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 great 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 LOWER DEEP (USA)

An excellent 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 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

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

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 on 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 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

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 great stuff: brilliant 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 great 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

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

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 in 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" Destroyer 666's 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 eternally 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

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, Donor and Watchtower. This is great stuff with a magnificent closer: "The King"- a 7min-and-a-half 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 excellent 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.

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, 2008

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

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!

Absurdďż˝ 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

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'94 Demo, 1994

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

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.).

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 technical thrash/death style. The difference is that these guys like slowing down sometimes-"Euphony to the Night Treader" is an example for that, but the rest is pretty much sheer speed and aggression; a remarkable debut.

Manifest Damnation Full-length, 2005

Official Site

My Space

ACCUSER (GERMANY)

One of the finest 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 very soon moved onto more ambitious, 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 a great 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 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.

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

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

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; you have to track this down!

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 style 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

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

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

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Official Site

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.

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

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 struck 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 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 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 for quite some time.
"Résurrection" saw the band back, but not really in flying colours, like it was expected. This is by all means thrash, but the huge doze of speed, which made their previous works so great, is almost nowhere to be found ("Resurrection" is the exception: a great intense thrash delight, the highlight of the album; if only there were at least a few more of these around...). The songs are lengthy, at least according to the band's standards, and the guitar work is not bad, albeit one-dimensional: heavy, mid-paced, pounding riffs, with a modern edge here and there; this is what awaits you here for most of the time; not a really impressive picture, isn't it? Especially when I add that there is also one very long, tender 10-min ballad ("Jeux De Chair"). Well, the guys' penchant for nice melodic hooks can still be felt on at least half of the songs. The closing track is a remastered version of one of the band's lesser achievements: "Marquis Du Mal", this time sounding even worse, with an added modern sound. Apparently not fascinated with the acceptance this comeback album received, the band disappeared not long after that.

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

Official Site

My Space

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

My Space

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

My Space

AFFLICTION (USA)

Heavy, technically competent thrash of the classic type. The music is a mix of fast-paced, intense pieces and heavy, mid-paced ones. The guitars are heavy, with a dark, brooding sound, which create an ominous atmosphere, also helped by the very good bass work. There are no real highlights here, all songs tend to come together, with the 1st and the last racks 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

My Space

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

My Space

AFTERMASS (USA)

Fast, aggressive thrash, with slight death metal tendencies, recalling early Kreator and the Italians Necrodeath in the more aggressive parts. Apart from the basic, death-ish vocals, there are 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

My Space

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

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. "Unstoppable Force" after all these years is often regarded as one one of the ten best releases of the genre. 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 with "Alienigma"- a great album which follows on the steps of its predecessor; power/thrash metal, with a great furious thrasher near the end-"Lamb to the Slaughter", the most aggressive song the band have ever created; maybe a hint at a future direction to be taken?

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

Official Site

My Space

AGE OF EVIL (USA)

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

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 from 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 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

My Space

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

My Space

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 (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 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 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 many thrash metal fans; something definitely worth checking out.

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

My Space

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,a dn 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

My Space

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 changded 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 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!). 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" 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)

The second band I have come across from 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, being 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 towait 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") can be caught.

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

My Space

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 cool mix of more laid-back progressive, and more intense technical thrash/death sections. "Sustained Connection" follows the same path, but is of a more aggresive 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, which 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, but 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 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 a magnificent, but very obscure head-banging stuff.

Witness to Affliction Demo

ALEISTER (FRANCE)

Aleister's only album is a great example of how moderh thrash can sound great 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 sound sintense 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; by all means one of the most impressive metal albums of the 90's.

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), ot 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

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

My Space

ALLIGATOR (ITALY)

The band's first two albums are good, if 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", 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.

We Will Fight! Full-length, 2006

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

My Space

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 breal, 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 what was expected. 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

My Space

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

My Space

AMBOOG-A-LARD (USA)

The band's demos are splendid energetic classic thrash metal which would not leave your CD player for a long time. 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 impressive 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 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

My Space

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 some 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

My Space

AMMIT (CHILE)

A direct take on the very early days of black/thrash metal-think early Sodom, Bathory, Hellhammer, with the typical for the time dirty, fuzzy guitar sound and raspy vocals.

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

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

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

ANACR