The Thrash Metal Guide

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

E.S.T. (RUSSIA)

Based on the debut, this is a more thrashy version of Motorhead, with a certain Exciter flavour as well. There are more traditional heavy metal numbers and ballads, but most of the time the music is speedy and enjoyable.

Electro Shock Therapy Full-length, 1989
Feel Of The Feather Full-length, 1991
13 Full-length, 1995
Therapy For The Soul Full-length, 1998
Zloi Rok Full-length, 2003
Подъёмъ! Full-length, 2005

E-X-E (USA)

The band's debut is an uneven mixture of fast furious thrashers and generic heavy metal; quite a mixed bag, but the energy of outbursts like "Slaughter Disorder" and "Stricken by Might" is hard to be ignored; the guitar work is quite simplistic, reminiscent of Venom and Celtic Frost on the aggressive material. "Seek & Destroy" is not a Metallica cover, but a very cool energetic power metal hymn.
"Sicker Than I Thought" is a full-out speed/thrash assault topped up by some good high-pitched vocals, and is the much better of the two; the guitar work is sharper and more polished, and one can find interesting, albeit a bit undeveloped exercises in abstract, Voivod-ish technical thrash ("Sexploitation"). There are some really impressive aggressive smashers: "Horros of the Mind", "Chamber of Sorrow".

Stricken By Might Full-length, 1987
Sicker Than I Thought Full-length, 1990

Vibrations of Doom

E-FORCE (CANADA)

Eric Forrest keeps himself quite busy after he left Voivod. Apart from the industrial/death/thrash outfit Project Failing Flesh, he also takes part in this band. Of the two bands, this one is much closer in spirit to Voivod; actually this is very similar to "Negatron". It starts in a very cool intense manner with "Mayhem" (actually, the real beginning is a short haunting intro: "Satanic Rituals"), which thrashes with conviction and a certain industrial edge. Later things become only more interesting, with a more complex, dark sound, and nice stylish guitars: "Germ Warfare". "Belief" preserves the darkness, but increases the intensity, resulting in the album highlight. "Psychopath" is a slow doomy track, but quite effective and creepy. The second half of the album contains shorter, direct tracks, with a stronger industrial shade, but quite cool and dynamic, graced by nice melodic guitar hooks ("Global Warning"). The untitled song, which finishes the album, is the most aggressive one, with a touch of post-black metal ala later period The Kovenant, also brought by the more vicious tone acquired by Forrest (his style on the other material is quite similar to the one on the Voivod works). Those of you who loved the Voivod period with Forrest, and are pulled back by the new unimpressive output they released in recent years, will be delighted.
Forrest is back with his new band, after a 5-year pause, and "Modified Poison" shows the band ready to some major damage once again. The opener "Deviation" is quite straight-forward, a great energetic thrasher with a technical edge, carrying very little from the heavy industrial charge of the debut. After the next "Modified Poison" tells a similar story, it's clear to the listener that Forrest's gang would offer entertainment of a different, but equally as appealing kind. Well, not for long, as "Agent 99" is vintage mid-90's Voivod: a fine progressive thrasher, with a number of moods and rhythms changing within. "Malpractice" brings back the intensity, even with a slight death metal shade, and "Revolution Riot Act" is classic speed/thrash at its best with a nice technical twist. "Disillutioned" slows down considerably, introducing a high-octane heavy industrialized complex sound, which works fine with the more direct thrashy riffs. "Exterminator" is first class technical thrash, which will take you back to the times of "Killing Technology", followed by the brilliant abstract, but also raging delight "Perfexionist": something which even Mekong Delta, or Deathrow would be happy to have in their discography. "Wired" is more light-hearted industrial thrash ala Ministry and Skrew, and the closing "Victory" is another more twisted, slower elaborate addition to this great collection of songs, which would be hard to beat even by the much bigger names on the scene. Seldom can one hear such an impeccable mix of straigh classic, tecnical/progressive and industrial thrash, with such a wide appeal.

Evil Forces Full-length, 2003
Modified Poison Full-Length, 2008

EAR-SHOT (GERMANY)

This band's line-up includes Andreas "Andi" Siegl: a former member of the speed/thrashers Paradox. Based on the full-length debut: you won't hear anything like Paradox here; this is groovy thrash reminiscent of mid-period Machine Head (after "The More Things Change...") with the obligatory melodic breaks and clean vocals which are quite good, by the way, as opposed to the Phil Anselmo-like main ones.

Emotions EP, 2000
Earshot EP, 2004
The Pain Full-length, 2007

EARTH AD (CANADA)

Based on the "A Crucifix" EP, this band play raw, amateurish death/thrash metal, spiced with hardcore, which is surprisingly non-aggressive, with slower, doomy moments and very vicious low death growls for vocals (which is the only brutal thing here).

A Crucifix EP, 1993
These Days Full-length, 1998
On the Surface Full-length, 2005

EARTHQUAKE (SWEDEN)

"The Truth" sounds so much like Metallica's Black Album that you might start wondering who influenced who as both albums were released at the same year. Earthquake stretch a little back, as a matter of fact, and reach "...And Justice For All" on some tracks. The sound is thick, heavy, but offers little outside a mere Metallica-worship. Alas, there is only one "present" for the headbangers: the "Dyers' Eve"-worship "All The Truth" where the leads are top-notch; the rest is either melodic, where one will hear one ballad: "Blindfolded", purely acoustic unfortunately, much softer than the Metallica masterpieces the same year, and the much better edgier semi-balladic instrumental "Euthanasia"; or very heavy with a strong doom metal edge: "Bridge To Fury". The singer does his job well, though, imitating James Hetfield quite well, except for the impotent performance on the aforemntioned ballad.
"Theatricals" is the lesser achievement, now offering little to the classic metal fans, sounding pretty modern, still recalling The Black Album on the better moments ("Mirrorhead"). This time the ballads "Helluary" and "Colours" are really cool, heavier with a better more forceful vocal performance. "E. Black Snow" splashes in the middle serving a couple of energetic headbanging riffs, and later on the listener will be "moved" around by the enjoyable speedy cover of The Bee Gees megahit "Stayin' Alive", strongly reminding of the Metallica approach on the "Garage Days Revisited" EP. A third unnecessary much more tender ballad ("MonoHolic") comes towards the end. The guys' well conformed with the ruling at the time trends sound could have made them a name, but they disbanded little after this album's release.

The Truth Full-length, 1991
Theatricals Full-length, 1993

EBONY TEARS (SWEDEN)

Another one from the whole pleiad of thrash/death metal acts from Sweden who try hard to be the new At The Gates. This band's style is more thrashy than the one of that legendary band and is also infused (at least on the debut) with quiet, acoustic moments and a considerable presence of violins which create a somewhat haunting atmosphere. On later works the band hardened the course (especially on "Evil As Hell"), introducing Floridian death metal riffs, and the final result is more satisfying although a certain number of their old fans were not very happy with the transition. Having moved away from the restraints of the Swedish death/thrash metal scene quite a bit and on the way to forge their own sound, the band members took a very strange decision, voting to change their name to Dog Faced Gods. Reportedly the style of this new formation is not miles away from Ebony Tears.

Tortura Insomniae Full-length, 1997
A Handful Of Nothing Full-length, 1999
Evil As Hell Full-length, 2001

ECHIDNA (GREECE)

Melodic death/thrash metal of the modern type with nice guitar work which at times reminds of the Shrapnel bands; the guys break the pattern by adding more complex, progressive sections.

This Suffering Demo, 2006

ECHIDNA (PORTUGAL)

Modern thrash/death, very well done, mixing nice intense thrashing pieces ("Partisans Of Disonesty", "To Obey Is To Die") with less aggressive, but very effective more technical ones ("New Age Of Murder"). "Painkiller" is not a Judas Priest cover, but is an awesome up-tempo death/thrasher, with a nice quiet interlude, maybe a bit overlong.

Tearing the Cloth EP, 2006

ECLAMPSY (URUGUAY)

This is retro death/thrash with a buzzy guitar sound and a deafening bass-bottom; the music some kind of awkwardly mixes slow atmospheric passages with very fast ones, recalling early 90's Messiah, but the bashing is taken directly from the Protector and Merciless textbooks; Morbid Saint are another close call. The singer is a brutal death growler, but suits the aggressive delivery, which becomes quite violent and brutal on the last couple of tracks, which are direct short bombs of fury, "killed" by the cool orchestral outro.

Extreme Feelings Full-length, 1994

ED'S ATTIC (HOLLAND)

A 3-track demo of heavy doomy thrash which sounds like a predecessor to the doom/death metal wave that started in Holland a few years later. The main vocals are clear death metal, but there is an annoying inclusion of clean ones, which are not too bad, but together with the brutal singing just don't make sense. The music is surprisingly melodic, with a touch of early gothic even, despite the presence of more intense thrashy riffs here and there.

Demo 1 Demo, 1988

EDEN’S FALL (USA)

A good new band who play a fusion of Bay Area thrash ala Testament and dark power/thrash metal in the Nevermore mould. The guys concentrate on heavy, not very fast riffage, and with more energy added on future works things might be better, like on the only more up-tempo track here: "Chemical Dreams", which is graced by cool guitar melodies.

Harmony of Lies Full-length, 2006

EDITOR (SLOVAKIA)

Based on the "Temple Of Abomination" demo, this band plays dark thrash/proto-death, and although the guitars are quite fuzzy, the music is intense and fast-paced. Overall we have a nod to the French school, and more particularly early No Return, since these guys also like to insert Bay-Area riffs from time to time. "Voices In The Darkness" is a good atmospheric instrumental, slower than the rest, boasting fine melodic lead work. "Stop Kdh" is the joke crossover number, partially ruined by the gruff low-tuned throaty vocals. "Anjeli Smrti" is a nod to the technical school, echoing late 80's Metallica.

Temple Of Abomination Demo, 1991
Shut Up! Full-length, 1994
Zero Option Full-length, 1996
Game Over Full-length, 2002
Realita? Full-length, 2004
Svet je proti nбm Full-length, 2006
Pod Parou Full-length, 2008

EEZEE (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the full-length: modern 90's thrash, which nicely speeds quite often with energetic classic riffs ("Face The Pain": check the leads on this one), and generally the music is not boring at all. "Time" is a nice, more classically-inclined speed/thrasher, but the angry groovy guitars take over after that, suiting better the angry aggressive vocals. The singer actually hits the top, with his standout performance on the semi-ballad "Creation", where he acquits himself with very cool clean vocals; this composition is quite good, by the way, despite its more moderate nature. Make sure not to miss the closing "Rise From Darkness", which is intense classic thrash at its best, successfully fighting with the couple of groovy sections thrown in.

Matter Of Attitude EP, 1993
Rise From Darkness Full-length, 1995

EGZEKUTHOR (POLAND)

Based on the second demo, the band play cool high-speed technical thrash bordering on death at times, akin to Infernal Majesty's faster material, or Massacra and Hellwitch. The songs start in a heavier, stomping manner (these elements also spring up sometimes in the middle, serving as breaks from the intense delivery), but later develop into fast, aggressive bombs, at times on the edge of falling apart. "Degenerated Madness" will spare you, slowing down, increasing the technicality, including nice melodic touches, but this is the only track where the guys don't come out with all the guns blazing.
The band's full-length debut is finally a fact, and is a very good work on all counts. The music is not very fast anymore, and death metal is almost nowhere to be heard; the technical leanings are not that stressed on, which could be considered a drawback, but could be caught here and there. This is very well executed retro thrash with more mellow moments: the slower power/thrasher "Powroty", the stomping "Wodnik", which boasts the greatest lead guitar work on the album. The rest is up-tempo, recalling the more aggressive nature of the band's earlier efforts on the closing "B№dџ Jak Metal", which also reminds that the guys were quite technically-inclined in the not so distant past.

Czas Sumienia Demo, 1988
Hateful Subconsciousness Demo, 1992
Zuk Demo, 2004
B№dџ jak metal Full-length, 2008

EIDOLON (CANADA)

One of the finest Canadian metal acts of the past 15 years, this band based their debut more on power metal, infused with a few progressive passages, which is quite surprising since their "Blue Tape" demo from 1994 featured great instrumental speed/thrash, really heavy stuff with a very good production and a standout performance from Glen Drover; that's why "Blood Rain" at the end comes as a complete surprise, thrashing out with an almost death metal-like intensity. "Seven Spirits" was a nice step in the right direction, stepping firmly on a thrash metal ground, featuring awesome both technical pieces and heavy crushing ones. The staple razor-sharp guitar work of Glen Drover has been fully implemented here, and it remains the main characteristics of the band's style. All-out fast numbers like the aforementioned "Blood Rain" from the debut are nowhere to be found, but your soul will be taken by the brilliant instrumental "Tribal Fury" where the "fury" is in the form of up-tempo technical guitar work, mixed with swirling head-spinning leads, rather than any headbanging parts.
"Nightmare World" contains some of the band's most interesting material, and indeed, the title-track which opens the album, is a really worthy take on dark heavy power/thrash. "Eye of Illusion" beats it in terms of speed, unleashing great aggressive riffs in a way no worse than the often-cited "Blood Rain". No more speedy surprises of the kind, as the rest of the songs are in the band's trade mark brooding mid-pace.
"Hallowed Apparition" follows on the path of its predecessor, adding "fuel to the fire" with dynamic speedy thrashers like "De-Evolution". "Coma Nation" one year later thrashes even harder, with the title track being a full-on intense speed/thrash., with several subsequent songs almost reaching its intensity. "Apostles Of Defiance" is a step down from the last 3 efforts, seeing the guys obviously tired with their busy schedule, especially Glen Drover whose talents impressed first King Diamond, who recruited him in the late 90's for a couple of albums, and then Dave Mustaine who at the time when this album was released, had already managed to secure his presence for the recording of the new Megadeth album "The System Has Failed" (Mustaine also acquired the services of Glen's brother, Shawn, at the same time, who is still a full-time member/drummer of Megadeth; Glen is no longer there). The misleading "volcanic" "Volcanic Earth" and "Demoralized" thrown in the beginning cheat big time, offering full-throttle aggressive thrash, only to be followed by monotonous lacklustre power metal songs based around elaborate progressive structures, finished with the colossal, but ultimately flawed, 10.5-min "Apathy for a Dying World". This album was completely overshadowed by the released the same year Best of Compilation "Sacred Shrine", which revealed some of the band's best kept secrets, and some of their best performance: the raging thrasher "Black Rain", the excellent lead-driven instrumental "Race with Time", the marvellous cover of Fates Warning's "Silent Cries", all these ably "assisted" by a couple of songs taken from their "Blue Tape" demo included at the end.
Then the Drover brothers had to focus on Megadeth, and they helped a lot in that band's restoring its older glories, which resulted in abandoning their work with Eidolon for about three years, when they were back in 2006 with "The Parallel Otherworld". The band' singers through the years have never been anything too special to talk about, neither of them being too bad, but having always been a weak spot. The new release saw them "equipped" with Nils K. Rue, one of the true greats behind the mike of recent years, who had earlier left the Norwegian progressive metallers Pagan Mind. With this flaw finally corrected, it seemed as though the guys would hit the top. Well, not exactly: the music presented here is a departure from the band's biting razor-sharp delivery, replaced by a kind of a continuation of the complex progressive style of the already not really impressive "Apathy for a Dying World" from "Apostles Of Defiance". Consequently most of the compositions are long, easily reaching the 7-min mark; on top of that the guys have chosen to open the album with the longest one carrying the album-title, which lasts for more than 11-min (!), and is hardly the best song the band ever composed, staying in mid-pace the whole time, seldom livened up by the occasional more stylish sharper hook. The fast aggressive thrashers, which were present on every album from "Seven Spirits" onwards, are gone, and now there is nothing offered to dissipate the monotony which was characteristic of "Apostles of Defiance". The King Diamond/Mercyful Fate fans will be delighted to hear the cover of "The Oath" from "Don't Break the Oath" at the end, where the vocal performance is simply outstanding, resembling the King himself quite a bit, with Rue unleashing those unholy very high-pitched shrieks almost identically. Yes, the vocals have finally been brought on level with the music; the problem is that now the music's level has dropped, and we'll see how long it will take for Drover Brothers and Co. to go back on track.

Zero Hour Full-Length, 1996
Seven Spirits Full-length, 1997
Nightmare World Full-length, 2000
Hallowed Apparition Full-length, 2001
Coma Nation Full-length, 2002
Sacred Shrine Best of/Compilation, 2003
Apostles Of Defiance Full-length, 2003
The Parallel Otherworld Full-length, 2006

EIGHTBALL CHOLOS (USA)

Stoner/doomy post-thrash, expectedly slow-ish but with good melodic guitars which hit the top on the leads; the speedy moments are not many at all, and the doom fans will be definitely happier with this. There are two people involved in this project, one of whom- Tracy "G" Grijalva, has done servide with DIO. The guys played classic thrash under another name, The Warning, during the mid, late-80's.

Satan's Whore Full-length, 1996

EKHYMOSIS (COLOMBIA)

Based on "Nino Gigante", this band plays power/thrash metal with a somewhat pop-ish sound which at times is downright annoying; on their sophomore effort they completely abandoned the thrash metal idea, concentrating on the abovementioned pop-ish sound.

De Rodillas EP, 1991
Niсo Gigante Full-length, 1991
Ciudad Pacifico Full-length, 1992

ELDRITCH (ITALY)

These guys have taken their name from the Watchtower song "The Eldritch" from "Control and Resistance", and indeed, some of the Americans' complexity can clearly be felt on the band's debut, although to talk about thrash on this one would a bit stretching, since its base is the 80's American power metal sound infused with nice complex progressive arrangements and very heavy crushing guitars. "Headquake" hardened the course quite a bit, lashing steel sharp riffs in an admirable progressive power/thrash metal fashion, although the fast direct explosive thrashers, so typical for the band's later works, were only slightly hinted at ("Erase" is a nice up-tempo headbanger). The really heavy guitar work remains, recalling both Eidolon and Nevermore, but the riffs here weigh more. "El Nino" spreads its "wings" wider, and apart from the established classic power/thrash metal base we also have modern elements with a "sniff" of groove, as well as keyboard-infused sections directly taken from the 90's power/speed metal scene. Still, this effort thrashes quite hard on a few times, still in a not as fast, mostly mid-paced manner.
Then the band took a well deserved lengthy 3-year break, for better or worse, which saw them coming up with "Reverse". The modern thrash hints made earlier have now taken a full hold on the sound, and this effort is a crushing heavy riff-fest, again not far from Nevermore, the difference coming mostly from the presence of the keyboards- the only "reminder" of the past which the band has decided to preserve, and, of course, the excellent clean emotional vocals of Terence Holler. The complexity has been decreased considerably, and for most of the time the album develops in a less elaborate, but quite a satisfying modern technical thrash fashion. The only downpoint is the cover version of the horrible The Knacks' "My Sharona", which for some idiotic reason have "enchanted" quite a few metal acts through the years (including Destruction). This shift in focus, however, left quite a few of the band's old fans cold who were not happy with this modern and less progressive transition.
It took the guys another 3 years to produce a follow-up to "Reverse", but it was really worth the wait. "Portrait Of The Abyss Within" was a great blend of the more modern sound, introduced on the predecessor, and the old more progressive-inclined one. As a result there is something for everyone here: from all-out direct bombastic retro thrashers to complex labirynthine sections, to pounding heavy modern groovy passages, to really nice melodic ballads (which are actually a trade mark of the band, being present on each of their efforts, sometimes even more than one). "Neighbourhell" is not a radical departure from the previous album, but the guys have gone over the top a bit on the shorter material, which is really fast aggressive thrash, touching proto-death with ease on the most intense moments. Those numbers would definitely be a delight to the headbangers, but combined with the mellower more elaborate compositions (both styles alternate throughout the album almost track-by-track) create a starking contrast to the point that one may get the impression that the two sides have been composed during different periods of the band's career.
"Blackenday" is the band's most straight and least complex achievement. From a thrashy point of view it holds quite a few surprises, by the way, with a very hard-hitting modern guitar sound, which brings this album very close to "Reverse". "Silent Flame" is the prototypical Eldritch power/thrash opener, in a good mid-tempo, nice chorus, and nice more aggressive breaks. As expected, the next one "The Deep Sleep" speeds up, and is another traditional for the band faster thrasher, again graced by a cool catchy chorus. "The Blackend Day" is a nice heavy semi-ballad, followed by the steam-rolling modern power/thrash number "Why" in a pounding mid-pace; no more mentioning of the good choruses. "Black Rain" is again for the headbangers, thrashing more intensely, after which comes another semi-ballad: "Broken Road", but this one is edgier than the first, and better. "Rumours" is a laid-back track, with a shade of gothic ala mid-90's Paradise Lost, and is the most progressively sounding one of the lot. However, the guys never let this album lose steam, and we have "Frozen": a great speed/thrasher, with mighty sharp guitars, and more classic-sounding. "The Child That Never Smiles" jumps on the groove wagon, and is a bit clumsy and slow, saved by the great chorus. Time for more moshing around, with the dark, faster paced "The Fire", and the other progressively-charged number "Shallow Water Flood", which is a nice mix between hard riffage and softer parts, which again recall Paradise Lost, in a very good way. "Never Dawn" is a not very impressive ordinary modern power metal closer, which again doesn't forget about the gothic theme: will this trend be later developed by the band, only time will tell...

Seeds Of Rage Full-length, 1995
Headquake Full-length, 1997
El Nino Full-length, 1998
Reverse Full-length, 2001
Portrait Of The Abyss Within Full-length, 2004
Neighbourhell Full-length, 2006
Blackenday Full-length, 2007

ELDRITCH (JAPAN)

The strong 80's Japanese thrash metal scene experienced a strong recession in the next decade, with many of its representatives' music having mutated into various modern styles, with just occasional hints of thrash. This album is a cool mix of thrash, speed, power and heavy metal, with a nod to the Bay Area heroes in the more thrashy sections. The problem is that, like it happens with many other Japanese bands, the music ventures into more melodic territories quite often ("Pig Blood Blues", "Lifemaker", to name a few), losing considerably its edge. However, the presence of good headbangers like "Moon Hawk Project" reminds of the former glories of Japanese thrash.

Blood Breed Calls My Name Full-length, 1993

ELDRITCH RITE (USA)

A first-rate demo of speed/thrash metal which will make you headbang more intensely than some full-lengths released around the same time (Blessed Death's debut, Destructor, Anvil Bitch, etc.). The overall style resembles Helstar's "Remnants of War" and Sentinel Beast's "Depths of Death", but this demo is more energetic than both. You can hear great melodic guitar lines, supported by stylish intricate riffs and cool mid-ranged vocals which nicely follow the guitar melody at times.

Demo Demo, 1986

ELECTRIC CHAIR (CROATIA)

Classic power/thrash metal of the less intense variety with progressive overtones; "The Sultan of Evil" is a nice Oriental doomy power/thrasher, but the rest is not as striking, if we also exclude the energetic speedy opener "Brainwashed".

Electric Chair EP, 2009

ELEKTRASH (PERU)

Based on "Recycled Noise": these guys score high in the modern progressive post-thrash department, mixing direct headbanging riffs with numerous atmospheric/gothic/industrial elements, resulting in a fairly intriguing, albeit frequently uneven listen. Some purely electronic variations could have been left out ("System"), as well as pointless balladic outros ("Celula Madre"), but the band is determined to add more and more originality to the proceedings, and here comes the brutal industrial death/thrasher "Morphine", and the tender, but quite good ballad "In Every Dark Place". This is far from an easy listen, and sounds kind of unfinished, like a draft for something "better" to come. It would do no harm to try and track down this "Anemone"... The band richly deserve their name, by the way, with the constant electronic/industrial element present in their music, which one should either learn to love, or to hate with passion.
"Filosofнa del Caos" is more aggressive, although the electronic/industrial implements are present on almost every track, and the variety is not that big. Every song develops in the same way: very fast passages take turns with electronic atmospheric breaks, and out-of-nowhere comes a groovy break to make the listener even more confused. There is a Deep Purple cover towards the end of "Bloodsucker", which is the best song; one thumb up as well for the intense industrial thrasher "Nuestra Existencia" at the end, but that's about all.

Excusa para Morir Full-length, 1998
Filosofнa del Caos Full-length, 1999
Recycled Noise Full-length, 2000
Anemone Full-length, 2001

ELECTRO QUARTERSTAFF (CANADA)

An all instrumental band who use thrash metal as a base for their music, but incorporate elements from other extreme styles. This is mindblowing technical stuff which has no precedent on the contemporary metal scene- very highly recommended.

Swayze EP, 2004
Gretzky Full-length, 2006

ELECTROCUTE (TURKEY)

The Turkish metal scene has been witnessing quite a revival throughout the new millennium. Electrocute play typical classic thrash with a Bay Area-flavour similar to Testament. "Pirates of Thrash" suddenly comes with a sound much closer to the German school and the Canadians Sacrifice; this is great energetic thrash with mean, but very catchy vocals ala Rob Urinari from Sacrifice again (this same singer lends his vocal abilities to another Turkish act: Vengeful Ghoul, also reviewed here). There are plenty of cool guitar melodies which nicely contrast to the sharp riffs, including the intro of the album opener "Fall in Hate" which, if I'm not mistaken, is taken from the American film "Love Story". Actually, there are a lot of similarities between this album and the debut of another excellent Turkish act: Mezarkabul's "Pentagram". This one boasts a better guitar sound, and is less aggressive.

Recieve The Evil Demo, 2004
Pirates of Thrash Full-Length, 2007

ELIMINATION (UK)

A 6-song live demo of quite decent Bay Area-influenced thrash akin to Metallica (both their early and late 80's period) and their compatriots Xentrix; there are both heavy, semi-technical as well as faster tracks here; the sound quality is a bit muddy, though.

Raw , live and still evil ! Demo, 2007

ELIMINATION (USA)

Thrash/crossover of the more aggressive type, reminiscent of Cryptic Slaughter, but certainly not as fast as the latter's early material; the guitar work here is maybe a bit better, and more melodic (the leads).

Process Of Elimination Demo, 1989

ELIMINATOR (CROATIA)

A 4-song EP of retro speed/thrash metal in the spirit of Whiplash's "Power and Pain"; fast, energetic music with harsh, not very pleasant semi-death metal vocals.

Front is Coming EP, 2007

ELIMINATOR (USA)

This is a one-man project, going under the pseudonym Warchild, who uses a drummer to help him with recordings. On both demos the guy does a fairly good job, offering classic thrash, quite speedy, mixed with slower epic/war tunes; the style comes as a blend of the Brits Sabbat (there are some Slayer-esque riffs present as well) and Destroyer 666, both their early and later period.
The full-length debut is an elaboration on the material already heard on the demos: standout fast-paced thrash with vicious black metal rasps topping the speedy sharp guitars. The songs move in almost lightning speed, but never jump to other genres. The leads this time are quite good, albeit sharp, and the guitar work is generally quite proficient. Tracks like "Holocaust War Metal" and "The Punisher" are instant speed/thrash classics, mixing the best from the German and American scenes, the latter even scoring in the more technical department, as well as the technical blitzkrieg speed killer "Service Your Leader"- a masterpiece of classic speed/thrash. The closing "Prescription for Extinction... Time Enough at Last" begins like a faster interpretation of Slayer's "Reign in Blood", but don't expect this to last through the whole 9-min, and the middle is graced by a slower, doomy section, which is soon interrupted by the next assault that stops for a while again at the end, for a very good peaceful balladic outro. This album is a really pleasant surprise, coming out from an obscure, but deserving to join the upper echelons of metal, act.

...Will Kill You Demo, 2007
Eliminator Demo, 2007
Breaking The Wheel Full-length, 2008

ELSE (GUATEMALA)

5 songs of all-instrumental symphonic speed/power/thrash mixing fast furious sections with calmer semi-balladic ones; the music has an edge, and comes close to the Polish Hellfire on the more extreme moments ("Until My Last Breath", the crushing monster "The Wolf's Lair"). The guitar sound is a little thin, and the concentration is more on riffs and hooks, with not a very wide coverage of the lead performance, like it used to happen a lot with the instrumental works.

Deus Ex Machina EP, 2009

ELVARON (FRANCE)

Elvaron's style is mostly progressive/epic power metal with a slight presence of thrash, of the classic and not very fast type, on the first two albums. Both albums are cool affairs, "Mages Battle" being the more immediate and thrashy, with shorter songs and edgier riffs. "The Five Shires" shows the band taking themselves quite seriously, elaborating their approach a lot, the culmination being the 30-min opener "The Five Shires", which is clearly the longest opener in metal history, and is a small album in itself, although the level of musicianship is not that big, and the riffs and patterns kept getting repeated over and over. The other songs on that same album are like hard/grindcore outbursts compared to this one, although the shortest one is just over 5-min. The last two efforts show the band having find the way to play quality complex music, although thrash is almost completely gone. Still, they should be given a listen by all fans of well-executed metal although for the longer compositions one still needs to have more patience, some of them going over the 10-min limit with ease.

Mages Battle Full-length, 1997
The Five Shires Full-length, 2001
The Buried Crown Full-length, 2005
Gravitation Control System Full-length, 2007

ELYSIUM (CZECH)

Based on "Nine Ways to Leave", this band plays modern thrash, which mixes stylish semi-technical decisions with heavy groovy passages, without forgetting about the Swedish thrash/death heritage. The album has both its fast headbanging and slower atmospheric sides, the latter nicely boosted by the short, but great, acoustic instrumental "The Last Sunrise" near the end. On the last two songs, however, the guys let the moody doomy riifs take over, losing the speed completely.

Private Hell Full-length, 2007
Nine Ways to Leave Full-length, 2009

ELYSIUM (USA)

An impressive demo coming from this very little known band from the heydays of the genre; both fast and slower tracks could be found here. The sound pays tribute to the Bay-Area Scene: Metallica, Testament, Vio-lence, as well as Kreator's more technical period ("Coma Of Souls").

Inspired Hatred Demo, 1989

EM RUINAS (BRAZIL)

A cool 4-track demo of energetic speed/thrash in the vein of Warrant (Germany) and Helloween (the first two songs); "Morbid Pits" is a very cool aggressive track, with a touch of hardcore ala Nuclear Assault, partially ruined by the bad live sound quality. The other live recording: "Destructed Life/Dead City", is a cool speed/thrasher in the vein of early Whiplash.

From The Speed Metal Graves Demo, 2007

EMBERS OF EUPHORIA (USA)

An excellent new progressive power/thrash metal band; the style is a fine cross between Vicious Rumours' best period (1990-1994) and Agent Steel (their new sound, after the reformation). The only downpoint is that for seven songs only featured on their debut, the inclusion of one ballad and a short semi-balladic instrumental kind of lessen the impact of the more aggressive material. Surely these guys' finest hour is yet to be witnessed.

Embers of Euphoria Full-length, 2007

EMBRACING DARKNESS (PORTUGAL)

This is pleasant gothic thrash, obviously influenced by Moonspell (but who isn't, of the contemporary Portuguese acts?) with mid-tempo riffs, and some really stylish melodic hooks. "Whispers" is a nice dark thrasher, which will also remind you of the Finns Sentenced ("Amok", in particular). The thing which might annoy here, is the melodic alternative vocals opposing to the gruff, death-ish main ones.

Gloomy Storms Demo, 2006

EMINENCE (BRAZIL)

This band was formed by former members of one of the most famous (and oldest) Brazilian metal bands Sepultura and Overdose. Of course, such a line-up would raise the expectations high, but unfortunately this turns out to be unimpressive industrialized modern thrash reminiscent of Sepultura's mid-90's period ("Chaos AD", "Roots") plus a few more intense death metal passages and noisy hardcore-ish vocals.

Faces EP, 1996
Eminence EP, 1998
Chaotic System Full-length, 1999
Humanology Full-length, 2003
The God of all Mistakes Full-length, 2007

EMINENCE (USA)

Even the bad sound quality of the debut demo, which gives the guitars a slightly fuzzy sound, can not hide the sheer talent displayed here: this is standout speed/thrash metal which has a surprisingly German flavour- think Angel Dust's debut and Iron Angel. This is great, mostly fast music with nice lead guitar and heavy, sharp riffs. The only pullback would be possibly the vocals which sound a bit strained, somewhat like an unrehearsed James Rivera.
"Staring at My Face" takes a heavier turn, towards the Bay Area, and reduces the speed a bit, concentrating on pounding riffs; the sound quality remains bad, even worse, and the songs this time are unnecessarily long, plodding and quite boring, simply because the same riffs are been repeated over and over. The vocals are also worse, taking a slight hardcore-ish shade.

Demo Demo, 1986
Staring at My Face Demo, 1987

EMMOS (FRANCE)

The band mainman and the only known member JeFF takes part in numerous other French underground acts, but listening to the first demo one may not be very curious to check the other efforts out: this is minimalistic amateurish black/thrash of the old school spiced with softer punk-ish overtones. The music crosses early Venom with early Bathory, with the casual slower doom metal section thrown in. JeFF should something in the vocal department, though: these awful drunken shouts could barely pass for singing.

Tyrant After Tyrant Demo, 2005
Guided by the Devil Demo, 2006
Last Breath Demo, 2006
DIY #2 Split album, 2006
Your World Is A Warfield Full-length, 2007
Vol. 1: Emmos Kratos Demo, 2009
Vol. 2: The Meaning of Death Demo, 2009

EMPERY (SOUTH AFRICA)

A 2-song demo of good technically-minded thrash, clinging towards the Bay-Area when it's more classic-sounding, with a heavy pounding rhythm section, not far removed from late 80's Metallica, also recalling Dew-Scented and Corporation 187 when it speeds up, which is when it acquires more modern tendencies. Both influences are well mixed on "Beyond Human", whereas "Ascending" is less dynamic, but more technical and complex, mixing more intense parts with heavy punishing ones, plus a very cool balladic section near the end. The singer is on par with the music, with his aggressive low tuned semi-death tone.

Beyond Human Demo, 2009

EMPHERIS (POLAND)

These Poles pull out black-ish thrash with quite good clean pagan vocals (as opposed to the vicious black rasps), predominantly fast tempos, one cool cover of Venom's "Lady Lust", one raging black metal bomb ("Necropulsar"), and two very badly-sounding live and rehearsal songs at the end.

The Rituals Of Possession In Blasphemy Split, 2006

EMPTOR (NORWAY)

This band's members later took part in the formation of some important Scandinavian black metal acts, among whom was the notorious Erik Brшdreskift- the man who committed suicide in 1999, but before that "graced" with his presence bands like Immortal, Gorgoroth and Borknagar. The style here is pure thrash, dark and brooding, but quite speedy, too, along the lines of Rigor Mortis and the Canadians Dissection. Some tracks ("Child Miolester", for example), feature atmospheric doomy parts, "decorated" by stylish lead guitars, which are actually the highlight of the demo, and are a nice contrast to the otherwise gloomy atmosphere. A very surprising, and a totally unexpected choice for a cover version awaits you at the end: Samantha Fox's "Touch Me"; the guys must have liked this song a lot, since it was released just less than a year earlier; of course it would be difficult to recognize it, as the tempo is fast and intense, adjusted to the predominant style of the demo.

Demo Demo, 1988

EMPTY SHELL (RUSSIA)

Quite intense retro thrash/death metal, which doesn't rely on speed all the time, but nicely slows down for the odd mid-tempo smasher ("Slave Of The Grave", "Humanoid"). There is nothing new or groundbreaking here, but music made with such enthusiasm and energy can not possibly be bad.

Soul Surgery Full-Length, 2008

EMPYRIOS (ITALY)

Based on "And The Rest Is Silence": a talented young outfit from Italy, who are in the same league as their compatriots Chaoswave, but the music here is more atmospheric and complex, and not as intense. So we have progressive power/thrash of the modern type, with very cool clean emotional vocals. The music ranges from more laid-back progressive ala Symphony X and Evergrey ("Tort", "Unbalanced Equilibrium"), to all-out modern thrashers ("Insomnia", "Perseverance") in the spirit of Nevermore and Eldritch ("Reverse"). Combinations of the two work very well, too: the technical riff-fest "Failure Of Eye".
"The Glorious Sickness" is a better effort, stepping on the pedal more aggressively, lashing out more intense riffage, which nicely contrast to the very good clean vocals. The riff-fest is top-notch on heavy numbers like "Decadence Parade", which also boasts great lead guitar work. "Empire" is a bigger monster with smashing ultra heavy guitars, recalling early Meshuggah and Nevermore, as well as their compatriots Eldrith's album "Reverse"; another hit in the more brutal riff department is "The Eve Arose", which also serves really vicious death metal vocals that can also be heard on the more laid-back, but faster "PSG". The openly modern approach may irritate you to an extent, on the less intense, more conventional "The Glorious Sickness" and, partially, on "The Chaosbreeder", which constantly hesitates between more dynamic thrashy sections and plain boring groovy ones. "Destination: Null" thrashes quite intensely, being the most brutal composition here, with added deep death metal growls. "A New Dawn" is the obligatory more balladic number, quite well done. Like with the previous album, there are times when one could praise these guys sky-high, but one can not close his eyes for the several not very convincing moments, where the music loses both its aggressive and progressive edge for the sake of ordinary pointless groove, which doesn't work out even if intended as a break.

And The Rest Is Silence Full-length, 2007
The Glorious Sickness Full-length, 2008

ENCHANTER (USA)

Cool power/thrash reminiscent of Deadly Blessing, Liege Lord, and Agent Steel; the tempo is energetic, with sharp riffs and very good leads. The guys like to mix it up with heavy breaks and acoustic, lead-driven passages (check out "DOL"), which is not bad, but their real power lies in the speedy, galloping tracks: the excellent "Progressive Entrapment".

The Gates of Insanity Demo, 1989

ENCRYPTION (GERMANY)

An interesting band playing progressive power/thrash metal mixed with Gothenburg-styled melodies; the style clings more towards the classic school, and there are blast-beats inserted here and there, but it might pull back some thrash fans a bit because of the presence of cheesy moments from the 90's power/speed metal scene (mostly in the choruses and the leads).

Perishing Black Light Full-length, 2000

ENCUMBER (RUSSIA)

Dark gothic-tinged thrash/death-death/doom, sounding like a mix between the Austrian one-album-wonder Visceral Evisceration and Bolt Thrower; so don't expect too much speed and aggression, but doomy heavy riffage, with sudden grindy bursts ala "Realm of Chaos", and sparce shifts into Swedish death metal ("The Fairyrod"). The songs are long, and some dragging slow sections may stretch your nerves a bit, although you never know when the guys will start thrashing, or grinding with passion: these switches are very sudden, but come quite heralded. The singer is predictably a very low-tuned grunter, at times assisted by an angelic female choir ("Go Far Away... Eternally"). Not bad, but the thrash metal fan may find himself losing focus more than just occasionally. The guys are currently involved in the brutal death/grind project Antesser.

Silent Witness Of Past Full-length, 1998

END AMEN (GERMANY)

This is a joint effort of the Deathrow mainman Uwe Osterlehner and two members of Psychotic Waltz (Dan Rock and Norman Leggio), featuring also Frank Zappa's Son Dweezil as a guest musician during a tour together that same year. The style is a direct take on Deathrow's more technical period sounding like a mixture of the band's last two efforts (not as great as "Deception Ignored", but decidedly better than "Life Beyond"). The album starts in a magnificent way, with the imposing grandiose orchestral intro, which will hypnotize you with its escalating dramatism, seamlessly flowing into the opening "World In Decay", which promises an entertainment quite close to the brilliance of "Deception Ignored", although here the headbanging thrash is more widely covered. "Prisons Of Posterity" starts without a pause between the two songs, thrashing intensely, adding swirling virtuoso lead guitar work. "End Amen" is a heavy, mid-tempo track, with a nice balladic intro, which grows into a formidable wall of technical razor-sharp riffage, accompanied by sinister whispers, synthesized drum beats, and one of the finest lead sections in metal history, which will leave you with your mouth gaping wide. "Rebirth" is a great progressive opus, with the keyboards playing a major role in creating an ominous atmosphere, ably supported by the leads again, which on the whole album are on a level seldom surpassed before and after; aggressive thrashing takes hold near the end. Progressive thrash at its uncompromising best comes served on "A New Day's Absurdity", which also boasts a catchy chorus, along with the dramatic keyboard background; not much room for direct thrashy moments on this one. "Nocturnal March" compensates, with its more conventional straight approach, thrashing with full force, until the very complex mid-passage throws the listener in bewilderment for the upteenth time. "Your Last Orison" slows down, calming the ball down, offering heavy mid-paced rhythms with mot much complexity involved. Watch out for the mesmerizing overwhelming closing instrumental "Silence", which is noises mixed with a slightly distorted guitar, providing the perfect soundtrack to any film about the Apocalypse. This incredible album even surpasses "Deception Ignored" on the best moments, and is a sheer testimony that the real genius can rise above any ongoing trends, effortlessly making fun of both big and not so big names on the music scene.

Your Last Orison Full-Length, 1992

END IT (USA)

Groovy thrash metal with death-ish vocals; the music recalls mid and late-90's Entombed, and the last two Massacra albums. There are attempts at more up-tempo thrashing ("Better Than God", which goes even beyond the boundaries of thrash), but they are not that many. Near the end comes the Testament cover of "Nightmare" from the "Practice What You Preach" album.

Meet Your Maker Full-length, 2001

END OF MAN (PHILLIPINES)

Quite well done classic thrash, following the high standards of Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare" pretty closely; this is aggressive, fast-paced stuff, providing 5 pieces of non-stop headbanging thrash, with mighty sharp riffs. Along explosive balls of fury like "The Scourge" and "Servitude" stand calmer semi-balladic delights: "Devoted Mistake" (this is the only one of its kind here, don't worry).
It took the guys 5 years to finally materialize their full-length debut, but "Power, Corruption and Lies" is worth every bit of the wait; it takes the sound offered on the demo, and develops it further, by not straying too far from the already successful formula. So this is a fairly satisfying slab of Bay-Area thrash, again "courting" Vio-Lence, among other representatives of the genre. The music is more diverse this time, coming with more frequent moshing mid-tempo sections, although the all-out speed/thrashers are clearly the highlight: the more melodic speed metal-based "Power , Corruption and Lies" and "Hate Attrition". "Invocation of the Flesh" is a slower, stomping number, coming in the middle, kind of influencing the subsequent two tracks, but before the thrash fan starts changing his initially good opinion about the music, here comes the intense thrashing closer "Pagkagat ng Dilim", which is a cover version of a song of the guys' previous band Mass Carnage, and is very close to being the highlight of the album, with its razor-sharp riffs and dark slower late-80's Slayer-esque parts.

End of Man EP, 2003
Power, Corruption and Lies Full-length, 2008

END OF THE ROPE (USA)

Based on "Til' It Bleeds", these guys play groovy thrash/death, which has its intense headbanging moments: the ball of aggression "From Vanity To Dregs", which largely compensates for the couple of blatant tedious tracks. The problem is that later on there is only one similar song to offer the same headbanging entertainment ("Faithless").

Shades of Loss EP, 2002
Through Callow Eyes Full-length, 2004
Til' It Bleeds Full-length, 2009

END ZONE (RUSSIA)

This band had a short, but very impressive career. Their debut is a striking first effort, with brilliant very technical guitar work, not too far from later period Death, although here the death metal elements are not too many; this is mostly power/thrash with a strong technical edge and gruff death metal vocals, which are not very pleasant, and do not serve the great music right. The music is mostly mid-paced, with a couple of effective speedy outbursts: "S.O.D.", "Ulterior Solitude". All this is overshadowed by the exquisite instrumental "The Edge of String"- a whirlwind of amazing guitar work. Later you will hear a nice, more technical and atmospheric cover version of Sodom's "Remember the Fallen". Another super technical instrumental follows suit: "Candlestick of Parcass", and then another, which is quiet, semi-acoustic: "The Castle of The Woman of Mine", all this finished with a very original joke song called "Rock'n Roll", which mixes a jolly rock-ish melody with vicious brutal riffs.
"Thalatta et Thanatos" is an all-instrumental album- a fabulous mix of speedy numbers and slower, classically-influenced ones; relieved from the not very capable singer, the guys unleash a storm of mind-blowing guitar pyrotechnics; two of the instrumentals from the debut are also included, but there are no any changes in them (and there shouldn't be). To the utter shock of the fans, their swansong is a very ordinary, progressive metal offering; no speed involved, much of the technical flamboyance has been gone, and the new vocals are even worse with their emotionless, alternative blend. It has definitely found its audience, but for thrash metal fans it would have a very little appeal.

First Bequest Full-length, 1995
Thalatta et Thanatos Full-length, 1996
Eclectica Full-length, 1998

ENDANGEREDFECES (USA)

Thrash/crossover with a modern heavy, groovy doze, but also quite dynamic and energetic, without jumping on too aggressive wagons. The songs are longer for the style, 3-4min, and some are full-blooded thrash pieces (the pounding "Cadaver Breath", the nice speedy instrumental "Impale The Wicked", or the smashing Destruction-like "Screaming Mantis") with really sharp riffs.

Plethora of Waste Full-Length, 2008

ENDLESS PAIN (ITALY)

A wild mixture of thrash, black metal and hardcore, quite fast and brutal, bordering on grindcore at times, reminiscent of another Italian band of recent years- Vexed, but these guys are more vicious and noisy. No trace of Kreator here (allusions made by the band name).
"De-Generation War" offers the same wild frenetic, frequently out of control blend, this time adding death metal even: "Sindon". The speed is too high most of the time, and this could be a major obstacle for some to appreciate this stuff. "Silent Sickness" is logically the best track, slowing down, providing a good thrashy relief from the very big intensity. "Cold Like Death" is the other big surprise: high-octane gothic/doom, with meaty heavy riffs, haunting balladic sections, done with style. The immediate follower "Lost Of Control" sticks to the thrash metal idea, leaving room for two more hardcore-based, but intense and enjoyable, closers.

Born in Violence Full-length, 2005
De-Generation War Full-length, 2008

ENDLESS TEARS (FRANCE)

This is strange music: there are thrash riffs, but the concentration is on moody, balladic pieces bordering on dark/gothic wave; only for the romantically-inclined thrashers.

Emotion Full-length, 1994

ENDLESS TORMENT (UK)

Based on the "Endless" EP, this is very good technical thrash/death metal, on the heavy side without brutal, ultra fast sections, sounding like a more technical Bolt Thrower mixed with thrash. In the guitar department some moments remind of the great Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.), that's why it doesn't come as a complete surprise the cover version of Death's "Symbolic" at the end.

Endless EP, 2003
Of Mankinds Fall EP, 2007

ENDLESS TORTURE (SWEDEN)

4 killing carols (pun intended) of first-rate retro thrash is what we have here. "I Am Your Friend" (yes, guys, you are, indeed!) is an intense opener, with great speedy guitars. "The Reapers Ripping Rest-In-Peace Service" offers entertainment of the slower, mid-paced type, but the guitar work remains classy. "Killing Carol" thrashes in the same way as the opener: fast and uncompromising, and the last "carol" "Drawn To A Spotless Mind" is a stomping, again not as fast-paced, track with a nice technical edge.

Killing Carols EP, 2007

ENDLESSIGHT (CANADA)

Power/thrash metal with blues-ish and doomy parts similar to Agony Column and Violent Playground; shades of old Black Sabbath can also be heard. This is not hard-hitting stuff, but some mid-paced more intense numbers will make your head bang a bit: the very good instrumental "Unusual Dream".

Shadow Of The Highseas Full-length, 1990

ENDORPHINE (ITALY)

This is an interesting band: their style could be described as modern technical/progressive thrash, a thrashy Opeth, if you can imagine the picture. The songs are complex, sprawling sometimes, recalling the Swedes in many ways; here is also the typical alternation between the death-ish vocals and the cleaner ones. There is a melancholic atmosphere reminding of Katatonia ("My Breath Away"), but the music is hard-hitting most of the time, with nice technical guitars and twists, not very fast, mostly mid to up-tempo.

The Future Seed Full-length, 2004

ENDORPHINS (CANADA)

This band does not belong to the technical field like the majority of the Canadian metal bands; typical representatives of the Swedish modern school- think The Haunted, Carnal Forge, etc.

Volume One EP, 2002
Where Evil Lies Full-length, 2006

ENDOVEIN (ITALY)

Based on the first demo, which offers a very bad fuzzy sound, these guys offer ok retro thrash, which can be quite speedy at times ("Savage Heart"), but the predominant tempo is mid, with clear doomy overtones on the slower moments ("Kickinthebutt"). "Goodbye... but Where I'm Going?" totally ruins everything, being a bland bluesy piece lasting for more than 7-min.

How to put Jack in the amp Demo, 2005
Problem of Humanity Demo, 2007
Lynched By Fate EP, 2009

ENEMY DIVISION (POLAND)

Modern groovy thrash, which sounds energetic on quite a few moments, but not enough to make it stand out of the pack even nowadays. Those more energetic moments are crossover-tinged ("The Curse Of Mill Island Part 1") and jolly and light-hearted, contrasting to the couple of heavier doomy compositions ("Darkside Of The Sun", "How Dare You"), occupying the end. The closer is a nice acoustic ballad with the horrifying title "Abuse Your Infernal Madness", with a nostalgic Nick Cave-like tone, also strengthened by the very cool clean vocals in the best tradition of the aforementioned singer.

Sentenced To Lie Full-length, 2008

ENEMY INSIDE (AUSTRIA)

There are not too many attempts from the thrash metal field coming from Austria these days. This is a fusion of contrasting styles: the dominating one is mid-paced 80's thrash, but there are death metal and classic heavy metal moments. It works well most of the time with quite a few nice headbanging riffs present.

Explicit Treatment Full-length, 2006

ENEMY IS US (SWEDEN)

This is one of the bands where one of the most hard-working musicians from the Swedish metal scene Lawrence Mackrory (Darkane, F.K.U., Andromeda, etc.) also takes part. From the aforementioned bands the sound of this one is closest to Darkane, but is more direct and straight-forward. In other words, we have another Swedish thrash/death metal act who are a bit more classic-inclined than the rest, adhering to old school riffs from time to time.

We Have Seen The Enemy... And The Enemy Is Us Full-length, 2004
Venomized Full-length, 2008

ENEMY OF THE SUN (GERMANY)

This is the new band of the ubiquitous Waldemar Sorychta (Despair, Grip Inc, Voodoocult), and the hopes immediately are for a return to the sound of the great Despair. Well, this is not exactly the case: this act pulls out a firmly modern-sounding thrash with a somewhat progressive edge. The closest soundalike from the Sorychta bands is Grip Inc, and most of the songs could fit very well on "Nemesis" or "Incorporated": "Lives Based On Conflicts", "Clearly Surreal", etc. Other songs are quite hectic and jumpy ("Carousel"), recalling Fear Factory. The singer also sounds not too far from the clean tember of Burton Bell (remember GZR). There are interesting touches, like the inclusion of flamenco guitars on "Feel The Beating". The problem is that there is not enough energy involved, and it's in the second half when the first fast-paced number comes up ("Satisfied by Ego Purposes"). But there are also tracks, which are nothing more than blatant groovy fillers ("Brain Sucking Machine", "Liar"). If this will be Sorychta's full-time occupation for the future, he will definitely have to put more effort to make the music more appealing; now this Grip Inc. rip-off with a slight twist would not hold water for long.

Shadows Full-length, 2007

ENEMY UNKNOWN (UK)

Good Bay Area thrash metal in the Metallica, Testament, Exodus-tradition; "Feel The Burn" opens this debut in a nice headbaning fashion, but the rest of the material is mostly mid-paced with heavy smashing riffs clinging towards Metalica's late 80's period and early Xentrix.

Alert Status: RED Full-length, 2005

ENEMY WITHIN (UK)

Heavy, mid-paced power/thrash, kind of reminding of the Venom period after the Cronos departure ("Prime Evil"-"The Waste Lands"). There are crossover elements ("Potential Threat") to be heard, but deviations like that are not too many.

Potential Threat Demo, 1991

ENEMYNSIDE (ITALY)

This is another band for the talents of Francesco Grieco and Davide Scala from the technical thrashers Rainspawn. The style here is less adventurous, but no less impressive, being classic retro thrash with nice guitar work. The tempo is quite energetic throughout, and modern elements could be heard, including shades of groove ("Your Enemy Inside"). The overall sound is quite close to Paradox's "Product of Imagination" and "Heresy", with similar dual vocal-choruses and hard-hitting riffage. "Peace of Mind" is the only track where the guys slow down (it still contains a fast-paced section), but this is a very pleasant deviation from the pattern, being a cool blend of thrash and a gothic-laden atmosphere ala 90's Paradise Lost (think "Icon" and "Draconian Times") with vocals strongly recalling Nick Holmes (there is no change of vocal styles just for the sake of one song here, it's just that it's hard to compare the vocals to Holmes on the faster material). Hopefully this will not remain just a solitary effort...
"In The Middle Of Nowhere" arrives after a lengthy 5-year hiatus (from the middle of nowhere, I guess), and the beginning may not impress the fans of the debut, since the opener "Harmonic View" is a crunchy mid-paced modern thrasher. Well, not for long: "Lesson Learnt" nicely speeds up, and brings back the 80's sound, but only for a while, as the next "Unfold" is a mild semi-ballad, again with a more modern sound (later on there is one full-blooded ballad: "Get Lost"). That same sound settles down on the rest of the tracks, with a couple of more vigorous moments present: the up-tempo "N.B.T.(No Blank Theory)", the late 80's Metallica-esque "Freak Show", the brisk speed/thrashing "Solstice". Overall this effort may be considered a disappointment, hesitating between the modern and the classic sound the whole time, failing to find the perfect balance between the two, losing in the process a lot of the speed and the edge which made the debut so entertaining.

Let the madness begin... Full-length, 2003
In The Middle Of Nowhere Full-length, 2008

ENERGETIC KRUSHER (UK)

This is probaly the most brutal slab of thrash metal to come out of the UK from the heydays of the genre: fast, short, aggressive thrashers bordering on death metal is what these guys offer; an obscure, but commendable release.

Path To Oblivion Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

ENERTIA (USA)

90's Flotsam & Jetsam worship all over; at times you may even want to check whether you haven't made a mistake, and have put some of the Flots' CD's in the player. Enertia are perhaps more thrashy than the 90's Flotsam, but the song structures and the overall approach are pretty much the same.

Law Of Three EP, 1996
Momentum Full-length, 1997
Flashpoint Full-length, 1999
Force Full-length, 2004

ENFORCE (AUSTRALIA)

Based on "Campfire Night": technical thrash/death metal sounding like a mix between Kreator's more technical ("Coma of Souls", "Renewal") and Slayer's heavier late 80's period, with gruff death metal vocals. This is not bad, but the guys have the tendency to complicate their music quite a bit, resulting in some harder-to-swallow moments. "Nuclear War" is a good example of the latter, being a compilation of various tempos and moods, managing to sound both technical and brutal. "As Death Sets In" and "Brutal" are typical aggressive death metal, and are the downside of the album. "Slayer", which music-wise is not really a tribute to the Americans, is a good moderate technical number, and there are times when the music loses the speed and the technicality, settling for mid-paced riffage ala Amon Amarth ("Campfire Night", "N.D.E.F.D.").
"Message of Death" is more direct and more aggressive, sounding closer to death metal with the fast blasting sections now more frequent. The purer takes on thrash are the better side ("Sick, Sick, Sick", "The Few, The Many & The Far Inbetween") despite the loss of speed, which is compensated by cool mid-paced epic riffage. It's a pity that the guys have decided to abandon the technical play, which only springs on the excellent epic death/thrasher "Constellation of Planets", and partly on the more dynamic "Born of Two Worlds".

Campfire Night Full-length, 2000
Message of Death Full-length, 2003

ENFORCER (CHILE)

Based on the "Violent Speed" demo, these guys play furious speed/thrash metal not too far from the Finns Solitaire. This is very fast, uncompromising music which would also appeal to fans on Necrodeath, early Kreator, and even Impaled Nazarene. This is a demo which richly deserves its title.

Violent Speed Demo, 2003
A Violent Night Demo, 2006

ENFORCER (SWEDEN)

Enforcer is also the pseudonim of the person who founded this band, and this same person is pretty much the new thrash metal guru in Sweden who is also responsible for other underground gems like Oppression, Caustic Strike and Corrupted. This is not too far from what we've heard on the works of the other bands; here the style is also classic speed/thrash metal, but this time it has a more melodic touch reminiscent of Exciter or a more thrashy Savage Grace. This man has so much talent when it comes to thrash that for me it's a sheer mystery how he has been just an underground phenomenon all this time...

Evil Attacker Demo, 2005

ENGENDRO (BRAZIL)

A 4-song demo of modern groovy post-thrash; nothing really special with repetitive heavy riffs and angry semi-shouty vocals.

Infecto Demo, 2007

ENGINE OF PAIN (HOLLAND)

Not original, but well done mix of classic and modern thrash; there are the obligatory influences from The Haunted and the likes, but these guys are more technical and an overall better listen. "Fuel the Engine" introduces the mixture in an awesome way, staying closer to the old school, followed by the thrashing madness "Cycle to Cycle". Later on some modern elements come up, bringing with them nice melodic leads, which are a delight to listen to, albeit very short, but the sound remains crushing and heavy. The shouty, but not annoying hardcore vocals are sparcely interrupted by attempts at a cleaner singing. Retro thrash returns with the aggressive, Slayer-esque "Man of the Year", and stays until the excellent closing intense, but also technical thrasher "Extreme Fakeover", graced by, again, good leads and impressive bass work. This is a promising beginning for one of the bigger recent hopes of Dutch thrash.

Here is the Pain! EP, 2004
I Am Your Enemy Full-length, 2007

ENGORGED (USA)

Although Engorged started their career as a pure death/gring metal act, their self-titled follow-up introduced a considerable amount of thrash riffage which, along with the more aggressive blast-beats and the snarly Jeff Walker-like vocals, made up for a potent, frequently interesting mix. With death metal being just a memory on their last offering, the band messed it up with uninspired, cliched thrash which hopefully would remain just a solitary experiment, and the guys would return to the thrash/death metal hybrid where they have already proven their worth.

Death Metal Attack 2 Full-length, 1999
Engorged Full-length, 2002
Where Monsters Dwell Full-length, 2004

ENJOY SARMA (SERBIA)

"No Fake Smiles" provides a heavy modern approach to power/thrash, not too far removed from 90's Flotsam & Jetsam and Dearly Beheaded. The music here is more melodic on a few times, as well as faster, and this is where the band starts to sound more convincing, albeit straying from thrash ("Empty Shells"). On the other hand, some songs are handled with a very heavy intensity, sounding like pure doom ("Chained Soul"). Yes, the diversity here is big, also strenghened by the jolly crossover closer "Beer Attesting Day".

Reborn Power Full-length, 2000
No Fake Smiles Full-length, 2002

ENOLA GREY (USA)

This is your average modern thrash, heavy mid-paced groovy stuff with sparce faster outbursts; the band members can be seen in several other projects: the metalcore formation Martyr AD; the death metal acts Mortifest and Crylyte.

Cabal EP, 2005

ENRAGED (USA)

Based on "Presence Of Fear", this is a very good old school mixture of Bay Area thrash, Slayer and Sepultura with Phil Anselmo-like vocals. The music is quite fast and intense most of the time, but there are no shades of death metal, or any modern gimmicks; this is pure old school thrash attack. Only seldom does the music loses its edge and slides down to thrash/crossover: "Funny Farm".

Enraged Full-length, 2000
Presence Of Fear Full-length, 2003

ENSLAVED (GERMANY)

Based on "Where Is The Meaning?", this band play very well executed technical thrash/death which combines the best from early Massacra, Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients", Loudblast's "Sublime Dementia", Agretator's "Delusions", among others. The album will offer you plenty of stylish technical riffs, as well as songs in different tempos: brutal pieces: "Your Way", mid-paced, moody ones: "Death on Wounded Knee", great exercises in technical play: the instrumental "For a Friend".

Twisted Nature EP, 1993
Where Is The Meaning? Full-length, 1994
Kleine Seele Full-length, 1997

ENSLAVER (CHILE)

Apart from one of the worst sound qualities that ever graced these ears, what else do we have: very brutal death metal vocals topping up better music in the spirit of the late 80's-early 90's French wave; in other words this is a thrash/death concoction, with Agressor's "Neverending Destiny" being the closest soundalike, although the musicianship here is on a lower level, and the guys have the tendency to slow down to doomy Celtic Frost-like dimensions, but in an awkward clumsy way, interrupting an intense headbanging passage, which never manages to recapture the speed later on.

Degradation Demo, 1991
A Place of Terror Inside Demo, 1993

ENTENTE (GERMANY)

This band was formed by the Skeptic Sense guitarist Michael "Mick" Salomon. Well, the music here is not bombastic technical/progressive thrash metal; Salomon and his gang provide us with a good slab of energetic 80's thrash metal along the lines of Anthrax and early Megadeth.

Degree Of Punishment Demo, 2002
Outlined Demo, 2005

ENTER VI (AUSTRALIA)

Good "updated" classic thrash metal which predates the similarly-styled efforts of much more renowned bands like Exodus, Kreator and Onslaught. The music has a somewhat clinical, dry shade which will remind you of late 80's Voivod, but more aggressive and less technical. There are moments where the band sound quite modern ("Passed Realized"), and moments where classic thrash takes over ("Rejuvenation"). The modern production, however, brings the overall sound towards the modern tendencies, but the sharp guitars and the intense riffage (the concentration is clearly on riffs, not on melody) will surely please the listener. Having shown the way it has to be done, this band have gone silent...

Dreams Full-length, 2000

ENTERA ( GERMANY)

Based on their last work, this is modern melodic thrash reminding me of the Germans Perzonal War, but with less Metallica-influences. The sound quality is bad although this is the band's third official release. The singer is clearly not an asset, with his shouty, undeveloped voice. The music is heavy, mid-paced to slow-ish, often interrupted by quiet, balladic moments. The band abandon the thrash metal idea at times, courting power metal, with a gothic twist ("No Winner", "Sanguis Draconis"), and the results are better. "Defluvium" is a cool short track with a semi-technical guitar work and a faster tempo, but the following "Fools Game" is a very insipid pop-ish piece, and when the closing "Like A Dream" follows the same pattern, you know that you would hardly give this album another listen.

Crossing EP, 1993
Betrayal Against Time Full-length, 2000
Believe, Fight Or Die Full-length, 2003

ENTICE (USA)

This band mix thrash and power metal in a way not too far from Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy", or early Helstar. These guys are perhaps more power metal-inclined, and vary things more with balladic and slower, almost doom-laden passages, but when they feel like thrashing, they really do a very good job (The Church"). Most of the tracks are over the 5-min range, and are quite elaborate, without sounding too technical; it's just that there are numerous tempo changes (some of them maybe not too necessary). The guys have the tendency to start their tracks in a quiet, balladic way, creating a kind of dramatism (which is actually the key-word to describe the band's music), which later develops into a cool power/thrasher of a less ordinary nature. The lead guitar is really striking at times ("Deceiver"), and is given quite a space here, even to the point of a show-off.

Entice Demo, 1989

ENTICER (AUSTRALIA)

What comes up when members of two of the best Australian thrash metal bands (in this case Mortal Sin (but of course!) and Addictive) join forces? Enticer: a 2-song demo of first-rate speed/thrash akin to Agent Steel and Deadly Blessing. Busy with their main acts, the guys never found time to make a follow-up to this striking effort.

Reaper Of The Earth EP, 1989

ENTICER (USA)

Power/thrash metal sounding like a more aggressive version of Griffin and Jag Panzer; "Morta Mode" is a nice instrumental piece which shows the band's more technical, and more preferrable side.

Enticed Demo, 1987

ENTOPHYTE (GERMANY)

Entophyte are one of the progressive/thrash metal bands who graced the German metal scene in the early 90's (Depressive Age, Lost Century, Megace, End Amen, etc.). Expect good technical/progressive speed/thrash with sharp riffs and an overall more aggressive and fast-paced delivery than the ones of the other aforementioned acts. The vocals are a bit weak, being very melodic, and not powerful enough for the better music; the singer throws some brutal growls from time to time, but this doesn't improve things a lot. The highlight of the album is the place where he takes a little part: the excellent technical speedster "The War of Khyr". The style is not too far from Depressive Age, but the guys here come up with really good, proficient leads, and the music here is more hard-hitting and a tad more straight-forward.

End of Society's Sanity Full-length, 1992

ENTOWNIZER (CANADA)

Excellent fast-paced thrash courting bands like Devastation and Sepultura, with more intense parts ala early Death; the guitars are sharp, semi-technical, the leads are particularly good. The vocals are in the death metal camp reminding of Martin Van Drunen (Pestilence, Asphyx, etc.).

Cycloptical Vision System Demo, 1991

ENTRACURA (HONG KONG)

This is melodic thrash/death, mid-paced, with a slight Gothenburg influence in the guitar sound, dark, gothic-tinged, with even epic elements inserted ("Odin Battle"). The main vocals are brutal low death metal ones, but there are semi-clean ones as well, with a somewhat alternative tember, and it would be better if they don't show up too much for the future. This is stuff which would also appeal to gothic and doom/death metal fans.

In The Face Of Hatred Demo, 2007
Untitled Demo, 2006
Demo 2006 Demo, 2006
Into Oblivion Demo, 2007
Trails of Death Demo, 2008

ENTRENCH (SWEDEN)

This young Swedish outfit pulls out quite good classic speed/thrash following the 80's German patterns closely, the Exumer debut (mostly the songs on the "Into Oblivion" demo), Necronomicon's "Apocalyptic Nightmare" and early Destruction being the prime influences. "Mourn the Living" is blistering speed/thrash, fast and merciless, with more aggressive proto-death moments present. "Harvest Hill" is vintage mid-80's Destruction, with the singer not shying away from the typical Schmier delivery, also attempting occasional high-pitched hellish screams in his vein, with a pinch of Mem Von Stein (Exumer) on the higher tones. "As Dawn Breaks" is in the same vein, raging aggressive thrash, reminding me of "Eternal Ban" from "Eternal Devastation". The formula is repeated on the other material, with "Blind Illusion" slowing down in the middle, but retaining the very crushing cutting riffage. The guys don't bother looking for any technical or melodic deviations, but this shouldn't be considered a downpoint, since the sincere, direct and dedicated to the past approach will easily delight any thrash metal fan.

Untitled Demo, 2006
Demo Demo, 2006
Into Oblivion Demo, 2007
Trails of Death Demo, 2008

ENTROPIA (CANADA)

Classic/modern-ish stuff "courting" thrash, speed and power metal in equal dozes with the speedy side being the most attractive one ("Shelshock", "Fatal Dreams"). "Fate Of My Soul" is an excellent heavy ballad in the best tradition of the Metallica "exploits" in this field which influences the remaining material which takes a turn towards the Black Album culminating on the 10-min opus at the end "Entropia" which apart from the heavy hammering riffage finds time for a cool faster exit.

2007 EP, 2007
Lust For Apocalypse Full-length, 2008

ENTROPIC ORDER (UK)

Good classic power/speed/thrash metal with nice solo work, spoiled by the indifferent, emotionless vocals; the guys play energetically, inserting melodic hooks whenever they have the chance, and combined with the great leads, make each of the 4 tracks quite interesting. "I'm Watching You" is probably not on par with the others, being slower and more melodic, partially saved by the more aggressive ending. "Ragnarok" is a full-blooded thrasher, where the singer finally tries something more exciting, in this case a high-pitched shout ala Tom Araya. "Field of Dreams" is mostly power/speed metal, but delivers the goods, although the vocalist does his best to ruin it, producing his worst performance.

King of the Damned Demo, 2006

ENTROPY (CANADA)

Progressive thrash metal band; the debut is quite worthy with long, complex songs, beautiful acoustic atmospheric passages, great technical riffs and some brutal death metal thrown in ("Psionic Dissection"). The guys are not strangers to some furious playing, which suddenly flows into a complex, more melodic passage, and vice versa ("Ashen Existence"). Some tracks are more accessible ("Necrothon", the heavy thrashy ballad "Darkness Weaves"), but the band's power is in the more elaborate material: "Machine`s Way", which is slower and pounding, with a fast section in the middle, and very proficient lead guitar work; "Exalted Sith", which is a nice galloping progressive thrasher, with a beautiful quiet passage; "Traces Of Time", which is a monstrous 10.5-min progressive composition, which shows the singer, who has a nice semi-clean tember, at his best on the mesmerizing balladic beginning; later on the thrashy riffs spring up, but the song never goes for sheer speed, remaining quite heavy and doomy, supported by great leads.
The band's second effort tones down the technical play opting for a more simplistic modern sound, and is much less satisfying.

Ashen Existence Full-length, 1992
Transcendence Full-length, 1995

EN TU AGONIA

Furious black/thrash with a dual vocal attack: one kind is your prototypical raven-like rasp, the other very brutal low-tuned. The music is quite fast, never crossing the borders towards annoying blast-beating, and the guitar work is quite proficient. "Tinieblas" is a surprisingly melodic crossover track, but the guitars on it are great, producing addictive tunes. "Lo Que Dicta La Razon" is the other slight deviation, slower, with nice orchestral atmospheric black motives, and a couple of industrial overtones. The closer "Lejos" follows the same path for a while, introducing a nice female voice at some point, but the end is strictly for the fierce thrashers: raging thrash guitars close this fairly enjoyable work, coming from this very obscure act, about which some more additional information will be highly appreciated.

Sobreviviendo EP, 2009

ENVENOMED (AUSTRALIA)

4 songs of classic melodic power/thrash ala Iced Earth and Meliah Rage, mostly in mid-tempo, with more speedy moments ("Slave No More") and alternative vocals, the latter strangely reminding me of the German depressive doomcore stars End of Green. The lead guitar work is quite good, and is given quite a space on almost every track.

Envenomed EP, 2009

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZZARD (USA)

This band were one of the first to pick the angry thrash tunes of Exhorder and Pantera, and although there are still quite a few classic elements present, the music is pretty much a "product" of the 90's. The sound is less heavy than the one offered by the aforementioned bands, and at times has a jolly crossover feel.

One Stands Alone Full-length, 1992

EPEDEMIC (SWEDEN)

A very cool 4-song EP which crosses the speed/thrash metal heritage of Germany (Angel Dust, Warrant: "Rest in Peace") with the heavier, semi-technical music of early Coroner (the first two albums: "Radioactive"). "Futuredoom" is a stylish 8-min opus which combines both sides presented here: a feast of stupendous riffs and tempo changes, featuring a stomping doomy beginning and great leads.

Futuredoom EP, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

EPIDEMIA (SPAIN)

Nice retro thrash, fast and intense with elements of speed metal ("No Hay Perdуn") and sparce proto-modern moments ("El Pestoso"); the guys really know what they are doing, blasting out in a mighty fashion: the ultra-speedster "Sabor a Muerte", which boasts great stylish leads ala Kirk Hammett; the short explosion with a death metal-tinge "Virus de la Tierra". "Cadбver Insepulto" is a crushing mid-pacer with swirling guitars and a furious closing section, again coming close to death. "Chema en Palladium" is a 1.5-min crossover joke which is actually an enjoyable take on the techno practitioners Two Unlimited's most famous hit "Twilight Zone". More raging thrash of the semi-technical variety comes after that with "Tu Degeneraciуn" and the closing "Epidemia", the latter being a non-stop speed attack ala Wehrmacht.
"Propaganda" is not a total waste, although it has acquired the modern tendencies quite a bit, although speedy brisk thrashers of the old kind still "roam" around ("Muneco de Trapo") as well as a few brutal takes on proto-death ("Beverly Gil's"). The energy of the debut has been well translated into a newer more modern "language", and the music as a whole is an interesting vigorous cross of the two trends.

Epidemia Full-length, 1994
Propaganda Full-Length, 1996

EPIDEMIC (GREECE)

Based on the EP, these guys play forceful intense thrash, and could have easily become the leaders of the 90's Greek thrash metal scene. But the leaving of the singer (who later formed the gothic/death masters Nightfall) and some frictions with other members of the scene (Flames-who else?; caused by envy?) forced the band to change their name to Descend and take a more death metal-oriented approach.

Artificial Peace EP, 1991
Industrial Full-length, 1994

EPIDEMIC (USA)

One of the first bands to mix thrash with the more and more fashionable death metal, and this is exactly what the band's debut delivers. "Decameron" takes their aggressive attitude even further incorporating hardcore elements in the already brutal wall of sound. The last album is pure death metal of a very average quality.

The Truth of What Will Be Full-length, 1989
Decameron Full-length, 1992
Exit Paradise Full-length, 1994

EPILEPSIA (PERU)

A surprisingly good classic thrash metal debut coming from this not very big on the metal map country; this is music which has its quite a few technical moments nicely intertwining with the generally fast tempo. Kreator's "Extreme Aggression" is an obvious influence, as well as Toxic Shock's "Change From Reality". There is no mercy, except on the short, 1-min acoustic instrumental "Triste Lugar", which is put in the middle of the album, serving as a kind of an interlude, and is followed for a compensation by the most aggressive number here "El Antichristo" which contains both brutal blast-beats and the most technical guitars. A really impressive debut which brought us some great thrash... again.

Comando de Aniquilamiento EP, 2003
Thrash Again Full-length, 2004

EPILEPTIC BRAIN SURGEONS (CANADA)

A thrash/crossover band also providing quiet, post-punkish and even country numbers, and having a generally more restrained attitude.

Epileptic Brain Surgeons Full-length, 1990

EPITAFIO (VENEZUELA)

Based on the "Dominion" demo, this band play very good technical death/thrash with heavy sharp riffs, recalling a more thrash-based Suffocation, and, of course, much less brutal. The music is choppy and mid-paced creating an almost funereal, doom-death atmosphere at times. "Ghost of Conscience" is a superb technical number drawing comparisons with Atheist and Cynic.
The full-length arrives after a long hiatus, and the music now is not too close to the one heard on the 90's demos: it is still technical, but the aggression has been reduced quite a bit, and now the music sounds too 90-ish, with groove added, which breaks the technical patterns at times. Suffocation is nowhere near sound-wise, but in the 2nd half the guys wake up for a more intense delivery: there is one song which scores high in the faster department, though: the technical speedster "God" and partially the chaotic frantic monster "Control Planning Scheduling"; the closer "World Damnation" lashes directly without too many technical compromises, and is a violent aggressive thrash/deathster.

Reflections of Pain Demo, 1993
Dominion Demo, 1994
Dying Out Full-length, 2007

EPITAPH (AUSTRALIA)

Frantic aggressive technical retro thrash/death, relying on smashing heavy riffs and twisted elaborate sections; "Inevitable Demise" is a cool jumpy technical death/thrasher with a jazzy passage not far from Atheist, and "Desensitized" is more immediate fast-paced thrash. "Persecution" crushes hard in mid-tempo, and one may wonder where the technicality from the beginning had gone; no more questions of the kind after "Machine For War" which provides more technical shred and a fine balladic lead-driven part. "Deceived" is the highlight, combining the aggression, the heaviness and the technicality.

Mind Control EP, 1994

EPITAPH (SWEDEN)

This obscure act have released the missing link between "Beneath the Remains" and "Arise". This is excellent aggressive thrash in the best tradition of Sepultura, which here comes spiced with more frequent slower breaks, more typical for "Arise" rather than the other album, but rest assured that there's no speed lost on this monster. The sound is almost as vicious as the one on "Beneath...", reaching a death metal-like intensity on the fastest material. The songs lash out with no remorse, all fast and intense, assisted by capable aggressive Max Cavalera-like vocals. On "Tranquility" the guys prefer the up-tempo, which also comes served with more melody, and "Private Hell" is the odd very heavy mid-paced steam-roller. The leads are short and quite screamy, and this is probably the only shortcoming one can find on this commendable, but a very unknown addition to the thrash metal genre.

Tranquillity Full-Length

EPITAPH (SWEDEN, Sollentuna)

This band have done a good job to join the death metal cohorts in Sweden in the early 90's (Edge of Sanity, Unleashed, Entombed, etc.). Their style is more of a mixture between thrash and death metal, bringing them also closer to the French scene (Massacra, Agressor), as well as their compatriots Merciless. Cool thrashy riffs alternate with fast, aggressive blast-beats. With this genre getting more and more popular among the metal fans at those times, it's a pity that these guys never recorded a follow-up.

Seeming Salvation Full-length, 1992

EPITAPH (USA, CA)

This is the early incarnation of the Polish technical thrashers Astharoth with the guys moving back to Poland shortly after the release of this demo; it is a display of the band's technical skills, although here the music is more conventional, and decidedly more aggressive. This is dark, heavy thrash with a genuine technical edge, recalling Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy", and early Coroner at times. The tempo is predominantly mid-paced, with sparce more aggressive outbursts.

I Am Alive Demo, 1990

EPITAPH (USA, OH)

Based on the "A Portrait of Horror" demo, this band comes up with well executed classic thrash which recalls some of the greatest American bands from the 80's: Anthrax, Nuclear Assault (mostly in the vocal department), Forbidden, Metallica, etc. The music is quite heavy with meaty, stomping riffs split by faster, technical ones which would later serve as a backbone for masterpieces like "...And Justice for All" and "Victims of Deception". "A Portrait of Horror" is a magnificent representative of the more technically-inclined side of the band. "Rest in Pieces" is a great thrashy ballad ranking among the best achievements in this field. The impressive musicianship displayed here easily puts to shame many of the more celebrated bands of the time.

A Portrait of Horror Demo, 1987
No Man's Land Demo, 1989

EPITAPHY (SPAIN)

Based on the "Voces" demo, this is modern, groovy thrash/death metal- a poor version of what the French Massacra did on their later period ("Sick","Humanize Human"), but slower, almost doomy at times.

Fire Demo, 1995
Gabino Single, 1998
Promo '99 Demo, 1999
...Y el silencio borro sus nombres Demo, 2001
Voces Demo, 2002
Ecos Demo, 2006

EQUIMANTHORN (HOL)

This band was founded by members of Dead Head, including Robbie Woning- the man who hit the drums for the death/doomers Beyond Belief later. The music here is cool, mid-paced thrash which recalls Bathory's "Blood, Fire, Death", including in the vocal department, where the guy really tries some unholy shouts in the early Quorthon (R.I.P.) vein.

Clouds of Death Demo, 1989

EQUINOX (NORWAY)

The best Norwegian thrash metal band of the old generation (not that there were many of them back then); their debut is a sure-handed entry, offering cool energetic thrash, which on the more inspired moments reached out towards the dark, technical style of Metallica's "...And Justice For All" ("Dead by Dawn"). Otherwise the music is of a more simplistic nature, compared to the next releases, although the guitar work is quite impressive: check out the great instrumental "Violin" (there are no violin tunes here).
"The Way to Go" enters the technical thrash arena, but leaves enough room for straight riffs for the headbangers to enjoy. There's still enough energy involved in the proceedings, which works well combined with the more complex song-structures. "Xerox Success" is a major step forward into a very technical/progressive thrash metal territory, similar to Voivod, and even Mekong Delta. The music still hits hard, preserving the more energetic moments from the previous efforts, even on the most technical numbers, like "My Sweet TV" and "Nothing at All". Even playful, rock-ish semi-joke tracks like "Now" have a strong technical flair. "Succumb to the Law" is the odd track here, perhaps, being slow and dragging, still "ornated" with surreal, abstract guitars. This album was the band's crowning achievement, and "Labyrinth" took a logical direction into other sides of metal, still complex, but much more melodic, similar to what Voivod did on "Nothingface".

Auf Wiedersehen Full-length, 1989
Skrell EP, 1990
The Way To Go Full-length, 1990
Xerox Success Full-length, 1991
Nuh! EP, 1992
Labyrinth Full-length, 1994

Vibrations of Doom

EQUINOX (USA)

A 5-song demo of Bay Area-influenced thrash with touches of a more aggressive play ala Slayer; it starts quite promisingly with the good instrumental piece "Waiting for Destruction", which boasts cool leads and even technical guitars, but the rest is much less impressive: generic and uninspired thrash, with indifferent, unsteady vocals and sparce surprising displays of a more stylish play, which are a sign that the guys's skills are yet to find a full realisation some time in the future.

Demo Demo, 2006

ERA (BULGARIA)

Having started as a pure heavy metal outfit, this legendary band, one of the founders of the metal movement in Bulgaria, switched onto retro thrash during the 90's, and have done a good job on "Point Of View", paying tribute to the Bay-Area fraternity, as well as Sepultura and Slayer. Some "flirtations" with the groovy sound are inevitable ("Who's Got"), but the rest is heads-down classic stuff, mixing more aggressive ("Preacher") with more laid-back, slower numbers ("Lonesome Loser"). "Sexuality" is a cool attempt at "funk meets thrash", but the guys quickly give up developing it completely, and turn to aggressive thrashing at some point. "Something Wrong" is another attempt, but this time towards a more stylish, semi-technical play, and is arguably the best song. "Fuck It" is an energetic punk-ish joke, adding up to the diverse nature of this album.

Studioworks LP EP, 1990
Era Full-length, 1990
Point Of View Full-length, 1994

ERA VULGARIS (IRELAND)

An impressive debut of progressive thrash which will remind you of some of the old veterans from the scene: Obliveon, Anacrusis, Coroner, etc. The music is a mix of the modern and the classic sound, and is mostly mid-paced, filled with interesting riffs and time changes. It's certainly not an immediate listen, but it greatly works both as a whole and as separate pieces, some of which one may want to listen over and over for their sheer brilliance. The shorter tracks, which are only two (3-4min long), are for the more conventionally-inclined thrash metal fans, although there one could also catch twisted guitar parts. The others are above the 5-min range, and are quite elaborate pieces which never lose coherence, and manage to sound different from each other. The album closer "Irram" is an epic 11-min instrumental, long on both atmosphere and musicianship. The only irritation would be the occasional hardcore-ish shouts which mix with the basic vocals.

What Stirs Within Full-length, 2007

ERADICATOR (GERMANY)

Good debut of classic thrash, having taken something from its compatriots of the 80's, but also adding more modern riffs ala Annihilator and Overkill ("Capital Punishment"); actually on the faster parts the style recalls very strongly Headhunter's debut "Parody of Life": "Possessed by the Devil", "Thrashing Through The Pit", ably supported by the cool Schmier-like vocals. The problem is that for most of the time the tracks are mid-paced, with numerous melodic hooks, also courting the power/speed metal scene from time to time. The guys have a good sense of melody, but more concentration on the more hard-hitting delivery may be more beneficial, at least for the thrash metal fans.

The Atomic Blast Full-length, 2009

ERBEN DES ZORNS (GERMANY)

Furious death/thrash, with heavy meaty riffs, quite dynamic, in various tempos, with the occasional groovy section ("Tod Im Pit"), and some Amon Amarth-like epic feeling present ("Vers 5"). The album contains enough cool headbangers ("Stur", "hasswerk I") to pull it through during a thrash test, but the death metal-based pieces ("Sumpf Aus Stahl", especially the fierce "Peiniger") deliver the goods no worse.

Hasswerk I Full-length, 2007

EREBO (MEXICO)

Modern thrash/death with hysterical screamy black-ish vocals, interrupted by more brutal ones ala Karl Wilets (Bolt Thrower); the music delivers the goods, jumping from one style to the other, not forgetting about their "shabby brother"- black metal, from time to time. The longer compositions ("Leather Fragments", "Final Choice") are complex, with a few tempos changed within, and more stylish guitar work. The shorter ones are often aggressve death-laced bashing. "Resurrection" is a cool deviation in the middle, being slower atmospheric thrash with a pinch of gothic. At the end you will hear an interesting aggressive thrash/death version of the Judas Priest's greatest hit "Breaking the Law" (but, please, ignore the horrible vocals): this is probably how Rob Halford and Co. would sound if they finally decide to play some death metal for a change (it's high time, if you ask me- ha ha!).

Conquered by the Faith Full-length, 2007

EREBUS (USA)

Very good aggressive Slayer-esque thrash which sounds quite brutal at times, reaching almost a death metal intensity ("Crawl to the Altar").

Demo Demo, 1988

ERECTI COCTOPUSS

Heavy modern groovy thrash with stylish jumps and tempo changes, acquiring funky tendencies as well, but not in an annoying way; a few very fast aggressive hardcore sections may be heard, but most of the time the music is mid-paced to slow.

Bust a Nut Full-Length

EROS (BRAZIL)

Excellent speed/thrash metal in the Germanic tradition; for fans of Angel Dust, Iron Angel and the Exumer debut. This is full-blooded head-banging attack with some "pauses": the semi-balladic composition "Road to Wisdom", and the heavy stomper "Atomic Messengers" which has a nice speedy thrash/crossover ending.

Road to Wisdom Full-length, 1990

EROSION (GERMANY)

Despite the high quality of each of the band's releases, Erosion remained in the shadow of other, more or less deserving representatives of the German thrash movement. "Mortal Agony" is a stunning debut with its aggressive approach and nice technical guitar work; fast-paced, intense pieces take turns with stylish more technical ones. "Aftermath" is an interesting turn towards a much slower, heavy style, which nicely contrasts to the blistering technical speedster "False Prophets" which follows it: the highlight of the album. "Into the Void" is more restrained speed-wise, but is a fabulous display of technical skills: the most technical number here.
"Thoughts" is more thoughtful (no pun intended) and more restrained, but still quite impressive and sharp. It begins in the same take-no-prisoners fashion like the debut, with the furious, but also quite technical "H", and although the speed is preserved at least for the next track "The Scourge", later on the band delve deeper into technical territory, and the sound gets considerably slower, featuring again one very heavy, doomy track: "Nightmare". The guys wake up to nail one more speedy technical instrumental at the end: "Strike", before finishing with the very technical and chaotic "Change".
"III" is not a very radical departure from the band's sound, if we exclude a few more direct numbers with a hardcore flavour: "Revenge", "Power Within". The guitars are still technical on the longer and more complex tracks, which actually take turns with the hardcore-ish ones in the beginning, but towards the end hardcore takes the upper hand. The last song "Dead Europe" is a monstrous, 13-min long doomy opus which would please fans of Saint Vitus, Sleep and the likes.
"Down" comes with a clearly more modern sound, and the guitar work is considerably lighter, but the pace remains fast, with a hardcore shade, this time stronger. The technical riffs are gone completely, and the vocals, which have always been not very pleasant hardcore shouts, this time come with a certain industrial edge, making them even more irritating. Of course, some slow, doomy tracks are present, but the inclusion of big dozes of groove makes them sound a lot less impressive than the similar numbers from the past. Having been released in one of the weakest years in metal history, this album is not a total disaster, like quite a few other efforts (Invocator, No Return, etc.), but is far from a worthy exit for the band from the music scene.

Mortal Agony Full-Length, 1988
Thoughts Full-Length, 1990
III Full-length, 1992
Down Full-length, 1995

EROTIKILL (USA)

A perfectly acceptable piece of speed/thrash from the last stage of the classic thrash metal period, energetic and profesionally done; the guys don't spare energy and some of the songs are quite speedy (the last two), but most of the time the sound has this stomping, heavy quality recalling Nasty Savage's "Indulgence", or Wargasm's "Why Play Around".

Virgin Speed Full-length, 1990

ERUPTION (SLOVENIA)

A fairly convincing debut of classic Bay-Area thrash mixing the carefree attitude of the Heathen debut with the more serious tone of late-80's Metallica. It opens with the explosive semi-technical speedster "Prayers, Betrayers" which seamlessly flows into the smashing direct speed/thrash attack "Monumental Mind". More "monumental" things await the listener; first, more headbanging thrash on the vigorous galloping "horse" "The Auditors", then a more technical pounding sound on "Democracy" and "Electrifried" (this one is a fine technical thrasher with a Coroner touch). "Playing With Matches" unleashes more speed metal fury with rolling riffs, but "Twisted Reality" will "twist the reality" being a pure ballad in the beginning, but expect quite a bit of hard-hitting thrashing during its close to 8-min, although the pace there remains mid at best. "Inner Wastelands" follows the same pattern at first, but being purely instrumental it manages to provide nice technical twists, again mostly in mid-tempo, as well as very good melodic leads. The closing "The Sands Of Time" is bound to capture the speedy spirit of the earlier material, and does it in flying colours thrashing far and wide mixing the fast riffage with great technical hooks near the end recalling Helstar's "Nosferatu" and Coroner again. It would be interesting to see how the guys will manage to continue from here having in mind that the lathe has been placed quite high from the beginning with this strong first effort.

Lifeless Paradise Full-length, 2009

ERYTHROCYTE (TURKEY)

A good thrash/death metal outfit with a female singer who doesn't try to conceal her influences (Angela Cossow from Arch Enemy, that is), and has a really powerful throat, and may also remind you of another girl from "hell": Rachel Heyzer (Occult, Sinister). The music is more modern-sounding, with nice Oriental elements, and the pace is quite dynamic, albeit seldom leaving the up-tempo.

Revival EP, 2009

ERZFEINT (GERMANY)

Based on the Promo, which is only two songs, this band offers cool classic thrash mixing slower and faster tempos on both numbers as the prefernces would go for "Path Of No Return" which is more intense with a Bay-Area flavour also recalling their compatriots from the not so distant past Pyracanda. The singer has an angry hoarse, but intelligible, voice recalling mid-period Mathias Lodmalm (Cemetary). Music-wise the guys have no ties to Sodom, but their full-length debut is in the makings at the Tom Angelripper studio.

Erzfeint / Demo 2006 Demo, 2006
Tiefe Sehnsucht Demo, 2007
Promo Demo, 2009

ESCABIOS (ARGENTINA)

Based on "Altering The Future" (despite the Death-allusions which this title brings, the music has not much to do with this band), Escabios play thrash/death metal which surprisingly is not influenced by their Brazilian counterparts, but opts for a sound which brings to mind early Pestilence, the Germans Morgoth, maybe Massacra in the better moments, with a more thrashy attitude. There are blast-beats scattered throughout, as well as slow, almost doomy sections, and some signs that the album was released in the 90's after all, ala Pantera and Exhorder (but not many). The last song is a cool cover of Dead Kennedys' "Holiday In Cambodia".

Necesidad Extrema Full-length, 1992
Altering The Future Full-length, 1994

ESCADRON (HOLLAND)

A very well produced demo featuring cool, slightly technical old school thrash; if we exclude the metalcore vocals, all the rest is done with style and gusto; one of the young talents from the Dutch metal scene. "In Order To Survive" is a great way to start this short demo: an intense technical thrasher with stylish melodic hooks. "You Will Be..." is more ordinary, and never speeds up beyond the mid-tempo. "Black Heart Wounds" returns the technicality and the speed, and is another smashing piece. "Way of Life" carries on in the same vein, introducing a stomping heavy middle section. "Sworn Defeated" is a ball of fury, reaching the top aggression-wise, adding sparce blast-beats to the overall appealing picture.

Demo Demo, 2005

ESCALATION ANGER (USA)

Based on the Split, this band specializes in aggressive classic thrash/proto-death akin to Devastation and Merciless; at times the music is plain bashing death metal ("Pick At The Scab"). This is good intense music with harsh semi-hardcore/semi-death metal vocals with a certain hysterical pitch. "Emperor Of Lies" and "Lunatic Cause" are slow with shades of doom/death and recalls Asphyx quite a bit. Near the end comes the cool faithful cover version of Exodus' "Lesson in Violence". The guitarist and founder of the band later is more famous as a doom/sludge/stoner practitioner with his more recent formations Keelhaul and Abdullah.

Escalation Anger Demo, 1993
Violent Breed Demo, 1994
Escalation Anger / Schnauzer Split, 1996

ESCAPE (UK)

A mixture of the Slayer heavier, late 80's period and the groovy 90's thrash of bands like Pantera and Machine Head; this is hard-hitting, crushing music aggravated by the strong vocals in the Phil Anselmo-vein.

A Living Faith Full-length, 2003

ESCOLA ALEMГ (BRAZIL)

Based on the "Vergeltungswaffe" demo, these guys offer 3 songs of speed/thrash along the lines of Hallows Eve, in other words this is slightly messy rough-around-the edges stuff. The tracks are long (7-8min), but apart from changing of tempos from fast to mid there is nothing really special going on. The leads are too soft, and the instrumental "Germany School" tries to bring more aggressive Germanic thrash to the fore, and ends up sounding not far from Sodom's early amateurish efforts.

Demo Demo, 1988
Demo 2 Demo, 1988
Vergeltungswaffe Demo, 1989

ESDRELON (BRAZIL)

Esdrelon play thrash metal mixed with more aggressive death metal parts (the vocals also fall in that category) and an epic atmosphere reminding of the power/speed metal scene of the 90's. This is far from a mish-mash: the mix works fine as a whole, and the side elements do not detract from the hard-hitting thrashy nature of the songs. This is an interesting style which needs further development, and hopefully this is what would happen on the band's later works.

Your Truth EP, 2005

ESKIZOLEPSIA

Heavy groovy post-thrash ala Puncture and Grope; the 2nd track speeds up for a while, smelling death metal; could be good if the band further develops this tendency...

Demo Demo, 2008

ESLABON (URUGUAY)

Power, speed and thrash metal shake hands here, trying to find the perfect balance between the more cheesy power/speed metal pieces, and the more intense thrash-tinged ones. The tempo is constantly fast, so even though from a thrash metal point-of-view this album would be of no big value, the energetic riffage and the cool harsh, semi-melodic vocals would at least make you stand through the whole album.

No Hay Piedad Full-length, 2006

ESOTERIA (SWEDEN)

Thrash metal with a gothic atmosphere; there is a mixture of very good clean vocals and death, semi-whispered ones. A slight keyboard tune could be heard in the background, too. Septic Flesh meets thrash metal: what do you think about that?

Insert reality into drive A: Demo, 2003
Demi/Mond Demo, 2004
Setting sails for the future... Demo, 2004

ESPINOZA

Look no further from the good old groovy thrash, tested so many times before and after; this album here lacks an edge in the 1st half, and the only time when one may listen with care would be the energetic speed/thrasher in a more classic vein "Dog eat Dog". The 2nd half offers more moshing, with the edgy faster "Suicidal Dream" and the heavy Pantera-sque "Selfdestructive World". The guys are prone to ballads, reflected in one full-fledged ballad, one semi-one, and one nice peaceful instrumental with the appropriate title "Peace of Mind".

Soul Decay Full-Length, 1994

ESSENCE (CROATIA)

Based on the "Larva" demo, these Croatians offer a softer alternative version of the modern post-thrash, occasionally interesting, but mostly groovy and repetitive. The vocals are very hysterical semi-black metal rasps, and don't suit the music too well which is nicely melodic at times with melodic hooks gracing almost every song, touching Tool on the more inspired moments.

Dirt in frame Demo, 2000
Rea Demo, 2002
Larva Demo, 2004

ESTIGIA (SPAIN)

One of the better bands from the not very prolific Spanish thrash metal scene; the sound is energetic classic thrash with excellent sharp riffs. "Insubmission" is a good debut featuring up-tempo Bay-Area thrash for most of the time, with nice deviations from the more standard approach, in the form of the excellent instrumental "Dissident"; the rest is cool headbanging material, straight and direct. Despite the big, 7-year gap between the two works, "Trip to Nowhere" carries on in exactly the same vein, providing another fine portion of headbanging retro thrash.

Insubmission Full-length, 1989
Trip to Nowhere EP, 1996

Vibrations of Doom

ESTIGMA (PERU)

Good thrash/death metal with a classic late 80's-early 90's sound; there is a lot of variety offered here: fast death-y numbers, up-tempo galloping thrashers, slower atmospheric, almost "gothic"-sounding ones. The vocals are on the death metal side with a slight hardcore shade.

The Bloodstained God EP, 1997
The Bloodstained God Full-length, 1998

ESTOQUE (BRAZIL)

Thrash/crossover of the jollier type, with very cool, almost jazz-like at times, bass work; often does the music jump on the aggressive thrash wagon ("Mudos A Rezar", "Males Sociais"), but the friendly crossover tone is not very frequently broken on the other compositions. Very interesting technical decisions could be heard at times as well: the jumpy eclectic 3-min wonder "Descendentes", and the longer, almost progressive "Colonizadores", where the guitar work suddenly takes very stylish intriguing directions, again with a fine jazzy shade. This is an interesting combination of contrasting styles, which will seldom leave the listener bored.

Thrash Core Anarquista Full-length, 2006

ESTUARY (USA)

Thrash/death metal obviously influenced by the Swedish scene- think Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, etc., with a bit more brutal vocals than what generally comes along with this style. This band are far from mere copiers; on the contrary: they manage to come up with nice technical guitar passages and melodic solos which, combined with the faster, aggressive sections (which sometimes are really fast), makes their works a really worthwhile listen.

Riding the Tides of Malice EP, 2002
To Exist And Endure Full-length, 2004
The Craft of Contradiction Full-length, 2007

ETERNAL (COSTA RICA)

This new band, coming from a not very likely for metal place, offer retro thrash with long songs, which are not technical, but the tempos within them change frequently, the predominant one being up-tempo. The guitar work is quite good, straight-forward, with occasionally more stylish decisions, mostly in the lead department, where often do the guys hit the top: they have to somehow compensate for the awful, raspy, undeveloped vocals, which would sound harsh even on a Mayhem (Norway) album.

Eternal EP, 2007

ETERNAL AGGRESSION (USA)

A 3-track demo of good American speed/thrash akin to Anvil Bitch and Destructor; these guys are a tad more aggressive, and the singer tries some high-pitched wails ala John Cyriis at times, which work quite well ("Mayhem" actually speeds up admirably, also recalling Agent Steel).

Beyond the Crypt Demo, 1988

ETERNAL AUTUMN (SWEDEN)

Based on "From The Eastern Forest": this band offer a mix of atmospheric, Gothenburg-influenced death metal and a little bit of straight-forward classic thrash. "The Ashes of the Witch" is, on the other hand, typical pagan black. The rest is more energetic, mixing the aforementioned styles in a not very convincing way, and the band's desire to court other genres along the way (black metal, gothic, etc.) makes things only more confusing, reaching its culmination on the 16-min long "Eternity in Vengeance", which is a mish-mash of many styles; you'll get lost there. On the folllowing "Statues" the guitar sound gets so melodic that you may want to hear Ratt, or Motley Crue for a change, to liven up. "7,2" is a nice little thrasher, which comes at the end, but too late to save the day.

The Storm Full-length, 1998
From The Eastern Forest Full-length, 2000

ETERNAL DECISION (USA)

The band's debut has a decidedly Metallica-influenced sound (resemblances in the vocal style, too), mixed with modern groove, bringing it closer to the Black Album, rather than the Metallica works of the 80's, and the overall impression is not bad with heavy riffs and tracks which do not stick to one another, but have their own "face". On the follow-up they recruited another singer to probably leave the Metallica-tag behind, and by adding some more modern elements (think Pantera, Machine Head), the final result is not as satisfying.

Eternal Decision Full-length, 1996
Ghost in the Machine Full-length, 1999
E.D. III Full-length, 2002

ETERNAL DEVASTATION (BRAZIL)

Excellent fast-paced death/thrash metal with a classic flavour; although having taken their name from a Destruction album, their sound is more along the lines of bands like Defleshed and Ravage. The guys thrash with gusto and conviction, producing a very fast and sharp sound, which at times threatens to fall apart, but doesn't: "Into Christian’s Mind". Every song is a gem of aggressive, speedy thrash, as the death metal elements play a secondary role here. Even the longer tracks, like "Sober’s Sacrifice" and "Hunting Priest", which closes on 6-min, are fast and relentless (this is actually the most brutal piece, with shades of death metal and a short Slayer-esque slower mid-section). This is explosive uncompromising classic thrash at its best, and although the Brazilian metal scene has been producing similarly styled acts in heaps for the past few years, these guys have no reasons to worry that they will be soon forgotten, even if they don't release anything else for a long time after this one.

Slaughterhouse Full-length, 2006

ETERNAL DIRGE (GERMANY)

Based on "Morbus Ascendit", this band come up with cool technical thrash/death metal, reminiscent of Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients" and Death's "Human". The music is closer to thrash metal than those two albums, but the approach is virtually the same: nice technical guitars, not very brutal sound, except on a few occasions ("The Decadence Within"); the guys nicely change tempos all the time, and the music twists and turns making this album a really enjoyable experience. There is a sparce, but very effective use of keyboards, creating a great haunting atmosphere.
"Khaos Magick" increases the presence of keyboards which stifles the guitars a bit, and the technical riffs have been reduced for the sake of a somewhat epic sound not miles away from Bal-Sagoth. The music has shifted more towards death metal, and whereas this album is also long on atmosphere and interesting moments, it might not appeal as much to the thrash metal fan as the better debut.

Morbus Ascendit Full-length, 1992
Khaos Magick Full-length, 1996
My Sweet Satan EP, 1996

ETERNAL NIGHTMARE (HOLLAND)

The sound quality of this demo is bad, but the music isn't: cool speed/thrash crossing Whiplash's debut with early Destruction; the singer has an interesting, semi-clean deep voice (interrupted by occasional high-pitched screams ala early Warrel Dane) which, combined with the fast, simplistic guitar work, work quite well.

Total Tear Up Demo, 1990

ETERNAL PURGATORY (CANADA)

A 2-track demo of instrumental classic thrash, slightly reminiscent of another Canadian instrumental band- Mastery, but with longer tracks, and a somewhat epic atmosphere. The music of these guys is more technical, and not as fast and aggressive; the intro to "Unleash Roman Steel" will remind you of Metallica's "Sanitarium".

The Outhouse Demo Demo, 2005

ETERNAL REST (FRANCE)

Modern thrash/death with raspy black metal vocals; the music covers all possible tempos, from raging blasting sections to doomy ones with gothic overtones, plus the odd epic-tinged Bathory-like section.

The Four Winds Of Evilness Full-length, 2007

ETERNITY BLACK (USA)

With three members of the legendary Helstar present, expectations were raised very high for this band, especially after James Rivera messed it up with "Multiples Of Black". The higher the expectations, the bigger the disappointment. Well, at least mine was big; no shades of Helstar whatsoever: this is groovy power/thrash, strictly from the modern school with the obligatory groovy parts and all esle, and if the bewilderement wasn't so big, I would have probably found something (but not much) to like here. If you approach this band with an open, unprejudiced mind, you might stumble upon a winner to some extent, as the music is not completely without merits.

Eternity Black Demo, 2005
Demo Demo, 2006

ETHEREAL COLLAPSE (USA)

Based on the "Fallen Hope" EP, this band play typical Swedish death metal (think early In Flames, above all), crossed with thrash of the more classic type. The guitar lines are cool and melodic, and there is at least one track which will make the thrash fan really happy (the nice speedy "Fallen Hope").

Fallen Hope EP, 2004
Breaching the Citadel Full-length, 2006
Categories EP, 2008

ETHEREAL SCOURGE (AUSTRALIA)

This band are representatives of the Christian metal scene. The style at display here is quite unique: the songs are mixtures of mid-tempo death metal, crunchy, semi-technical thrash, and even doom/gothic. There are no many headbanging moments, but the quiet, melodic breaks on the other hand, are aplenty, including several short acoustic instrumentals. "Estranged from the Womb" might make you move around, with more energetic thrashy riffage, but tracks like the doomy, slow "Earthshaker" are also present, to make sure that you won't die with headbanging. "Giver of Life" is a good gothic thrashy number, which would also stand well on Paradise Lost's "Icon". The vocals are gruff, semi-death, reminiscent of Mathias Lodmalm (Cemetary).

Judgement & Restoration Full-length, 1997

EU E OS MEUS ONANISMOS (SPAIN)

A brutal thrash/death/grindcore mix refelcted in short blitzkrieg tracks (1-2min) which make sense, actually, and contain a couple of intriguing riffs as well as, of course, numerous headbanging moments. It's a pity those numbers are not longer, since the guys throw a few more interesting ideas, and the guitar work is not bad albeit constantly fast and ripping. The only real drawback wopuld be the singer whose undeveloped rough declamatory delivery has almost no ties to singing.

EUCRASIA (ARGENTINA)

Based on the "Engendrado Por El Odio" demo, these guys refuse to lay to rest the 90's trends, and play heads-down 90's thrash ala Pantera, Machine Head, mid-period Sepultura, etc. The exception is the aggressive, proto-death number "Traidor", which is a pleasant deviation with its sharp riffs and a headbanging tempo.

Traicionera relidad Full-length, 1998
Campos de Batalla EP, 2005
Engendrado Por El Odio Demo, 2007

EUDOXIS (CANADA)

The EP is enjoyable speed/thrash similar to Exciter and (but better) early Razor. By the time the full-length saw the light of day, the music has lost its immediate quality, and has taken a turn towards a more ambitious song writing. The sound is heavy, technical similar to Heathen's "Victim Of Deception". Despite the lengthy songs, the music never drags and remains interesting the whole time. "Reflections Of A Lost Past" is a marvellous instrumental close to Metallica's "The Call Of Chtulu". This is one of the better thrash metal albums before the genre's demise.

Attack From Above Single, 1986
Open Fire Full-length, 1991

Vibrations of Doom

EURE ERBEN (GERMANY)

This band are actually the continuation of the thrashers Darkness who split up in the early 90's to reform in the new millennium, apparently encouraged by the revived interest in thrash metal worldwide. The lyrics are entirely in German. The opener is one of Darkness' greatest songs sung in German: "Faded Pictures", and the fourth one is another hit from the past: "Burial at Sea"; they are the most aggressive, and best, tracks on the EP. The others are not too far behind, especially the good headbanger "Staatsfeind", but listening to the old material will probably fill you up with memories of the past, which will overshadow the music, so you might have to give it another listen to appreciate the newer stuff.

Eure Erben EP, 2006
Eure Fдuste EP, 2007

EVERSIN (ITALY)

Power/progressive metal with touches of thrash; the music is quite epic at times coming close to the one of Falconer, but here there is an overuse of keyboards which stifles the sharp guitars. There is not much dynamics present, and although the mid-tempo is sustained throughout, albeit with an obvious effort sometimes, it's clear that the guys are fonder of the lyrical romantic side of the genre for which the very good melodic singer is partly responsible for.

Divina Distopia Full-length, 2010

EVERSOR (ITALY)

The band's debut demo and the full-length offer decent, somewhat avantgarde thrash reminiscent of Voivod late 80's period ("Dimension Hatross", "Nothingface"), but less technical and not as ground-breaking. This is thrash metal from the more melodic side of the genre, but contains a few intriguing moments if you can stand the slightly alternative vocals and the not very sharp guitar work.
The "Psychopathic Intentions" EP is arguably the better effort, now thrashing quite intensely with both edge and speed, without any avantgarde or technical leanings. This is straight headbanging stuff with the vocals this time sounding gruff and semi-hardcore, well conformed with the much more aggressive music.

Condition of Death Demo, 1988
The Cataclysm Full-length, 1989
Live of Brutality Demo, 1990
Psychopathic Intentions EP, 1991
World of Illusions EP, 1995

EVERWHERE (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Life & Death" demo, these guys play cool classic power/thrash ala early Iced Earth, Liege Lord and Meliah Rage. Their style in this train of thought is also very close to the Germans Red to Grey. The music varies from prototypical up-tempo thrashers ("Life & Death") to hammering heavy stompers with a nice Oriental decorations ("What it Means"). "Don't Give Up" may also remind you of mid-80's Exciter, with its more light-hearted speed metal attitude.
The new EP hardens the course, moving more bravely into a thrash metal territory. The sound now is a bit more modern, and the guitars' edge is sharper, a situation also improved by the crystal clear sound quality. The music stays in the mid-parameters ("Your Time Will Come" features a more dynamic up-tempo riffage), as the guys prefer to crush with heaviness, leaving the last "Two-Face" to do some damage in the more intense speed/thrash department. The vocals are harsher, in the semi-death metal field, not far from the ones of Leif Jensen (Dew-Scented).

Safe at Last Demo, 2006
Life & Death Demo, 2008
Black Dawn EP, 2009

EVICTION (USA)

Pretty ordinary crossover/thrash; kind of reminding of the very early humble beginnings of Suicidal Tendencies with some thrash riffs thrown in to keep it floating. The crossover/thrash scene knows better bands.

The World Is Hours Away Full-length, 1990

EVIDENCE OF FEAR (GERMANY)

Modern death/thrash with hoarse, slightly irritating semi-death metal vocals; the music flows in a cool, predominantly thrashy manner, and hardly needs unnecessary implements, like the rude blast-beating sections on "Em.by.Da" and "Exorcism". The cool brisk thrasher "Nemesis" even offers more classically-inclined riffs.

Exorcism EP, 2006

EVIL ANGEL (FINLAND)

Based on the EP, these guys play old school black-ish thrash similar to modern-day acts like Vexed, Suicidal Winds and Nocturnal; Evil Angel are perhaps a bit more brutal and faster. "Unholy Fight For Metal" introduces a more brutal sound and slightly increases the presence of black metal and blast-beats, but tracks like "Fire in the Pentagram" and "Infernal Hell" are good thrashers, and the album still preserves its appeal to the thrash metal fans.

Metal Onslaught EP, 2003
Unholy Fight For Metal Full-length, 2007

EVIL ARMY (USA)

With its rapid-fire approach and short songs this album reminds me of Hirax and Phantasm; in other words this is the good old school speed/thrash metal. This is fast and intense stuff with jollier crossover songs thrown in ("Wrong Approach", "Watch Me Fall"); some of the tracks are actually longer, going over 3-min, but the delivery is the same; the title of one of the songs says it very well: "Relentless Assault". On the EP the assault continues unabated, albeit it is only two tracks, one of which is a cool cover of the Bathory early killer "The Reaper".

Evil Army Full-length, 2006
Under Attack EP, 2008

EVIL BLOOD (CROATIA)

Based on the compilation, this band have apparently started with raising the American power metal flag high in a way not too different from early Laaz Rockit, before moving onto speed/thrash reminiscent of early Destruction and Sacrifice. Both styles are handled with style and gusto, and despite the muddy sound quality, the high level of musicianship is undeniable. Later the band moved to London where they changed their name to Lord of Darkness. Either the way of life (or the response to their music) must have disillusioned them, and they moved again, this time to Scotland which caused another name change: Djinn.

The "Midnight in Sodom" demo preserves the American power metal influences, but the music is decidedly more thrashy, touching early Metallica with ease, aiming at the same raw primal sound of "Kill'em All". Actually this is the main target for worship, which is very good, since the music has the same vigorous spirit, and seldom loses speed, shooting speed/thrasher after speed/thrasher, to the listener's delight. Things get quite intense and furious near the middle, on "We are the Satan+S.B.M.B.N.M.", which also contains a nice heavy mid-paced bridge ala early Venom. "To Hell And Back In One Day" is a surprising display of romantic feelings, being a cool ballad, followed by two short blistering thrashers, which bring back some of the German thrash spirit of the compilation: check out "The Beast".

The Best of Djinn/Evil Blood 83'-86' Best of/Compilation, 1986
Midnight in Sodom Demo, 1989

EVIL DIVINE (USA)

Based on the sophomore album, Evil Divine play atmospheric thrash/death of the modern-type, mid-paced, but with more aggressive, faster black-ish moments and a nice short orchestral instrumental- "Polarity". Most of the songs are 6-8 min long, but the tempo changes quite often and keeps the listener interested.

Feathers Have Fallen Full-length, 1998
Dawn Before the Dawn Full-length, 2004

EVIL MACHINE (ITALY)

A good modern thrash/death metal mix, with more technical guitar work reminding of Darkane and Non-Human Level; the songs are long, the shortest being 6.5-min, and the tempo is energetic, without speeding too much. "The Eye Inside" shifts from this description, being a slower, atmospheric number, accompanied by gothic-styled guitars and clean vocals (the main ones are low-tuned, brutal death metal ones).

Visions Demo, 2004

EVIL OFFERING (CHILE)

Powerful classic thrash reminiscent of Nuclear Assault both in the vocal department and in the hardcore-tinged riffs, so expect mostly fast music with straight-forward riffs. The Chileans are more thrashy, and their songs are longer, although there is no much variety in the approach. The "We Bring Your Death" EP is a big improvement over the demos, with even longer, thought-out songs, and more interesting, technical riffs.

Evil Offering Demo, 2000
Massacre En Antofagasta Demo, 2002
United by Thrash and Beer Split, 2004
We Bring Your Death EP, 2004

EVIL ONE (FRANCE)

Reportedly during their early days the band have played melodic gothic metal, but what we have on "Evil Never Dies" is well-constructed classic thrash with cool melodic clean vocals. The opener "Evil Never Dies" is more in the 80's American power/speed/thrash metal mode, but "Thrashback" is a nice up-tempo thrasher, with a bit overlong balladic stretch in the middle. "Feel The Pain" is an encompassing power/speed/thrash opus, constantly alternating speedy and heavier riffs. "Instant Annihilation" is 2.5-min of lead guitar shred, kind of reminding me of the "Violence & Force" intro, but the following "Wounds Of War" is not as uncompromising, being a more moderate power/thrasher. "Perverse Morality" comes after that, to crush your skull with loads of sharp aggressive riffs, before another opus-like number reach you: "Contract In Blood", again mixing the 3 genres, adding also a couple of doomy guitars in the beginning and the end. Then the attack carries on with the speed/thrash delight "Suprematie", which the fans will immediately recognize, being a nice cover of the early ADX hit: 2 members of ADX actually guest on this one: the singer Phil Grelaud, and the guitarist Pascal Betov. "The Conqueror" is the odd track: epic power metal with a brutal speedy ending. This song, along with the closing tender ballad "Mr Bassman", kind of spoil the impression a bit at the end, but the previous material is by all means one of the more interesting moments from the French metal scene of recent years. The "laurels" for the crisp biting production go to our friend Jeff Waters, who also guests here.

Shades of Life Full-length, 2006
Evil Never Dies Full-length, 2009

EVIL SCARECROW (UK)

Based on "Sixty-Six Minutes Past Six", this band play a dark gothic brand of thrash, quite good, mostly of the modern type. The pseudonims the guys (and presumably a girl) use and the masks they wear may easily put them in the shock rock/metal trend, but their music packs a punch, although not a number matches the intensity and compulsion of the opening "Choose Metal", which is pure headbanging thrash. Later on the delivery loses the speed, and becomes more complex, with longer songs, and nods to gothic, doom and epic, but retaining the sharp riffage on steam-rollers like "Sixty-Six Minutes Past Six" and "War and Seek".

Crowcifiction Full-length, 2004
Hell Dog EP, 2007
Sixty-Six Minutes Past Six Full-length, 2009

EVIL SINNER (BELGIUM)

A competent, but not really impressive entry into the thrash metal genre from Belgium of the more aggressive type, similar to their compatriots Cyclone's debut and the Germans Assassin. It's not all-out speed all the time, by the way, and their better side is the heavier, slower one ("Death to You"), where the band sound more stylishly. The problem is that tracks of this kind are only the already mentioned one; the rest is brutal thrashing, bordering on proto-death quite a bit.

Evil Sinner Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

EVILDEAD (USA)

Evildead rose from the ashes of Agent Steel when two members of that band (Juan Garcia and Karlos Medina) decided to continue their career, but in a different mode. Their first offering is aggressive thrash bordering on hardcore, a primal brutal slab of metal. There's no speed to spare here; this work is a nice companion piece to the released 3 years earlier "Reign in Blood" and "Darkness Descends", although some songs, like "Annihilation of Civilization" and "Future Shock" offer a nice deviation into a heavier, more restrained territory.
"The Underworld" tones down the aggression, showing the other, more technical and serious side of the band, and is almost equally as strong. "The Hood" thrashes in a way similar to the debut, but "The Underworld" is a display of a more controlled and technical example of the same. "Process Elimination" comes with a lighter, crossover-vibe, and "Welcome to Kuwait" is a nice attempt at more technical thrash with really cool, Coroner-like riffs. The last song is a good cover of the first real speed/thrash metal song in music history: Scorpions' "He's a Woman, She's a Man" (in this case, the guys preferred to slow down, instead of making it at lightning speed, like Helstar). Like the guys' previous formation, this band didn't last long.

Annihilation of Civilization Full-length, 1989
Rise Above EP, 1989
The Underworld Full-length, 1991

EVILDOER (SWEDEN)

These guys are typical representatives of the modern thrash/death hybrid founded by The Haunted. Evildoer are perhaps heavier, faster and with a more aggressive, bordering more frequently on death metal, attitude.

Terror Audio Full-length, 2005

EVILE (UK)

A promising young band who offer to the hungry thrash fans really good Bay Area thrash metal- think Testament, Exodus, etc. The demo has a very high sound quality and "Russian Roulette" is not an Accept cover, but is another headbanging thrasher with some tasteful, Alex Skolnick-like guitar work.
Finally the band's long-awaited full-length debut is out now, and it fulfills all the promises given with their previous releases. The Bay Area influences (early Testament above all) are still there, but this time the band add a Slayer-like aggression ("Thrasher", "Schizophrenia") to produce a powerful and potent sound.
"Infected Nations" wastes no time, thrashing hard form the opening title track, which is explosive speedy Bay-Area thrash touching also Sepultura's "Beneath The Remains" on the more intense moments. All the aggression, however, is gone on the next "Now Demolition" which is a mid-paced number with a somewhat dry proto-modern riffage. "Nosophoros" bursts out after it, really fast intense stuff, with a more laid-back mid-section. "Genocide" shows the guys' intention to alternate things this time, being a slightly overlong tedious mid-tempo thrasher. Both the mid-pace and the tediousness continue on "Plague To End All Plagues" making the album lose the inertia quite a bit, before "Devoid Of Thought" and "Time No More" restore some faith with brisk energetic riffs. "Metamorphosis" is another longer and a less speedy song, but the interesting clever guitar work makes it a much better listen than the previous similarly-structured tracks; this composition comes close to being the highlight, also scoring high in the lead department. But this is not all: the closer "Hundred Wrathful Deities" is a sprawling progressive number, lasting for nearly 12-min, mixing heavy stomping moments with quiet balladic ones; the effect is not that striking, though, with the exception of a couple of intriguing technical riffs in the middle; the quiet moments are too long, mostly a vehicle for the good lead guitarist to show his talents. The band have changed their approach compared to the less compromising, more hard-hitting one on their earlier efforts, and eventually they would be able to handle those longer compositions in a better way on future releases; now the considerable loss of speed on at least half of the material offered here may come as a not very pleasant surprise to their fans, at least at first listen.

All Hallows Eve EP, 2004
Hell Demo Demo, 2006
Enter the Grave Full-length, 2007
Infected Nations Full-Length, 2009

EVOCATOR (USA)

A good thrash metal demo, not too far from Devastation's "Signs of Life", maybe not as fast, with heavy slower atmospheric passages, and cool attempts at a more technical play ("Psychotic Overdose", "17 Minutes of Anarchy").

Hold the Hands of Time Demo, 1990

EVOKED CURSE (FINLAND)

Based on the "Fantomania" Split, this band come up with catchy black-ish thrash, in the vein of their neighbours Bewitched and the Portuguese Alastor. This is energetic, fast-paced music, occasionally more brutal sounding ("Necrotrooper", which also features a slower, stomping passage ala Celtic Frost). "Lidйrces Alom" is a cool cover of the Hungarian black metal legends Fantom, to whom the whole split is dedicated (there are two more bands featured inside).

Outburst Of Hell Demo, 1999
Altar Of Sodomy Demo, 2000
Cursed Unholy Mausoleum Demo, 2002
Merciless Revenge Demo, 2004
Fantomania Split, 2007

EVOKED DOOM (GERMANY)

It's amazing how much brutal metal has been buried unheard, and forgotten. Based on the second demo, this band come up with some of the most vicious and aggressive sounds put on vynil in the 80's. This is very fast and brutal music, with a certain proto-death taste, but the musicianship is surprisingly good for such an obscure release, featuring a very nice atmospheric intro with a cool guitar melody, recalling the Ennio Moricone scores for the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, with a nice twist at the end.

Dead Rehearsal Tape Demo, 1985
Demo Demo, 1986

EVOL (USA)

Based on the demo, this band play speedy thrash metal with shades of hardcore here and there. At times the sound picks up a lot of aggression coming close to Evildead's debut.

Demo Demo, 1989
Experiment In Fear Full-length, 1992

EX-INFERIIS (MEXICO)

Based on the demo, this band is obviously fascinated with the Finns Impaled Nazarene, and what we have here is relentless super-fast black/thrash, which stays much closer to black metal for most of the time.
The EP shares the same vicious ultra-fast approach offering very little outside mere Impaled Nazarene worship.

Ngul A Crist Demo, 2007
Bitches From Hell EP, 2008

EXCALIBUR (CZECH)

Based on "Auri Sacra Fames", this band plays a mix of modern and classic thrash with crossover tendencies. The approach is not very aggressive often staying in mid-tempo where the finest monents from the album belong: the pleasant gothic-tinged "Pro Tebe"; the melodic power/thrasher "Sons Of Loki"; the semi-balladic closer "Night Trains". The singer is the most aggressive asset being a low-tuned death metal growler who at least on the aforementioned closer tries something cleaner even managing to sound close to Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost).

1994-96 Nenн Cesty Zpмt Full-length, 1996
Apokalypsa Full-length, 1996
Auri Sacra Fames Full-length, 1998
Thurisaz Full-length, 2001
Water, Soil & Sand Full-length, 2002

EXCEL (USA)

A thrash/crossover band with a style reminiscent of Suicidal Tendencies (members of Excel later joined Cyco Myko, Mike Muir's new band); Excel's sound also shares some of the angry D.R.I. attitude, and is a bit more on the hardcore side. The debut is an enjoyable slab of energetic fast-paced thrash/crossover, lashing out quite intense pieces: "Insecurity", the almost pure thrash shredders "Never Look Away" and "Looking For You", the speedthrashcore killer "Social Security".
"The Joke's On You" is more melodic, although in terms of speed it's not too far behind the debut, but the riffs are less edgy, and the more direct thrash outbursts are not many at all: "Fired (You're)" comes to mind, but... Quite a few slower softer numbers have been introduced, occupying the middle, a situation livened up by the brisk "I Never Denied". "Message In A Bottle" is a cool cover of The Police hit, after which the band wakes up for only one more aggressive song: "Given Question". As a whole this release concentrates more on the crossover side, sounding quite close to the Suicidals' "Join the Army", maybe a tad less memorable.

Split Image Full-length, 1987
The Jokeґs On You Full-length, 1989
Seeking Refuge Full-length, 1995

EXCIDIO (ARGENTINA)

The sound quality is pretty bad, but one can distinguish simplistic old school thrash with doomy overtones ("Chamico") and a generally sleepy, mid-tempo. "En Esta Putta Tierra" tries to speed up a bit, but is soon drowned in heavy crushing riffage; the approach is actually not very far from the one witnessed on Carnivore's sophomore release ("Retaliation"), but the musicianship of the Argentinians is not on par with Pete Steele's group. The singer is a brutal low-tuned death metal growler, but his growls kind of fit the heavy, gloomy atmosphere.

Stracciуn Repulsiva Demo, 2007

EXCIDIUM (SWITZERLAND)

Excidium offer on their only album intriguing dark semi-technical thrash spiced with strange chants and death-ish vocals. The sound is modern, but there are many interesting moments and tempo changes to keep the listener concentrated. There are the odd death blast-beats and the sprawling doom melodies, too.

Innocent River Full-length, 1995

EXCITER (CANADA)

This legendary Canadian act were the first ones there (along with Anvil, of course) who tried their hands on more extreme music. Their debut was a cool energetic speed metal effort, sounding like a more aggressive version of the rock'n roll boogie of Motorhead. It wasn't as impressive as the superior debuts of their US counterparts Slayer, Metallica, Hawaii and Anthrax, but the guys very soon came very close to those high standards, with the fabulous "Violence and Force"- one of the best achievements of the whole Canadian metal scene, an unforgettable combination of furious speed/thrashers and smashing heavy riff-monsters. It was hard to believe that the band would be able to top this work up, and they didn't bother to do that, but acquired a more melodic approach on "Long Live the Loud", which still retained the speedy sound, and was a good follow-up. "Unveiling the Wicked" took a more radio-friendly turn, increasing the number of slower, more melodic tunes, and sounded too mainstream for the hard-core fans. Seemingly falling behind the top speed/thrash metal acts at the time, the band decided to relieve Dan Beehler- both the vocalist and the drummer until that point, from his vocal duties, and added a new member, leaving Beehler to concentrate on his drumming. Carrying the band's name, "Exciter (O.T.T.)" indeed sounded like a new beginning: it had not much to do with the band's older works; it was a combination of power metal, and a bit of speed and thrash, sacrificing the energy of the past for a more serious, thought-out song-writing. This was by no means a bad album, but at the same time was hardly what the audience expected, and was met with a wall of indifference.
This logically led to the band's split-up, but 4 years later they apparently decided to give themselves another chance, with "Kill after Kill", which saw Beehler taking over the mike again, and the guys bringing back the blistering style from their early days; this effort came close to the visceral power of "Violence and Force" on its best moments, and was a big slap in the face to those of their colleagues who had, at that point, given up the classic speed/thrash idea. Unfortunately this was not a very well chosen time, as the tastes were changing fast then, and the interest in the 80's speed/thrash movement was fading quickly. The guys parted again, only to return in 1997, this time without Beehler; "The Dark Command", similar to the 1988 one, tried to bring something new, and admirably succeeded to elevate the band's music to a higher level, relying not only on direct speed metal anthems, but adding more complex arrangements and more varied guitar work. This album restored the faith in the band, who looked well-equipped to lead the thrash resurrection of the late 90's. But they lost inertia once again, and when the next release was out, it offered simple, direct, and less impressive speed metal numbers, which owed more to the Judas Priest's "Painkiller", than to the dark, potent sound of "The Dark Command". It still was not a failure, but was left without a follow-up, with the guys separating for the upteenth time.
"Thrash, Speed, Burn", despite its pompous and promising title, is hardly the band's best achievement. It has the necessary energy and speed/thrashy riffs to keep the fan entertained, but the approach is a bit samey, not miles away from "Blood of Tyrants". "Crucifixion" and "Evil Omen" try to break the one-dimensional delivery, but are not as convincing as the heavy, pounding tracks from the past (remember "Pounding Metal" and "Delivering To The Master" from "Violence and Force"). When thrash metal lives through its 2nd golden period, Exciter need to do more to find a place on the front row, if they don't want to be overtaken by both their old colleagues and the ones who grew up listening to their old works.

Heavy Metal Maniac Full-length, 1983
Violence & Force Full-length, 1984
Feel the Knife EP, 1985
Long Live the Loud Full-length, 1985
Unveiling the Wicked Full-length, 1986
Exciter (O.T.T.) Full-length, 1988
Kill After Kill Full-length, 1992
The Dark Command Full-length, 1997
Blood of Tyrants Full-length, 2000
Thrash, Speed, Burn Full-length, 2008

EXCRUCIATION (SWITZERLAND)

Based on the "Last Judgement" EP, the band mix raw thrash ala early Sodom and Kreator with heavy, crushing riffs in the Celtic Frost-vein. "Angels To Some, Demons To Others" comes after a very long break, and it shows a completely different band; the guys have apparently lost interest in thrash metal, and traces of the genre are nowhere to be found. This is pure doom, quite well done, along the lines of Paradise Lost ("Shades of God", "Icon") and Cemetary ("Black Vanity", "Sundown"), but without any ties to thrash metal whatsoever.

Last Judgement EP, 1986
Arise EP, 2005
Angels To Some, Demons To Others Full-length, 2007

EXDEMENTIA

Excellent thrash/death metal with a slight technical edge bringing to mind Necrodeath and the French Massacra; the music is energetic and fast for most of the time, and the guitar work is just great. The sound is closer to thrash (only "Enslaved By The Deranged" is the song where death metal dominates), but the vocals are strictly in the death metal field, and of the dual type: the main ones are low growls (very comprehensible, by the way), and the others are higher-pitched rasps. The songs are short (2.5-3min), but the catchy and memorable riffs make them really great musical experiences. There is not much known about this band, but the high quality of the material makes them really worth tracking down.

Thou Shall Repulse Full-Length, 2007

EXECRATE (USA)

This is quite fast and aggressive thrash in the tradition of Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" and the Swedes Merciless' debut. This is pure speed (with some parts from "Nuclear Death" being the exception), with no variety, but energetic and done with gusto.

Terminate in Violence Demo, 1986

EXECRATOR (USA)

Based on "The Rage From Within": excellent progressive thrash metal with a dark, unique sound, not fast, even doomy at times, and with great haunting, predominantly semi-clean, mid-ranged vocals, but they vary, becoming much more aggressive and sinister, and are always on track with the music. The songs are complex, featuring some fast moments, soon interrupted by groovy ones, which in their turn come replaced by more technical ones, and all of a sudden start the leads, which are short, of the less melodic variety. The aggression sometimes goes beyond the one which comes along with such style ("Darkest Hour"), but the headbangers will be delighted. The guitar sound is dark, brooding, creating a really eerie, doomy atmosphere- quite a unique one, maybe recalling the Swedes Pathos' works, but this one is heavier. The guys are experts at ballads, too: a great short piece is included here: "Rage From Within".

The Rage From Within Full-length, 2000
Hideous The Mind Full-length, 2001

EXECUTER (BRAZIL)

Executer came late on the scene, but their debut was a worthy slab of classic speed/thrash metal, with cool nods towards Kreator's more technical period (1989-1990). "You'll Come Back Before Dying" wastes no time, thrashing fast and forcefully, accompanied by vicious, snarly vocals, coming as a more brutal version of Schmier. "No Destiny" continues the assault, but "Rotten Authorities" softens a bit, with stomping heavier riffs, influencing the following "Flight To The Other Side". Rest assured that this is just a deviation, and "Money" is another more intense thrasher, and from then until the end there are no pauses anymore- just fast, heads-down thrashing. Failing to make many heads turn, especially when the tastes were changing fast at those times, the band split up.
The thrash metal revival of recent years brought them back with "Psychotic Mind". This album shows the band ready to do major damage once again; the guitars are more technical now, with a tighter and more compact sound. The delivery is more aggressive, with a touch of death metal even: the great smashing opener "Lost Angels", which could fit well into Death's "Spiritual Healing". "Suffering And Pain" is a more temperate, thrashing piece, with a Bay-Area flavour, which pretty much sets the tone of the remaining songs, some of which are graced by more interesting, technical moments: "Message To The Weak Ones", "Chaos Memories".
"Welcome To Your Hell" could be considered the band's finest hour; the guitar work is great, with meaty sharp riffs; the vocals return to the mean snarls from the debut (on the previous one they have acquired a more standard death shape). The music is again closer to the German school: the explosive opener "And The Rottenness Goes On..." and most of the songs. There are the obligatory calmer numbers ("13", "Lead Years", both of which are ended in a faster, intense fashion), as well longer, more complex ones ("The Big Black Abyss", which slows down, and is heavy and mid-paced; "Cause And Effect", which is fast-paced with smashing semi-technical riffs). The bonus track "Power, Thrashing, Death" is a cool cover of the Whiplash early hit from "Power & Pain".

Rotten Authorities Full-length, 1991
Psychotic Mind Full-length, 2003
Welcome To Your Hell Full-length, 2006

EXECUTION (FRANCE)

One of the French death/thrash metal bands who sprang up in the early 90's; the music is more thrash metal-based than the rest of the pack, but less aggressive and not as good, with not very successful attempts at a more complex, almost progressive song-writing which is quite a waste, except for a few really stylish leads thrown in.

Execution Full-length, 1992
Eternal Dreams Full-length, 1999
Victim Of My Thoughts EP, 2001

EXECUTION (USA)

Based on the "Dismantle the Cross" demo, this band pulls out fairly cool speedy thrash in the spirit of the 80's German scene. The sound quality is not great, and the guitars are a bit buzzy, but the enthusiasm of the guys is hard to disguise, and the fast, energetic riffs deliver the goods. Some elements from the power/speed metal scene could be felt: "Call of the Warrior", with the galloping rhythm and the catchy chorus; the Iron Angel-esque "Dismantle the Cross". "Speed of Death" is awesome speed (of death)/thrash, also reminiscent of the Angel Dust debut, and is the best song here.
"Sworn to the Evil" is in the same vein, nice speed/thrash of the Germanic type quite close to "Persecution Mania", with a shade of the more speedy approach of Angel Dust ("Midnight Ritual"), the main difference coming from the gruff echoing vocals with an occasional semi-clean blend akin to the ones of Jon Van Doorn (Deathwish).

Dismantle the Cross Demo, 2006
Sworn to the Evil Demo, 2007

EXECUTIONER (BRAZIL)

A 4-song demo of decent retro thrash with hoarse semi-death metal vocals; the guy actually hardly sings, but rather quarrels in a surprisingly intelligible manner. The music is close to the Bay Area sound, if we exclude the melodic leads, which stifle completely the other instruments when at play. The tempo is up, partially lost on the heavy semi-epic "Savage Sword".

Demo Demo, 2008

EXECUTIONER (ITALY)

Fans of Sodom's "Persecution Mania" and Possessed will be quite happy with this: roughly, 80's produced stuff, fast and intense, with sparce heavy pounding sections ala Celtic Frost arriving to interrupt the speedy, but raw and slightly one-dimensional delivery. On the more inspired moments the guys really touch "Persecution Mania": "Bestial Desaster", "Violent Mosh" (which is not a Violator cover), the explosion "Drink For Satan", and the music seldom loses the dynamics and the fast pace; it's just that in the sea of modern acts reviving the classic 80's thrash sound nowadays, this band would hardly cause a stir.

Arrival Of The Executioner Full-length, 2008

EXECUTIONER (USA)

Based on "Break The Silence", this is very chaotic, messy thrash with flat vocal performance, and boring riffs spiced up with even worse blast-beats and misplaced solos; only for completists.

In the Name of Metal Full-length, 1986
Break the Silence Full-length, 1987

EXENCE (ITALY)

A new rising star in the technical thrash/death metal department, from Italy again, is about to shine. The guys play with tight technical, but also melodic riffs, do not speed too much, relying on semi-complex mid-tempo passages, but watch out for the shorter more immediate, and more intense thrashers: "When Words Are Loose", where the guitar work comes close to Death's "Symbolic" and "The Sound of Perseverance". "Fix From The Ground" goes over the mere technical thrash patterns, and is a very cool elaborate progressive thrash composition, quite dynamic as well, followed by the nice, albeit a bit overlong "leads-versus-acoustic" interlude, which can not help, but remind of Death's brilliant "Voice of the Soul", although here the lead guitarist tries to beat Chuck (R.I.P.), unleashing a really outstanding performance. The 2nd half is more melodic, and also less technical, although it begins quite strongly with the labyrinthnine progressive thrasher "Primal Mystic Substance". "Dream of Wisdom" could be considered the tribute to their main influence Death, part of that song directly taken from "Symbolic", which was hardly necessary, since the song was developing in a quite good up-tempo technical death/thrash fashion. "Symbolic Act" is probably the only drawback, being more ordinary Gothenburg-like melodic death. The closer "Overhate Threshold" is a bit underwhelming, too, which starts with a whirlwind of very good melodic leads, but later settles down for a more conventional mid-paced play, not too far from Dark Tranquillity's Damage Done" and "Haven". Still they are way more than just fillers, and could be considered the break for the band from the intense technical material on offer earlier on. Although Death has been cited a few times throughout the review, the music is not a direct rip-off of that band, like so many contemporary acts have done: it actually has its individual face, accentuated by the proficient leads, the bigger complexity on several compositions, and last but not least, the characteristic high-pitched snarls of the singer, bordering on black metal.

Hystrionic Full-length, 2009

EXEKUTOR (CZECH)

Based on the "Time of Shadows" demo, which is whole 8 tracks long, this band come up with first-rate speed/thrash ala early Angel Dust. The musicianship is tight, the riffs are sharp and intense, topped up by vicious, slightly death metal-tinged vocals. The finest moments, though, are the leads, which are simply stunning, albeit not very long, and might remind you of Kai Hansen in the most swirling sections. A fabulous start for a band who never managed to leave the underground.

Time Of Shadows Demo, 1989
Symphony Of Death Demo, 1990
Sympatie ke zlu Demo, 1991

EXEQUIA (COLOMBIA)

Based on "Beggars of Souls": these guys offer cool thrash/death metal, which will take you back to the early 90's, when this hybrid was ruling the scene. The band plays with competence and inspiration, sometimes thrashing intensely ("Lost Dreams", "For Your Act") with a strong death metal edge, but most of the time the album develops in the great spirit of the Pestilence debut and early Death, graced by the presence of instant thrash/death classics, like "Palabras De Profeta", "Sobre Mis Ruinas", and "Death Society". "A Espaldas Del Creador" shows the band's more thought-out side: a nice technical death/thrasher, worthy even of "Testimony of the Ancients". The guys concentrate on thrash near the end, producing a couple of old school thrash killers, with the closer "Terminal Action" being the culmination of the whole album: first-rate technical thrash/death in the best tradition of the French Massacra and again, Pestilence.

Beggars of Souls Full-length, 2000
Earth of Agony Full-length, 2008

EXHOPE (FRANCE)

Cool progressive power/thrash, which starts quite well with the aggressive, hard-hitting "No Return", which with its galloping rhythms will remind you of Helstar's "Nosferatu", and with its sudden melodic breaks and the alternative, slightly emotionless vocals will bring Depressive Age to mind. Those melodic, quiet moments are too much on that same song which later acqiures a dream-like quality, similar to Opeth and Katatonia. The other tracks lack the aggressive riffage of that one, except on a few occasions, and concentrate on the progressive side of the music, coming as thrashy Katatonia, or slower and softer Depressive Age (actually, the music here is not miles away from their 3rd effort). The compositions are not very long (the longest barely reaches 6.5 min), but the tempos change following a similar pattern: a hard-hitting riff-section is suddenly replaced by a more peaceful, progressive one, and both sides of the music alternate throughout the songs. "Lament" is a good acoustic ballad, followed by the very good complex progressive track "Breach of Trust", which lacks any thrashy guitars, and is the most melodic song on the album.

Loading EP, 2004
Mad Kind Full-length, 2007

EXHORDER (USA)

Exhorder literally "slaughtered" the metal world with their brutal, uncompromising debut which introduced the "angry" side of thrash metal, along with Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell": a style, which would later become the dominating one on the whole scene. There is a lot of Bay-Area sound present here as well, going even beyond "Eternal Nighmare": the furious openers "Death In Vain" and "Homicide", before the coming of the 10-ton steam-roller "Desecrator" to suggest at new trends coming soon. "Exhorder" will literally split your head: a merciless piece of aggressive thrash, giving way to the longer, but equally as intense "The Tragic Period". "Slaughter in the Vatican" is the definitive angry thrash hymn, crashing for about 7.5-min, paving the way for the transformation of the style. Whether Kyle Thomas influenced Phil Anselmo, or the other way around, or both simultaneously decided to try to sing as angrily as they possibly could, is hard to debate. However, hats down to the guys for attempting something different, although the detractors will imediately step in, saying that this was the album "which killed thrash". Well, different people, ...

"The Law" tones down the aggression and is more polished, but is another fine slab of classic/modern thrash. It shows no compromise on the opening "Soul Search Me" and the following "Unforgiven". The modern sound sets in on "I Am the Cross", and never leaves till the end. The middle is occupied by the very good version of Black Sabbath's "Into the Void". "The Truth" tries to return to the "truth" of the 80's with more retro riffs, but it's a bit late for that. No more attempts of the kind, and the rest puts this album right beside same year's "Vulgar Display of Power" as some of the best aggro-thrash albums of the era. The guys could have owned the 90's, if they had lasted longer, but they decided to give a "green light" to Pantera, leaving them without competition for a while.

Slaughter In The Vatican Full-length, 1990
The Law Full-length, 1992

EXHORT (BRAZIL)

Based on "Attitude", these guys come up with a very uneven mixture of 80's inspired power/thrash. The opener "Genocide" is a nice up-tempo number in the Sepultura vein, with gruff vocals, which is totally misleading, since the next "Slaves Of The Society" is a mild power metal piece, where the vocals take a very melodic, thin edge. Unfortunately the remaining tracks follow this path, and despite the cool leads and energetic tempos (the very good speed/thrasher "Brothers"), the weak vocals, the clinging towards the 90's power/speed metal scene, and the two bland ballads, make this effort sound not very convincing in the middle. It, however, pulls itself together afterwards, for the successful attempt at heavy progressive power/thrash "Spreading A Lie", which offers a couple of interesting riffs, and the stomping mid-paced closer "Last Tears", which comes served with quite good lead guitar work.

Attitude Full-length, 1991
P.R.A.Y. Full-length, 2002

EXHORTATION (BRAZIL)

2 songs of good intense thrash/death of the old school with vicious high black metal vocals; fast lashing riffs spiced with a couple of nice melodic licks and leads, close to the Merciless debut.

Selective Suicide Demo, 2006

EXHUMATOR (BULGARIA)

Bsed on the debut demo, this one-man act pulls out raw simplistic black-ish thrash which ranges from up-tempo tracks ("Metalna Artileria") to doomy slow ones ("Voina I Bolka"). The musicianship is not on a very high level, but having in mind that this is just one person behind all, one should give him kudos for the fact that he managed to produce 4 whole full-lengths, where reportedly the music is more aggressive, with more overt borrowings from the black metal scene. Here it is mostly speed/thrash with the vocals trying to rasp in a sinister manner, which doesn't fit the melodic speed/power metal number "Izmama", a leftover from an earlier demo.
"Okovite Na Mraka" indeed offers a more brutal sound, with death metal being the main influence, and as a matter of fact the guy manages to come up with a pretty decent material, consisting of clever semi-technical music, quite similar to the Massacra classic period. Apart from the fast parts heavy doomy riffs can be caught at times, mostly coming as breaks between the constant moshing. Hats down to the man who manages to keep a head-spinning speedy tempo for more than 5-min on "Kapanut", without slowing down for a split second, but very soon after he shows that he can also doom with the best on the hammering "Tutankamon". Time for pure thrash in the 2nd half with "Studeno Surce", which is mild mid-paced thrash, and the furious "Licemer", but the 9-min progressive opus "Semeyna Voina" breaks the intensity, relying mostly on crushing doomy riffs again; still not bad at all, featuring also a couple of twisted technical decisions. "Misantrop" will kill you with its merciless approach, setting the tone for a string of tracks, before "Okovite na Mraka" slows down, being a softer power/thrasher, merging into the closing balladic instrumental "V Pamet na Anton", which is dedicated to a deceased friend of the musician.

Az Nosia Smurt Demo, 1990
Pristup Na Bezumie Full-length, 1995
Atrofiq Na Chuvstvata Full-length, 1996
Simbioza Full-length, 1997
Okovite Na Mraka Full-length, 1998

EXILIUM (ITALY)

Based on the demo, this band offers fast-paced modern thrash with an abrasive guitar sound. The guys play with energy trying to avoid the Swedish "traps" along the way, and their melodic leanings have a characteristic sound of their own ("Madness Attack"). "Exilium" rages in a less controlled fashion at the end, sounding pure death metal near the end. The singer has a cool gruff voice akin to Bruce Corbitt (Rigor Mortis).

Headbangers' Island Split, 2008
A Black Vicious Path Demo, 2009

EXISTENCH (CANADA)

A very fast brutal mix of grindcore and thrash, sometimes to the point of becoming unlistenable; still, fans of the more extreme side of the genre will enjoy it. Melodic punk passages relieve part of the tension, but the more romantically-inclined fans can not count on them to be saved: this is pure inbridled brutality, often boldly following on the steps of grind monsters like Napalm Death, O.L.D., Electro Hippies, etc.

Blood Money Full-length, 2000

EXIT (HUNGARY)

This is one of the more pleasant surprises from the Hungarian metal scene: classy technical thrash akin to early Megadeth and the Dutch Mandator; these guys are probably fonder of speed, and tracks like "Sapadt Arcok" will definitely remind you of the 90's speed/power metal wave which swept the scene a few years later. There are great swirling riffs, as well as stylish leads aplenty, to enjoy here. The vocals have this Dave Mustaine echo, but sometimes sound quite hollow, almost completely choked by the guitars.

Egyutt A Szemettel Full-Length, 1991

EXIT TO ETERNITY (USA)

Based on the demo, this is excellent classic aggressive thrash which will remind you of Evildead's debut, Torture and Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare". The four songs offer great headbanging material leaving you begging for more. The full-length delivers the goods, sticking closer to the Bay-Area patterns, with a pinch of Anthrax, Slayer, Paradox. The aggression is mixed with slower passages, which are given enough space to develop, since the tracks are much longer: "Coming Down" is a nice example of the latter- a compelling blend of speedy thrash, stomping heavy moments, and some fine balladic lyrical ones. The shorter numbers are as merciless as it gets: "Mindless Pawns", which is even proto-death laced; the brilliant speed/thrasher ala Paradox "Kristallnacht". "Misery" is another sprawling song, which loses the inertia, with slightly monotonous mid-paced riffs, and a kind of clumsy doomy-balladic ending. "No More" is a glorious instrumental, thrashing intensely for more than 7-min; it doesn't reach the speed of the aforementioned two speedy numbers, but the clever riffage and the frequently changing tempos will keep you on the alert. Apparently at the final stage of the album the guys have decided to give the singer a break, and the closer "Justice Under God" is another fine instrumental piece, this time speeding up admirably, with a nice alternation between sharp riffs and melodic hooks. This is a fairly entertainig listen, showing the band willing to embrace more influences, although to these ears their more immediate, aggressive side is the more preferrable one.

Demo Demo, 2002
Coming Down Full-length, 2007

EXMORTIS (USA)

Based on the "Descent into Chaos" demo, these guys could be ranked among one of the first thrash/death metal bands, with an aggressive and vicious sound which puts them closer to the French wave, which started at around the same time- Massacra, Loudblast, Agressor.

Descent Into Chaos Demo, 1988
Immortality's End EP, 1989
Fade from Reality EP, 1991
Butchers of the Urban Frontier Demo, 1993
Necrotic Visions Demo, 1994

EXMORTUS (USA)

Based on the full-length debut: well executed technical death/thrash with excellent guitar work which would make quite a few heads, even from Shrapnel, raise. The style has its shade of Gothenburg death, but the lashing guitars and the swirling leads give it a much superior edge, making it sound like more technical At The Gates. The sound gets quite aggressive and fast, and the overall style would probably appeal more to death metal maniacs, but this high level of musicianship deserves to be heard by more metal fans, especially the magnificent shredding instrumental "Axe of War": guitar performance at its most perfect.

Reign of the War Gods EP, 2006
In Hatred's Flame Full-length, 2007

EXOCET (GERMANY)

Fairly good thrash metal of the old school, reminiscent of late-80's Slayer and Sepultura's "Arise"; the music mixes fast, aggressive thrashers: "I Kill Now", "In Hate", with heavy, mid-paced ones, which come with atmospheric passages and really good, melodic guitar work. "Unborn" closes the album in a more lyrical balladic fashion, still stirred with nice heavy, but melodic riffs, carrying a shade of gothic. The real closer, however, is the less-than-a-minute grinding explosion "More Bass" (well, where was the bass here!?).

Confusion Full-Length, 1995

EXODUS (USA)

One of the pioneers of thrash metal who were actually the first band where Kirk Hammett played; he was recruited by Metallica at an early stage of Exodus' career, the former looking for an able replacement of the fired Dave Mustaine. Even without him the rest managed fine, producing "Bonded By Blood"- a landmark album, an example followed by hundreds of bands throughout the years; some of the definitive Bay Area hymns are here, sung in a forceful vicious manner by Paul Baloff (R.I.P.). "Pleasures Of The Flesh" saw Baloff replaced by Steve "Zetro" Souza, although in terms of music it wasn't far from the debut, albeit missing its visceral spontaneous power. But then came "Fabulous Disaster" two years later, featuring excellent fresh-sounding invigorating thrash even foreshadowing the debut at times. "Impact is Imminent" failed to reach those high standards, sounding a bit tired and uninspired, despite the presence of a couple of worthy more forceful thrashers. "Force Of Habit" was the band's attempt to adjust to the modern tastes with a more experimental approach, sacrificing the speed and the old school sound for the sake of a not very compelling mix of groove and the post-thrash introduced on The Black Album. Consequently it was not received very well, and the guys went their separate ways. Gary Holt, the band founder and the only constant member since the inception, took part in a few other acts in the 90's including Jason Newsted's modern thrash project Sexoturica, where he worked again with the first Exodus drummer Tom Hunting.
Fresh from their work together in Sexoturica (Hunting was also seen in the other similar style-wise Newsted band IR8) the two teamed up soon after for the recording of the 4-piece EP "War Is My Shepherd", which featured 3 brand new tracks and an AC/DC cover of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", showing the guys hungry for more headbanging retro thrash (the track "Impaler" was written much earlier, even before the recording of "Bonded by Blood", but was abandoned from the band's repertoire, since it was composed by Kirk Hammett who later based "Trapped Under Ice" on the main riff from it). The time could not have been more appropriately chosen, in the midst of the classic thrash fever, and expectedly the new full-length "Tempo of the Damned" was a huge success, with the three songs from the EP serving as a base, with seven more blistering classic thrashers added. There were inevitably several nods to the more recent thrash metamorphosis to be heard, but embedded into the enjoyable retro picture, they had an even positive effect.
Not willing to lose the so well accumulated inertia, the band were ready less than a year later with a new material on "Shovel Headed Kill Machine", which saw the guys increasing the songs' length, without bringing anything technical to the fore, by adding more proto-modern elements for the sake of the speed. Still, this effort was not bad at all, showing the band in a less fast, albeit a crushing steam-roller light, who also introduced their new singer Rob Dukes who had to step in for the very suddenly departed Souza.
"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" carries on in the same vein as the previous two: good classic thrash metal with a modern production. The complaint comes from these long, 8-9min and beyond tracks, which just do not suit the band's style, simply because they start to drag near the end, and create a kind of a monotonous atmosphere, especially when they are not "decorated" by any interesting technical hooks or tempo changes. The band's power has always been in the shorter, hard-hitting, headbanging tracks, something which this album also offers, albeit not in the sufficient amount.
"Let There Be Blood" is a re-recorded version of the band's legendary debut, done in memory of Paul Baloff (R.I.P.).

Bonded by Blood Full-length, 1985
Pleasures Of The Flesh Full-length, 1987
Fabulous Disaster Full-length, 1989
Objection Overruled EP, 1990
Impact Is Imminent Full-length, 1990
Force Of Habit Full-length, 1992
War Is My Shepherd EP, 2003
Tempo of the Damned Full-length, 2004
Shovel Headed Kill Machine Full-length, 2005
The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A Full-Length, 2007
Let There Be Blood Full-length, 2008

EXORCIST (POLAND)

Based on the "Voices From The Graves" demo: this band play cool speedy thrash with occasional, proto-death elements ("Siedem Bram Piekiel"). The music is fast-paced and intense with gruff, semi-black metal vocals (they are hardly audible, so to some they might sound otherwise...).

Rehearsal '86 Demo, 1986
Voices From The Graves Demo, 1987
Live At Thrash Camp Demo, 1988
After The North Winds Demo, 1988
Exorcist-The History 1 Best of/Compilation, 2004
Exorcist-The History 2 Best of/Compilation, 2004

EXORCIST (USA)

There is quite a story behind the band's formation, but I will stick to the music at display: cool power/speed/thrash along the lines of Venom and Whiplash, among other bands- not very intense with nice, at times original, melodic guitar work, and a considerable number of outros or intros, which add up to the ominous atmosphere of the album. One can find galloping power/thrashers here ("Black Mass"), fast energetic headbangers ("Burnt Offerings"), which are the predominant ones, even pure speed/power metal delights ala Attacker and early Laaz Rockit ("Call For The Exorcist"). The final result is truly on the positive side, and the diverse nature of this album served the band really well, to find a wider exposure, also outside the thrash metal genre.

Nightmare Theatre Full-length, 1985

EXOTO (BELGIUM)

Based on the "The Fifth Season" demo, this band play very good aggressive, fast-paced thrash/death, with several genuine technical leanings, mixed with great acoustic breaks (the excellent "Necromantic Love-Affair"). "Ashes From The Past" is another great track, but the guys slow down, coming with mighty crushing, stylish riffs. "The Fifth Season", however, compensates largely for the lost speed on the preceding one, coming with all guns blazing: an explosive thrash/death piece in the Assorted Heap, Pestilence vein.
"And Then You Die" is another fine slab of intense thrash/death, with the technical implements all over, maybe not as obvious. "Waiting for the Maggots" might remind you of the Germans Darkness' hit "Faded Pictures", with the intense thrashing and the declamatory rough vocals. There is no mercy on this one: smashing thrashing assault until the end; "After Death" might mislead you that this would be a pause for a rest, because of its doomy beginning, but very soon the order of the day becomes heads-down fast-paced thrash. "Cannibalistic Killer" is a nice technical death/thrasher, which could have been the highlight even on "Testimony of the Ancients". "The Things that Were (And Shall be Again)" is not too far behind, being faster and more aggressive, but the amazing technical licks are present all over. The closer "Chorus of the Doomed" is a brutal attack, pure death metal madness, still finding time for a more stylish technical play.

Waiting For The Maggots Demo, 1990
And Then You Die Demo, 1991
Ashes... Single, 1992
The Fifth Season Demo, 1992
Carnival Of Souls Full-length, 1994
A Thousand Dreams Ago Full-length, 1995

EXOTOXIN (GERMANY)

A one-man band: Reinhold Schmidt in this case, who does a magnificent job to show us how classic technical thrash should sound. This album will remind you of many great albums of the old days: Heathen's "Victim of Deception", Apocalypse's "Faithless", Kreator's "Coma of Souls", even Nasty Savage's "Penetration Point" in the more complex sections. The vocals are a bit on the dull side, having this hardcore-shade, mixed with the vicious Mille Petrozza style (think "Terrible Certainty"), but for a riff-fest of such a high calibre this is hardly a complaint. The music picks up a death metal-like intensity, but only occasionally. Every track is a masterpiece of perfectly executed technical thrash; if you've thought that all the great thrash has been done in the distant past, after listening to this, you'll definitely give it a second thought.

Dance of the Elements Full-length, 2004

EXPANTOR (BRAZIL)

Heavy thrash, more classically inclined, influenced by late 80's Metallica, but not as technical, mixed with gothic passages ala Paradise Lost. The singer gives his voice a deep tone, partially resembling James Hetfield and Chris Holmes. The longer songs ("Expantor") are kind of underwhelming, losing the thrashy edge a bit, whereas the shorter ones ("Another Fear", "Betrayal or Reaction") deliver the goods in a better way, coming with good tempos and riffs. There is no much energy and speed involved, and the sound starts to drag gradually, especially on the more modern sounding, gothic-tinged "Awakening For...(Be Awake Part ||). "Be Awake" is a heavy ballad, which could have been a nice touch, if it wasn't for the not very fast style of the preceding songs; now it only adds up to the monotonous, one-dimensionl nature of the other material.

The brood - Screaming High Demo, 2001
Beating On Concrete Demo, 2002

EXPERIMENTS IN FEAR (USA)

Based on the "Experiments in Fear" demo, this is speed/thrash akin to early Whiplash, maybe with a better, and with a heavier guitar work.

Demise - The Petting Zoo Demo, 1989
Experiments in Fear Demo, 1990

EXPLICIT HATE (BRAZIL)

Very good thrash metal of the German school reminiscent of Kreator and Destruction; great aggressive music, with nice, quite technical at times guitars, which precedes the style Kreator adopted for their late 80's period. There is some death metal intensity involved, bringing to mind early Death, even their "Spiritual Healing", which was released two years later. The tempo is fast and relentless throughout, with only the album closer, which is a nice instrumental, with a great acoustic intro: "The Trip", deviating into an atmospheric, mid-paced direction.

A View of the Other Side Full-length, 1988

EXPLOSICUM (CHINA)

The Chinese metal scene is growing fast these days, mostly with black, death metal and grindcore bands, and few are those who dare venture into thrash metal waters. Explosicum are such a band, and that's why they should be paid special attention, especially after their music really hits the mark. This is all-out classic thrash which combines elements from all more celebrated acts from the 80's, with a bigger concentration on the Bay Area scene and late 80's Slayer; the music is fast and straight-forward, without any technical ptetentions, but the guitar work is really good. The singer has a shouty, but higher-pitched, thin voice, and at times he sounds close to an unrehearsed Torsten Bergmann (Living Death), and it might be hard to define whether he sings in Chinese or English.

Conflict Full-length, 2008

EXPULSION (HOLLAND)

3 tracks of good intense speed/thrash metal with an early Angel Dust vibe; this is a mighty riff-fest with a genuine technical edge, reaching the extremes of speed ("The End Of Days") at times, but this is hardly a complaint. Impeccable musicianship, brutal death growls added to the main more conventional death metal shouts, massive fast guitars aplenty, and a very precise tight delivery are all here to glue the listener to this small masterpiece for days.
"Wasteland" is a blaster: from the get-go it starts thrashing its soul out with "Land of Empty Graves", an ultra-speedster with a great quiet middle. The madness only takes bigger proportions with the following "Neoconomicon" which is another insane speed/thrashing piece. Heads will roll on "End of Days", another very fast slab of thrash, already familiar from the EP. "Martyr" is a brilliant combination of super-fast and technical riffs with a great peaceful ending. The relentless delivery gets under control on the just a bit slower "Messianic Shadows", which gives room for nice technical riffs to come up. "Promise Never Made" is a top-notch technical shredder with heavy smashing steam-rolling mid-section, a few orchestral implements, and frantic swirling riffs. Then the speed returns for "Police State Tranquillity" which literally reaches the speed of light pouring lightning riffs the whole time. The short 2-min instrumental "Wasteworld" is not too far with the lead guitarist being the star of the show. "Spirit Emission" is a seamless blend of the staple very fast guitars and great technical hooks with an abstract shade, before the closing "Re-Examination" "re-examines" the listener asking him one vital question at the end: "is there a faster playing act on the planet right now than Expulsion?". If the answer is: "No", then you have passed the exam, because in fact these guys are the fastest playing ones on the thrash metal scene right now, but could hardly be beaten in the technical department as well, producing a truly compelling mix of speed and technicality seldom achieved nowadays although they have a strong competition in the face of another newcomer: the Americans Vektor. If you, guys, have already completed your polls for 2009, you may have to reshape them a bit: this album would definitely find place on quite a few top tens for the year.

The Mass Insanity EP, 2005
Wasteworld Full-length, 2009

EXPULSION (USA)

Based on the self-titled demo, these guys offer fairly good up-tempo thrash recalling the Brits Deathwish, also in the vocal department. The guitar work is melodic, especially the leads, and kind of soften the sharp riffage here and there. Like the Brits, this band "flirt" with slower doomy elements ("Forbidden Past"), but when they get pissed, their anger takes a nice aggressive shape which is not too far from Slayer: "Mutinous Revenge".

Expulsion Demo, 1991
Honor Among Thieves Demo, 1992

EXQUISITE CORPSE (FRANCE)

Both music and vocal-wise, this band is close to Morgana Lefay, based on "Why Lie?". In other words, we have a mix of power and thrash metal, but the music of the Frenchmen is more thrashy and more diverse. The annoying thing is that there are only 4 real songs here: one is an intro, which is nothing but barely audible noise, and there is another similar track later on; a total waste of space. On the rest the guys have tried to make up for the shortage of songs, keeping an energetic thrashy tempo on 3 of the numbers, and have slowed down for the pounding power/thrasher "Parts Wanted". Reportedly their debut is more aggressive and faster, whereas on "Circus" the band have switched onto modern industrial metal, less thrashy, but more complex, bordering on progressive.

Talisman Full-Length, 1992
Why Lie? Full-length, 1993
Circus Full-Length, 1999

EXSCIDIUM (ARGENTINA)

This is a melodic blend of classic and modern power/thrash, in mid-pace most of the time, with very few attempts at changing the tempo. Still, some numbers crush with power ("Despertar", this one also serving a short fast moment; "Hoy"), but as a whole the influence of the old Argentinian metal school (Horcas, Hermetica) is more than obvious.

Fenix Full-length, 2008

EXTAASI (FINLAND)

These guiys started as a pure classic punk act, but gradually moved towards a more metal-based sound, a tendency reflected on the full-length debut. The music presented is slightly clumsy groovy post-thrash with gruff semi-angry vocals, mid-paced without any faster "temptations" although a few "remnants" from their punky past may be considered as such.

Skitsofreniaa EP, 2001
Rujo Full-length, 2006

EXTER-MY-NATION (CHILE)

Based on the long, 8-song "Drunk Zombies Eat Worms" EP, these guys play fast-paced thrash of the old school, similar to Rigor Mortis and early Whiplash. There is a certain hardcore attitude, reflected in the short song length (barely over 2-min), and the semi-melodic vocals ala Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.).

Rehearsal EP, 2007
Drunk Zombies Eat Worms EP, 2008

EXTERIOR (GERMANY)

Speed/thrash with a cool classic edge, a bit jumpy, carrying a lot of melody as well; the music is energetic mixing early Metallica with heavy slower balladic parts, topped by very good melodic high vocals. The songs mix both approaches quite well, with only "Fucked UP" coming with all the guns blazing, thrashing hard for about 3-min. "Interior Silence" is a very cool semi-ballad, blending sharpness and melody, with the vocals hitting the top. This guy can really sing, and it's a pity that he couldn't perform anywhere else later on.

Interior Silence EP, 1992

EXTERMINATOR (BELGIUM)

Based on "Slay Your Kind", this is an excellent classic blend of thrash and death metal, both aggressive and technical, recalling Massacra and No Return's "Contamination Rises". There is a lot to enjoy here: cool headbanging sections, technical parts which go even towards Death and Pestilence at their best, and some original touches (the nice Oriental riff in "Inside the Pyramid"), as well as slower stomping moments ("Cannibalistic Parangia"), which nicely alternate with the only blast-beats used on the album.
"Mirror Images" is another cool mix of thrash and death metal, at least in the beginning, faster than the follow-up, and a tad less technical. The music favours thrash more, and reminds of some of the more prominent 80's practitioners of the genre: Slayer, Kreator, Necrodeath, Massacra again. "Mirror Images" is a surprise, being a very cool up-tempo speed/thrasher, a lot more melodic than the rest, but totally appropriate. "Church of Chaos" is not a surprise anymore, but carries on in the same vein: a great speed/thrasher with an Agent Steel, Toxic-vibe. This is not the end of the surprises, though, and the following "Bitter End" is a slow, doom/gothic piece, with very nice female vocals. At this point the listener will start getting confused, since the aggressive death/thrash beginning was apparently just a delusion, especially after "Night Music" offers more gothic-infused music, reminiscent of the Germans Crematory, albeit faster, with a cool thrashy edge. The thrashiness returns for the energetic, heavy "The Kill", and for the great closer "Tragedy, Rejoice", which is a nice turn towards more technically-inclined death/speed/thrash, maybe a bit overdone (the very brutal grinding mid-section, immediately followed by a very peaceful balladic passage). At this stage the guys were obviously experimenting with a wider range of influences, and fortunately they have concentrated on the more aggressive, and better, side of their style, as seen from the follow-up.

Mirror Images Full-length, 2000
Slay Your Kind Full-length, 2006

EXTERMINATOR (BRAZIL)

The horrible sound leaves little to be heard from this album; that's why to review it is not a very easy task. The guys definitely have the aggressive, evil attitude, but the vocals are put so much up front that they stifle the instruments almost completely. Overall the music is not impressive at all, and sounds as though every band member was doing his own thing with a little regard to the others. Team cooperation: little above zero.

Total Extermination Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

EXTERMINIO (BRAZIL)

Exterminio don't stray too much from the typical elements of the Brazilian thrash metal scene at the time: fast energetic thrash reminding of MX or Holocausto. There are three longer tracks here, however, and they show that the guys are not strangers to a more elaborate song-writing; the style on those three tracks some kind of reminds me of early Onslaught with their dark, haunting tunes.

Extermнnio Full-length, 1988

EXTINCTION (USA)

Anthrax-influenced, mostly mid-paced thrash with good, Joe Belladonna like vocals.

Demo Demo, 1989

EXTINCTION AGENDA (USA)

It's not very common to hear an American band worshipping the 80's Germanic thrash metal heritage, but this is exactly the case here. If Destruction after the reformation don't sound exactly like the old days, these guys have done it for them. Vintage Destruction- this is what you'll get here. Hopefully there'll be a full-length album soon just to confirm that the mighty Germans finally have a worthy substitute.

The Grace Defile EP, 2006

EXTINCTION OF MANKIND

The information here is not complete, but I am working on it. This band mix thrash and hardcore, and the mix works well, being quite heavy and mid-paced, sounding like a more thrashy Pro-Pain.

The Nightmare Seconds Full-Length
Baptized in Shit Full-Length

EXTOL (NORWAY)

Extol have all the rights to be one of the leading extreme metal acts from Norway. Their debut had little to do with thrash, being atmospheric black metal with technical tendencies, quite well done. "Mesmerized" came as a very pleasant surprise, providing 3 tracks of first-rate technical death/thrash, with almost no traces of black metal, and the technical brilliance of songs like the superb "The Prodigal Son", easily beat more of the songs on the following "Undeceived", which introduced more thrashy riffs, but brought back the black metal "remnants" from the debut, as well as a considerable doze of technical death metal; the final result is again on the positive side, featuring well executed technical music, despite the presence of a few overlong dragging pieces in the second half of the album. "Synergy" is truly a revelation: exquisite technical thrash effort, combining the best from masters like Coroner, Mekong Delta, Believer, Agretator. The guys could have stayed within the confines of the genre for at least one more album, but their will to develop further led them away from the thrash metal field, and "The Blueprint Dives" was a progressive rock/metal offering, a big letdown for their fans.

Burial Full-length, 1998
Mesmerized EP, 1999
Undeceived Full-length, 2000
Paralysis EP, 2001
Synergy Full-length, 2003
Pearl Single, 2005
The Blueprint Dives Full-length, 2005

EXTRACTOR (USA)

This band play crunchy mid-paced thrash, more in the classic camp, with heavy guitars, and harsh vocals. The overall approach may remind you of Sacred Reich's "The American Way", and has the same steam roller-like quality. These guys have the tendency to nicely speed up at times, like on the very cool galloping "Warbeast", and the guitar work is probably more proficient than the one of Sacred Reich, inserting more stylish technical moments from time to time.

Warplay Full-length, 2008

EXTREMA (ITALY)

A below average Italian thrash metal band; on the debut the style is a mix of Bay Area thrash and Pantera-like riffs which doesn't work well most of the time. Later things get even worse with a totally nu-metal sound on their subsequent albums. "Pound For Pound" is a very welcome return for the band on thrash metal territory, but the metalcore breaks are still around, and overall this work tries to imitate early Pantera on the more aggressive moments, and succeeds at times: the faster opener "Anymore", the heavy hammer "Selfishness".

We Fuckin' Care EP, 1987
Tension At The Seams Full-length, 1993
Proud, Powerful 'n' Alive EP, 1993
The Positive Pressure (Of Injustice) Full-length, 1995
Pound For Pound Full-length, 2009

EXTREMITY (BELGIUM)

Amateurish thrash/crossover, coming as a poor version of D.R.I.

Blind by... Demo, 1989

EXTREMITY OBSESSION (GREECE)

This band remind me of the death/gothic metallers Nightfall; actually, the band line-up includes the former drummer of that same band. The early, more aggressive Nightfall sound meets thrash- this is probably the best description. The first demo crosses thrash and death, by giving more preferences to the latter style, and is filled with nice melodic hooks, which were later turned into a Nightfall staple mark. The typical Nightfall dramatic longer compositions with a progressive edge are already here ("Desert"), but are not as many as the direct death/thrashers ("Receive The Soul Of Mine", "Mud's Dimension"), which also contain some intriguing riffs. The sound quality is very bad, making the drums sound too noisy.
"Everlasting" offers only 4 tracks, compared to the twice as big number on the debut demo, and boasts better production qualities, but the music is less eventful, being mid-paced melodic thrash/death with a gothic shade (with only "Relief From Pain" offering a relief for the headbangers, being a raging amalgam of thrash, death and black metal), obviously "courting" the Swedish movement. The music of Nightfall is more of a continuation of the first demo, rather than this one.

Demo-Tape Demo, 1996
Everlasting Demo, 1997

EXTRESSIV (GERMANY)

Hardcore-ish thrash similar to Bound for Glory, with which this band also share their open nazi stand. The music is not very fast, but is edgy and vigorous, aggravated by the cool sing-along choruses. All the time the guys sing together, so there is no separate singer, but this approach creates a jolly, party atmosphere, and fits well the light-hearted tracks.

Weisse Brьder Fьr Europa Full-Length, 2008

EXUMER (GERMANY)

The band's debut remains one of the finest speed/thrash metal albums ever; some of the perennial speed/thrash classics are here, folks: "Possessed By Fire", "Fallen Saint", "Sorrows Of The Judgement", "Silent Death". Von Stein finally finds his most fitting pitch, after his messy performance on a couple of demos previously (Mayhem, Tartaros, which is actually the early incarnation of Exumer); his hellish high-pitched delivery remains one-of-a-kind all these years. He leaves for the follow-up, which might be a big surprise to some: speed/thrash is no longer available, and what we have here is one of the best "Reign in Blood" imitations ever done, with outstanding performance by the guitarist Paul Arakari behind the mike, delivering one of the most brutal merciless vocals at this stage on the scene. Once "Wind of Death" starts, and Arakari unleashes this ungodly piercing shout, in the best tradition of Araya from "Angel of Death", one knows this will be a different animal. The initial surprise will eventually be overcome, and one can not help, but enjoy this compulsive piece of brutality, graced by one of the first extreme super-blasts on the short explosive "Are You Deaf?" and the closing "Ascention Day". Instead of capitalizing on the release of two strong albums of various styles, the guys went their separate ways, leaving behind one of the definitive speed/thrash metal classics, and probably the finest "Reign in Blood" worship.

Possessed by Fire Full-length, 1986
Rising from the Sea Full-length, 1987

EXXOR (SWITZERLAND)

This is the band from where Roger "Nasty" Gautschi, the musician who later founded Lunacy, started his career. The style here is a more conventional type of the thrash/crossover of that other band, if we exclude the beginning- the opener "Just a Dream", which starts in a fairly aggressive manner, with smashing intense proto-death riffage. Later things get a more peaceful character: energetic thrash/crossover with more melodic punk-ish overtones.

Asphalt Paradise Full-length, 1988

EYES OF THE DEAD (USA)

Based on "The Weak and the Wounded", this band plays cool thrash of the old school with dark gothic elements and vicious death metal vocals. The music, except on those gothic elements, is energetic and up-tempo, and songs like "Brought Back to Hell" and "Exacting My Revenge" are major headbanging thrashers. The rest mixes slower and faster rhythms, with the closing "Final Strike" betraying the classic sound with melo-death Swedish-styled riffs. All the band members take part in another act: Aggressia, where the sound clings more towards the modern Gothenburg patterns.

What Nightmares Are Made Of Full-length, 2006
The Weak and the Wounded Full-length, 2009

EYECONOCLAST (ITALY)

Based on the full-length: a modern mixture of thrash and death metal, quite close to Dark Tranquillity and other similar Swedish bands; these guys play more brutally and faster, but the catchy melodic guitar hooks are all here. The very aggressive low-tuned death metal growls are occasionally intercepted by clean ones. The speed at times, though, comes too much.

Cursors EP, 2003
Unassigned Death Chapter Full-length, 2008

EYELESS (FRANCE)

Modern thrash mixing the heavy groove with energetic headbanging sections coming up with run-of-the-mill stuff which has energy and all, and at times even tries to reach the mechanical complexity of their compatriots Gojira, but those attempts are left somewhere in the middle with the guys quickly settling for the more ordinary delivery which still produces one blitzkrieg headbanger ("Razor's Edge").

When Shadows Seduce EP, 2002
Path to the Unknown Full-length, 2004
The Game of Fear Full-length, 2007
The Diary Full-length, 2009

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