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

I.N.C. (USA)

One of the less conventional American thrash metal bands, I.N.C. play an interesting brand of dry, mechanical technical thrash, slightly recalling Voivod and Equinox on the more experimental moments, and Intruder, or Paradox, on the faster and more straight ones. Both albums are full of interesting, stylish riffs and quirky moments, although at least for me the speedy, direct sections work better, creating a nice, headbanging atmosphere. Some of the songs are long, but ironically, those are the less appealing ones, as the guys simply stick to a certain number of riffs without much deviation.

Razorback Full-length, 1987
The Visitor Full-length, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

I.N.R.I. (HOLLAND)

A more aggressive version of the modern thrash/death metal of bands like The Crown and Terror 2000; the music is quite fast and brutal, staying closer to death metal.

Hyper Bastard Breed Full-length, 2002
Ultra Sonic Hatestorm Full-length, 2007

Official Site

I4NI (USA)

This band boast a stellar line-up comprising of members from bands like Overkill, Warning Sf, Angel Witch, Exodus. Style-wise this is heavy thrash sounding like slower Exodus and Anthrax; good stuff, but somehow underwhelming, having in mind the all-star cast involved.

It's All Fun and Games Best of/Compilation, 2001
I4N EP, 2001

I HATE SALLY (USA)

Based on "Don't Worry Lady": this band pull out a mix of thrash and hardcore, with a certain industrial edge. The vocals are awful hardcore shouts, but the guitar work is not too bad, often adhering to some alternative moments. The songs are generally short, no longer than 3-min, but there two monstrous tracks, in the 8-9min range, but they sacrifice the more energetic tempos for some bland dragging doomy moments, which end up nowhere. "Iseah's Cancer" is a cool ballad, and is close to being the highlight of the album. "Mary! Mary!" is the band's tribute to the sludge/doom scene.

Sickness of the Ages Full-Length, 2004
The Plague EP, 2005
Don't Worry Lady Full-Length, 2007
I Hate Sally Vs GFK Split EP, 2007

Official Site

ICE (USA)

The name is cold, I know, but of you manage to overcome the cold, you will hardly be disappointed. Based on the "Ice" demo, this band offer very cool heavy thrash ala early Exodus and Testament, mostly mid-tempo with smashing riffs. "Walls of Oppression" suddenly turns to more up-tempo technical thrash, and is a very pleasant surprise. The heavy, riffage, however, returns for the demo closer: "Rasta Man", which is a very interesting blend of thrash and reggae, so good that noone bothered to come up with a similar mixture all these years- ha ha ha!.

Ice Demo, 1990
Demo Demo, 1991

ICE AGE (SWEDEN)

An all female thrash metal band; this is the band, from where the legendary Debbie Gunn started her career, as a matter of fact. The style doesn't stray from the one practiced by other similar bands, like Meanstreak, for example. The music is melodic, lacks a punch, but is enjoyable.

Demo '86 Demo, 1986
General Alert Demo, 1987
Demo 88 Demo, 1988
Instant Justice Demo, 1989

Official Site

ICELAND (FRANCE)

Interesting and varied 80's thrash - there are fast headbangers, epic/pagan tracks, and some slower ones close to Celtic Frost; a mixture which works quite well. The album opens in a shattering manner with the great aggressive smasher "Brain Washing". After that it slows down, and at least half of the tracks acquire this unique pagan atmosphere so typical for the Brits Sabbat: "Merry Sinner" is probably the best example of this influence. "Traces of Dreams" is a doom-laden, slow, heavy number, graced with some stylish leads and meaty riffs. Then the music speeds up again, with shorter, but very effective headbangers. The vocals are very good, although a bit dirty, with this rough, semi-clean blend, very similar to Chris Astley (Xentrix).

Iceland Full-length, 1990

ICON-EIGHT (NORWAY)

Very good classic thrash metal which manages to "Thrash The Moment"(and after it) quite well. The band mix furious, fast thrashers ("Torn Asunder") with some moody, slower tracks ("Psycho Terrorizer"). The last song- "Trial By Fire", is not a Testament cover.

Thrash the Moment! EP, 2006

Official Site

IDOLS ARE DEAD (ITALY)

Melodic modern thrash, along the lines of Metallica's Black Album and 90's Megadeth. This is feelgood stuff, with no any pretensions for more aggressive play, flowing in the same mid-tempo energetic vein, with good James Hetfield-like vocals, and cool choruses. The closing track takes a more playful, groovy shade, going under the title "Twiggy" (could be a tribute to the legendary model?!).

Mean Full-length, 2008

My Space

IGNORANCE (UK)

Based on the debut, these guys try to break the standard thrash formula in a way similar to another British band: Re-Animator, or the Americans Mordred. In other words, funk meets thrash metal. Ignorance are more of a crossover/thrash act, and have done a better job than the other two bands, simply because apart from all these new touches used they haven't forgotten to be a thrash metal band, and there is a considerable presence of heavy sharp riffs. Contrary to the debut, their sophomore release is a total disaster, having no ties to thrash at all, being some very bland, unappealing funky, alternative form of rock/wave.

The Confident Rat Full-length, 1991
Positively Shocking Full-length, 1992

ILLEGIANCE (UK)

A blistering debut EP of heads-down old school thrash, which will make you headbang the way past masterpieces have: Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare", Necrodeath's "Fragments of Insanity", Sacrifice's "Forward to Termination", etc. "My Temple, Your Tomb" is an explosive aggressive opener, followed by the more controlled and heavier "Betrayed". "Visions Of Torment" is a marvellous steam-rolling thrasher; the speed returns with the closing "Sombre Promise", which finds some time to slow down in a nice, atmospheric way, before the final intense, furious thrashy section shoots the listener at close range. The singer has a very effective sinister singing style, coming as a vicious fusion of Rob Urinari (Sacrifice) and Marcelo "Flegias" Santos (Necrodeath). This is a really impressive beginning, which finely paves the way for the coming for the eventual full-length.

Disease and Disorder EP, 2005

Official Site

ILLWILL (SWEDEN)

Members of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond have gotten together with the intention to pay tribute to the modern thrash metal scene. And they have done a great job; this is awesome modern technical thrash with mangnificent guitar work, courtesy of the mighty Andy La Rocgue who, again, is in top form here. The music is like a more technical version of Fight's "War Of Words", the resemblance coming also from the vocal department where the guy really sounds like Rob Halford most of the time, but you have to think of the vocals Rob used on the Fight works, and more particular, "Small Deadly Space". There is industrial thrown in as well, and another band the music might remind you of, would be Skrew, but here the riffs are more interesting, and the tempos more varied. Don't take it as a downpoint that the best track here is a ballad- "Eternal Sleep", which boats some very cool heavy guitar work, and a very strong vocal performance. Maybe, to compensate things a bit, the guys put the most aggressive song right after it- the excellent riff-monster "K.A.O.S.". Apparently a one-album project, Illwill have left a considerable trace on the 90's metal scene.

Evilution Full-length, 1998

Official Site

IMAGIKA (USA)

The band's self titled debut is power/thrash, with more emphasis on power metal- a good job, but not hard enough to be classified as high quality thrash. "Worship" is a good move in the right direction, with thrash metal taking the upper hand. This eventually led to the band's finest hour- their third effort: first class Bay Area thrash. The band have the detrimental habit to leave big gaps between their albums, making a large part of the metal audience forget about them by the time of the next release. Fortunately, this tradition has been broken in 2006 when the band came up with an immediate follow-up to the excellent "Devils On Both Sides". Their last two albums saw the band going back to the mixture of great thrashers and more restrained power metal tracks.
"Feast For The Hated" follows on the steps on the last two albums; in other words we have a good blend of thrash and power metal, which reminds me of a more thrashy Iced Earth this time, including the very good, Matt Barlow-like vocals, which in the clean sector surpass even him (check out the nice ballad "The Sick Sense"). The new implements are some blast-beats on "Bleed As One Appease The Gods", which is a cool progressive-tinged song; the aggressive proto-death riffage on "Behind Immoral", accompanied by more brutal death-ish growls, but otherwise this is not very intense stuff, and as such falls behind the great "And So It Burns". Pure more immediate thrashers are nowhere to be heard, and all compositions mix the two aforementioned styles in almost equal dozes. "Thinning Out The Herd" thrashes quite intensely, but it still has its more quiet breaks. The other thrash peak is the speedy "New Power Succubus", which is all-out thrash almost until the end. The closing "Succubus" is traditionally longer and more complex, and here the singer is "helped" by a fine female vocal, which gives the song an additional gothic shade, an impression further "cemented" by the inclusion of some atmospheric sections; from a thrash metal point of view it may not be of big value, but is a good work of thought-out metal.

Imagika Full-length, 1995
Worship Full-length, 1998
And So It Burns Full-length, 2001
Devils On Both Sides Full-length, 2005
My Bloodied Wings Full-length, 2006
Feast For The Hated Full-length, 2008

Official Site

IMBALANCE (NORWAY)

This band were operating under the name Frost before, releasing a solitary demo with a style closer to black metal. Here the music is quite diverse: there is some heavy, groovy thrash, but quite often it speeds up acquiring some classic qualities with some good, hard-hitting riffs. The EP opens with the aggressive thrasher "Burial Of Consciousness", in the best tradition of Slayer and Vio-Lence, which is partly ruined by the sloppy, groovy ending. Apparently the guys were warming the settings up for the groovy "Deprivation". "Ride the Blades" is not faster, but boasts some cool sharp guitars, and a very cool lyrical deviation in the middle. "Torn From My Time" is another ordinary groovy track, if we exclude another nice balladic mid-section with a gothic shade.

Burial of Consciousness Demo, 2004
Bestial by Nature EP, 2006

Official Site

IMMACULATE (SWEDEN)

A decent attempt at classic thrash metal, with nods to numerous practitioners of the genre. The problem is that these guys want to be something more than just old school thrash-resurrectors, and they try something more elaborate and technical, but either the lack of clear ideas or musical skills lead these experiments nowhere, making some of the songs sound clumsy and unfocused, something like a lesser Juggernaut(USA). Sticking to the laws of more conventional thrash metal would serve these guys a lot better, as it proved on some of the tracks.

Thrash, Kill 'n' Deströy Full-length, 2007

Official Site

IMMORTAL SIN (USA)

Classy music sounding like a more aggressive Intruder ("Born to Lose"), power/thrash ala Griffin, or Omen ("Dark Castle"), or superb technical thrash in the Have Mercy and Ulysses Siren vein ("Sonic Scream").

Demo Demo, 1988

IMPACT (USA)

Excellent old school thrash calling to mind Sacred Reich's debut or Evildead's "Annihilation Of Civilization"; this is fast, intense music, accompanied by very good powerful semi-clean vocals ala Michael Coons (Laaz Rockit). In the middle the guys have placed a more temperate, longer track, more technical, and with a slight power metal spirit: "It's the End of the World", which works just great.

Take The Pain Full-length, 1991

IMPACT WRENCH (USA)

Based on the "Attention Defecit Disorder" demo, these guys pull out cool thrash, which manages to sound quite interesting most of the time. This is technical stuff, quite choppy and tempo changing, although the music never gets too intense (except on the closing riffs of "Believe in Extremes"). The sound is heavy, with a strong presence of the bass, and might remind you of Forced Entry, or even Forbidden's "Twisted Into Form" on the best moments ("It's a Personal Problem").

Violence Sweet Violence Demo, 1989
Attention Defecit Disorder Demo, 1991
Impact Wrench Demo, 1992

My Space

IMPENDING DOOM (GERMANY)

Like some other bands from Germany at around the same time- Delirious, Blood Red Angel, etc. these guys have tried to make us all feel like the 80's had never been gone. And they have managed to do that with their classic take on thrash which will remind you of early Kreator and Destruction, Razor's early undeveloped period, and thay haven't forgotten to slow down here and there, where the order of the day becomes Celtic Frost/Hellhammer. The musicianship is not on a very high level, but it wasn't very high in the early stages of the genre, either, so for nostalgic reasons this band scores high. "Apocalypse III The Manifested Purgatorium" moves the band's sound into more modern territories, introducing black and death metal in the proceedings, and improving the production qualities a bit.

Caedes Sacrilegae Full-length, 1997
Signum Of Hate Full-length, 1998
Blasphemy Incarnate EP, 2000
The great pale Hunter EP, 2001
Apocalypse III The Manifested Purgatorium Full-length, 2001

Official Site

IMPERIAL (FRANCE)

Based on "Aux Crépuscules", this band offer excellent aggressive classic thrash, with a black-ish edge. The opener "Le Narcissique" will startle you with its furious, ultra-fast approach, but later things get under control, although those blast beating moments don't disappear completely, and grace at least half of the songs. "Vermin" is an excellent cover of one of the best songs of the Dutch Asphyx. "La Lune Rouge" is an awesome speed/thrasher, with great guitar work, followed by two similar, but shorter, ones: "Imperial", and the closing "Thrasheurs 13", which slightly betrays the thrash idea at the end, slowing down, adding a more melodic touch to the proceedings.

Aux Crépuscules Full-length, 1998
Thrasheurs 13 EP, 1998
Malmort Full-length, 1999
Moonblood EP, 2002

My Space

IMPIETY (SINGAPORE)

Throughout their career the band stick to a very furious, aggressive mix of black, death and thrash metal which serves them well, although very often the intensity is too big for the average thrash fan to handle. Their style resembles Impaled Nazarene, early Destroyer 666, and another act from the Far East- the Chinese Resurrection. The last two full-lengths come with a more controlled, almost technical guitar work, although the aggression still reigns supreme.

Salve The Goat...Iblis Exelsi EP, 1993
Asateerul Awaleen Full-length, 1996
Funeralight EP, 1997
Skullfucking Armageddon Full-length, 1999
Kaos Kommand 696 Full-length, 2002
Paramount Evil Full-length, 2004
Formidonis Nex Cultus Full-length, 2007

Official Site

IMPIOUS (SWEDEN)

One of the better practitioners of the modern death/thrash metal mix. The music is along the lines of The Crown, The Haunted and the likes. Impious are perhaps more aggressive, with their sound staying closer to death metal.

Evilized Full-length, 1998
Terror Succeeds Full-length, 2000
The Killer Full-length, 2002
The Deathsquad EP, 2002
Hellucinate Full-length, 2004
Holy Murder Masquerade Full-length, 2007

Official Site

IMPOSTOR (NORWAY)

This is another band where Messiah-the former member of Mayhem, used to play in the past, along with the legendary Faust- the man behind the black metal icons Emperor, and a current member of the thrashers Blood Tsunami. Based on the "Little Hitler Illusion" demo, this is played just for the fun of it Hellhammer-like black/thrash, so don't expect any high achievements music-wise. There are moments where the guys (apparently drunk) make fun of some children's lullabies, or military marches, or everything in between. This is hard to be taken even as a rehearsal for the much bigger things awaiting the band's members in the near future.

Rehearsal of chaos Demo, 1987
Little Hitler Illusion Demo, 1987
SNS - Still Not Satisfied? Demo, 1990

IMPULSE MANSLAUGHTER (USA)

On both albums the style is thrash/crossover mixing some very fast aggressive sections with laid-back punk-ish ones. "Logical End" features a not very faithful, but effective hardcore cover version of Sisters of Mercy's "Gimme Shelter".

He Who Laughs Last...Laughs Alone Full-length, 1987
Logical End Full-length, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

IN.SI.DIA (ITALY)

This band evolved from Inviolacy- a very promising act playing aggressive Slayer-esque thrash (see the review a few lines below). The name change brought some changes in the style as well, as the music this time is of the heavy, more technical type, with longer song-structures, somewhat along the lines of late 80's Metallica. The speed has been sacrificed for the sake of punishing, heavy riffage, although some good headbangers are still present: "Si...Realta" from "Guarda Dentro Te", and "Grido" from "Istinto E Rabbia". There are some modern insertions, as well as quiet, acoustic passages. This is quite good, and would appeal to both classic and modern 90's thrash fans.

Istinto E Rabbia Full-length, 1993
Guarda Dentro Te Full-length, 1995

Fan Site

IN AGGRESSION (CHILE)

Good aggressive thrash metal in the Slayer-vein with some proto-death parts and touches of early Celtic Frost in the slower sections.

Advance Tape Demo, 1988
An Extensive Aberration Demo, 1989

IN CHAINS (BELGIUM)

First rate classic thrash, which offers both speedy intense thrashers ("The Snakepit") and stomping, steam rollers ("Convulsions of the Truth") in the best tradition of the Brits Cerebral Fix. The guitar work is quite cool, nicely alternatiing between sharp riffs and more catchy hooks. The fast-paced numbers are more, and quite of you will jump around on tracks like "Shot at Dawn" and "Instinct (of Selfpreservation)". "Gas Attack" brings forward some more intriguing riffs, and makes the thrashing even more appealing. The closer "Thrashed Down" is not the fastest, or the most aggressive song, but relias on heavy, stomping riffs, which work as fine. The vocals are meanish, black-tinged, but fit the very good music just fine.

Demolition Business Full-Length, 2008

IN HELL (BRAZIL)

This is another band where Mauricio Nogueira (Torture Squad, Krisiun)- one of the best modern Brazilian guitarists, shows his talents. Based on "Suffering in Hell": these guys play a cool mixture of thrash and death, with a classic edge. The music only seldom reaches for more aggressive fields, and the riffs flow nicely, being of the heavy, dark variety, staying closer to thrash. The paced is mostly in the mid-tempo, and could have benefited from more faster sections, like the ones on the excellent "Profane Creation", which offers some technical licks ala Death, or the opening "We'll Honour The Insignificance". "The End" ends the album in an awesome more brutal manner, combining the furious death guitars with some nice more technical thrash ones.

Suffering in Hell Full-length, 2002
The Final Torment Full-length, 2004

IN TYRANNOS (GERMANY)

It is not a very common practice among the German thrash metal bands to sing in their native tongue, if we exclude a few solitary attempts made by Sodom in the not so distant past, but with bands like In Tyrannos things may change. Apart from singing in German, these guys offer a really fine slab of classic thrash, which doesn't sound like the thrash we used to associate with this country, but is more along the lines of their American colleagues: Slayer, Vio-lence, Devastation, among others. The tempo is predominantly fast and quite intense, but without any proto-death elements; the only time when the guys take a break from the aggression, is on "Logenrituale"- a dark slow, doomy thrasher. This is pure unadulterated thrash the way it used to be played during the gerne's heydays. The guitars are very sharp, with a slight technical edge here and there. Although the German metal scene has been filled constantly with retro thrash acts in recent years, this band have all the chances to become one of the more prominent acts from there.

Die Maske Fallt Full-length, 2007

INANE EMINENCE (AUSTRALIA)

Modern melodic thrash with a slight death metal edge, quite close to the French Lyzanxia and Swedish acts like Corporation 187, Carnal Forge, etc.; fast-paced music with melodic guitar lines and shouty, throaty vocals.

The Fading Light In Your Eyes EP, 2004

Official Site

INCARNATE (HOLLAND)

This is a 5-track demo of aggressive fast-paced thrashy hardcore along the lines of Sick of It All and Beyond Possession.

A Dark Age Of Lies Demo, 2004

Official Site

INCINERATOR (ITALY)

Based on the "Live Into the Crematorium" demo, this is probably the first band in Italy who picked on the proto-death sound of bands like Possessed. Their music is fast and aggressive, with the only disappointment being the awkward power/heavy metal number "Crematorium". And of course, the bad throaty vocals, which sound like a poor version of Anihilated's Simon Cobb.
"Uh!?!" carries on in the same vein, but the music is even faster and more intense, consisting of short, brutal outbursts, plus another cheesy number, this time placed at the end: "Uh!?!" ("Uh!", indeed).

Live Into the Crematorium Demo, 1986
Mass Genocide Demo, 1987
Uh!?! Full-length, 1989

Fan Site

INCINERATOR (SWEDEN)

A very good job: classic German thrash in the Destruction, Kreator and the first Exumer album vein; this is really a thrash attack- short, but memorable! 5 tracks of fast, aggressive thrash with good, sharp riffs and nice vocals in the Mem Von Stein (Exumer) vein.

Thrash Attack EP, 2000

Fan Site

INCITER (CROATIA)

Very good old school thrash which brings to mind quite a few heroes from the 80's on the best moments: Metallica, Testament, Xentrix, etc. The singer tries to emulate James Hetfield, and succeeds at times, but the decision to spice those main vocals with some clean alternative and gruff, death metal ones, is awkward and could be avoided for the future. The pace is mid to up-tempo, but with the appearance of those clean alternative vocals, the music seems to lose its edge. There are touches of modern thrash, as well as some more technical sections on the longer songs ("Defray", "Lifeless (Agony)"). "Organic" is very good heavy, mid-paced instrumental thrash.

Burned Out Cells Full-length, 2006

My Space

INCREDIBLE PAIN (GERMANY)

Heavy, mid-paced death/thrash is what these guys offer on their full-length; good stuff, with sharp, smashing riffs. The overall style might remind you of the first two Six Feet Under albums; the singer also tries to death-scream the way Chris Barnes himself used to.

Screaming In Agony Full-length, 2004

Official Site

INCRIMINATED (FINLAND)

Very good black/thrash metal of the old school, bass-dominated and mostly mid-paced although sometimes the music slows down considerably, moving into the fields of doom; for fans of Celtic Frost, Barathrum and Warhammer.

Illusion of Love EP, 2001
Miracle Of Purity Full-length, 2002
Ride of the Tyrants Full-length, 2003
Hypocricide EP, 2004
Kings Of Misery Full-length, 2004
The Promise of Worse to Come Full-length, 2005

Fan Site

INCUBATOR (GERMANY)

Based on "LieBisslieder", these guys pull out a cool blend of thrash and death metal of the classic type. The music is fast-paced, and the album is full of short energetic thrashers ("Frei", "-S-"), but the softer, more laid-back side of the mixture is not forgotten, either: the romantic, gothic-tinged "Stapellauf", where one can hear fine female angelic vocals as well. "F**k Mich" is a more aggressive nod to the Rammstein sound, and is the drawback here. "Der Weg" returns to the more intense thrashing, and "Danke" continues even into more aggressive, death metal territory. "Instrumentalstück" (the title says it all) is a fine instrumental, which combines aggressive death metal with cool melodic leads. "Schön" closes the album in a headbanging thrashy fashion, stirring a certain amount of interest in tracking the rest of the band's catalogue.

Symphonies Of Spiritual Cannibalism Full-length, 1991
McGillroy The Housefly Full-length, 1992
Hirnnektar Full-length, 1993
MCMETALXCVIII Full-length, 1998
Divine Comedy Full-length, 2001
LieBisslieder Full-length, 2008

Official Site

INCUBUS (AUSTRALIA)

A 4-song demo of cool energetic Germanic thrash along the lines of early Destruction; the vocals are sinister black metal rasps, but fit the music quite well.

Sinful Dreams Demo, 1987

INCUBUS (USA)

The first band to ever mix thrash and death metal on an official release. "Serpent Temptation" is furious, very fast thrash/death which took the genre into its next stage. The music is still more thrash than death metal, but some sections are so intense that many future death metal bands would find it hard to match: the brutal explosive "Blasphemous Prophets", the lightning speed killer "Incubus", etc. Perhaps the more conventional, but still aggressive thrashers seem to work better: the Slayer-esque "Sadistic Sinner", the stomping, semi-technical "Ungerground Killers", simply because the intensity might come as too much for the thrash fan at this early stage of the most extreme genres' development.
"Beyond The Unknown" is almost a full-blooded death metal recording, with a nice technical edge, but still furious and brutal, bringing it close to their compatriots Nocturnus and the Therion early efforts.

Serpent Temptation Full-length, 1988
Beyond the Unknown Full-length, 1990

Vibrations of Doom

INDESTROY (USA)

Another notable speed/thrash metal band, largely forgotten by many fans. On the debut the band play fast and energetic speed/thrash, but the bad production ruins a lot. With that obstacle put aside on "Senseless Theories", the band unleash full out speed/thrash attack which only flaw is that it's very short (six tracks only). "Instant Insanity" opens with furious speedy riffs, reaching almost a death metal intensity on the fastest sections. "Living In Filth" is more controlled, but is served with nice clever, almost technical guitar work. "Sam The Butcher" is a heavy, sinister short instrumental, followed by the slower, pounding "Senseless Theories" which, just before it gets too boring, introduces a smashing ultra-fast thrashy edning. "Terminal Choice" is another aggressive speed/thrasher, with some jumpy frantic sections thrown in. "Tortured By Fire" ends this great EP with heavy, technical riffs, reducing the all-out speed a bit. With this very strong effort, having come at the very right time, the band could have joined the front row of thrash if they had lasted longer.

Indestroy Full-length, 1987
Senseless Theories EP, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

INDICA (USA)

A smart band who quickly felt where the wind was blowing; their music is quite a good blend of modern and classic thrash. The music stays more on the classic side, boasting some good, meaty riffs with slight progressive overtones. "Pavement" is a classic headbanger, with nice tight sharp guitar work. "Repressed" is slower, but the rhythm section is heavy and pounding, and some cool technical riffs come up. "Green" carries on in the same vein, sounding like a more aggressive version of some tracks from the Metallica's Black Album. "Ego" is a first class technical thrasher, bringing to mind Metallica again, but their best, late 80's period, goind even beyond that, with the inclusion of some wonderfully abstract, but quite intense moments. "Burning Sphere" stays closer to the 90's trends, but is a great atmospheric, slightly industrialized thrasher ala Coroner's "Grin". This was really a very promising beginning, but the band called it quits, apparently not willing to join the modern thrash-wagon on a full-time basis.

Indica Demo, 1992
Pavement EP, 1993

Fan Site

INDUNGEON (SWEDEN)

The band's debut is excellent thrash blending the classic and modern style, with a few touches of melodic death metal. The guys never speed up too much, and their music has this smashing, steam roller-like quality, very typical for the Brits Cerebral Fix; here one can hear some melodic, Gothenburg-influenced guitars, and these Swedes have a bigger sense of melody: check out the brilliant "522 666", or the very catchy "Cybergenetic Supermind": there's no way you won't recognize these songs once you've heard them! Seldom does the sound reach doom/stoner slowness: "Desolation Creation", which nicely speeds up near the end, with great headbanging riffs. In the second half the melody comes maybe too much, on tracks like "In The Ashes Of Civilixations"; even the most aggressive number ("Charging Against You") is graced by some nice melodic, and even technical hooks, which is hardly a complaint, since the band are really expert at infusing the compositions with a lot of melody, giving them a really distinctive edge. Unfortunately, melodic death metal has taken a much larger space on the sophomore release, making it sound like many other contemporary thrash/death metal acts around; too bad because these guys were definitely going somewhere with their first effort.

Machinegunnery Of Doom Full-length, 1997
The Misanthropocalypse Full-length, 1998

Official Site

INERTIA (ITALY)

There is a rekindled interest in Slayer in Italy. Inertia are one of the proofs for that. The sound is clearly Slayer-influenced with some very annoying synthesized vocals which ruin much of the good impression made by the music. The last song from the demo is a cover version of Slayer's "Angel Of Death", and I will give anyone 1000 bucks if he would be able to recognize it!

Fly Into Darkness Demo, 2000
Dead End Railway EP, 2006

Official Site

INEVITABLE END (SWEDEN)

This band prefer to tread the well-trodden path of Swedish thrash/death metal along the lines of Carnal Forge and The Crown. Sometimes these guys add some atmospheric black metal touches, probably with the intention to sound less generic.

Inevitable End Demo, 2004
Reversal Demo, 2005

Official Site

INFAMIA (ITALY)

Modern power/speed metal meets melodic thrash. Some of you out there might argue about the inclusion of this band here, but quite a few of the tracks carry the thrashy edge quite a bit. There is some cheesiness typical for the scene, but this is not as bad as it may sound.

Infamia Full-length, 1994

INFAMOUS SINPHONY (USA)

Based on the debut album, this is aggressive thrash mixed with hardcore, sounding like a mix of Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" and Wehrmacht's "Shark Attack". The vocals do a good job to ruin a lot, being awful hysterical hardcore shouts.

Manipulation Full-length, 1989
Wild Rags Limited Edition Split, 1990
Beef Kurtin Full-length, 1994

My Space

INFANTRY OF DOOM (GERMANY)

Aggressive thrash/death metal with an old school sound. This is a standard, but brutal approach to the genre and could be better if the guys leave the thrashy riffs to develop fully for the future without unnecessarily interrupting them with fierce blast beats.

The Saw Is Family Demo, 2001

Official Site

INFEARIOR (GERMANY)

Magnificent power/thrash metal with some shades of doom. Eidolon and Morgana Lefay come to mind, especially in the guitar department, and Hexenhaus ("Dejavoodoo", in particular). This is mostly mid-paced music, with heavy riffs, and frequently melodic guitar lines, with a touch of Mike Wead- the very good leads. Some really nice Oriental sections come up here and there- check out the cool, energetic "When Symbols Fell". The obligatory ballad is here as well: "Still Your Eyes Break the Silence". The lead guitarist shows his skills on the short, 2-min instrumental "Phobos", which is followed by the doomy, 9-min opus "The Cage Within", which would even suit the works of Candlemass and Memento Mori. "Last Generation" is another melodic deviation, "courting" the American power metal scene of the 80's, with a good galloping rhythm.

Two Faced World Full-length, 2004

Official Site

INFECT (USA)

Based on the first demo, these guys offer aggressive thrash metal, which strangely reminds me of Bathory (R.I.P.)'s "Requiem", with the hollow guitar sound and the simplistic riffs. The music acquires some slight death metal tendencies at times, but most of the time it is straight thrash bashing, simple and intense, with short, 2-2.5min long tracks.

Demo Demo, 1988
Face the Infection Demo, 1991

INFECTED (SWITZERLAND)

A very interesting band playing dark aggressive thrash, sounding like a better produced and more technical version of early Messiah, with touches of Celtic Frost, and death-vocals ala Protector. Moments of early Coroner are also present, so as a result we have an album which brings all the great Swiss acts together, although put together, this concoction is less impressive than the separate acts on whom the music is based on. The tempo varies from more intense songs (the excellent opener "Media Control", which also contains one very cool doomy middle section) to some stomping, heavy ones ("Headless"). "Backstabbing Small Talk" combines both the most aggressive and most technical riffs, recalling again Protector, but their later, 90's period.

Dark Century Full-length, 1989

INFERNAL (BRAZIL)

Based on the debut, Infernal play old school thrash/death metal with no influences from the 90's metal scene. The music is obviously influenced by the Floridian death metal bands, Morbid Angel's "Altars Of Madness" in particular. The tempo varies from very fast, brutal parts to some slower, crushing sections; nothing extraordinary, but well done.

Drowning In The Chalice of Sin Full-length, 1993
Ritual Humiliation Full-length, 2001
Anthological Humiliation Full-length, 2002

Official Site

INFERNAL COMMAND (PARAGUAY)

Good old school black/thrash with some death metal elements, not too far from Destroyer 666; their first demo has a cool cover of Bywar's "Thrasher's Return".

Time of Thrash Demo, 2003
Demo I Demo, 2005

Official Site

INFERNAL DEATH (USA)

Based on the "Incantations of the Gates" demo, this band pull out a vicious blend of thrash and death metal. The music has shades of Celtic Frost and Possessed, but is not as good, partially because of the awful sound quality, partially because of the bad throaty vocals which ruin things quite a bit. The guys are better keeping the speed up where the Possessed influence is clear, and one could catch some cool (but not many) riffs.

Incantations of the Gates Demo, 1989
Bringer of Evil Demo, 1992
Drunk & Jammin' 1995 Demo, 1995

Official Site

INFERNÄL MÄJESTY (CANADA)

A legendary Canadian thrash metal band. The debut is a landmark work with its dark, ominous sound, complex song structures and great technical, but at the same time aggressive riffs. The band surprisingly preferred to keep a low profile for more than ten years sporadically releasing demos until they finally entered the studio in 1998. "Unholier Than Thou " is another marvellous job showing how badly these guys were missing from the scene. Their style has been slightly adapted to the modern tendencies, but the trade mark riffs were intact, and with some even more technical guitar work ala later period Death, the final result was nothing short of outstanding. Another long pause followed till the third album which saw the band introducing a certain doze of death metal for the sake of the technical elements; this is the band's weakest effort bringing them closer to the modern death metal scene.
"Systematical Extermination" features two songs of exquisite technical thrash/death metal which retains some of the aggression of the last full-length, but is a major improvement, with much better guitar work (brilliant leads!), and is a fabulous return to the more complex sound of the previous two albums, suggesting of something great this way to come soon (hopefully!).

None Shall Defy Full-length, 1987
Unholier Than Thou Full-length, 1998
One Who Points to Death Full-length, 2004
Systematical Extermination Demo, 2006

Official Site

INFERNIA (MEXICO)

Cool retro speed/thrash, which will bring you back in time, to the 80's American scene, and the early efforts of acts like Blessed Death, Destructor and Hallows Eve. So don't expect anything too aggressive, but be prepared even for some happy moments from the 90's power/speed metal scene ("Desquiciado", "Bruja Blanca"), with some nice melodic leads. exits from thrash like this one are not that many, though, and are compensated by some quite brutal tracks, the way Hallows Eve used to throw them in their works from time to time ("Antesala Del Infierno"). The singer shouts like a typical hardcore performer, and could be a serious detraction to some. Be careful not to miss the Black sabbath cover of "Symptom of the Universe", sung in Spanish, quite faithfully done.

La Antesala del Infierno Full-length, 2006

My Space

INFERNO (HOLLAND)

While Asgard and Mysto Dysto were trying to lay the foundations of speed/thrash metal in Holland, another band went straight for the throat. Inferno caused an earthquake with this merciless, brutal piece of thrash back in the mid 80's. This demo, along with Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill", tried to show to the other side of the Atlantic that Europe could also produce its extreme music as opposed to Slayer and Dark Angel that same year. Listen to it at your own risk!

Terrorstrike Demo, 1986

INFERNOISE (SPAIN)

Groovy thrash ala Pantera, emulating their American peers quite a lot, including in the vocal department; there is a certain southern doom ala Down spirit involved, but not much to stifle the hard, groovy guitar sound. The second track- "All My Rage", is quite an intense one, with some hard-hitting riffs.

Hellrider Single, 2006

My Space

INFERNÖ (NORWAY)

Old school thrash bringing us back to the days of the Destruction's debut mini-album and Sacrifice's first two releases; simple and raw, but fun. The music on the debut delivers the goods, with direct up-tempo headbangers, occasionally acquiring some more mellow tendencies, not too far from early Exciter ("Tormentor", "Storming Metal"), with very catchy riffs and rhythms, and could be considered the better side. "Infernal Invasion" is a total nod to the Destruction masterpiece "Bestial Invasion", but the guitar prowess of the Norwegians still has room for growth, and that song is not as striking. The singer is not the best asset of the band, delivering his mean-ish, semi-hoarse vocals one-dimensionally, and some unholy screaming from time to time could have been a nice touch.
The second album is a bit faster, and with a better sound quality; it totally worships early Destruction all the way, although again something little seems missing in the guitar department. The guitars sound sharper and louder, but the playful attitude, which graced just a couple of tracks from the debut, here has increased, which is not a complaint at all, since it makes this work more memorable in the long run. Some really cool exercises in speed/thrash can one hear: "Straight From Hell", "Bulldozer"; some awesome intense heads-down thrashers as well: "Utter Hell", "Rot in Hell" (the guys like this word, hey! After all, they are Infernö!). Despite the samey nature of all the tracks, it is pleasant to hear music so passionately dedicated to the classic 80's sound.

Utter Hell Full-length, 1996
Downtown Hades Full-length, 1997

My Space

INFLICTION (ITALY)

Gothenburg-influenced, modern thrash/death metal ala Carnal Forge and The Forsaken.

The Faint Smell Of Suicide Full-length, 2002
The Silencer Full-length, 2005

Official Site

INGERMANLAND (NORWAY)

Oddleif Stensland founded this band to keep himself busy while Scariot were having a break. Both demos show the style of his later formation- Communic, fully developed and even better. Think a more aggressive and thrashy version of Sanctuary's "Into the Mirror Black" with meaty , heavy riffs and superb technical thrash breaks. There are shades of Communic, too, and these two demos actually must have been an influence on Scariot's "Strange to Numbers", although the music here is slower, but by no means less interesting. Stensland would have been perfectly set if he had carried on with this project with no need to form other bands.

Surface As Ceiling Demo, 1999
Beyond Equator Demo, 2001

INNER CHAOS (FRANCE)

This band offer a very intriguing brand of technically minded thrash with a more modern edge, never fast or aggressive, but with slow-ish to mid-paced guitars, with frequently changing hooks and tunes. "Neopolis" is a truly impressive debut, featuring dark, haunting music, crossing Psychotic Waltz with 90's Flotsam & Jetsam and Coroner's "Grin", with some surprisingly effective, slightly faster thrashers ("My Dark Side"). despite its minimalistic nature, this is really interesting music, calling to mind even Coroner's earlier output ("Conclusion"). Seldom can a band pull out such technical music, without inserting speedy, intense moments- check the slow, but utterly satisfying "Disgrace". "Neopolis 1" is a great instrumental piece, with a somewhat jazzy edge; its continuation ("Neopolis 2") is another fine slab of technical thrash, this time with vocals. Mentioning the vocals, I have to add that they are a nice adition to the good music, being melodic, mid-ranged, with a slight alternative edge; a good display of the guy's talents is the cool acoustic closer "New Sun".
"Different Stories" is another stellar effort, more dynamic than the debut, and with much more elaborate song-structures. This is sheer progressive stuff, this time bearing resemblances to Zero Hour, but more aggressive. It consists of two parts, separated by a couple of neutral tracks. The first part: "War", which is 5 parts, is a fine slab of progressive power/thrash, although the middle balladic part is kind of underwhelming. The second part: "The Tale Of John Kastner", which is four parts, is less satisfying, more complex, with more melodic sections, although the last part tries to capture some lost ground, and almost succeeds, with its sudden switch to intense technical thrash/proto-death, and is both a revelation, and a pullback, making you angry at the guys for not throwing some more aggressive riffage of the kind earlier.

Neopolis Full-length, 2002
Different Stories Full-length, 2005
Instant Replay Full-length, 2007

My Space

INNER RAGE (USA)

A melodic, but appealing blend of thrash, power and speed metal recalling Destructor, Malice, early Laaz Rockit, Savage Grace, etc.

Demo Demo, 1987

INNER SANCTUM (URUGUAY)

An excellent release, coming from not a typical place for metal, but definitely worth checking out: dark, haunting thrash in the best tradition of early Celtic Frost, with gruff vocals, also recalling Tom G. Warrior. These guys move things to the faster sector ("Deathless ProphetX", and especially the aggressive thrashing "Electric Influence"), but the gloomy tone of the music remains. On the other hand "Tears" and the closing "Wasteland" are pure exercises in doom, and are quite impressive as well.

Frozen Souls Full-length, 1994

My Space

INNER STRENGTH (USA)

Progressive thrash metal somewhat similar to the Canadians Dyoxen and Psychotic Waltz, but more experimental and varied, slower and overall less impressive. The sound is not heavy at all, and combined with the clean melodic vocals might pull back the average thrash metal fan in the beginning. But after a more careful listen, one could discover some quite intriguing technical thrash riffs. Unfortunately, the band have the bad habit to ruin the thrash breaks with some melodic parts and unnecessarily complex guitar work. The bass performance is quite strong, and the guitars have the edge sometimes, but the band's desire to sound closer to progressive, than thrash, stifles this edge quite often, bringing forward numerous balladic sections, as well as several pure ballads. "Sunrise Dreamer" is the only more straight thrashy track, recalling Megadeth.

Shallow Reflections Full-length, 1994

INNOXIOUS (NORWAY)

Badly produced, but quite decent attempt at more complex power/thrash metal with some intricate riffs which definitely show a Watchtower influence, only that at that stage the guys haven't perfected their musical skills yet, and the more intricate passages sound a bit awkward and unfinished. If they had kept things more simple, they would have probably done a better job.

Messenger Single, 1990

INQUISIDOR (MEXICO)

Based on the band's debut, this is speed/thrash metal from the Germanic school, but with very thin, drilling production, and pretty generic.

Inquisidor Full-length, 1989
Sobre tu cadaver Full-length, 1990
La Ultima Oportunidad Full-length, 1996

INQUISITION (COLOMBIA)

From the band's long discography, only their debut EP would be of interest to thrash metal fans. It's a pity they hadn't continued in the same vein, as the style here is very good energetic semi-technical thrash with long, 9-min long compositions, which never sound boring even for a single second, where one could hear everything from the thrash textbooks- aggressive sections, nice melodic, but sharp guitars, technical breaks, swirling solos, and let's not forget the vocals which will remind you of Kelly Shaefer from Atheist. Later the guys surrendered to the black metal god(s).

Anxious Death EP, 1990
Incense of Rest EP, 1996
Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult Full-length, 1998
Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan Full-length, 2002
Unholy Inquisition Rites EP, 2004
Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer Full-length, 2004
Nefarious Dismal Orations Full-length, 2007

My Space

INQUISITOR (HOLLAND)

Ex-members from several Dutch death metal acts have gotten together to play... well, the style is a mix of death and thrash metal, clinging towards thrash, despite the frequent use of blast beats, and is quite close to the first two Sadus albums (including vocal-wise), or Hellwitch, but not as technical. This is very fast and intense stuff, quite well done at that; "Trial of Denial" is probably the only track which slows down to mid-tempo, but its closing seconds are fast as hell, too. The songs are not too short, mostly within the 4-5min range, plus the album closer "Inquisitor", which goes twice over this limit closing on 8.5min, and is a very good example how such a long track could sound fast and aggressive all the time, without any slower sections (except on a very few occasions). In the mid 90's it was always good to hear something more classically inclined, and this album is one of the better achievements of the period.

Walpurgis-Sabbath of Lust Full-length, 1996

INRAGE (SWEDEN)

One of the better modern thrash metal bands from Sweden.

Built To Destroy Full-length, 2002

INSAINTIFICATION (BRAZIL)

Intense, aggressive thrash metal in the Slayer-mould, with death metal vocals and some slight death metal tendencies in the musical department on the first demo. The two songs on the single preserve the Slayer sound, but the riffs are more technical and the production is much better.

Reflections about the Inner Conflict Demo, 2002
A Few Days to Die Single, 2005

My Space

INSANACIDE (USA)

Before Usurper, there was another band earlier in the States who based their music on the great Celtic Frost, so expect heavy, stomping thrash, with some faster parts ("The Chosen"), and more melodic leads than the ones featured on the works of the Swiss.

Demo Demo, 1990

INSANE (BELGIUM)

Standout speed/thrash in the best tradition of Toxic Shock's debut and early Destruction. This is crushing, intense music with mighty riffs and vocals which at times sound quite close to Paul Baloff (R.I.P.). "Drinking" is a kind of an intermission being a jolly 1-min crossover track, and the "Ballad of Jimmy" is a 7-sec joke similar to S.O.D.'s "The Ballad of Jimi Hebdrix" from "Speak English or Die".

More Beer Demo, 1989

INSANE (CZECH)

Based on "Morning in Red": quite good dark, gothic-tinged thrash with a funereal atmosphere. Most of the songs are mid-paced, with nice guitar melodies and some interesting semi-technical riffs. There are also some more intense thrashers ("Morning in Red", "Extremely Progressive Method", "Sentence") as well as shades of groove here and there. "Child of the Moon" is very close to doom/death, and is quite a moody piece.

Morning in red Full-length, 1999
Finite number of exits ?! Full-length, 2007

Official Site

INSANE (ITALY)

A mix of thrash and American power metal close to SA Slayer, early Overkill, Destructor; touches of Exciter, too. The guys prefer to play fast, which is good, but the songs merge into one another, that's why the album works as a whole, because you might not be able to remember separate pieces from it, even after a few repeated listens.

Wait And Pray Full-length, 2004

My Space

INSANIAC (USA)

"Screams from the Asylum" is a more speed-based effort similar to Destructor and Exciter, quite well done, despite the slightly raw sound. "Psychomania" is a fairly good attempt at more comlex, technical thrash metal. There are some really intriguing riffs as well as quite intense aggressive sections, and some cool lead guitar work. On the shorter tracks the guys give way to their more brutal nature- the smashing "Circle of Death", but it's in the long numbers where the band show their actual musical skills- the more elaborate "Psychomania".

Screams from the Asylum Demo, 1986
Psychomania Demo, 1987

Fan Site

INSANITY (BRAZIL)

Based on "Phobia" (the full-length), this is quite good death/thrash metal, reminding of early Death and Possessed with some nice, stylish solos. The pace is quite fast, with some occasional blast beats, but with some mid-tempo galloping rhythms as well. The guitar sound is a bit hollow at times, but this is when it suits the gruff, brutal vocals quite well. The approach is kind of samey, "broken" in the second half by a couple of longer, slower songs: the cool galloping "Night of the Living Deads", which is decorated by an aggressive death metal passage near the end; the atmospheric, heavy "Innocent Laughter"; the surprising doom/gothic-like "Sadness".

Cryogenization EP, 1991
Phobia Single, 1993
Phobia Full-length, 1993
Mind Crisis Full-length, 1998

INSANITY (USA)

The "Live Rehearsal" demo is simply hard to believe: it is so insanely (after all the guys are called Insanity) fast (the demo I have could have been recorded on a faster bit-rate on purpose?) that it leaves pretty much everything behind recorded in the next few years in terms of speed and aggression. It definitely has a certain death metal-vibe, but the concentration is clearly on speed- I can't think of another band from the 80's who could come even close to this one; later the death metal bands of the 90's, of course, reached these heights, but seldom surpassed them. "Death After Death" shows a more controlled band, with a bigger focus on technical play rather than speed (although some tracks are still played at lightning speed), and the final result is still quite impressive, but on a different scale: this is technical thrash/death reminiscent of early Massacra, Therion's "Of Darkness", and No Return's "Contamination Rises".

Live Rehearsal Demo Demo, 1985
Demo 1989 Demo, 1989
Insanity Demo, 1994
Death After Death Full-length, 1994
Sacrefixion EP, 2002
Ultimate Death Best of/Compilation, 2004
From the Grave Best of/Compilation, 2005
Demo 1985 Single, 2006

INSANITY ARISE (ITALY)

Common Swedish thrash/death metal- fast paced and competently done, but that's all about it.

Insanity Is Your Deadliest Weapon EP, 2006

Original Site/

INSECTICIDE (USA)

Fast, furious speed/thrash with short tracks, similar to Hirax.

Demo Demo, 1987
Swarm Kill Demo, 1988
Unreleased LP Demo, 1990

Original Site/

INSEMINATOR (POLAND)

Based on the "Into Rotten Coma We Drift" EP, this band play a blend of thrash and death metal, jumping from fast, intense ("Inseminate or Die") to heavy, with a doomy edge ("Rotten Coma") songs. The last track is a very fast, brutal cover of Death's "Evil Dead", which is combined with another, equally as aggressive number: "Beyond the Unholy Grave".

Death Thrash (Inseminate or Die) Demo, 2004
Dark Flame of Holy Inquisition Split, 2005
Into Rotten Coma We Drift EP, 2006
Deaththrash Coma - Rotten Insemination Best of/Compilation, 2006

Original Site/a>

INSICKNIA (ITALY)

Modern thrash/death, which tries to runaway from the trite formula with some dry mechanical riffs, more accentuated on the very cool "Lies In, Blood Out".

Ascend to the Sky Demo, 2007

INSLAIN (AUSTRALIA)

Pretty ordinary, and quite unimpressive groovy thrash with all the gimmicks introduced by Machine Head's weak period (the clean vocals, the pop-ish rhythms, etc.). At least the name promised something...

Dark Reality Demo, 2005

Original Site/a>

INSULT II INJURY (USA)

Your average modern thrash ala Pantera.

Point of This Full-length, 1994

INSULTER (BRAZIL)

Raw, messy, fast and brutal thrash recalling Sarcofago and early Sepultura. It's considerably worse than the efforts of the aforementioned bands from the same time, but the guys were determined to carry on, changing their name to Sextrash.

Black Church Demo, 1987

INSURGENCY (USA)

One of the first speed/thrash/crossover bands, Insurgency play fast and energetically with simplistic, but nice and catchy riffs and a more thrash-oriented sound than many of the thrash/crossover acts who appeared later. Worth mentioning are the vocals which are a nice deviation from the pattern: unique high-toned mean snarls which manage to carry a certain sense of melody. In 1985 such music was nothing short of groundbreaking, but the band never recorded again.

Demo Demo, 1985

INSYNYRY (USA)

Excellent progressive power/thrash sounding like a mix of early Psychotic Waltz and heavier, thrashy Fates Warning. The music is mostly heavy and mid-paced, with interesting tempo changes, and the shorter and more aggressive tracks have a certain Bay Area flavour (think early Testament): "Trial of Insanity", and the longest track on the demo, and arguably the best one: "Holy War", which is a direct take on Metallica's late 80's period with the smashing riffs, the technical, dry sound and the swirling Kirk Hammett-like leads. The songs (some of them) are intercepted by some really nice balladic moments, including one pure short ballad: "Death Note", which suit perfectly the powerful vocals- a great mix between Buddy Lackey (Psychotic Waltz) and John Arch (Fates Warning).

Holy War, The War Within Demo, 1993

INTERCEPTOR (SLOVENIA)

Based on "Fade", Interceptor play a fusion of modern thrash and death metal; style-wise the music is similar to late period Massacra or the Polish Dragon (their works from around the same time), but the Slovenians' music borrows from other genres as well- there are a few ballads, some more jolly rock-ish passages, some cover versions of other Slovenian bands, and something more.

The Beginning Full-length, 1993
Fade Full-length, 1996
Mora Full-length, 1998

My Space

INTERDICTION (GERMANY)

Modern 90's thrash meets death metal. This is good stuff reminiscent of the last two Massacra albums, but Interdiction speed up more frequently, and sometimes venture into industrial territory (the use of synthesized vocals, some Fear Factory-like moments, etc.)

Keep A Way Full-length, 2000
Devotion EP, 2003
Utopia For Sale... Full-length, 2003
War Fetish Full-length, 2006

My Space

INTERFECTOR (POLAND)

The music on this demo is excellent 80's thrash metal in the Testament, Exodus-vein. A full-length is badly needed to put the band on the metal scene, because there is great potential here. They have to change the vocals though- these hysterical, black metal snarls don't fit the music.

Self Destruction Demo, 2004

Official Site

INTERZONE (CANADA)

This is the continuation of the Canadian thrash legends Sacrifice. The guitar sound is kind of abrasive and a bit dry (a tendency already started on "Apocalypse Inside"), but the opener "Crown of Lies" promises a lot of old school thrashing. The very next song ("The Cage"), however, shows that the band have moved on, with its modern, groovy, Pantera-sque sound. The style carries on in the modern vein, with the old headbanging riffs coming back once more on "Last Breath".

Cydonia EP, 1999

Official Site

INTOXICATE (SWEDEN)

On "Monomania", the band play raw, messy thrash reminding of early Razor and Hallows Eve.

Monomania Demo, 1989
Tango of Nietsche Demo, 1990
Into Hibernation Demo, 1991

My Space

INTRINSIC (USA)

Based on the self titled debut, this is mostly power/speed metal in the vein of Savage Grace or Griffin, but Intrinsic's music is more edgy, with the obligatory thrashy riffs and a more aggressive attitude.

Intrinsic Full-length, 1988
Distortion Of Perspective EP, 1990
Closure Full-length, 1996

Vibrations of Doom

INTRUDER (USA)

It's beyond me why this great band are not being mentioned right beside Megadeth, Testament, Slayer, Metallica, etc. Their style is first rate technical speed/thrash metal which is by no means worse than the best achievements of the aforementioned bands. The first two albums are almost identical, mixing fast-paced thrashers with some laid-back power metal-based numbers; the former are the much better side of the band, bringing their sound close to masters like early Angel Dust and Warrant- for fans of the speedy side of thrash, both works are highly recommended; the second one adds some genuine technical touches in the guitar department, as well as a cover version of Sex Pistols' "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone", turned into an awesome speed/thrashing piece here.
"Psycho Savant" tries to break the formula of the first two, by adding heavier guitar work and longer compositions, bringing the sound closer to Heathen's "Victim Of Deception" on the more complex tracks, although the guys try to add an energetic section into almost every song. It's not a very distant departure, though, although the technical implements are more frequent, and the speed has been reduced just a bit, but the final result is not bad at all, as the ever changing rhythms and tempos will keep the listener entertained all the time.

Cover Up / Cold Blooded Killer EP, 1987
Live To Die Full-length, 1987
A Higher Form of Killing Full-length, 1989
Escape from Pain EP, 1990
Psycho Savant Full-length, 1991

Official Site

INVASION (USA)

Both albums are fast, relentless death/thrash attacks recalling Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill" and the Brazilians Sarcofago. There's no variety, but the sheer intensity of the music is more than enough. "Conquered" is probably the better, and more aggressive effort; it more boldly ventures into death metal waters, and the pace is constantly fast, albeit a bit samey, with the exception of "Sound Of The War Drum" which, as the title suggests, concentrates on the drum performance. Near the end the guys step the pedal tighter, and the last two tracks are quite good aggressive thrash/death pieces, with some smashing riffage.

Conquered Full-length, 1999
Berserk Artillery Barrage Full-length, 2002

INVECTION (USA)

Very good retro thrash which nicely combines brisk, speedy numbers in the vein of early Destruction ("Drug Justice") with heavy, stomping ones ("FBI"), recalling Slayer's late 80's period.

World Plague EP, 2008

My Space

INVID (USA)

It's beyond me how talented acts like this one get lost after just one demo! First rate technical thrash with excellent bass bottom, mid-paced to slow ("Journey of the Blind" could be viewed as a ballad, actually, at least the first part), with crushing riffs and great leads, recalling Dark Angel's "Time Does Not Heal", and Heathen's "Victims of Deception". There are times when the music very surprisingly speeds up ("Silent Termination"), as though coming out of nowhere, having in mind the heavy nature of the dominating material. You might not be able to headbang too much on this demo, but if you sit down and listen with care, you will come across a real winner.

Demo Demo, 1991

INVIDIA (USA)

Good, somewhat original sound have these guys forged for themselves. This could be described as progressive thrash/death metal which shares some of the technicality and dramatism of bands like Quo Vadis (Canada) and Opeth, but this "idyll" is frequently being interrupted by some aggressive thrash riffage, and some more conventional melodic death metal moments ala At the Gates. Apparently the guys try to attract fans from a few sides of the metal sectre, but their technical skills are high enough to place them safely among the more progressively-inclined representatives of the genre, if they show more readiness to use them for the future.

Invidia Demo, 2003
Reflections of the Shattered Glass Demo, 2003
Cornerstone of Chaos EP, 2006

Official Site

INVIOLACY (ITALY)

These are the same guys who a few years later released two good albums under the name In.Si.Dia. This early incarnation is the better sounding: there are no traces of modern 90's thrash, this is pure old school attack, both aggressive and technical, with mighty crushing riffs in the Slayer and Vio-lence vein.

No Compromises!!! EP, 1991

Fan Site

INVOCATOR (DENMARK)

Invocator came right on time to replace Artillery on top of the thrash metal realm in Denmark, who had split up that same year. The band's demos of the late 80's have already suggested at the new coming force of Danish metal. The band don't betray the sound displayed on the demos (and there was no reason to, as the demos are amazing!): aggressive technical thrash with hints of death and very heavy, but also fast guitar work. After such a smashing debut the bands usually think carefully before making the next step, but Invocator were ready with their next offering two years later. The aggression has been decreased to a certain extent, and some modern elements have come to replace it, but the result is almost as good as before: one of the finest examples of 90's progressive thrash. With two stellar albums on their account, the third release came as a cold shower to the metal fanbase- pretty average, groovy thrash with very slight shades of the band's previous technical flair ("Dying To Live"...not very likely, it's rather "Dying To Stop Playing Music"... for a while). Consequently, this would be the band's last effort for eight years when they finally dared to show up for one last temptation so far. Their last album is much better than "Dying To Live", but despite some genuine technical touches, it is not much different from the modern thrash/death metal trends of recent years.

Excursion Demise Full-length, 1991
Insurrected Despair EP, 1992
Weave The Apocalypse Full-length, 1993
Dying To Live Full-length, 1995
Through The Flesh To The Soul Full-length, 2003

Official Site

INZEST (GERMANY)

This is a pleasant surprise: speed/thrash metal from the German underground, featuring Peter Schultz who later joined the more popular Protector. This is very good music which manages to combine the speedy, semi-technical rhythms of early Destruction and Exumer with darker, brooding riffs, topped up by more melodic, but slightly rough vocals which could remind you of Jon Van Doorn from Deathwish.

Shot by Shot Demo, 1986
Off Limits Demo, 1987

INZEST (JAPAN)

Aggressive, noisy, punk-ish thrash/crossover with short 1-2 min long tracks, which sounds fairly more aggressive even than Wehrmacht.

Another Religion..... .....Another Violence EP, 1987
Motive of Genocide Demo, 1988

IR 8 (USA)

This band was formed by Jason Newsted during the long hiatus between the Black Album and "Load". In his effort he is helped by the omnipresent Devin Townsend, and Tom Hunting (Exodus, Angel Witch). Based on the demo, this is stuff which is decidedly more thrashy than the two Metallica albums between which it sits. The music is both classic and modern, and Newsted does a good job on the vocals. It will please fans of thrash metal in general with its heavy, semi-technical riffs, also carrying a part of the late 80's Metallica spirit. Considering what Metallica started doing later, Newsted could have been better off keeping this formation alive, instead of helping his main band fall into metal oblivion.

IR8 Demo, 1994
IR8 vs Sexoturica Split, 2003

Official Site

IRA DEUM (BULGARIA)

This is an awesome technical thrash metal band. Style-wise the band come close to the Germans Deztroyer, which means that here you will also come across a very potent blend of speedy and technical riffs, with plenty of moments to headbang to, as well as ones where you'd just stand and listen in wonder, but Ira Deum are more aggressive, moving towards Sepultura's "Beneath The Remains" quite a few times, with Death's "Human" being another close call (the smashing technical riffage), although the works of the Bulgarians never reach death metal intensity, or at least very seldom. Both albums are masterpieces of technical thrash which shouldn't be missed!

Anger of the Gods Full-length, 1993
Reincarnation of the Immortal Evil Full-length, 1995

IRON ANGEL (GERMANY)

One of the most influential German thrash metal bands. "Hellish Crossfire" is a striking debut, mixing speed and thrash to a considerable effect, kind of starting the whole speed/thrash metal genre in Europe, along with Helloween's "Walls of Jericho" (this one has no ties to thrash, though). The opening "The Metallian" tells a different story, never heard before, with its brilliant, fast riffs and the soaring, both gruff and melodic vocals. Later on the speed is being replaced on some tracks with stomping, heavy riffage ("Black Mass", "Nightmare"), creating a sinister, dark atmosphere. Some lighter, heavy/power metal numbers ("Hunter In Chains") could have been left out maybe, since they just don't fit nicely along speed killers, like the mighty "Rush Of Power", "Wife Of The Devil", or the storming closer "Heavy Metal Soldiers"- no signs of cheesiness on this one, like one might think reading the title.
"Winds Of War" is more melodic, with some cheesy moments (later a big influence on the 90's power/speed metal scene: the power/heavy metal number "Son Of A Bitch", the rock hymn "Born To Rock", the marvellous short acoustic ballad "Back To The Silence", showing the singer in another, also great light, with his nice, clean voice), and could hardly be classified as thrash, except based on a few songs: the speedy opener "Metalstorm", the magnificent riff-fest "Fight For Your Life", the crushing speed/thrash closer "Creatures Of Destruction". Generally not a bad album at all, it was left without a follow-up, which was probably good in consideration of the direction which the band was taking.

Hellish Crossfire Full-length, 1985
Winds of War Full-length, 1986

Official Site

IRON CROSS (USA)

A curious release: most of the time the music is in the speed/thrash metal vein similar to Exciter or Destructor, but there are some heavier tracks calling to mind Celtic Frost.

Church and State Full-length, 1987

IRON YOUTH (GREECE)

Based on "Respect/Defend/Create", this band pull out aggressive thrash/death, which at its best comes close to masters like Slayer and Devastation, but with a slightly more modern edge, but their desire to leave some room for death metal, leads to some very fast, almost blast beating sections, which kind of spoil the atmosphere, at least for me. The vocals are death metal-ish, being deep growls, but of the more shouty type (think Jan-Chris De Koeijer from Gorefest).

Durch das Volk - Mit dem Volk - Für das Volk Full-length, 1998
Respect/Defend/Create Full-length, 2001
Faith Is Stronger Than Fire Full-length, 2005

Official Site

IRONCHRIST (USA)

Thrash/crossover which might remind you of D.R.I. in the more straight-forward sections, which are not that many, as a matter of fact. Ironchrist's style is more technical and more thrash-oriented, and much more appealing. It starts in a very hectic, even chaotic way, with the album title carrier, which later finds its way to more straight aggressive bashing. The songs flow in the same manner- fast, often brutal, with tight, and sometimes interesting, technical guitar work. The tracks are short, but the intense musicianship makes them a fairly satisfying listen, especially the aggressive and technical instrumental "Mechanized Emotions", which will overwhelm you with loads of riffs. "Cyborg" is a break from the intense delivery, being a mid-paced number, with a cool acoustic middle, but it's followed by another furious technical instrumental "Contusion", after which one can not help but take this band very seriously. The rest is by no means less interesting, and as a result we have a truly fine slice of technically-minded thrash/crossover, pretty much a state-of-the-art achievement, considering that very few are those who have dared to cross this genre with the more technical side of metal (the Swiss Lunacy come to mind, but their style is much less aggressive).
Their debut self-titled 3-track EP is a lot more ordinary , sounding like a prototypical thrash/crossover release, staying closer to D.R.I. (the last song), and Slayer (the other two, which are quite aggressive and intense).

Ironchrist EP, 1988
Getting The Most Out Of Your Extinction Full-length, 1990

Fan Site

IRREVERENCE (ITALY)

Based on "Totally Negative Thoughts", the band's style is typical modern death/thrash blend similar to The Haunted.

Totally Negative Thoughts Full-length, 2001
Target: Hate EP, 2003
War Was Won Full-length, 2005

Official Site

ISKALD (NORWAY)

The legion of thrash metal bands from Norway has been growing fast in recent years. Quite a few of them come up with a sound which has a certain black-ish vibe, and Iskald are one of those. At their best, these guys recall Dissection in their prime, but with a more thrashy edge. What some thrash metal fans might find annoying is that the band ofter adhere to the typical for black metal ultra-fast breaks which at times sound awkward combined with the thrashy riffs.

Shades of Misery Full-length, 2006
Northern Twilight EP, 2006

Official Site

IXION (FRANCE)

The heavy, sinister style of early Celtic Frost meets the faster, more aggressive riffs of Rigor Mortis. The final result is not bad at all: black-ish thrash, with gruff, more vicious Tom G. Warrior-like vocals.

In Hoc Signs Vinces Demo, 1986

IZEGRIM (HOLLAND)

Based on the debut full-length, this is mostly mid-paced, atmospheric death/thrash metal with very good lead work. The vocals are sinister semi-death, semi-black metal ones, and are performed by a girl. But the music is thrash most of the time, with good melodic guitar lines, which nicely intertwine with the sharp riffage. The band are not strangers to some clever technical sections - "Warmonger", as well as some great galloping thrashers: "Balance of Terror".
"New World Order" is a pleasant surprise, offering 3 tracks of pure thrash, energetic and sharp, with cool technical licks, and one longer, slower, doom-laden, but equally as effective piece ("World Power (or Downfall)").
"Tribute to Totalitarianism" starts not very convincingly, with the dragging, slow "Hail Victory", which has no ties to thrash whatsoever, but very soon things take a nicer shape with a couple of energetic thrashing numbers, albeit of a more conventional nature, without the more stylish technical moments, which were heard on the previous efforts. "New World Order" slows down again, but the main riff is quite catchy. The problem is that the album loses intensity, and the following tracks are mid-tempo at best, with much more timid, edgeless guitar performance, hitting the bottom with the melodic, gothic-tinged closer "Out Of Many, One", which tries to save the day at some point, with some nice Oriental hooks. This is not a complete failure, but the band's attempt to broaden their horizon might lead to their sounding like many other acts nowadays who try to put many metal styles together, with mixed results.

Bird of Prey EP, 1999
Guidelines for Genocide Full-length, 2002
New World Order EP, 2005
Tribute to Totalitarianism Full-length, 2008

Official Site

IXXI (SWEDEN)

Two full-lengths released for one year is a feat worthy only of bands like Manowar, or Therion. Well, these Swedes have done it, too; their music is a very cool mixture of black and thrash metal, not fast, mostly mid-paced, along the lines of Barathrum, early Bathory, with shades of recent Satyricon and Thorns. Their style is rich on atmosphere, and slower, doomy sections, all this ably supported by the vicious black-ish vocals, which might remind you of Satyr from...well...

IXXI Full-length, 2007
Assorted Armament Full-length, 2007

Official Site


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