality" demo, this band do not stray too much from the dominating voque in their homeland. They offer a very well executed modern thrash/death hybrid recalling later period Arch Enemy, or Dew-Scented, with some classic thrash leanings. The crystal clear sound quality could put to shame many official releases, even nowadays.

Astral Carneval Demo, 2003
Chaos Demo, 2006
Torture to Reality Demo,2007

Official Site

AT LAST (BELGIUM)

Apart from the Grammy Award for the longest demo title (kidding, of course!), this is nothing more than aggressive thrash/crossover, sounding like a poor version of Concrete Sox, or Cryptic Slaughter. This is one-dimensional, fast stuff, sometimes perhaps exceeding in brutality, but never reaching grind-core dimensions.

Show'em you're still alive and its peace on earth for which you strive Demo, 1989

AT NO END (USA)

A blend of thrash metal and crossover similar to Pro-Pain.

Building The Rebellion Full-length, 2006

Official Site

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AT REST (USA)

A very cool 3-song demo of fast-paced technical thrash/death, sounding closer to death metal, but the riffs and the energetic delivery will delight anyone. The sound has its shades of Swedish death metal, but the approach is more ineresting, and the short leads are simply great. "Morbid Is The New Black" is a fine technical piece, nicely crossing melodic sections with ultra-fast ones. The vocals are two types: you know what I mean- low death growls fight with the higher-pitched snarls, in this case the latter being the much more fitting.

To Document the Deceased EP, 2006

My Space

AT WAR (USA)

A cool speed/thrash metal band; the debut is more of a speed metal affair, closer to early Exciter than thrash, with a certain Motorhead-influence (there is a cover version of Motorhead's "The Hammer") as well; on the other hand, one could hear some heavy, Celtic Frost-like riffs ("Capitulation"), which kind of suit better the gruff, Tom G. Warrior-styled vocals. The follow-up is much better, being thrashier and faster, with better production qualities; even some stylish semi-technical riffs could be heard ("Creed of the Sniper", "Crush Your Life"), along with the intense, but slightly one-dimensional thrashing.

Ordered To Kill Full-length, 1986
Limited Edition EP EP, 1988
Retaliatory Strike Full-length, 1988

My Space

ATANATOS (GERMANY)

"The Oath Of Revenge " is predominantly symphonic black metal with the typical raspy vocals and some thrash riffs added to every track to make it sound more edgy and guitar-driven. This is not bad, actually, calling to mind the last two Dimmu Borgir albums, and Barathrum in the calmer moments. On the other hand, "Devastation - the Third Attack" is an all out thrash assault, very well done, with great sharp riffs and only occasionally more intense black metallic blasts, plus some cool epic keyboard-driven passages ("Legend Of Tordark, Part 5: To The Final Battle").

Assault of Heathen Forces EP, 1996
The Oath of Revenge Full-length, 1998
Devastation - The Third Attack Full-length, 1999
Beast Awakening Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ATENAS (ARGENTINA)

Based on "Juicio Final", this band play laid-back, mid-paced power/thrash, clinging more towards the classic side- a style quite typical for the Argentinian metal scene, best represented on the works of Hermetica and Horcas. There is, of course, some more energy involved (the melodic speed/thrasher "Grito Changa"), and it should have been present more frequently. Instead, the guys focus more on the heavy, semi-balladic delivery ("Herederos"), which is not bad, and comes served with nice melodic tunes. "Jaque Al Rey" is the other place where you will start jumping around: the highlight of the album, thrashing quite forcefully for most of the time.

Verdades Full-length, 1997
Juicio Final Full-length, 2000
Distorsionando la realidad Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ATEO (MEXICO)

Based on the "Maldición" demo, this band play classic power/thrash, with a slightly abrasive guitar sound, mostly in mid-tempo, which definitely delivers more when served with more speed ("Heroe Nacional", "Misantropia"), where the guys sound quite close to the Argentinian models in the genre Hermetica and Horcas.

Reto Moral Demo, 1990
El Número 1 Single, 1991
Maldición Demo, 2004

ATHANATOR (COLOMBIA)

With this band Colombia proves that, apart from a land of political violence and drug barons, it is also the home of some cool thrash metal acts."Earth Of Blood" is the band's finest effort although it's a bit more restrained compared to the previous ones. The songs are all of consistent quality- heavy, mid-paced, walking the fine line between classic and modern thrash (bending more towards the latter). The band have often been referred to as death metal although I personally don't find too many reasons for that.

Raise Full-length, 2000
Raise the Death Full length, 2000
Raise the Slaughter Full-length, 2002
Athanator EP, 2003
Earth Of Blood Full-length, 2004
The Perfect Enemy Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

ATHENA (TURKEY)

Based on the "One Last Breath" demo, which is whole 11 songs long, this band offer cool speed/thrash, maybe more speed metal-based in the beginning, boasting some fine guitar work, not too far from early Helloween, or their compatriots Cultus' debut, and good mid-ranged clean vocals, which are slightly unemotional, and could have used some higher tones from time to time. The guys try their hands on something more technical and more aggressive ("Dr.Jekyl And Mr. Hyde"), and succeed on all counts, producing the highlight on the demo. After such an intense performance, it is time for a break which comes in the face of the punk joke "Bazil". Then the band harden the course, going heads down into thrash, with the raging "Serpent And The Rainbow". "Deprived" is a total Paradox's "Heresy" worship (which, actually, is the main influence on the band's style), a smashing speed/thrasher, ably supported by another killer: "The Soothsayer", which comes with a fabulous guitar performance- check out the leads, which will again take you into a Kai Hansen direction. "See You In The Dreams" is a nice romantic ballad, followed by the more restrained, mid-paced, semi-technical "Thrash Till The End". The final "The Trap (Ümit Yýlbar)" is a cool melodic power metal number, which remains the band's last legacy to the metal world, since after this demo their style shifted into a very unexpected territory: punk, where they are one of the stalwarts on the Turkish scene, having released 5 full-lengths and two EP's.

Horror Dimensions Demo, 1991
One Last Breath Demo, 1993

Official Site

ATHOR (COLOMBIA)

Excelent retro speed/thrash with elements of black metal, with vocals which sound like a mixture between "Schmier" and Cronos (check out "War And Pain").

Athor EP, 2004

ATLAIN (GERMANY)

If we exclude the Belgians Acid's self-titled debut, which literally started the whole genre, and the British Satan's "Court in the Act", European speed/thrash metal is pretty much a German "product", with numerous acts flooding the scene in 1984: Helloween, Running Wild, Living Death, Steeler, Avenger (later transformed into Rage), Destruction, Vectom, Warrant, etc. One more act should be added to this list: Atlain. Their music is probably the closest to the speed metal standards established by Helloween, with their faster material rubbing shoulders with Destruction's "Sentence of Death". Their debut is an excellent brisk affair, featuring the speed/proto-thrash metal classics "Hallowed By the Priest", "Dig It", "Sphinx", the fine galloping "Hold Back the Night". The singer's high-pitched emotional voice is not far from the one of Kai Hansen's, although he doesn't try too many high notes.
"G.O.E." follows the same path, mixing fast-paced energetic numbers (the smashing opening duo "Waste" and "Guardians of Eternity", predating the Angel Dust approach with one year; "Space & Time"; "Demon's Feast"; the American power/speed metal "Fast Attack": the attack is not that fast here) with more laid-back ones, which this time sound less inspired, with a hard'n heavy echo. Apparently the band were not getting ready to enter the thrash arena, but they didn't join the heavy/power one, either, since they disbanded soon after. However, all the band members continued their careers in other acts, one of whom is the drummer Chris Efthimiadis, who spent more than 13 years with Rage (his brother Spiros Efthimiadis played guitar in that same band). The bass player Andre Chapelier had a short spell with Holy Moses right after the split, and took part in the recording of their legendary "Finished with the Dogs". The guitarist Jörg 'Pritze' Pryzarski founded another similar band: Rigor Mortis, in the early 90's, and the singer Peter Müller sang for a few power/progressive acts.

Living in the Dark Full-length, 1984
G.O.E. Full-length, 1985

Fan Site

ATOM GOD (UK)

Based on "History Re'Written": this is a mix of traditional metal and some thrash. The guys have some original ideas, and at times the music moves into progressive territory with long, elaborate tracks, and it would have been better if the band have stuck to this side. But the whole thing doesn't hold water, especially with crossover pieces like "Virgin Blood" scattered around, and the two acoustic short ballads "History Rewritten- part I and II". Despite the complex nature of some of the songs, the whole work has this jolly, punk-ish atmosphere, aggravated by several Motorhead-like tunes thrown in. The 10-min monster "Cesspit" displays so many influences that you might find yourself thinking where you have heard this or that rhythm before, or which band it reminds you of. With a bit more focus Atom God could have been one of the bigger names on the British metal scene. Later these guys moved into more aggressive musical territory (death metal in this case) with their other formation: Necropolis.

Wow Full-length, 1989
History Re-Written Full-length, 1992

ATOMIC (CZECH)

Based on "Breakpoint", the band's sound is rooted in classic thrash similar to their compatriots Arakain, but not as good , because Atomic, unlike Arakain, are not willing to go beyond the so well established formula. Thrash metal by the book- professionally done, but it's not likely that you would remember much of it even after a few listens.

Nuclear Thrash Full-length, 1991
Breakpoint Full-length, 1993
Labyrint Full-length, 1999

ATOMIC NOISE MACHINE (CHILE)

Nice energetic 80's thrash, Bay Area-influenced, along the lines of Exodus and Forbidden's debut, with some slight shades of hardcore ala Nuclear Assault ("Enemy Of The Establishment").

The Demo That Never Was Demo, 2004

ATOMIC ROAR (BRAZIL)

This band was formed when members from a few thrash metal acts from Brazil joined efforts (Flagelador, Farscape, among them). The music here is not as appealing as the one of the other bands, but opts for slightly raw, hardcore-ish thrash which is closer to the style of D.R.I. and early Prong.
The full-length is the thrash equivalent of Motorhead: jolly, party thrash, with the hardcore aesthetics still present, especially on the more aggressive material: "Play Loud", "Brazilian Jawbreakers" (some stylish lead performance on this one). "Metal Patrol" is a cool heavy/proto-speed hymn ala Tank and, again, Motorhead.

School Of Lust Demo, 2006
Atomic Roar - The Warfare Merchants Full-length, 2009

My Space

ATOMICA (BRAZIL)

Atomica started in a way not too different from many of their colleagues from the same country, pushing the limits of the already established black and thrash metal genres. Their self-titled debut is raw aggressive thrash, openly emulating their peers Sarcofago and Vulcano. The sound quality is bad, and quite often what one may hear is just a wall of noise, from which the vocals can be recognized easier, being vicious black-ish shouts. "Lost Time" makes more sense, being slower and more intelligible, with a cool balladic intro; and "Flesh Maniac" is a more moderate stomping thrasher, but the rest is quite extreme and not really listenable, with the closing "Samurai" easily passing for one of the first real death metal compositions.
"Limits of Insanity" is so much more restrained that one may wonder whether this is the same band who played on the debut. Yes, it's the same band, except for the singer, of course, who is the biggest possible contrast to the previous ubholy shrieker, and dellivers with his cool clean high tember. The music is pure thrash, with no borrowings from other extreme genres, even going down to power metal at times. The complaint would be that the speed has been decreased quite a bit, with the majority of the songs being mid to up-tempo, with only "Rabies" and the 7-min speed/thrashing opus "Limits of Insanity" moshing in a less controlled manner. The musiciahship here is on a much higher level, but this work needed more to be a worthy competition to Sepultura, The Mist, Acid Storm, Taurus, MX, etc.
"Disturbing The Noise" is one of the last outcries from the South American metal field in the early 90's, with the guys changing the approach once again, this time less radically: abandoning all the previous cliches, with a much more hard-hitting approach than the one on the predecessor, the band took no prisoners with an unrelenting, aggressive thrash attack which sounded like the perfect fusion of Sepultura's "Beneath The Remains" and Slayer's "Reign In Blood"; please also note the strong similarity between this effort and same year's Devastation's "Idolatry". Looking well equipped to enter the new decade as a companion to Sepultura, the band disappeared shortly after.

Attomica Full-length, 1987
Limits of Insanity Full-length, 1989
Disturbing the Noise Full-length, 1991

My Space

ATOMICAUST (USA)

The band's self-titled demo is very good heavy, aggressive thrash, not fast ("Face the Butcher" is the only exception), but with crushing riffs and technical guitars ("Drug Test" is a marvellous technical thrasher), frequently changing tempos, and a great bass bottom. The overall style brings to mind Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy". Reportedly on their later demos the band tone down the aggression, and move towards more melodic and complex music, which would be less interesting to thrash metal fans, including even a cover of The Beatles on the last demo: "Polythene Pam".

Atomicaust Demo, 1989
Intense on the Brain Demo, 1989
A Lot of Nothing Demo, 1991

My Space

ATOMIZER (AUSTRALIA)

One of the better Australian metal bands in recent years, Atomizer play old school black/thrash with some merry rock'n roll sections. The influences come from Bathory, Venom and Motorhead, but sometimes one could catch some tunes coming from the German school (early Sodom, for example); not revolutionary, but definitely enjoyable music.
"Caustic Music For The Spiritually Bankrupt" is quite a pullback for most of the time, slowing down, offering some really mellow moments, which have nothing to do with thrash or black ("A Date With Eternity"). The overall style is a more melodic take on early Venom, with the singer sounding quite close to Cronos. "As the Blackening Waves of Fear Within Me Rise" arrives in the middle to bang a few heads, serving some black hyper-blasts, but the computerized vocals ruin things a bit. "The Inevitable Mutiny" is a ballad, but one could have expected it, considering the peaceful tone of the album. "Our Final Campaign" is doom/gothic, not bad, and again not totally unexpected, seeing the band adding more influences into their already diverse approach.

The End Of Forever Full-length, 2000
Death - Mutation - Disease - Annihilation Full-length, 2002
Tyrus: The Doom War Of The Armoured Angel EP, 2003
The Only Weapon of Choice - 13 Odes to Power, Decimation And Conquest Full-length, 2003
The Death of Forever Full-length, 2004
Songs of slaughter-Songs of sacrifice EP, 2004
Caustic Music For The Spiritually Bankrupt Full-length, 2008

Official Site

My Space

ATRO CITY (DENMARK)

This is the early incarnation of the great thrashers Pixie Killers. The style here is perhaps heavier, and less dynamic, but there are enough intriguing riffs which safely place it at least into the semi-technical thrash metal camp. The slightly mechanical sound might remind you of the Americans I.N.C. "Poottah" and "That Red Guy" are major claims at greatness, being marvellous speedy technical thrashers which rank among the best songs from the Pixie Killers' debut.

Demo 1 Demo, 1988

ATROCITY (SWEDEN)

Unlike their compatriots Mezzrow and Fallen Angel, who were active around the same time, these guys did not look so far (The US) for inspiration, but stuck to the speed/thrash metal practiced by their neighbours from Germany, so most of the time the music is along the lines of Toxic Shock's, Exumer's and Paradox's debuts. There are some pure speed metal numbers, with melodic leads and sing-along choruses, which kind of precede the 90's power/speed metal scene: "Face of Death", "Victim of Madness" from the "Atrocious Destruction" demo which is the more melodic of the two, and is the lesser one from a musical point of view, and the singer might annoy you with his slightly impassionate, low-tuned voice.
"To Be...Or Not To Be" hits hard with its heavy riffs, and even death metal-styled vocals (could be another singer?) at times, and the overall sound is more aggressive, and the guys seem to try something more technical, which works quite well most of the time. Despite the undisputable potential displayed on their works, this band failed to find an interested label, but fortune smiled at them a few years later when they re-emerged under another name: Rosicrucian.

Is This Heavy or What? Split, 1988
Atrocious Destruction Demo, 1988
To Be...Or Not To Be Demo, 1989

ATROCITY EXHIBITION (GERMANY)

This band featured two members of Mega-Mosh. These guys didn't survive for the band's only demo; the style is pretty similar to the other band, being fast and catchy thrash/crossover with nice and sharp guitars, and with an overall more thrashy attitude.

Honky-Tonk-Monk Demo, 1988

ATROPHY (USA)

One of the most underrated thrash metal bands from the US; both albums are highly recommended with forceful, energetic riffs and generally very tight musicianship. The debut is rawer and more aggressive, with some awesome fast headbangers: "Chemical Dependency", "Ber Bong", etc., stirring the mood. There are more technical, varied moments, with more intriguing guitar work: "Preacher, Preacher".
"Violent By Nature" offers a more mature, technical sound. The guitars are not that fast, but are quite heavy. Some tracks will still make you mosh around like crazy, though: the opener "Puppies and Friends", "Process of Elimination" (which features some cool slower, atmospheric breaks). The rest is more stomping, heavier, and occasionally semi-technical thrash, which delivers the goods almost as well.

Socialized Hate Full-length, 1988
Violent By Nature Full-length, 1990

My Space

ATTACKER (USA)

The power metal legends resisted to the thrash metal trends on their excellent debut ("Battle at Helm's Deep"), albeit with an obvious effort put, but here they have unleashed a first rate slab of speed metal, with clear nods to thrash. This is actually the finest speed metal album to ever come out of the USA, along with, perhaps, Anthrax's "Fistful of Metal". Every song is a gem of intense, up-tempo music: the speed metal classic "Lords of Thunder", the mighty crushing speed/thrashers "Zero Hour" and "Madness", the superb exercise in more technical metal "Desecration", the longer, more complex and diverse "Revelations of Evil". Bob Mitchell gives an award-winning performance, with his unique high-pitched, soaring vocals, which are not too far from early Warrel Dane. The guitar work is simply stunning, and this duo (Marinelli-Benetatos) is one of the finest to ever grace the American metal scene. The guys could have pulled themselves together for one more stellar work, this time with more emphasis on the thrashy and technical side of their style, but they split-up, to emerge some 16 years later, having released two great albums, with almost no ties to thrash, but both highly recommended picks for classic power/speed metal lovers.

Second Coming Full-Length, 1988

Offical Site

ATTAXE (USA)

On the "Lethal Deception" demo, these guys play state-of-the-art technical thrash which sounds quite aggressive, too. The music is a classy combination of Forbidden's "Twisted Into Form", Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy", and early Testament. The sound gets quite aggressive and fast at times, but never ventures into death metal territory. The guitar work is simply superb, with great technical hooks, and some brilliant leads. The vocals are a nice mix between Chuck Billy and Chris Astley from Xentrix. The music on "Unit G" is not too far from the one on the other demo, but whereas in terms of speed and aggression it surpasses it, coming close to Paradox's "Heresy" and the first two Deathrow albums on its best moments, it offers a less striking and more conventional guitar work.

Unit G Demo, 1988
Displaced Demo, 1989
Lethal Deception Demo, 1990

ATTICA (USA)

This EP nicely hesitates between the more laid-back sound of Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro" (it's amazing how influential this album was on hundreds of 90's acts), which is the dominant one, and some more straight headbanging riffage from the 80's ("Machine", "Ballistic"). Quite good, conformed with the forming tastes of the time sound, heavy and edgy, with very good Eric AK-like (Flotsam again) vocals, maybe a bit lower-pitched.

Pitched Black EP, 1993

My Space

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT (USA)

A band on the more extreme, angrier side of the thrash/crossover genre with shorter, faster tracks and more aggressive attitude (it's been adjusted, I guess- pun intended).

American Paranoia Full-length, 1986
Kein Schlaf Bis Deutschland EP, 1987
The Good, The Bad, The Obnoxious EP, 1987
No More Mr. Nice Guy EP, 1988
To Whom It May Concern EP, 1988
Out Of Hand Full-length, 1991

My Space

ATTRO (BRAZIL)

Based on the second album, Attro play melodic power/thrash along the lines of the Argentinians Hermetica; not bad, but with a bit more edge added to the music things would have been better.

Breaker Full-length, 1996
Making up for the Wasted Time Full-length, 2003

AUBERON (SWEDEN)

Another thrashy version of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, with some surprisingly good clean vocals.

The Tale Of Black Full-length, 1998
Crossworld Full-length, 2001

AUDIOPAIN (NORWAY)

Thrash metal bands from Norway are not that many these days, that's why Audiopain should be paid special attention. The band's style is rooted in the German 80's scene-Kreator, Destruction, accompanied by Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.)-like (think later period Death) vocals. At times the music takes a more aggressive approach, and it becomes clear where the band come from: the homeland of black metal. To the utter annoyance to the metal world, the guys prefer to release EP's or splits, with only one full-length offering so far.

Contagious EP, 2000
1986 EP, 2000
Revel In Desecration EP, 2002
The Traumatizer Full-length, 2004
A Bomb's View EP, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AURA NOIR (NORWAY)

The band's debut title says it all- this is black/thrash metal at its best, going back to the glorious 80's when bands like Sodom, Kreator and Bathory ruled the world. The band's music offers nothing new, but its pure energy and the respect shown towards the 80's heritage makes it quite recommended. The black metal elements have been gradually decreased on every subsequent release.
"Hades Rise" may not pass for the band's best offering, slowing down considerably, compared to the previous recordings. Well, this may be better to some, since this time the sound often comes close to Celtic Frost's heydays, serving a monolithic steam-rolling sound, seldom spiced with energetic, but melodic thrashers: "Schitzoid Paranoid", "Iron Night/Torment Storm". "South American Death" goes over the top near the end, moving towards brutal blasting black metal for a while, before the closing "The Stalker" finishes the album in a calm, but faster Motorhead-like fashion.

Dreams Like Deserts EP, 1995
Black Thrash Attack Full-length, 1996
Deep Tracts of Hell Full-length, 1998
The Merciless Full-length, 2004
Hades Rise Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

My Space

AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE (USA)

This new act, which comes as a side-project of the As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis, play entertaining, energetic thrash/crossover of the classic variety, seldom spiced with soft, alternative rockish moments ("I Am A Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton"- well, if this isn't the title of the year!). The tracks are fast, tight exercises in thrash, shifting from the crossover conventions with very proficient, technical leads, which are the highlight of this album. The sound is more aggressive than the one offered by the regular crossover band, and often is pure unadulterated 80's thrash, with crushing, fast-paced guitars (check out the final "It's Not A Tumor", as well as every other song).
The EP contains a cool thrash/crossover version of the Christmas carol "Jingle Bells", with slightly changed lyrics, one mighty fast-paced thrasher "Get To The Choppa", and the Judas Priest cover at the end of "Hell Bent For Leather", done in a good thrashy manner.

Total Brutal Full-Length, 2008
A Very Brutal Christmas EP, 2008

My Space

AUTARKIA (GERMANY)

Melodic modern power/thrash metal, which at times shows an obvious desire to also sound appealing to non-thrash crowds ("Gotta Do Something"), but these moments are not annoyingly many, although most of the time the music will remind you of Sentenced's "Amok" and the Cemetary works from around the same time, with a more aggressive thrashy edge. So don't expect all-out headbanging entertainment: there are more intense sections, but the concentration is clearly on catchiness and melody.

AutarkiA Full-length, 2006

Official Site

AUTHORIZE (SWEDEN)

Based on the full-length debut, this band play thrash/death metal along the lines of their compatriots Merciless (their debut, in particular), maybe more varied, which in this case means that there are some slower sections, and the overall sound is closer to death metal perhaps, despite the presence of some cool thrashy riffs.

Split EP Split, 1990
The Source of Dominion Full-length, 1991

AUTOPSY TORMENT (SWEDEN)

Based on "Tormentorium", this band play some simplistic classic thrash with death/black metal vocals. The music is hard to pin down: it's not very sharp, but it's strangely compelling, mid-paced, sounding maybe like a less heavy version of Cerebral Fix, but I don't want to mislead you, since at times it moves towards some faster passages bordering on death, although this actually happens very seldom.

Moon Fog EP, 1992
Orgy With the Dead EP, 2001
Darkest Rituals EP, 2002
Orgy With The Dead Full-length, 2002
Tormentorium Full-length, 2003
Graveyard Creatures Full-length, 2005

Official Site

AVALANCHE (USA)

A pretty decent offering, mixing the classic remnants from the 80's with the angry thrash of Pantera, from where also come the angry shouty vocals. This mixture bears some good fruit: "Cunt", "Dehumanized", "Angst": fast intense thrashers, where the classic spirit is almost intact. Certainly there are exercises in groove and pouding riffage, but they are quite satisfying, and could well fit into the early efforts of Pantera and Machine Head. Watch out for the bonus track at the end: a jolly punk/gring blend, blasting out for about a min.

Scratching At the Surface Full-length, 1996

Official Site

AVALON (BRAZIL)

The band's debut was excellent classic power/thrash metal: a deep breath of fresh air for the stagnating Brazilian metal scene during the 90's; the guys offer a heavy, pounding sound, not too fast or aggressive, having its headbanging moments ("Serial Killer", "Last Song"- a great speedy thrasher), but their power lies in the dark, mid-paced tracks ("Inner Verses", "Just Another Morning"), where the guitars take a cool, technical edge, and the bass starts to show off , but nicely. Seldom can one catch modern, groovy moments ("Wings"). However, they very quickly realized that they wouldn't be able to win against "the powers of the day", and with "Incognito" they turned onto "the dark side"; enough with the figures of speech: "Incognito" is full-fledged moderh thrash metal with all the gimmicks of the style; quite a disappointment compared to the big potential displayed on the debut.

Old Psychotic Eyes Full-length, 1993
Incognito Full-length, 1994

AVENGER OF BLOOD (USA)

A larger-than-life old school thrash; based on "Complete Annihilation": inside there is everything for everybody- Slayer, Sepultura, Violence, Kreator, you name it. Seldom can one hear a band who manage to capture the essence of the 80's thrash metal scene as well as this one. "Death Brigade" is a worthy follow-up, featuring more aggressive and faster approach: a non-stop headbanging delight, this time based around Kreator and Slayer from the aforementioned acts, with vicious Mille Petrozza-like vocals, maybe less screechy than Mille's early ones. There is no a single break from pure intense thrashing- all 10 songs are aggressive old school thrash at its finest. Those who look for variety, should look elsewhere; those who seek headbanging till they drop, should track this effort down immediately.

Complete Annihilation Full-length, 2005
Death Brigade Full-Length, 2007

Official Site

My Space

AVENGING ANGELS (AUSTRIA)

Modern death/thrash metal of the heavy, crunchy, mid-paced variety with some calmer, atmospheric moments and several vocal styles.

Fragmentary Reality Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

AVENTEIL (RUSSIA)

An excellent newcomer on the Russian metal scene, which offers a very potent mix of speed, power and thrash with a cool technical edge, and will consequently remind you of acts like Hellfire (Poland), Manticora (Denmark), Squealer (Germany), among others. The music is not constantly fast, and some more laid-back power metal-laced tracks roam around, as well as a couple of heads-down speed metal bombs. The guitar work is quite good, without being very flashy, and makes up for some flaws, like the singer's performance, for example, whose levelled, mid-ranged uneventful delivery is no match to the better music. The songs are ornated with numerous melodic hooks, showing the guys' penchant for a softer song-writing, which still leave some room for the hard-hitting riffs to develop.

Poisk Puti Full-Length, 2008

AVERNO (ARGENTINA)

This is retro speed/thrash, with a very abrasive guitar sound, and very angry semi-death vocals. The music is not very sharp, sounding quite close to the works of the band's compatriots Horcas, alternating more up-tempo numbers with laid-back slower ones.

MENTAL Full-length, 2002

AVERSION (USA)

Good crossover/thrash reminding of Uncle Slam and C.I.A.; these guys are more aggressive, and their music packs more punch: the excellent "Vodka Frenzy" from "Fit to Be Tied", for example, and the guitar work is better, boasting some really crushing riffs and cool, but occasional solos.

The Ugly Truth Full-length, 1991
Fit To Be Tied Full-length, 1992
Fall From Grace Full-length, 1995

AVOID (BELGIUM)

Despite the band name, you shouldn't avoid their stuff, although they offer nothing more than plain modern thrash/death metal of the Swedish variety; Dark Tranquillity meets thrash; that's all.

Into Languish and Decay Full-length, 2007

Official Site

AVSKUM (SWEDEN)

Based on the "In The Spirit of Mass Destruction", this is a not very aggressive mix of hardcore and thrash, simplistic and energetic, coming as a blend of The Accused and Motorhead.

Crime And Punishment Full-length, 2001
In The Spirit of Mass Destruction Full-length, 2001
Waiting for another blood bath/ Reality crisis Full-length, 2001
Punkista Full-length, 2003
Crucified By The System EP, 2005

Official Site

AWAS (GERMANY)

This is brutal death metal affair in the Immolation-mould with some hints of thrash ("Damned To Death").

Hope Full-length, 2006

Official Site

My Space

AWESOME (RUSSIA)

Mid-paced, gothic-tinged thrash/death hybrid with awfully sounding drums, and an overall sound not too far from Messiah's "Underground", but less appealing, despite the presence of some cool thrashy riffs.

Delicious Religion Full-length, 1994

AXE MINISTER (USA)

Quite good thrash with some heavy, almost doomy elements, not too far from Nasty Savage's debut.

Evil Grows Demo, 1989

My Space

AXEGRESSOR (FINLAND)

Standout old school speed/thrash attack which sums up many great moments from the 80's scene: Angel Dust, Kreator's late 80's period, Destruction, Vio-lence and Slayer as well, from their American colleagues. This is fabulous headbanging stuff, with fast, intense songs and smashing guitars. "Spell of Suffering" carries some technical flavour, and is the longest track: 6.5-min.

Axecution EP, 2007

AXEGRINDER (UK)

Noisy, bass-dominated thrash with punk-influences reminding me of the Exploited and Amebix; the songs are monotonous, slow-ish, almost doomy, but work very well; could be somewhat depressing to listen to this music on very regular terms, but once in a while this could be an entertaining listen.

Rise of the Serpent Men Full-length, 1989

Official Site

My Space

AXEN PROVINCE (USA)

A blend of classic and modern 90's thrash; the music is mid-paced most of the time, with some cool technical licks, recalling the Canadians Obliveon, or Massacra's late period ("Sick, "Humanize Human"). Some songs are actually quite impressive exercises in technical thrash: "Mesonychld", "Purification", which starts in an aggressive death metal manner, but the rest is more standard pounding, stomping stuff.

Purification Full-length, 1995

Official Site

AXIDENT (MOLDOVA)

Based on "Sugar Free", these guys offer modern groovy thrash, which sometimes comes with more aggressive riffs ("Apocalyptic Dementia"), but the other extreme is also presented: the attempt at metal rap "Strong", the slow dragging "Sick", the closing "Comfort Under Ground", which comes straight from the works of mid-period Machine Head. The songs are long-ish (5-7min), but the monotonous riffs don't make them too interesting.

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

AXIOMA (CANADA)

90's groovy thrash, with some more aggressive death metal riffage thrown in; the mixture is quite heavy and energetic, although it lacks the technical flair offered by most of the Canadian metal acts from around the same time. Still, the music packs a punch, sounding like a more vicious and brutal version of the "rulers" of the 90's Pantera and Machine Head.

Rebel Inside Full-length, 1996

AZAZEL (SERBIA)

Based on the promo: really good classic thrash, a fine combination of sharp and melodic guitars, some nice lead guitar work, starting with the speed/thrash delight "All Men Must Die", full of fast-paced hooks and melodic lines. "Time Will Tell" suddenly switches onto a more technical style ala late period Death, simplifying things a bit later on, but failing to recapture the speedy spirit of the opener. "Of Guiding Lights", which is a live recording of the full-length debut opener, is smashing thrash/death in the mid-period Sepultura tradition, again recalling Death on the more complex sections. "Censor" is another intriguing number, clinging towards the more technical sector, even making nods to masters like Coroner and Atheist; do I have to mention Death again, who are the main influence on the band?; it loses considerably from an aggressive point of view, but these technical shreds will make your day for sure. This nice little gem will definitely encourage you to do your best to track the debut down.
The full-length is a fine slab of classic thrash/death; the guitar work is melodic, gracing every song with loads of memorable melodic hooks. The sound is a bit abrasive, though, and takes away from the energetic and technical delivery. The music is constantly fast-paced, but not to the point of blasting out. The technicality is nowhere overt, which is a pity, since when it is, like on the excellent "Time Will Tell", the musicianship reaches pretty much the top. "Azazel" tries to sound more overtly technical as well, but at some point switches onto straight speedy shred. Near the end the tempo slows down, and the tracks there are mid-paced at best, albeit quite interesting, like the both melodic and technical riff-fest "The Law". The end comes in the form of the nice acoustic instrumental "Na-Amah", which would be a really pleasant surprise. The Death influence is not so strongly felt here, and the guys are not as brave to unleash some full-blooded technical pieces, as they have done it on the Promo. Still the music is on a fairly high level, showing the band preferring to not show all they have up their sleeve at once.

Na-Amah Full-length, 2005
Promo Promo, 2008

My Space

AZETA (CHILE)

80's power/thrash metal akin to Hermetica and the Americans Tyrant; the music doesn't have enough edge, and most of the time it stays closer to power metal.

Azeta Full-length, 1992

AZOTIC REIGN (SWEDEN)

Standout progressive thrash sounding like a more aggressive version of Nevermore; the music is perhaps less elaborate and more immediate than that of the aforementioned band, but the heavy, dark, haunting riffs are very similar. The album starts in a blistering way, with short, fast-paced, but also technical tracks, which will be a delight to the headbanger. "Reincarnation Denied" is an awesome brooding piece, which introduces crushing, slower riffs, followed by the similarly-styled "Soulless Breed", which is longer, and is a pure Nevermore-worship, done with style. "Beyond the Blood" is a great progressive thrasher, a standout combination of slow, almost doomy sections, faster ones, and some smashing technical riffage. "Divine Justice" is a surprising nod to the Swedish modern thrash school, but is quite cool, with energetic, mighty guitars. Then comes the aggressive, death-laced "Repent Your Sins", all this finished with the other progressive opus "The House By The Ancient Cemetery". Their singer Kjell Andersson later joined another great technical thrash metal band: Altered Aeon.

Beyond The Blood EP, 1998
Abstract Maledictions Full-length, 2000

AZYGOUS (USA)

Heavy, groovy, hard-hitting thrash which is not too far from the more recent efforts of Pro-Pain. The tempo is mid-paced, with some longer tracks ("Drop") having this gothic, atmospheric shade, typical for many bands from the Scandinavian scene.

Whiskey Driven Hate Machine Full-length, 2007

Official Site

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