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

M.A.C.E. (BRAZIL)

A 4-track demo of excellent direct classic thrash/crossover, fast and sharp, with some really cool leads, and a great melodic edge on the guitars, which doesn't dullen the riffage, but makes them sound even more compelling. Great stuff, such good thrashy crossover from Brazil hasn't been heard since the Ratos De Porao's early 90's works.

Apocalypse Now EP, 2006

M.A.D. (CANADA)

Quite good classic thrash metal which will remind you of many bands from the 80's: Anthrax, Exodus, D.R.I.'s late period, etc. There is an attempt at a more complex song-writing: some of the tracks are longer, with some nice technical hooks. The pace is varied, but mostly stays in the mid-tempo, except on the crossover joke "Special Olympics", and the intense headbanger "Hold Your Breath". The singer has a slightly indifferent, punk-ish tember, and the bass performance is really impressive.

Taboo of the Western World Full-length, 1991

M.A.D: GOYA (SERBIA)

Based on "Put Olindrali Avlijanera", these guys come up with cool energetic retro thrash/crossover suffering from the bad brutal death metal vocals. The music is not very aggressive graced also by a couple of catchy shouty choruses, and a few slow heavy passages, and a nice hardcore-ish cover of Venom's "Countess Bathory".

The Number of Beers Full-length, 2003
Put Olindrali Avlijanera Full-length, 2006
Cobi's Death / Wrum / M.A.D: Goya Split, 2007

M.A.S.A.K.R.E. (PERU)

Based on "En Pie de Guerra", this band offer a cross between classic Bay Area-influenced thrash and the groovy aggro-style of Pantera. The sound resembles quite a lot the works of the Japanese band United who operate in the same area music-wise.

Sin Piedad Full-length, 1988
Demoledor Full-length, 2000
En Pie de Guerra Full-length, 2004
On The Warpath Full-length, 2006

M.A.S.H. (POLAND)

Based on the debut, this band offers very cool aggressive thrash along the lines of Devastation's "Idolatry" and Atomica's "Disturbing the Noise". This is fast hard-hitting music, with not many slower "interludes", lashing a bomb after bomb in a merciless fashion, with only "The Faces of the Crime" calming down a bit, but the riffs there are super heavy. The closing tune is a great lead-driven 1.5-min instrumental ("Distance"). The vocals are forceful semi-death metalish.

New Power Full-length, 1992
Animal Full-length, 1995

M.O.D. (USA)

Billy Milano formed this band after the demise of S.O.D. The style is a direct continuation of the wild hardcore/thrash/punk mixture of the other band.

U.S.A. For M.O.D. Full-length, 1987
Surfin' M.O.D. Full-length, 1988
Gross Misconduct Full-length, 1989
Rhythm of Fear Full-length, 1992
Devolution Full-length, 1994
Dictated Aggression Full-length, 1996
Rebel You Love to Hate Full-length, 2003
Red, White, and Screwed Full-Length, 2007

M.S.T. (FRANCE)

One of the bands who refused to follow the modern trends of mixing thrash and death metal which was so popular at the same time in France; this is excellent speed/thrash recalling the early efforts of ADX and Killers. There is a certain shade of thrash/crossover at times ala the more thrashy Suicidal Tendencies' works ("How Will I Laugh...", "Lights...Camera...Revolution"). This is cool music, fast and energetic, with a huge headbanging potential, and very cool vocals, quite close to Mike Muir.
The Mini-LP is pretty much the same energetic thrash/crossover, but more melodic and simplistic. The tracks follow nicely, being fast-paced, albeit a bit samey. The singer will remind you even more of Mike Muir here, as well as the music, which at times is very close to the Suicidals' "Join the Army".

P.U.C. Mini-LP, 1988
Regeneration Full-Length, 1991

M.S.W. (USA)

Thrash/crossover recalling Carnivore, both vocal and music-wise; heavy and mid-paced, with repetitive riffs and some timid attempts at more interesting guitar lines which for some strange reason remind me of the Black Sabbath period with Ozzy ("Call to Arms / Nightmare War").

What's All This Then? Demo, 1987

M1-A1 (USA)

This demo offers a mixture or power and thrash ala Meliah Rage and Anvil. This is good stuff; the songs are mostly heavy, mid-tempo affairs with tight, melodic guitars. The singer has a very good mid-ranged clean voice.

Demo Demo, 1990

MABUS 666 (IRELAND)

The putting together of all extreme metal styles into one album has become so fashionable that if the trend goes on for another while, we'll be just talking about extreme metal in the near future, without any further classifications. Mabus 666 do exactly that, although the black metal-tag here is given due to the vocals which are high-pitched shrieks and at times can be quite annoying. But the music saves the day being hard-hitting thrash/death metal, which manages to sound original, and quite intense.

Profit Full-length, 2002

MACABRE (USA)

This is an enjoyable band (if you don't take their lyrics too seriously, of course, which center around the "careers" of some of the most notorious serial killers in human history) mixing very contrasting styles on their works: death, thrash, grind, hardcore, punk and even some jolly rock-ish numbers. This is far from a mish-mash; on the contrary: this is good fun with some cool thrashy riffs and a generally aggressive attitude.

Grim Reality EP, 1987
Shitlist EP, 1988
Gloom Full-length, 1989
Sinister Slaughter Full-length, 1993
Behind the Wall of Sleep EP, 1994
Unabomber EP, 1999
Dahmer Full-length, 2000
Morbid Campfire Songs EP, 2002
Murder Metal Full-length, 2003

MACBETH (GERMANY)

Based on "Gotteskrieger", these guys offer a decent mix of thrash and power metal, quite classic-sounding, the latter dominating the sound a bit. The music has also shades of epic and black ("Das Boot", "Golgatha"), where the guitar work is better, emiting some really catchy melodies. Otherwise this is mid-paced stuff, seldom going for all-out speed ("Hunde Wollt Ihr Ewig Leben"), and also recalls another recent German act: Runamok.

Macbeth Full-length, 2006
Gotteskrieger Full-length, 2009

MACHIAVELLIAN REGRESSION (CANADA)

Crossover/thrash in the D.R.I. vein; the music sounds rougher and rawer than the one of their more renowned peers, but there is enough energy put in the recording, and some tracks are full-fledged intense thrashers: "Blue Beard", "Acid Rain", the less than 2-min explosion "Anormal System". There are some stylish touches thrown in as well: the great combination of aggression and playful crossover "Mal Léché", packed in a little more than a min. Occasionally do the guys add some pure hardcore to the proceedings ("Dumb Gang"), but most of the time they thrash with conviction and power.

Acid Rain Full-Length, 1987

MACHINE (USA)

Quite good power/thrash metal similar to early Overkill, with nice lead guitar work and energetic, but not very fast tempos.

Demo Demo, 1989

MACHINE CALLED MAN (USA)

This band was founded by Norman Skinner, the Imagika singer, who is here helped by Paul G. Thuriot: the guitar player whose main band is the death metal monsters Jungle Rot. The music of this band bears some resemblences to Imagika, but with no traces of the vicious death metal sound of Jungle Rot. It can be described as progressive power/thrash, with nods to the retro style from the 80's: check out the beginning of "The Witch & The Whisperer", which is a total Flotsam & Jetsam worship (the song "Doomsday for the Deceiver" from their debut). This track is a mighty progressive thrasher with great sharp riffs and galloping tempos. "A World Without Heroes" is a heavy stomping composition with a more modern edge, and later on the sharpness gets lost for a while, on the semi-ballad "Pity Me" and the progressive power metal number "Only Now...", which again refuses to add more energy to the proceedings. Well, this is done by the excellent "Pale Horse", another progressive metal delight. "To Live A Lie" slows down again, clinging towards the balladic models, but the technical riffage at the end, accompanying the faster section there, is fairly satisfying. "Of Things To Come" is a heavy progressive thrasher, which will remind you of the legends Sanctuary.

2.004 Full-length, 2005

MACHINE HEAD (USA)

"Burn My Eyes" is a landmark album of modern 90's thrash metal, often considered the best work of the whole period. The follow-up is much heavier, with a dark groovy sound, but almost as effective. And that was it. The next two albums almost threw the band away from the thrash metal field acquiring a much more melodic sound. "Through the Ashes of Empires" shows some attempts at a return to form, but it couldn't wash away the impression that the days of "Burn My Eyes" have been buried deep.
"The Blackening" almost completely restores the faith in this band showing that it's too early to cross them off the list. With a more elaborate and technical song-writing, Machine Head display a side never seen before on their previous efforts. With long, progressively-structured songs and a mighty riff-fest from beginning to end, which would probably take time before the listener gets into it, this album is a major contender for the top ten of 2007.

Burn My Eyes Full-length, 1994
Take My Scars EP, 1997
The More Things Change... Full-length, 1997
The Burning Red Full-length, 1999
Year of the Dragon EP, 2000
Supercharger Full-length, 2001
The Burning Red B-Sides EP, 2004
Through the Ashes of Empires Full-length, 2004
The Blackening Full-length, 2007

MACHINE INSUFFICIENCY (CROATIA)

Based on the "Last Bridge Burning" demo, these guys come up with typical groovy thrash ala Pantera ("Nonconsistency"), plus more energetic mid-paced thrash with cool sharp riffs ("Deliverance").

Conceptional Immortality Demo, 2004
MA_IN 05 Demo, 2005
Confrontation With Reality (deathbreed) - Upgrade 06 Single, 2006
Last Bridge Burning Demo, 2006

MACHINEMADE GOD (GERMANY)

Typical modern death/thrash metal with some hardcore elements.

The Infinity Complex Full-length, 2006

MACHINERY (SWEDEN)

Machinery pull out cool dark technical power/thrash, not too far from Nevermore, or the French Kragens. The more technical parts recall another very good new technical act: Altered Aeon from Sweden. The music has a strong modern edge, and the guitars at times acquire a dry, mechanical sound, but are always sharp and hard. Like with the aforementioned bands, the music never gets too aggressive; the guys have the tendency to insert slower sections, where the harsh vocals take a more melodic edge, and deliver some cool choruses, again in a way similar to Nevermore. It's not a bad approach, but it gets repeated on every song. The last three tracks are longer and more technical than the rest, and show the band in a more inspired form, managing to keep them interesting the whole time, with some really good riffage, except on the album closer "Satanic Hippie Cannibal", which, despite its horrifying title, is the most melodic number, being a heavy, semi-ballad.
"The Passing" is a nice, albeit a lesser companion to the debut, which starts in a slow balladic way with "Gold", but comes "Reason Is The Truth", and the thrashing begins. "I Divine" shows once again that this album will not be about aggression, and is slower, but heavy with nice melodic lines and semi-clean vocal performance, quite good, compared to the mechanic shouts heard on the rest of the album. "Dead Man" follows in the same way, and here the vocals are purely clean and melodic, and here is where the listener will start frowning, simply because the music is edgeless and balladic once again. Very soon, however, he will have to adjust his senses for the crushing "Delirium In Vengeance": a fast and merciless headbanger, spiced with vicious, black-ish vocals. But this is more like an "oasis", because afterwards two more mellow tracks come, before "The Passing" introduces some more complex, progressive structures and harder riffs, all this nicely continued on the softer, but quite cool power/thrashing closer "Waiting For The Wave", which apart from the nice melodic vocals, offers some good keyboard-infused background and great galloping guitars; those both tracks will remind you of the Swedish progressive metallers Evergrey in many ways. This is by no means a better achievement than the debut, and it's obvious that the band try to move further away from the thrash stereotypes, aiming at the progressive metal crowd more.

Degeneration Full-length, 2006
The Passing Full-length, 2008

MACHT (USA)

These are the guys from Wehrmacht who have shortened their name, and have started playing some nice technical thrash with quite a few interesting tempo changes, and not as frenetically fast as the guys' previous efforts. The music really packs a punch, with some really good guitar work, quite choppy and technical, but unfortunately it's only three actual songs: the last two are voices and noises put together, no music. This definitely could have served as a draft for something really cool, but the band disappeared without a trace after this release.

Vice Grip Demo, 1990

MACROCOSMIC EMOTIONS (SWEDEN)

This is a strange band (check out the album titles): the sound could only loosely be described as thrash metal; it is very abstract with monotonous dark wave-ish vocals and long sprawling songs in which the tempo doesn't change a lot. At times the guy doesn't really sing: he actually chants creating an almost black mass atmosphere. "Robotic"/industrial/progressive thrash": all these definitions could apply for this band, but one has to listen to it to get a good idea what goes on inside. One of the most avantgarde, and hardest to swallow, takes on thrash metal.

The Contemporaneous Explosive Atmosphere Full-length, 1995
Her Soft Emotional Announcement EP, 1998

MAD DRAGZTER (BRAZIL)

The band play an enjoyable mixture of modern and classic thrash, not too far from Annihilator around the same time. "Love Us Or Hate Us" from "Strong Mind" is not a Kreator cover.

Strong Mind Full-length, 2003
Killing The Devil Inside Full-length, 2006

MAD EVIL (GERMANY)

Good Kreator-influenced thrash metal, with the comparisons with their more renowned compatriots coming mostly from the vocals which are dead ringers for Mille Petrozza. The music bears resemblances to Kreator's more technical period "(Extreme Aggression", in particular), but is more varied, with some cool slower, atmospheric passages.

Violent World Demo, 1990

MAD MACHINE (JAPAN)

Excellent power/thrash metal with great guitar performance which would make every Shrapnel guitar hero proud; the style is close to other Japanese bands like Volcano and Sex Machineguns (the first two albums), as well as the high-ranged vocals. "Get Over Time" is a slightly cheesy ballad, but the rest is top-notch razor sharp music (quite speedy at times, too) which would satisfy even the most skeptical fans. Hopefully these guys are still active, and are preparing something new.

Mad Machine EP, 2004

MAD MASTER MAV (GERMANY)

These Germans exercise in instrumental atmospheric gothic power/thrash, rich in atmosphere and orchestral arrangements. The lead guitar takes a considerable space from the album (check out the excellent "Esteeming the Beauty"), but never to the point of annoyance, and the pure riff-based sections are quite a few as well. The compositions are relatively long (6-7min, with a few longer exceptions) and complex, with the keyboards being omnipresent, but on the other hand seldom is there a passage without guitar work. The tempos vary quite a bit within the songs' structures, alternating fast and slow parts the whole time. Things get seriously thrashy on "Suicide Squad" to the point of headbanging, and some of the melodies on this one are quite catchy. "Hymn of the Dawn" is on the other extreme: gothic/doom at its purest. This is an interesting approach to the genre, although in this case we have thrash more as a supporting style, providing the hard base as a contrast to the expertly-constructed orchestral arrangements.

Vagary Of The Gods Full-Length, 2009

MAD POLTERGEIST (ITALY)

This is very energetic, but also amateurish thrash. Certainly the guys were just having fun recording this EP without any serious intentions to last long on the metal scene.

Mad'n'Damn EP, 1989

MAD SLAUGHTER (GERMANY)

Based on the demo: with no regards to the modern tendencies of the 90's, these guys offer quite good classic thrash. The music is not aggressive at all, and sometimes has shades of crossover, but is mostly mid-paced and semi-technical, resembling Accuser's late 80's, more technical period, but not as heavy, and in the faster sections one would feel some early Metallica-influence ("Little M.F."). The modern "updates" come in the form of the vocals, which have a certain hardcore-ish rasp, not far from Tommy Victor (Prong).
"Mind Intensive X-Tract" is much less interesting, now having already acquired some modern tendencies, and this new approach is mixed with jolly crossover tunes to a not really impressive effect. This is boring stuff, with some alternative and funky elements added towards the end to make the final result even more confusing.

What We Know Demo, 1993
Mind Intensive X-Tract Full-length, 1994

MAD V (RUSSIA)

An excellent debut recalling another very good Russian band- Shah, but Mad V are more technical than this band's early efforts, and more aggressive than Shah's last album, and are not afraid to experiment with some playful, semi-thrash melodies. The guitar work is of a particularly high quality, featuring some great riffs and nice solos. The songs are mostly up-tempo with good memorable choruses.

War Is The Same Full-length, 2004

MADE OF HATE (POLAND)

Melodic thrash/death of the Gothenburg school, with some more cheesy moments close to Children of Bodom thrown in, but lacking energy and variety, despite some progressive decorations here and there; tracks like the more intense thrashing "Mirror Of Sins" and "Judgement" are more than welcome, but there are not too many of them here. The concentration is clearly on melody, which dominates over the riffs which, when given more room, pack a punch.

Bullet In Your Head Full-length, 2008

MADHOUSE (FRANCE)

The french answer to Suicidal Tendencies; both albums follow closely the Suicidal's more thrashy efforts. The second one actually takes a funnier turn, with some rap and funky moments ala Infectious Grooves. "Razzle Dazzle" would be a no-brainer for late-80's Suicidal Tendencies; it sounds very close to "Lights, Camera..." mixing fast and slower tracks with heavy slightly abrasive riffs which gives the music a more thrashy edge than the one of the Suicidals, the reasong for which is also The Mekong Delta leader Ralf Hubert who produced the album in his own studio. Songs like "Get Down On It" and the ball of fury "Felix the Cat" are pure unadulterated thrashers, but "Control Myself" on the other hand is jolly crossover. "Rooster Land" crushes in mid-pace, but is "obliterated" by the intense "What does that Mean (Love?)" and the speedfest "Chilian Beaches". More serious song-writing can be noticed on the longer and more diverse "Distressed", followed by the least serious track: the 1-min hardcore-ish closer "Beer - Skate - Fuck" with which the guys show that they are not only "possessed to skate", but also by... Half of the team here was also taking part in the similarly-styled M.S.T.

Razzle Dazzle Full-length, 1990
Get the Point? Full-length, 1993

MADHOUSE (GERMANY)

This 4-track demo offers quite a few styles: "Tormentors" is vintage Slayer, fast and aggressive; "Shock" is a direct nod to early Helloween, a cool speed metal number; "Lose" is a pure classic heavy metal piece, taken straight from the works of Scorpions or Accept; "Slow Death" is a typical American power/thrasher with cool melodic leads ala Wolf Hoffman.

T.F.O. Demo, 1989

MADHOUSER (BRAZIL)

This is a good demo offering classic speed/thrash in mid to up-tempo with cool semi-clean mid-ranged vocals. "Living on the Edge" pulls all the stops, thrashing madly almost reaching Slayer-like dimensions on the most intense moments. The rest is more restrained, with "Suicidal Mosh" trying something more technical in the guitar department.

Mind your own Business Demo, 2008

MADMAN MUNDT (USA)

Based on the self-titled debut, this is an interesting take on thrash/crossover, with vocals similar to the ones used by Jello Biafra in Dead Kennedys and Lard. The music is the highlight here, though: never fast, mid-paced to slow, bordering on doom metal quite a few times featuring some nice off-beat, progressive guitar work which will remind you of Voivod. It's good to have bands like this one around who try to bring something fresh to the scene.

Madman Mundt Full-length, 2003
For A Day Or A Lifetime Full-length, 2005

MAELSTROM (CANADA)

Based on the two demos, the band play 80's power metal mixed with thrash. The sound on "Fatal Forsight" is more simplistic, sounding like a more thrashy Omen. "Into The Maelstrom" is clearly an improvement with a better production and some great guitar work.

Singing in the Rain/Waiting for my Woman Single, 1986
Fatal Forsight Demo, 1987
Into The Maelstrom Demo, 1989

MAELSTROM (HUNGARY)

The members of the Hungarian doomsters Mood were thrashers before anything else. Well, as thrashers they haven't managed very well as this is Germanic thrash ala Destruction, but with a buzzy guitar sound, and a snarly, throaty singer who definitely makes an effort to stay put, and could have done a better job in the more black metal-based acts from the same country like Tormentor, or Fantom. At times the guys come up with some intriguing riffs, and the tempo is energetic throughout, but the music scene knows much better works than this.

Maelstrom Demo, 1991

MAELSTROM (USA)

The debut demo: excellent thrash reminiscent of Kreator's "Extreme Aggression" and Necrodeath's "Fragments of Insanity"; this is quite fast and aggressive, but at the same time technical stuff with memorable songs differing from each other, and some genuine atmospheric passages, created either by the use of an acoustic guitar, or by heavy, stomping riffs: both ways work just great. The guys never settle for one rhythm, but change it frequently with some original ideas thrown in, the highlight being the marvellous "Childhunt", which after the numerous tunes throughout, at the end comes with pure blasting (but controlled) fury. The bass work is particularly impressive, carrying on its shoulders quite a bit. The vocals are along the lines of Mille Petrozza, but more vicious, with an even black metal-ish blend.
The new EP sees the guys ready to strike again, but the next time it should be with an official full-length release. This is 3 songs of standout technical thrash, which partially abandons the examples followed previously, and comes up with a nice dramatic complex sound, close to Forbidden's "Twisted into Form" and the Dutch Paralysis. The compositions are lengthy, with fast aggressive headbanging sections taking turns with elaborate less intense ones: the nice progressive opus "A Futile Crusade". "Arise" is another complex speed/thrasher, with fine lead guitar work, not as frantic as the preceding number, also offering a cool keyboard background and sparce female vocals. "Predestined" thrashes with full force in the beginning, but the stylish lead decorations come up, and later on the complexity increases, as well as the aggression, which reaches almost proto-death/black metal heights near the end, with dramatic dimensions ala Bal-Sagoth; this is the only track, which partly lets loose from the thrash metal patterns, and reminds of the more brutal nature of the band's past output. As a whole this is more than just a warm-up for the eventual full-length, and shows the guys having grown considerably as musicians, well equipped to stand proud beside the more renowned practitioners of the progressive/technical side of the genre.

Demo Demo, 1989
This Battle to Make History, Yet History Never Comes Demo, 1991
It Was Predestined EP, 2008

MAETELO NEGRO (PORTUGAL)

This is only one song, which is along the lines of early Venom and Celtic Frost: a mid-paced heavy number, with awful early Tom G. Warrior-like vocals (remember his singing style on the Hellhammer efforts), and repetitive monotonous riffs.

Hierofante Em Chamas EP, 2009

MAFIA (RUSSIA)

Like many Russian thrash metal bands of the 90's, Mafia also disappeared after only one album; which is sad, because this is first-class retro thrash metal, with no shades of 90's thrash whatsoever, recalling Shah, and especially early Master. This is mostly fast stuff, with good sharp guitars which acquire some fine technical edge on quite a few times. Although the music is speedy, it's not aggressive and brutal, and the guitar hooks are catchy and memorable, making every song stick out. "Black rock-and-roll" is a nice try to insert some rock'n roll rhythm in an energetic thrash song structure. "In Prison" is another fine deviation, coming with some slower, stomping riffs and good leads.

Magical Call Full-length, 1994

MAGHAZI (GERMANY)

Modern thrash, but without too much groove, with some interesting touches, like the use of deep gothic vocals, for example, which surprisingly don't sound ridiculous, but work quite well, and are way better than the computerized ones which spring up here and there, and are utterly annoying. The tempo is quite energetic, and the guitars are quite heavy and semi-technical, and are similar to the ones on Rosicrucain's "Silence", or Geisha Goner's "Catching Broadness".

Define the Menace Full-length, 1996

MAGMA (USA)

A 4-track demo of technically-inclined classic thrash quite close to early Testament, with excellent Alex Scholnik-like guitar work; "The Child" is an attempt at a more balladic song-writing, and is the only mitigated failure here, being quite soft, without an edge, missing the obligatory thrashy riffs added by Testament on similar tracks.

Demo Demo, 1992

MAGNETRON (HOLLAND)

Reportedly the band's first demo is more on the grind-core side of the spectre, which is obvious on the second one, where the guys have moved towards thrash, by mixing it with Swedish death metal, hardcore and punk: a wild, frenetic and frequently brutal, but enjoyable mix. "Fuck Hilversum" starts in a very promising manner, with two retro thrash attacks, paying tribute to the German masters of the style (Sodom, Kreator, etc.), with the vicious, Jeff Walker-like vocals giving the desirable sinister edge to the music, before the Dead Kennedys cover of "Insight" steps over, bringing the jolly punk atmosphere, which remains for the 2-part joke song at the end: another not bad, but uneven effort. "Born Witless" is stripped-down merciless, fast-paced thrash, again "courting" the German side of the genre, with a slightly more aggressive, death-ish attitude.

Off To LegoLegoLand Demo, 1996
Observing The Ridiculous Demo, 1997
Mirror Of Hypocrisy Demo, 1997
Fuck Hilversum Demo, 1998
Born Witless Demo, 2008

MAGNIFICAT (MEXICO)

"Opus Nigrum Overture": a cool blend of black and thrash, which finds its fuller realisation on the longer compositions ("Suicide's Monologue"), where there is more time for thrash to take over on some moments. There are atmospheric interludes, which come a bit too much for an album of just 6 tracks, as well as one very good Shrapnel-like lead driven instrumental: "Spickatto Maestro In Am".
"Superior Entities" scores higher, with the excellent guitar work more accentuated on this time, although thrash is given even less space to develop. There are quite a few sections where the guys blast heads-down ala Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, but the guitar work saves the day, especially on the virtuoso compositions "Magnus Agliareth´s Black Winds" and "A-Brno (The Exorcism of Lea Kyprova)". Oh, and there is one "Hidden Bonus Track", which is a melodic instrumental, more of a show-off for the talents of the guitar heroes, who by the way richly deserve this tag.

Opus Nigrum Overture Full-length, 2005
Superior Entities Full-length, 2006

MAGNUS (POLAND)

The band's debut mixes old-school death metal and thrash in a fairly good way. "Alcoholic Suicide" abandons the death metal elements and acquires a jolly thrash-y, Motorhead-ish sound which still delivers the goods, but lacks the visceral power of the debut.
"Scarlet Slaughter" collects the best from the band's demos from the late 80's-early 90's. It shows the band in a good form at those earlier stages of their career, offering fast, aggressive death/thrash recalling Slayer and early Death. The music varies from thrashier, Slayer-esque tracks ("Tank", "Scarlet Slaughter"- here the singer tries to scream the way Tom Araya used to ("Black Magic"), to raging, grinding death metal attacks (Pharisee"). This compilation sounds even better than their debut with its more aggressive, spontaineous approach.

Scarlet Slaughter Best Of Compilation, 1992
I Was Watching My Death Full-length, 1992
Alcoholic Suicide Full-length, 1994

MAGUS BEAST/AGRESSOR (USA)

When this album was released the band were still called Agressor, changing their name later after finding out that already there was a band (from Brazil) who have chosen this name first. The style is a potent blend of power metal in the Omen and Attacker-vein, and a huge doze of thrash. The vocal performance is particularly strong: the singer has a powerful, clean, high voice. The guitars are sharp and heavy: check out the stomping intense thrashing opener "Magus Beast". The galloping power metal approach settles down with the next "Death Before Dishonor" and the excellent speedy "In Vain": a great song, with swirling guitars, kind of reminding me of Mercyful Fate (the song "Satan's Fall" from their "Melissa" album: the final speed metal part). "Devil's Advocate" is a slower, but very crushing piece, with very heavy guitars. "Born to Kill" is another fast-paced number, followed again by a heavier, pounding one ("Assault Attack"), more in the heavy/power metal mould. The closer "Nightfall" is a 10-min opus, which suddenly switches to a more complex, progressive song-writing (it could be two songs put together, as the two parts are starkingly different from each other; the first one is heavy, dark and slower, whereas the second one is faster).

Say Your Prayers Full-length, 1996

MAHATMA (SOUTH KOREA)

Based on "Perseverance", this band play modern thrash, spiced with some brutal blast-beat sections. The vocals are angry, semi-death metal-ish. There are a few moments, when the music loses its edge, and starts sounding pretty bland, like on the groovy "Having Hopes" and the slower, power metal-based "Stormrunner".
"The Endless Struggle Against Time" is more aggressive, and more consistent. The blast-beats are more frequent, but when the guys slow down, they produce better results: "Condemned Fury". The groove lovers will dig "Lock In", and there is something for the classic thrash fans thrown in as well: the nice energetic "Nothing To Take" and "Necrosis", which come near the end, and create a nice headbanging atmosphere, partially ruined by the bland groovy closer "Monolith".

The Endless Struggle Against Time Full-length, 2005
Perseverance Full-length, 2007

MAIMED FOR LIFE (USA)

Chaotic and hectic thrash/crossover, quite stylish and original, with shades of early Voivod in the guitar department; the riffs are not very heavy, but the tempos change all the time, and one can not help but jump around and have a good time listening to this.

Maimed for Life EP, 1985

MAITREYA (SWEDEN)

Thrash/death metal of the new generation, with nice melodic tunes, but not a stranger to some brutal blast-beat moments; the main vocals are brutal, low-tuned, but expect some clean ones from time to time as well. The music ranges from slow, gothic-tinged numbers ("Grief") to some long, progressive ones ala Opeth ("Leave This Place"), to pure energetic thrash/death with a touch of Dark Tranquillity ("Encircled").

New World Prophecy Full-length, 2007

MAJESTER (CANADA)

"Misguided Faith" is a fine piece of technical, heavy thrash, rubbing shoulders with Defiance's "Void Terra Firma", Heathen's "Victim Of Deception" and late 80's Metallica. Their exit from the metal scene (the EP) is almost as good, even heavier at times, but features some "updates" moving the sound towards the fashionable at the time modern tendencies ("We Cannot Lie").

Misguided Faith Full-length, 1992
Taken for Granted EP, 1994

MAJESTY (USA)

This band features Oscar Garcia: one of the first members of the legendary grind-pioneers Terrorizer. If the production quality of these demos was at least decent, Majesty could have been mentioned along much more famous names from the scene. Unfortunately, their works remain one of the most badly produced I have ever come across. Behind this impenetrable wall of awful sound, one could distinguish raw black-ish thrash ala Bathory, Possessed and Slayer's debut. Later the band improved the production qualities a hundred times, but with that also came the change of sound into industrial death metal, and the name change into Nausea.

Bestial Vomit Demo, 1987
Demo II Demo, 1987

MAJOR THREAT (UK)

This band were founded by a member of Toranaga: Dark Murphy. The music is more aggressive and technical, slightly recalling Hydra Vein, and even Living Death's "World Neurosis" in the more technical riffage, and there is a certain touch of Slayer, but this band's more restrained, slower moments.

Demo Demo, 1989

MAJSTER KAT (SLOVAKIA)

This is an excellent debut of fast-paced classic thrash metal, quite aggressive at times, but graced by great melodic guitar lines and leads. The music never loses speed and intensity, and will keep you headbanging the whole time. "Kat" comes after the short quiet intro to sweep the listener with very fast, intense riffage and very good high, soaring vocals. "Tien Minulosti" thrashes with no mercy, supported by a great bass bottom. "Pád" is longer, but the speedy rhythms never stop. "V Údolí Vèiel" is slower, more melodic, before the finishing explosion of blistering speedy guitars. Time for a break, with the short, fine peaceful instrumental "Zaèiatok Konca", after which come the album highlights: the great technical, pounding, but also fast "Posledný Den", and the sheer lesson in lightning speed metal "Zapáhte ohne". Fans of old masterpieces like Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past", Toxic Shock's "Change from Reality", and Paradox's "Heresy" will definitely find their new idols here. Those who like modern fast-playing acts like the Finns Solitaire, for example, will also be delighted.

Svata Zvrhlost Full-length, 2007

MAKINA (MEXICO)

Based on "Anabiosis", Makina play modern 90's thrash ala Pantera, mixed with death metal. The music ranges from slower, heavy numbers to some quite brutal sections as well as some semi-technical moments ("Ripe"). "Red" follows the same formula, smashing with very heavy riffage at times, at times blasting out in a very furious manner. The mixture by all means has energy, but at least 1/3rd of the tracks are bland exercises in groovy angry rhythms, spiced with rap, industrial and hardcore.

Dilemma Full-length, 1991
Anabiosis Full-length, 1994
Red Full-length, 1996
Blood Of My Race Full-length, 1999

MALADAPTIVE (FRANCE)

Very cool power/thrash metal ranging from some nice heavy thrashers ("Maladaptive") to some straight classic heavy/power metal numbers ("Traitor").

Maladaptive Demo, 2005

MALAGÜERO (SPAIN)

Based on "Doctrina De La Perpetua Violencia", this is a good classic blend of thrash and death metal with a style which will loosely remind you of a thrashy version of Death's "Spiritual Healing" although sometimes the band adhere to some more aggressive, faster play. There are some good technical riffs, too, but generally the music is more on the conventional side.

Comedores de Cerebros Full-length, 1999
Metamorfosis Full-length, 2001
Doctrina de la Perpetua Violencia Full-length, 2003
El Increíble Ataque de los Moros Zombie Full-length, 2004

MALAS (USA)

The full-length is good intense thrash/death metal, with Slayer being the main influence from the thrash side, and the Floridian school from the death metal one. The music very seldom goes into blasting extremes, and sometimes comes with a less serious hardcore attitude: "Hostile Dominance", "Sacred Graves", or with a distant echo from early Venom: "Descent To Hell". The aggressive thrash/death insanity reigns supreme with "Legion Of Legions", the 1-min ball of fury "In Terror", or the lashing opener "Salvation", but there is enough variety here to offer a relief and entertainment.

CD Sampler EP, 2004
Conquest Full-length, 2005
Chicago Metal Hell Split, 2007

MALEFICE (UK)

Based on the "Relentless" EP, this band pulls out modern thrash/death metal, mixing the heavy groovy 90's elements with some more straight-forward riffage. Both trends take turns throughout the effort, with the slower groovy ones being a bit better, with a dry mechanical, also doomy sound, recalling mid-period Meshuggah and the American industrial doomsters Mindrot. "Losing Reason" mixes those heavy moments with some alternative semi-balladic sections, accompanied by weak clean vocals, the main ones being dry semi-hardcore ones.

Relentless EP, 2006
Entities Full-length, 2007
Dawn Of Reprisal Full-length, 2009

MALEVOLENCE (CANADA)

A blend of thrash and death metal, quite classic-sounding, staying closer to thrash, the way they used to play it in the late 80's-early 90's. There is a certain crossover element which runs through the album, except on the closer: "Sleepwalk", which is a brutal death metal-oriented piece (the only one here) featuring some blast-beats as well.

Malevolence Full-length, 1994

MALEVOLENCE (USA)

Based on the "From The Wastelands To The Piss Stream" demo: thrash/crossover with a bad sound quality and weak levelled, declamatory vocals. The overall style might remind you of Broken Bones. The tempo is energetic and some cool riffage is present here and there, but the constant buzz in the guitar sound ruins things a lot.

Creatures Of Rust Demo, 1986
From The Wastelands To The Piss Stream Demo, 1987

MALFEITOR (USA)

A really good 3-song demo of aggressive speedy thrash sounding like a smaller version of Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill", with some Slayer-esque riffs (the beginning of "Diabolic Execution"), and slightly more proto-death metal-oriented.

Demo Demo, 1987

MALHAVOC (CANADA)

Probably the most original, and best industrial thrash metal band; "Shrine" is a strong debut, with traces of industrial almost nowhere to be found at this stage; this is an original mixture of thrash and proto-death metal, with smashing technical guitars, fast swirling leads and ever changing tempos; the pace is quite fast, if we exclude the doomy, heavy "Dread", which also speeds up quite a bit near the end: a masterpiece which will startle you with its high level of musicianship displayed all over. "Punishments" and "The Release" spare no industrial elements, but thrash metal still leads the pack, with a sharp guitar sound and some original compositions which would stand well even on some progressive metal works: "Cruciform", "A Portrait of William Wilson". Here the singer acquires an interesting, albeit synthesized way of delivering the lyrics: whispered, sinister vocals which might not be called singing, and are clearly an acquired taste. "Premeditated Murder" wades deeper into industrial waters, and the songs there are mostly not very easy to swallow exercises in industrial, with thrash just slightly hinted at in the first half; the second half is all-out thrash/death attack: it is a remastered version of the band's first demo, and will stun you with its aggressive, uncompromising delivery and the genuine technical edge of the guitars. The band continued their career adopting a much more melodic, electronic, non-metal sound after this one.

Shrine Full-length, 1988
Punishments EP, 1991
The Release Full-length, 1991
Premeditated Murder Full-length, 1992

MALICIA (ARGENTINA)

The band's self titled debut was an impressive slab of classic thrash metal which raised the level high. "Mundo Mitomano" acquired a more power metal-based sound, and was consequently a disappointment. "Agresivo" was a return to form, bringing the band back to the thrash metal realm with a clearly slower and somewhat more technical style. "Raices" pays tribute to the 80's Argentinian metal scene, featuring covers of songs from famous Argentinian bands of the old days, most of them with no relations to thrash metal, except for Hermetica.
"Conciencia" starts with the slow, dramatic "Naturalismos", which doesn't really promise much, but the guys' adventurous spirit takes the upper hand quickly, on the complex "Verdugos Del Alma", which is a standout progressive thrasher, showing the band in an inspired and not a really expected form. If the Argentinians were hinting at their technical potential on earlier releases, here they go head-over-heels into technical/progressive territory, nailing down one masterpiece after another: "Espiritus", "2 A.M." (one may find some of the intricate melodies breathtaking on this one), "Extincion Natural": the longest song on the album (close to 10-min), which slightly betrays the faster-paced sound on the preceding tracks, but compensates with heavy, stomping riffage, and fine lead guitar work. The majority of the compositions are quite long, with just a couple of more immediate short thrashers in between, still sounding quite intriguing ("Ocultando Cultura"). If we have to talk about a setback, it would probably be the slow, doomy, and monotonous "La Ultima Semilla"; a situation greatly improved with the speed metal delight "Nunca Es Tarde", which excels in the lead department, citing the best from the Shrapnel catalogue, and going even beyond that. The closing "Se Escribe Con Sangre" tries to encompass all the sounds heard on the album, but kind of forgets about the faster aspect, although it excuses itself at the end with a fine up-tempo riffy ending. Everyone who had any doubts that this act would not be the leaders of the modern Argentinian metal scene, should put them aside, after hearing this album.

Malicia Full-length, 1999
Mundo Mitómano Full-length, 2001 Agresivo Full-length, 2004
Raices Full-length, 2007
Conciencia Full-length, 2008

MALICIOUS ASSAULT (USA)

Based on the "Ripping Death" demo, this is intense fast-paced thrash ala Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill". Aggressive stuff, with more gruff lower-tuned vocals, and cool short screaming leads. The guys are very productive, with 3 demos released within less than a year.

Global Destruction Test Demo Demo, 2006
Holy Slaughter Single, 2006
Ripping Death Demo, 2006

MALICIOUS DAMAGE (USA)

Based on the full-length debut, these guys offer good classic/modern thrash of the more aggressive, but not very fast type. "In the Shade of Deaths Shadow" is the only brutal number here, quite death-ish at that. The tracks are in the mid-tempo range, but the guys like it diverse, and here come some ballads: "Crystal Clear", some pure groovy pieces: "Discipline", and some jolly thrash/crossover delights: "Blue Collar Outlaw".

Scorched Earth Policy EP, 2005
Fallen Kingdom Full-length, 2006
Sickness Amongst The Pure Full-length, 2007

MALICIOUS DEATH (FINLAND)

Based on "War And Power", this is an old school thrash metal band with influences from both sides of the Atlantic ocean: Slayer, Kreator, Sacrifice, etc. The tracks range from short, aggressive ("Mind Of Violence") to some longer, slower ones ("Legion Of Doom").
"Devilization" sounds like a more restrained version of "Pleasure to Kill", at least in the 1st half, which is certainly a good thing. There are some heavy pounding rhythms involved as well, and some of the songs are lengthy, mixing furious thrashing with slightly more elaborate, less intense passages ("Rageous Souls"). On "Sacrifice" the guys deserve the break, offering a mellower American power metal sound. It kind of influences the next "Soldiers Of Blackblood", which is more of a mix between thrash and power. But don't worry, since the aggression returns with "Malicious Death", which thrashes without mercy. Two shorter death-laced bombs follow suit ("Tormentor", "Antichrist") to recapture the partially lost edge in the 2nd half, making this debut almost as entertaining as its follow-up.

Devilization Full-length, 2003
War and Power Full-length, 2005

MALICIOUS GRIND (USA)

A wild frenetic mixture of hardcore, crossover and thrash, but not grind, mixing the furious approach of Wehrmacht with the tongue-in-cheek attitude of The Accused and Lawnmower Deth; generally short tracks, usually faithful to one of the aforementioned styles, with "Malicious Grind" being 5.5-min long, offering dissonant mid-paced instrumental thrash with heavy abrasive guitars.

Welcome To Life Full-length, 1988

MALICIOUS INTENT (CANADA)

Brutal thrash metal bordering on proto-death with a dark haunting atmosphere which prevails over the musicians' skills. If you can imagine a more aggressive version of early (yes, you guessed right from the band's name) Razor (the first three albums)...

Shades of Black Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

MALICIOUS INTENT (USA)

A cool demo of power/thrash in the American tradition, similar to Attacker, Liege Lord, and Deadly Blessing; the music is energetic and picks up respectable speed at times.

Demo Demo, 1989

MALICIOUS ONSLAUGHT (USA)

On the debut this band unleash competent technical thrash/death metal, obviously influenced by Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy" and, partially, Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients". The shorter tracks (3-4min long) is where the guys play faster and more aggressively, whereas on the rest (7-8min long) the listener would be glad to hear some good melodies and technical breaks, as well as frequent tempo changes. Worthy of note is the bass work which is truly the highlight, recalling the wizard Steve Digiorgio. The last song "Thrashed Black" opens with a magnificent Oriental melody which even bands like Orphaned Land and Melechesh are yet to surpass. Reportedly on "Brutal Gore" the guys have tried something in the much more brutal death metal mould, much less technical, and with very mixed results.
"Brutal Gore" is a vicious brutal take on death metal with no technical flair whatsoever, just extreme grinding bashing with very few musical merits, and one would find it hard to beleive that this was made by the same musicians who less than two years ago came up with such a cool musical effort.

Rebellious Mayhem Full-length, 1992
Brutal Gore Full-length, 1994

MALIGNANT TERROR (USA)

Despite the horrifying black/death metal vocals, this is pure thrash, and quite well done at that, if we exclude the slightly improvised leads in the Kerry King vein. The music is an intense fast attack coming as a blend of Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare" and Slayer's "Reign in Blood". The bass work is great, and some technical riffs take the upper hand here and there ("Multiple Stab Wounds"), but sheer speed is pretty much the order of the day on this well executed demo.

Demo Demo, 1989

MALIGNANT TUMOUR (CZECH)

Based on "In Full Swing", this band play light-hearted speed/thrash, strongly influenced by Motorhead, including in the vocal department, where the guy tries hard to sound like Lemmy, and succeeds most of the time. Some shades of hardcore can be heard ("Bristroll"), as well as soft hard'n heavy moments ("High Time To An End").

Dawn Of A New Age Full-length, 2003
Hammer And Anvil Split album, 2004
Burninhell Full-length, 2005
In Full Swing Full-length, 2008

MALÓN (ARGENTINA)

The band is a continuation of the Argentinian power/thrashers Hermetica. The style on the debut is pretty similar to the previous band being in the same power/thrash metal mould, a tad more aggressive than Hermetica's last release and, perhaps, better. The second album takes turn towards aggressive modern thrash and is quite good, too.

Espíritu Combativo Full-length, 1995
Justicia o Resistencia Full-length, 1996
El EP, 2002

MALVENTO (ITALY)

"Clavi (Figendi Ritus)" is black/thrash of the classic type, which walks all over this sub-genre: brutal Impaled Nazarene-like sound ("Arcanum Mortis"), doomy gloom ala Khold and Barathrum ("La Fossa"), hypnotic dark rhythms in the spirit of early Celtic Frost ("Sinistro"), some variations on the mid-period Bathory theme ("Il Culto"), plus a really cool closing short acoustic instrumental ("Santissima Nientificazione"). The guys also have a side-project: Triumphator, where the style is pure black metal without any gimmicks.
"Memoriae Mali" is very close sound-wise to its follow-up with another soundalike added to the wide gamut of influences: early Burzum. The mid-period Bathory rhythms seem to work the best ("Viscerale Impurità"), but watch out also for the atmospheric doomy masterpiece "Il Freddo Tormento".

Memoriae Mali Full-length, 2005
Clavi (Figendi Ritus) Full-length, 2007

MALVO (FINLAND)

Based on the "Tulikomentoja" EP, these guys offer modern thrash/death metal ala their compatriots Mokoma's more recent period, with horrible shouty hardcore vocals. The music is nothing special, either, being generally up-tempo with a couple of groovy implements as well as a few more vigorous classic thrashy sections.

Diagnoosit EP, 2006
Tulikomentoja EP, 2009

MAN OF KIN (UK)

Hardcore-ish groovy thrash ala Pro-Pain, maybe more varied, with both faster and slower tracks, including one lyrical romantic deviation at the end: the semi-balladic "Undone" spoilt by the noisy shouty vocals.

Lock and Load Full-length, 2009

MANDATOR (HOLLAND)

Mandator are the continuation of the more power/speed metal-inclined Mysto Dysto. On "Initial Velocity" the band's roots could clearly be heard as it's a combination of power, speed and thrash metal, quite convincing at times, but not enough to make this band stand out. It starts quite promisingly, though, with the explosive thrasher "Attila", but their past quickly comes up on the next number "Black Rose", which has almost no ties to thrash, being a quite good speed/power metal track. However, the guys show that they will not easily give up the thrash metal idea, and the following "Faces of Death" thrashes like there's no tomorrow again. Apparently the band have decided to alternate fast, aggressive songs with calmer ones, since the next one ("Jack Boots and Leather Caps") is a pleasant hard'n heavy hymn with an epic atmosphere. This alternation goes on until the very end, which is preserved for the short, but excellent acoustic ballad "I Will Be Your Last".
"Perfect Progeny" is a big improvement, with a much better musicianship. This is actually the beginning of the long string of technical metal albums from Holland. From the very beginning we have a wall of razor-sharp riffs, technical guitar work and semi-complex song structures. There are no softer breaks, if we exclude the short lead instrumental "Surrealistic Maneuvers". The guitars literally cut like a knife (check out the awesome "A.I.D.S.", which starts with a great melodic hook (but there are not many of those here, or the bursting machine gun-like riffage on "Automatic Artillery", which will crush you, and every other song), and the pace is quite fast, recalling another work from the same year: Paradox's "Heresy", but the Dutch care less about melody. The first real thrash metal act from Holland, Mandator set an example which was later followed by many other bands, and virtually started the Dutch technical metal scene.

Initial Velocity Full-length, 1988
Perfect Progeny Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

MANDATORY DEATH (CANADA)

The album-title might mislead you, but rest assured that this is not some cheesy power metal. This is actually one of the best thrash metal albums to come out of Canada in the new millennium. The overall sound is tight, fast and aggressive, but tracks like "The Clashing Of The Swords" and "The Rise Of The Fall" (which is a great instrumental, by the way) show the other, slower, more technical and arguably more melodic side of the band. The future of the Canadian metal scene looks bright with bands like this one around.

Clashing Of The Swords Full-length, 2004

MANHUNT (ITALY)

Another good addition to the growing legion of retro thrash bands from Italy; the overall style recalls the Canadians Sacrifice, as the guys stick to fast-paced direct thrash with hoarse mean vocals. Some clever semi-technical guitars can be heard on "M.A.D.", again in the Canadians' vein. "Quintessence" is a "pause" for a rest, although a 5-song EP hardly needs it, being a good heavy ballad. "Dethronized" is the most aggressive number, blasting out on a few times, but not in an annoying way.

Fake EP, 2008

MANIAC (CANADA)

The demo shows an act pulling out aggressive old school black/thrash crossing early Bathory with Impaled nazarene. The vocals are more in the death metal camp. The tempo is mostly very fast, and there are very few leads to be heard, which is good since they are really bad. Some of the band memebrs try their hands on much softer stuff in the heavy metal band Skull Fist.

Maniac Demo, 2005
Fast and Deadly Full-length, 2007

MANIAC WITHIN (AUSTRIA)

Thrash metal acts from Austria are not a very common phenomenon, especially those which give credit to the 80's sound. Here come these guys who pull out heavy, classic thrash with a very small pinch of modern groove in the vein of 90's Flotsam & Jetsam. The music delivers the goods, being semi-technical and non-standard, with some great melodic, but also twisted leads, and choppy riffs. "Put Your Hands Together" is a stomping technical thrasher, but things get really interesting on the next "Whoever You Are", where the main melodic riff mixes greatly with the sharp technical riffage in the background, despite the somewhat annoying noise accompanying them (sounds like muffled voices talking). "Death Comes And Goes" is a doomy thrasher, which leaves the technicality a bit behind. "Plastic People" is vintage 90's Flotsam & Jetsam circa the "Quatro" era, with a good up-tempo ending. "Victims Of The Innocence" is a nice heavy ballad, a style which suits the melodic, mid-ranged singer quite well, and having realized that at that later stage, the guys give him another chance to perform in the same vein, with the good semi-balladic closer "Crazy Holy Ghost". As a whole the album leaves some aftertaste, with the first part being superior to the slightly boring, one-dimensional second one.

The Maniac Within EP, 1995
Volume One Full-length, 1997

MANIACAL GENOCIDE (USA)

Thrash/crossover, mostly fast-paced, sounding like a mix between Lawnmower Death and Spazztic Blurr, maybe a bit more thrashy than both; some joke songs are thrown in for good measure ("Wiped Out").

Too Late For Apologies Demo, 1988
Apocalyptic Symmetry Demo, 1990

MANIAK (PHILIPPINES)

Old school black/thrash sounding like a better version of early Sodom (before "Persecution Mania"). The music flows in an up-tempo, but some sudden black metal outbreaks can be caught ("Conspiracy of Faith"), as well as sparce aggressive proto-death ones ("Headbangers of Steel"). If we exclude those rare moments, the sound is typical thrash although the fuzzy guitars and the evil black-ish vocals may throw you into other directions. Some of the band members also take part in the pure evil black metal act Korihor.

Black Thrashing Genocide Full-length, 2009

MANIC DEPRESSION (RUSSIA)

Graced by the presence of one of the veterans of the Russian metal scene Max "S Boltom" Layko (Korrozia Metalla, D.I.V.), this band plays a good mix of modern and classic thrash. Recent D.I.V.-influences (their early 90's works) could be heard at least on half of the album ("Who Deals the Pain"), but it's the other, more classically-inclined half which delivers the goods in a better way. The album has an uneven structure, with the groovy numbers placed in the second half. The vocals are a bit of a drawback, sounding close to the ones used by Peter Steele on the Carnivore albums. The guys have the interesting, and original tendency to insert some semi-balladic sections where one could hear semi-whispered voices as well.
"You'll Be With Us Again" is quite a mixed bag, and doesn't really do the band justice. At least the guys don't waste the intro, like many other acts, but start thrashing from there, in a more laid-back fashion, preparing the listener for the coming of the intense thrashing "No Future". But after it comes the bland dull heavy rock piece "You'll Be With Us Again", followed by the slightly better groovy "Cold Hard Reality". The good speedy cover of Twisted Sister's immortal "Come out and Play" restores the faith a bit, and "Chilling Eternity" is not too bad, mixing romantic balladic moments with some intense semi-technical thrash. But then we have another awful hard'n heavy number ("Hymn to Freedom"), which seriously pulls this release towards the negative side, where it actually belongs.
The "Lost in Time" single is 3 tracks of decent modern thrash, a huge improvement over the lacklustre EP, one of them being a brisk headbanger ("Afterlife") with a more classic vibe, the other two being cool mid-pacers with nice melodic hooks and a pinch of power/gothic metal.
"Impending Collapse" features the 3 songs from the single which come all together after the imposing headbanging opener "Nightmareality", a straight-ahead retro thrasher. After them comes another all-out headbanging delight: "Global Collapse" which puts the spirits high although the next two numbers do little to keep it on the same level being calmer slower modern thrashers. "Buried Alive" is another shot in the target thrashing fast and tight, but its impact coud have been bigger if it wasn't for the bland groovy filler "Phobia" following it. Still, this effort will not leave you cold especially with brisk moshing closers like "Mutual Hate" which exits the album with dignity bringing slight technical implements as well as a great speed metal mid-section. the band are obviously much better when sticking to the full-length format where there are always enough cool "metal thrashing mad" numbers to compensate for the obligatory fillers.

Who Deals the Pain Full-length, 2003
Planned Spiritual Decay Full-length, 2005
You'll Be With Us Again EP, 2007
Lost in Time Single, 2009
Impending Collapse Full-length, 2010

MANIFEST (DENMARK)

Interesting, somewhat progressive power/thrash metal which sounds like a better version of the Americans Aftermath; the band effortlessly switches from complex, technical song-structures with very cool, pagan guitar melodies (here one could hear Sabbat-like moments) to speedy outbursts (a great example of both styles mixed together is "Excetra"). A similar balance could be heard in the guitar department as well: sharp thrashy riffs take turns with nice melodic lines which sound quite appealing, and are never repetitive. Two of the songs are really elaborate, going over the 10-min range, and are quite engaging musical experiences, where one can hear some smashing intense thrashy parts, alternating with beautiful pagan/folk flute melodies, and slow, doomy passages. The only disappointment would be the undeveloped, emotionless, one-dimensional vocals which are a stark contrast to the better music. Another good example that once upon a time there was a lot more than just Artillery and Invocator in Denmark.

Demo Demo, 1987

MANIFEST DESTINY (USA)

A mix of Testament (the early works) and Pantera; the first two releases are really worthy Bay Area-influenced thrash efforts with touches of modern 90's thrash, whereas "Within" is the other way around: modern thrash takes a bigger part from the sound, but the hard-hitting classic riffage is also there, and the overall music reminds me quite a bit of Sacred Reich's swansong "Heal", maybe a little heavier, or Testament's "Low". The music is never too aggressive and fast; the focus is on heavy, meaty riffs which work well most of the time. There are even some exercises in doom: "Lost Again", but with a thrashy edge. There is also one completely non-metal, but very cool ballad: "As I Am", as well as one excellent lead guitar-driven short instrumental: "Broken". The singer does a fine job with his voice coming as a mix between John Bush (Anthrax, Armored Saint) and Phil Anselmo.

All Life, All minds Full-length, 1996
What you fear Full-length, 1997
Bury The Living / The One EP, 1999
Within Full-length, 2001
Your World has Died EP, 2007

MANIFIESTO (ARGENTINA)

The classic speed/thrash of Argentina (Horcas, Hermetica, Lethal) comes up almost intact here, except for the rough shouty vocals. The sound is a bit harder with heavier guitars, reminiscent of their compatriots Serpentor as well, but the same classic aesthetics is shared all over, with the frequent adherence to speed, the obligatory slower breaks, the melodic leads, the galloping rhythms, etc. "Mira A Los Ojos" is more epic, more melodic power/thrash, and "Solo Una Vez Mas" is a happier power/speedster in the spirit of the 90's, but the rest is firmly on the harder side. The singer of the aforementioned act Serpentor Guillermo’Temo’Romero guests on two tracks.

Insano Full-length, 2006

MANILLA ROAD (USA)

This highly respected band have also given their fair share of thrash metal to the music scene. These four albums included here are the ones where some thrash metal could be heard- just hints on the first two, and quite a few moments from the last two. "The Deluge" only slightly suggested that the guys were considering stepping on a thrash metal ground, and "Mystification" served well to check whether the band would be welcome in the thrash fraternity. "Children Of The Night" opens nicely, with mighty speedy riffs, quite close to the previous year's Helstar effort ("Remnants of War"), and "Death By The Hammer" carries on in the same vein, showing no signs of compromise. It's on the 3rd song: "DragonStar", when the sound recalls the band's early works, being a fine progressive ballad. Then "Haunted Palace" speeds up again, but doesn't go over the mid-pace, and remains crushing and heavy. "Masque Of The Red Death" is a fine mid-paced power/thrasher, followed by the softer, but very cool power metal winner "Mystification". "Spirits Of The Dead" is a typical heavy Manilla Road composition, before the closer "Valley Of Unrest" comes up with a great fast-paced rhythm, which could even rival some tracks from the Agent Steel debut.

"Out Of The Abyss" has by all means been a surprise to the band's fans, switching onto heads-down thrash, quite fierce and aggressive at times, like on the opening "Whitechapel", which will satisfy even fans of Slayer and Dark Angel with its brutal riffage. "Rites of Blood" will take away some of the shock, experienced with the opener, being a heavy traditional for the band composition, before "Out of the Abyss" thrashes intensely once again, but in a more controlled manner, not as frantic, and with a genuine technical edge. "Return of the Old Ones" is the epic metal with which we all know the band, but "Black Cauldron" is another feast for the headbangers- a fine galloping speed/thrasher, the way Attacker used to do them around the same time, but this one thrashes its soul out. The alternation between the two styles on the album finishes here, as the guys choose to proceed with the thrash attack, with "Midnight Meat Train", which is another delight for the thrash fans. "War in Heaven" is mid-paced and heavy, still carrying a slight thrashy charge, and the next "Slaughterhouse" returns to the speed/thrashy patterns once again: a short masterpiece of tight sharp riffage, graced by some effective short leads. The last "Helicon" is epic and progressive (one of the band's finest achievements), but after all this is a Manilla Road album, and has to have an appeal to their hard-core fans; watch out for the final minutes where the guitars turn to intense speed/thrash; hardly can one think of a better finale of this marvellous song. With this great effort the band have "sold their souls" to thrash, but it remained to be seen how long they would stay within the confines of the genre.
"The Courts of Chaos" promises some more thrash entertainment, with the opener "(Vlad) The Impaler", which sounds like a leftover from the previous album, with its hard-hitting speedy riffs. "A Touch Of Madness" is a very cool heavy thrasher, with some intriguing aggressive, slow guitars, coming like a fine amalgam of thrash and doom. "D.O.A.", which is a cover of a song of one very unknown underground act: Bloodrock, develops as a not very impressive ballad, but one can not help, but admire the stylish switch onto lead-driven speed/thrash in the final part, which elevates this song almost to the level of the preceding two. "Dig Me No Grave" is high-octane pounding thrash with a more technical edge, with another whirlwind of leads, and up to this point this effort sounds more appealing even than "Out of the Abyss". "From Beyond" provides some more first-class heavy technical thrash, with a hectic speedy section: a unique one-of-a-kind approach, which unfortunately the band left unrealised. The high level of the material would hardly make one look for the typical Manilla Road composition here, but here it comes: "Into The Courts Of Chaos"- an excellent epic sprawling doomy track, with the lead performance being the highlight, along with the great melodic vocals, which are some of the best Shelton ever produced. "Road To Chaos" is an odd offbeat instrumental, which features ambient noises, atmospheric gimmicks, and some guitars near the end. "The Books Of Skelos" begins in a traditional epic fashion, but the band rage on very soon after, with some of the most furious guitar play ever heard on their works, turning this number into one of the best long achievements (8-min) of the whole genre, although the technical decorations heard previously here are missing, as the concentration is on hard-hitting thrash for most of the time. "The Prophecy" is the other representative of the band's staple style, with Shelton in fine form again. Overall this recording may not be more satisfying from a thrash metal point of view than "Out of the Abyss", although it's not too far behind, but in terms of musicianship it is by all means the band's finest hour, logically closing the 1st period of their career.
The band resurrected in 2001, with "Atlantis Rising", a strong comeback, which contained some of the sharp thrashy riffage, but has also added a clear progressive edge to the songs, making them compelling listens all the way. Their thrash metal period can be clearly felt on each of their albums from the new millennium, which along with the more complex structures of the new material makes Manilla Road once again one of the leaders of the metal underground.

The Deluge Full-length, 1986
Mystification Full-length, 1987
Out Of The Abyss Full-length, 1988
The Courts of Chaos Full-length, 1990

MANIMAL (FRANCE)

Based on "Succube", this band pulls out frantic, chaotic, but quite listenable mix of thrash and a little bit of death metal, which borrows some of the avantgardism of early Misanthrope, but embody it in a more modern atmosphere, all this topped by a couple of vocal varieties, and constant change of rhythms and tempos to a hallucinogenic effect. The sudden switches from very fast ripping passages to much slower, peaceful ones are at times not very well thought-out, at least to these ears (some may find this a sheer display of genius). There is some funk involved ("Straw Dogs") as well, even some direct hard-hitting thrash ("La Melodie Du Bonheur"- well, this is subjective, since this song could be quite hard to swallow to some). The quiet, semi-balladic moments, however, are well embedded in the overall picture ("Le Choix Des Armes"), and these are the times when some intriguing clean singing can be heard. Certainly the tag "technical" can by all means be attached to the band, especially after one hears noteworthy Voivod-esque abstract compositions like "Night Must Fall", or the "Biomechanical-meets-Darkane" "mad hatters" like "Angel Heart", which is anything but an "angel heart". The band's technical genius finds a more controlled expression on the excellent, still quite wild "Cadavres Exquis", which at least never leaves the mid-tempo parameters. "Buffet Froid" starts in a tender balladic manner, but later on turns into one of the more unbridled frenetic exercises on technical thrash on the album, spiced with occasional peaceful interludes. "Tous Les Matins Du Monde" closes the album in a wonderful fashion, lashing steel complex riffs from all sides in a manner no worse than Altered Aeon and late period Coroner. Some of you may throw this away after the very first listen, which would be a mistake, since this album is a grower, and it would reveal itself to the listener little by little with each subsequent listen, but only to those who have time to spare, and like the really complex, extreme side of the genre.

Eros & Thanatos Full-length, 2004
Succube Full-length, 2006

MANIPULATED SLAVES (JAPAN)

Power/thrash metal with gruff, death metal vocals; there are some epic tendencies in their music and some melodic, cheesy passages (with female vocals and all the rest), but the thrashy pieces manage to save the day in each of their albums. Their debut is their most aggressive, but not best, offering, boasting some really hard-hitting pieces: the opener "Obey the Moon", "Come Down From the Skies", even one brutal 1-min death metal explosion: "Damnation's Edge". Moments from the groovy 90's scene are also present: "Greed", as well as those on which there will be a bigger concentration on the future efforts: the power/epic opuses ("Halfway to Heaven").
"The Legendary Blackjade" is the band's finest hour, not as aggressive, but faster and more varied, with some pure speed/thrash metal delights: "The Way of the Emperor", "The Broken Chain", "Capital Punishment", in the best tradition of Paradox and the Polish Hellfire. The odd death metal track is here again, this time coming with more tasteful, melodic guitar work, and longer, but equally as fast and relentless, even bordering on black metal: "Assault on the Enemy". Even the more epic numbers ("Bearing the Final Pain") come with fast, more aggressive sections.
"Oath in Black Tears" shows the band keeping to the already established formula of classic speed/power metal with the odd more intense thrash/death metal element. Despite not offering anything new, the album has quite a few worthy moments: the cool galloping "Lost Memory", which also boasts a fine female vocal presence; the classic speed metal delight "Escape"; the progressive speed metal killer "The Reason To Die". "My Grave Post" is a Motorhead-ish merry heavy/speed metal, with a nice melodic lead guitar edge. The full thrashers come in the form of two short intense pieces: "Man of Work" and "All Over Foe" (this one really bursts out), but watch out for the speed/thrash smasher "To the Wilderness" which, despite some cheesy melodic hooks, is a fairly satisfying finishing touch to this effort. And I'm not mentioning the three fine short acoustic instrumentals, at which the band gets better and better...

Burst Into Blue Flames Full-length, 2000
The Legendary Blackjade Full-length, 2001
Over The Black Ocean Full-length, 2004
Oath in Black Tears Full-length, 2006

MANNGARD (NORWAY)

Based on "Circling Buzzards", this act pulls out modern thrash/death metal of the quirky, even progressive type. The music is very jumpy and frantic switching from one style to the other abruptly stylishly adding the mechanical technical riff ala Meshuggah and Baghead here and there. The tempo goes up quite a bit at times, but there is a certain amount of groove present as well. Still, this less ordinary take on the modern trends has its appeal also introducing weird funky/jazzy passages not too far from Cynic even, only without any sense of melody relying all the time on the mechanized industrial-tinged guitar sound. The chaotic starting out of nowhere leads are also another interesting addition, although the synthesized hardcore shouty vocals are hardly another one.

Circling Buzzards Full-length, 2006
European Cowards Full-length, 2007

MANOS (GERMANY)

This album is a wild mix of death, grind and thrash metal; most of the time this is brutal relentless stuff, but has its more controlled moments, where the approach recalls Motorhead and Tank ("Mirror Of Truth"), or is heads-down classic heavy metal ("Execution"). "Rage After Death" is a frenetic blend of grindcore and punk, and "Teacher's Pants" is slow ponderous doom.

At Mania of Death Full-Length, 1998

MANTAK (MALAYSIA)

Based on the "The Eastern Desekratorz" split, these stalwarts of the black metal idea in the Far East come up with vicious brutal black/thrash, reminiscent of several heroes from the scene: Impaled Nazarene, The Italians Vexed, early Bathory, Dimmu Borgir, early Cradle of Filth, etc. The music is mostly black metal, topped by the ultra shrieky unholy vocals, drawing comparisons with Burzum. The thrash comes wrapped in an epic "shroud" in the vein of mid-period Bathory ("Blood, Fire, Death"): "Thy Paranormal Feminine", or in the form of cover versions of thrash veterans: "Sodom's "Blasphemer", done in a very aggressive vicious manner.

Dark Borneo Art EP, 2000
Eye Of Deviant Full-length, 2002
Polymorphous Perversion Full-length, 2004
Eastern Sexxxrigalust EP, 2005
Raping God's Law Split, 2006
Nekrosimon - The Art Ov Blasphemies Split, 2007
Sabahell's Blasphemer Full-length, 2007
The Eastern Desekratorz Split, 2008
Baptized By Beers Split, 2008

MANTHRA (CHILE)

Based on the quite long, 8-song "Born To Hate" EP, this young Chilean band offer a good fast and intense old school mixture of thrash and death metal, recalling Death's early days, Possessed's "Seven Churches", and the German veterans Sodom and Kreator. "Outbreak the Terror" contains 3 songs of very good intense Bay-Area thrash ala Vio-Lence, with a pinch of Slayer, showing the guys equally capable handling various influences from the thrash metal spectre. This is good headbanging stuff, which is not a "stranger" to some stylish guitar work, especially in the lead section.

When The Evil Rises Demo, 2003
Born To Hate EP, 2005
Rehearsal 2006 Demo, 2006
Outbreak the Terror Demo, 2008

MANTIC RITUAL (USA)

This is the same band known previously as Meltdown. Here the guys have just re-recorded the last Meltdown album, without any added bonus tracks or alterations; those of you who already have the album under the Meltdown name need not bother.

Executioner Full-length, 2009

MANTICORA (DENMARK)

Manticora's style has often been described as progressive power metal, which is not a very accurate description. Thrash and speed metal take a considerable place on almost every album, except on the last one. "Roots of Eternity" is a strong debut, more in the speed metal camp, obviously influenced by early Blind Guardian, especially in the vocal department and the catchy choruses; the thrashy, progressively-laced masterpiece "Intoxication", and the shorter, nice little speed/thrasher "Private Hell", are the highlights here, as well as the epic, 12-min long "Roots Of Eternity".
"Darkness With Tales to Tell" embraces both the progressive and the speed metal idea even tighter, but the 2nd part enters the thrash metal arena with full force. "Lost Souls" is a great speed/thrasher: non-stop riff-fest from beginning to end, followed by "The Twilight Shadow", which is a fine galloping power/speed/thrash metal piece. The album closer "Shadows With Tales To Tell" is a fine progressive speed/thrashterpiece. This is a great album, with amazing guitar work and brilliant songs, which will satisfy all metal fans.
"Hyperion" starts thrashing from the very beginning, and pretty much remains in the speed/thrash camp for most of the time. The songs are again long, even more complex, but the brilliant musicianship keeps them compelling and interesting, with not a single dull moment. "8 Deadly Sins" is a fine mixture of progressive, speed, thrash, and power; it is quite contrasting, consisting of some of the most quiet, and most aggressive compositions written by the band.
The two parts of "The Black Circus" are a step down, adopting a more ordinary power/speed metal style, leaving the great multi-layered combinations from the previous efforts; on top of that, every song is preceded by a short intro, which is hardly a positive touch. Except for the opener "The Black Circus", which is a furious speed/thrasher in the best tradition of the band's past, the other material is quite average, similar to hundreds of other contemporary power/speed metal acts.

Dead End Solution EP, 1997
Roots of Eternity Full-length, 1999
Darkness With Tales to Tell Full-length, 2001
Hyperion Full-length, 2002
8 Deadly Sins Full-length, 2004
The Black Circus Part 1 - Letters Full-length, 2006
The Black Circus Part 2 - Disclosure Full-length, 2007

MAPLE CROSS (FINLAND)

Maple Cross are the longest running thrash metal band in Finland though they only have three official releases up to this point; their demos date back from the mid-80's where their style has been classic 80's thrash. Their music has been following steadily the modern trends through the years, and their recent works show a mix of classic and modern thrash with some melodic pop-metal moments, and shades of the Gothenburg death metal sound. Their diverse sound hits the mark quite well at times, but often it sounds derivative and uninspired. With a bit more energy put in the proceedings, the results would be much better, because these guys know (and they have shown it) how to play good quality thrash metal.

The Eighth Day of Creation Full-length, 1991
Next Chapter Full-length, 2003
Heimo Full-length, 2007

MARAUD (USA)

Based on the "Raid the Streets" demo, this is vintage old school speed/thrash metal recalling Exumer's "Possessed by Fire" and Toxic Shock's "Change from Reality"; fast-paced and very well executed music.

The Countdown Begins Demo, 2006
Raid the Streets Demo, 2006

MARC RIZZO (USA)

Another skilful shredder has come up on the scene, and it was high time since most of the more aggressive instrumentalists have disappeared. Marc Rizzo is a regular assistant of the Cavalera Brothers, having done time in Soulfly, and now is a full-time member of their new formation The Cavalera Conspiracy. The man's style is a nice mix of speed, thrash, power metal and flamenco; it's purely instrumental except for the last two tracks on "The Ultimate Devotion" album, which are major intense technical thrashers with a more brutal, death-metal edge. There are a few entire acoustic flamenco instrumentals, but the majority is aggressive thrashy shredding which does not sound exactly like any of the previous heroes; it's not as brutal and chaotic as the music peformed by Toby Knapp, although at times it's not that far; it's not as technical and complex as the one of Tony Fredianelli; the approach is probably closest to Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn" with a more thrashy edge; the guy definitely possesses some of the Yngwie Malmsteen speed, but he doesn't rely on it all the time. There are plenty of cool headbanging moments as well as more intricate and furious sections; this is by far one of the most talented musucians on the metal scene nowadays.
"Legionaire" would be of little interest to the thrash metal fan except for two tracks: the heavy technical pounder "...by Great Odins Beard" which is indeed a great slab of instrumental power/thrash with cool more quiet insertions; and the more aggressive proto-thrashy shred "Victim In Shred". The number of the more peceful flamenco-oriented compositions have been increased the latter now occupying more than half of the space. Still, it remains a good work of all-instrumental music with Rizzo taking it easy giving more freedom to his more classically-inclined nature.

Colossal Myopia Full-length, 2005
The Ultimate Devotion Full-length, 2007
Legionaire Full-length, 2010

MARCH OF HATE (BRAZIL)

Based on the full-length, this band provides an uneven mixture of fast modern thrash/death and doom-laden groove. The speedy sections are not bad, except for the times when they become too speedy bordering on grind, but the slower ones are simply bad, drony and clumsy, completely losing the inertia.

Promo EP, 2006
Atitudes Massacrantes Full-length, 2007

MARIONETTE (SWEDEN)

Swedish death/thrash metal with orchestral implements, groovy sections, good clean vocals, and more; still all these additions don't help lift this music on a higher, more original level, and despite the energy and professionalism put into the makings, it will hardly leave a more lasting trace in your mind.
"Enemies" is very close sound-wise to the debut, the keyboards are here again, even more accentuated on, and they kind of retouch the sharpness of the guitars, bringing the music close to Children of Bodom. The change comes in the form of slower groovy passages, which were not that many at all before, and kill the good pace accumulated previously in the song.

Spite Full-length, 2008
Enemies Full-length, 2009

MARK OF CAIN (CANADA)

A cool fusion of thrash and death metal of the old school, with the singer possessing some very deep growls and music which is very heavy, but also with some nice melodic guitar work.

Traumatizing Demo, 2005
Only Dead Fish Swim With The Stream/The Art Of Revenge Split, 2007

MARKIZ DE SADE (POLAND)

Based on the debut demo, this act offers speed/thrash metal influenced by Vector and Tyrant. The sound quality is rough, but the guys pull it out with fast riffage, strong bass-bottom and a dynamic speedy delivery. The singer semi-shouts in a raw semi-clean manner, and doesn't really sing. Compared to the early efforts of Turbo and Kat, this short work sounds way more aggressive, and could easily pass for the first more successful attempt at speed/thrash from the Polish scene.

Promenada Club Session Demo, 1985
Zdeptani Demo, 2009

MAROON (GERMANY)

Based on "Endorsed By Hate", Maroon play modern thrash metal with a certain Slayer-vibe (their heavier, late 80's period); the problem is that the music too frequently steps on a metalcore ground.

Captive in the Room of the Conspirator EP, 2000
Antagonist Full-length, 2002
Endorsed by Hate Full-length, 2004
When Worlds Collide Full-length, 2006

MARTIRE (AUSTRALIA)

On the first demo this band offer surprisingly vicious and brutal death/thrash metal, which could easily pass for the most aggressive recording over there of the 80's. This is fast, merciless stuff, recalling the early works of the Swiss Messiah, and Death.

Demo 1 Demo, 1988
Demo 1990 Demo, 1990
Martire EP, 1991
Demo Demo, 1992
'88-'92 Best of/Compilation, 1993
Promo 1995 Demo, 1995
Lucifer EP, 1998
Winds of Desecration Split, 1999
United in Hell Split, 2004
Legions of the Apocalypse Full-length, 2007

MARTVA ZONA (BULGARIA)

Retro thrash metal of the calmer darker variety with decent melodic hooks which starkly contrast to the harsh death-y vocals. The guys' infatuation with melody give a cool gothic "decoration" to the proceedings, and with a better sound quality, from which mostly suffer the good melodic leads, this band can strike more cords. More speed added for the future would also be desirable, and would make the slower gothic overtones more appealing.

Grobishte Za Dushi Demo, 2007

MARTYR (USA)

The album is divided into two parts: the first one is brutal death-ish thrash metal recalling Devastation, with a nice instrumental piece in the middle "If You Like This"; the other one is much more melodic crossover thrash. Apparently this was a compilation of demos reflecting different periods of the band's development.

Wickenstraut Full-length, 1993

MARTYRDOM (HOLLAND)

Based on the "Sodomy And Crush" demo, this is pure Venom worship, their early, most interesting period. Everything is well imitated, even the Cronos-like vocals, which sound a bit strained, as though the guy has really made an effort to follow on the steps of the mighty Cronos. And as expected, there is a cover version of Venom: "Lady Lust". The music has almost no relation to Sodom music-wise, despite the demo title.

Blackstench Demo, 1994
Sodomy And Crush Demo, 1995

MARTYRIUM (CHILE)

4 songs of quite good classic speed/thrash, with very cool sharp guitar sound, which moves from pure speed ala early Helloween and Warrant ("Age Of Destruction") to really intense Slayer-esque thrash ("Fucking Dictator"), without forgetting the crossover aesthetics ala Nuclear Assault (parts of "Years Of Tension"). An encompassing effort, which in just 4 numbers try to review, and fairly successfully, the best from the 80's thrash metal scene.

Violent Showcase EP, 2008

MARY JANE (RUSSIA)

This obscure Russian formation pulls out retro thrash, mid-paced and sharp ("Evil God"), or faster and more intense ("Fucking World"), or laid-back with a pinch of power/heavy metal ("Solitary Mad"). There is also one cool cover of Cryptic Slaughter's "United Forces".

666 & 777 Demo

MAS OPTICA (USA)

This obscure act have a fairly interesting approach to metal, mixing acoustic parts with more aggressive, thrashy ones. There are times when the acoustic nature of the music takes the upper hand ("The Feeling", "Dying Season"), and these are probably the ones which would not be too appealing to the thrash fans, and some songs excel in complexity, staying firmly on progressive metal ground ("Way Out"), recalling Psychotic Waltz. "Fences" is a curious number, which combines heavy doomy riffage with some jumpy funky sections. "My House Is Green" is a nice intense progressive thrasher, which beginning will remind you of Flotsam & Jetsam's "No Place for Disgrace", although later on it never speeds up too much, but remains quite good. This is by no means a full-blooded thrash offering, but it has its more aggressive moments, and the musicianship all over is quite high.

Choose to see more Full-length, 1993

MASADA (USA)

Based on the "Til Death" demo, this band play quite cool aggressive thrash with short, 1.5-2 min tracks recalling Sodom's "Persecution Mania", and good mean vocals sounding like a mix between Mille Petrozza and Bathory (R.I.P.).

Til Death Demo, 1987
Witness This Genocide Demo, 1989

MASKIM (ITALY)

One of the better thrash metal albums to come out of Italy; very good technical thrash similar to Koma's "Cepi" and Terrahsphere's "Third in Order of the Sun". There are also some straight aggressive thrashers: "Lethal Solution", but it's technical opuses like "House on Trial" which elevate this album to a higher level. Even the ballad "Wise Man Never Stalls" is a nice "calm before the storm", followed by the furious smasher "The Xperiment". The vocalist is a find with a style which is a mix between Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) and Warrel Dane (Nevermore) with the slightly annoying tendency to high-pitch scream which could be scary at times. Another fine example how aggression and technicality could exist very well together.

Maskim Full-length, 1992

MASQUE (UK)

A small gem of power/thrash, more along the lines of the works from the American scene at the time; the guys rely more on the galloping up-tempo ("Back With a Vengeance", "No Light to Die By"), switching onto more intense speed/thrash on "Confined Insanity". "The Dead of Night" is a very good heavy ballad, fitting perfectly the melodic high-pitched voice of the singer.

The Dead Of The Night EP, 1988

MASS CONFUSION (AUSTRALIA)

This obscure act is the brain child of Phil Gresik, the guitarist who previously took part in the thrashers Hobbs' Angel of Death, and is at present a member of both Bestial Warlust and Destroyer666. The music of this band is a direct take on early Nuclear Assault, both in the music and the vocal department. At times the guys are quite merciless and fast (the opener "Mangler"), but later on the songs lose the intensity, and settle for a mid-paced, but still cool sound, until the coming of "Look Back In Anger", which brings back the fury and speed, which produce the raging thrasher "Out Of" straight after. A couple of short 1-1.5min joke songs are thrown in, with a jazzy, funky feel. Fans of the more aggressive side of thrash/crossover need to dig this band out.

Confusion Intrusion Full-length, 1990

MASS EXHIBIT (USA)

The band's style nicely clings between the classic and the modern 90's sound. The mixture works well, being heavy and mid-paced most of the time, and will remind you of Cyclone Temple's "My friend Lonely", Sacred Reich's "The American Way", and Accuser's "Reflections".

No Trial Runs Demo, 1994

MASS EXTINCTION (IRELAND)

"D.B.A.T." is quite good classic thrash, which will remind you of old heroes like Exodus, Slayer, Vio-lence, among others. The opener "Nuclear Dawn" is a smashing thrasher in the best tradition of Slayer's "Reign in Blood"; "Bound in Flesh" carries on in the same headbaning fashion, but it's the last track: "Harbinger of Torment", which shines the brightest with its crushing, semi-technical, mid-tempo riffs.
"Creation's Undoing" is something more of the same: "The-Bay-Area-Meets-Slayer" style for the production of another 3 songs of good headbanging retro thrash, with one pure Slayer-worship, done with style: "Global Assassin".

D.B.A.T. Demo, 2005
Creation's Undoing Demo, 2007

MASS GENOCIDE (USA)

Thrash/crossover, having its both more melodic (early Suicidal Tendencies), and more aggressive moments (early Prong); everything is early here... which is good.

Demo Demo, 1987

MASS MURDER MACHINE (GERMANY)

An excellent demo of classic, Slayer-inspired thrash metal; the music is up-tempo and aggressive, and although there is a little more than Slayer-worship shown here, such music done with dedication and gusto will definitely appeal to all thrash fans.
The EP is more aggressive, bordering on proto-death at times, but there are a couple of smashing heavy mid-paced tracks as well, with a certain late 80's Slayer vibe. Still the majority is fast headbanging thrash, this time recalling early Pestilence. The vocals are throaty death-tinged ones, again more vicious than the vocal style of the demos.

Receive Your Death Demo, 2003
Good Day to Die Demo, 2008
Becoming The Horror EP, 2009

MASSACAUST (USA)

A very late entry into the American power/thrash scene, this demo boasts a very good sound quality and cool mid to up-tempo music akin to Meliah Rage, Heretic and Meliah Rage. "Death Charmer" is a more intense take on thrash also recalling early Whiplash. The singer will pull you back with his gruff hardcore tember, though.

B.L.A.C.K. Demo, 1991

MASSACRA (FRANCE)

Massacra's early demos from the late 80's were one of the first really brutal mixtures of thrash and death metal which, despite the muddy sound quality, displayed a band ready to change the face of metal into more extreme dimensions. This act easily stuck out of the crowd of French thrash metal bands, simply because they were better musicians than the rest, something which they perfectly showed on their first three efforts: essential technical thrash/death metal opuses, nice combinations of furious riffs and stylish technical passages. With "Sick" the band moved to modern thrash, but their new sound was also quite interesting and appealing although it had nothing to do with their past releases.

Final Holocaust Full-length, 1990
Enjoy the Violence Full-length, 1991
Signs of the Decline Full-length, 1992
Sick Full-length, 1994
Humanize Human Full-length, 1995

MASSACRE (PORTUGAL)

A very good demo of German-influenced thrash: think Exumer's "Possesssed by Fire", Necronomicon's "Escalation", Toxic Shock's "Change from Reality"; fast tempo, sharp riffs, and screaming leads.

Mortal Remains Demo, 1989

MASSAKER (BRAZIL)

The "first attack" from these Brazilians is in the form of sharp "attacking" retro thrash along the lines of early Whiplash. This is good fast-paced music with a pinch of the Bay-Area: Exodus' "Bonded by Blood", in particular ("Toxic Violence"), and slightly hysterical screechy vocals.

First Attack Demo, 2009

MASSAKIST (USA)

Based on the demo, this is simplistic, fast, hardcore-tinged thrash reminiscent of Rigor Mortis, on the better, and more intense moments. This is good headbanging stuff, by the way, fairly fast at times, if we exclude some stupid hardcore numbers, like "You're a Slut", for example.

Plagues of the Mind Demo, 1989
Of All that is Seen...And Unseen EP, 1991

MASSAKRE (CHILE)

On "Crematorium" this band specialize in aggresive thrash akin to Devastation and Slayer; a really good work. "Psychotic Redemption" is another worthy release, albeit with a more modern sound, but the tempo is still fast, despite a certain presence of some groovy parts thrown in here and there. The debut is much slower and quite an umpromising start, with some heavy, semi-technical guitar work, and some awkward gothic/doom numbers ("Temblor del Cielo" and "Y al Final la Guerra Terminó"), which simply have no place on an album like this, as well as jolly rock hymns, which sound even worse ("Todos Juntos"), which is actually a cover version of a song from one of the best known Chilean rock bands Los Jaivas. Even the thrashy songs have this gothic atmosphere around them, created mostly by haunting keyboard implements.

Massacre Full-length, 1989
Psychotic Redemption Full-length, 2001
Crematorium Full-length, 2005

MASSAPPEAL (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the "Nobody Likes A Thinker" EP, this is a thrash/crossover band who sound close to early Prong and Beyond Possession; the music is fast and quite aggressive, without any attempts at a more varied play. "Nommo Anagonno" shows a shift towards an awful, and not very listenable mish-mash of hardcore, post-thrash, grunge and some funky/jazzy perversions. This is nothing more than the next ill-fated attempt at offering something more unusual, to the point of a total display of bad taste...

Nobody Likes A Thinker EP, 1986
Bar Of Life EP, 1987
Jazz Full-length, 1989
The Mechanic Full-length, 1992
The Zesty Charismatic Personality Chamber EP, 1994
Nommo Anagonno Full-length, 1994

MASSIVE APPENDAGE (AUSTRALIA)

This is simplistic, but enjoyable thrash, if we exclude the explicit sexual lyrics (which shouldn't be a distraction, and are not meant to be taken seriously). The music nicely varies from jolly thrash/crossover numbers ("War Zone") to some cool speed/thrashers in the Tankard vein ("A.N.A.L.", "What's Happening to the World"), to some excellent, longer, more thoughtful pieces, with a slight power metal edge ("Massive Appendage"). All songs are graced by superb lead guitars, which are so good that easily overshadow the rest, including the sharp, but a little thin, riffs.

The Severed Erection Full-length, 1988

MASSIVE POWER (CHILE)

These guys have the potential to become one of the leading thrash metal bands of the South American scene. The tracks from the "Breaking Your Head" demo are forceful speed/thrash with an excellent production bringing Paradox's "Heresy" to mind. They were actually mastered versions of songs from their "Rehearsal" demo where the production qualities are a bit muddy. Their last demo features some good thrash, too, but the sound is a bit dirtier, sounding like something which had been released a long time ago, during the band's spawning stages.

Rehearsal Demo, 2003
Breaking Your Head Demo, 2004
Possessed by Alcohol Demo, 2005

MASTER (RUSSIA)

One of the first Russian speed/thrash metal bands; the self-titled debut is a really impressive blend of speed and thrash, more on the speed metal side; on "With the Noose Around the Neck" the band unleash a merciless thrash attack, which still remains their finest hour; hard, aggressive riffs and fast tempos aplenty; one-dimensional, compared to the previous and next efforts, but a great headbanging delight all the way, with a nice ballad at the end. "Talk of the Devil" is not too far from its predecessor, but includes some slower songs, with more technical guitar work; the end is preserved for one very cool, speedy version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid".
"Maniac Party" has only slightly accepted the modern trends; the classic sound is still present, and the technical edge of the guitars has been increased; some songs are longer, and the bass work is much better. As a result we have a nice technical thrash album, crossing the heavy, pounding sound of mid-period Metallica with the lighter, but equally effective one of Living Death's "World Neurosis". "Songs Of The Dead" has little to do with the band's early works: it shares some of the pounding energy of the last album, but the sound is a lot more modern and groovy; a lot of speed has been sacrificed, and there is hardly a couple of more up-tempo songs. The band's releases of the new millennium have no ties to thrash, still good, but in the power/heavy metal mould.

Master Full-length, 1987
With the Noose Around the Neck Full-length, 1989
Talk of the Devil Full-length, 1991
Maniac Party Full-length, 1994
Songs Of The Dead Full-length, 1996

MASTER FURY (USA)

Based on the demo, this band offer quite good speed/thrash which starts with an excellent energetic instrumental piece: "Hell Party" with great, Russian folk tune-influenced guitars; the rage continues unabated with "Crash": a total early Angel Dust and Iron Angel worship, another great number. The demo carries on in the same merciless vein (it's 8 songs long, and there is another marvellous instrumental later on: "Semper Furious"), until it reaches the last song: "Riot", which despite its name is the most melodic piece here, still energetic, but more along the lines of early Exciter and Savage Grace. This is a gem which is worth the long time invested to track it down, and immediately makes their full-length a very highly sought-out item.

Hell Party Demo, 1988
Circles Of Hate Full-length, 1989

MASTERWORK (FINLAND)

A cool mixture of power, speed and thrash metal obviously influenced by early Metallica, but the music is not thrashy all the time, featuring some more restrained power and traditional metal sections ("Penitention Sermon" goes down to doom metal even, and is quite an achievement in itself), where the good clean vocals fit a bit better.

Bad Power / Penitential Sermon EP, 1990

MASTERY (USA)

Excellent instrumental thrash; the music in not overtly technical like Electro Quarterstaff or Vomitron; it's pure classic shredding, intense and frequently fast. The music is not original, but this is a good idea, especially since noone has thought about paying a similar tribute to classic thrash before.

Lethal Legacy EP, 2005

MASTIFAL (ARGENTINA)

Based on "Desde Las Tinieblas", this is a blend of classically-tinged thrash and Swedish-styled death metal ala At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity. The thrashy riffs lose the battle, and the overall sound is closer to death metal, more brutal than the one of their Swedish counterparts, with a more frequent inclusion of blast-beats.
The debut "Holocausto Mental" is the better achievement, at least from a thrash metal point of view. It offers cool energetic, up-tempo thrash with simplistic, but enjoyable riffs, and short, but nice melodic leads. The style follows closely on the steps of the band's renowned compatriots Horcas and Hermetica. Shades of death metal could be heard: the intense blast-beat section on "Cuando el Sol Crucifique Mi Nombre", but on the other hand we have some sheer power metal tracks: "Fabricia de Monos", reminding of the American power metal scene of the 80's.
"Carnivora" is not miles away from its predecessor, offering a similar furious blend of thrash and death, this time with fewer blast-beats, and with some pure thrashing headbanging delights ("Mas Alla de la Razon"), plus some softer, power metal numbers ("Hacia Ningun Lugar").

Holocausto Mental Full-length, 2000
Desde Las Tinieblas Full-length, 2003
Carnivora Full-length, 2005

MASTODON (USA)

Mastodon are not a real thrash metal band, but in their diverse sound one could easily pick influences from Metallica, Voivod, Slayer and other 80's veterans; a very original band who would definitely appeal to thrash metal fans, especially their early period.

Slick Leg EP, 2001
Lifesblood EP, 2001
Remission Full-length, 2002
Leviathan Full-length, 2004
Call of the Mastodon EP, 2006
Blood Mountain Full-length, 2006
Crack the Skye Full-Length, 2009

MASTURBACE (CZECH)

Based on "Teplo Domova Vychází Z Pochvy": this is a mix of thrash and death metal which at times sounds vicious and aggressive, at times slows down, acquiring groovy tendencies, at times leaves the aforementioned styles going into other directions (crossover, alternative, etc.). This diverse work resembles quite a bit the later efforts of the Polish Quo Vadis.
"Nablinkáno, Nakakáno, Spapáno" is quite underwhelming concentrating on groovy post-thrash with not very frequent faster insertions. Consequently the music lacks dynamics although a few stylish melodic jazzy/foxtrot passages break the monotony albeit sounding a bit awkward on the uneventful base.

The Labyrinth Of The Round Square Full-length, 1994
Komplet Full-length, 1999
Teplo Domova Vychází Z Pochvy Full-length, 2005
Nablinkáno, Nakakáno, Spapáno Full-length, 2010

MASTURBATHOR (POLAND)

Brutal and raw thrash/death metal similar to early Messiah and Protector, amateurish and badly produced; Messiah are "honoured" with an awful cover version of "Space Invaders" from their debut "Hymn to Abramelin".

Blood of Vanity Demo, 1991

MATAHERO (CHILE)

Based on the Split, these guys pull out aggressive fast thrash/crossover, not far from the early efforts of Cryptic Slaughter and even Wehrmacht. Short blitzkrieg tracks, stripped-down attitude and vicious declamatory vocals: mosh till death!
The full-length is the modern answer to Cryptic Slaughter's classic "Convicted". Expect 13 lightning speed bullets, maybe a tad more moderate than the ones from "Convicted", but pure rage and fury most of the time, and definitely longer (half of them easily cross over the non-desirable 2-min line).

El Poder Implacable Split, 2005
Implacable Demo, 2005
Matahero Full-length, 2008

MATERIA GRAVE (ITALY)

Heavy mid-paced death/thrash with gothic/doomy overtones, sounding like a thrashy Bolt Thrower; the singer is a really brutal death metal growler, shouting ungodly at times in the way Chris Barnes used to do it. The sparce lead guitar work is really good, and some faster sections can be heard ("Brutale Evidenza Dell' Esistenza": this one is really "brutale"), as well as intriguing deep female vocals on "Vecchia Sentenza".

Dammi una Vita Demo, 1998

MATTHIAS STEELE (USA)

Based on the debut, this is a fine slab of classic power/thrash. This is mid-tempo, heavy stuff, with nice technical guitars and very good clean, high vocals. The compositions are long, within the 5-8min range, and the overall style takes the seat between later period Helstar and early Iced Earth. The first half is truly a revelation, containing the best and the most aggressive tracks, among which are the great technical thrash instrumental "Warriors Anthem", and the galloping headbanger "Father Has Risen", topped by some truly striking soaring, high-pitched vocals. The second half softens a bit, with more power metal-based songs, not as fast and intense, but still intriguing and technical. Just when one starts thinking that the guys would not thrash again, comes another heavy thrash opus: "Tribunal", and the marvellous speed/thrashing closer "Beyond Stygian Creek". The guitar sound is crystal clear, and slightly stifles the bass which, when clearly heard, is quite impressive. Although the two genres covered here are not mixed very well together, with a kind of a borderline between them, this is definitely worth your attention.

Haunting Tales Of A Warrior's Past Full-length, 1991
Demo Demo, 2007
Resurrection Full-length, 2007

MATRIX (USA)

This band features many names from the Texan underground metal scene: two future members of Assalant, the singer Jon Deplachett who later joined the death metal pioneers Necrovore, and one of the early American guitar wizards Phillip Patterson, who, unfortunately, never managed to make a career despite his great talent, also displayed on the Militia demos. The music here is excellent power/thrash metal, mid to up-tempo, but is much more technical than Assalant and Militia, with some fabulous complex riffage which at its best reminds of Juggernaut's finest moments, and even Watchtower ("Traveller", "Fortress"): Matrix have actually opened a few shows for Watchtower back in the days when the prospectives looked good, and it seemed as though this very gifted outfit could make it easily to the first division.

The Matrix Demo, 1985

MAYHEM (GERMANY)

Another early aggressive entry into the thrash/proto-death metal genre (hey, there were quite a few of them out there in the good old times). This is actually the other band where the legendary workaholic Mem Von Stein (Exumer, Sun Descends, Of Rytes) was adjusting his vocal abilities to the demands of thrash, along with the early incarnation of Exumer: Tartaros. The band's sound is reminiscent of Whiplash's "Power and Pain" and Possessed's "Seven Churches". Unfortunately these guys are worse musicians than their American colleagues, and their music frequently is pure bashing, quite intense, but also too one-dimensional. The drums are put too forward in the mix, and sometimes what you would hear is just violent drumming, starkly contrasting to the screaming lead guitars. The Von Stein vocals here are semi-death metallish, quite violent and shouty. But, kudos should be paid to the band for attempting such brutal stuff at such an early stage.

Chains of Death Demo, 1985
Evil Pentagram Demo, 1986

MAYHEM (USA)

Spped/thrash, quite typical for the time and country, not too far from Sentinel Beast's "Depths Of Death" and Anvil Bitch's "Rise To Offend"; the guys here have a less serious attitude perhaps, sharing some of the jolly light-hearted mood of the crossover scene at times. Apart from the obligatory brisk speed/thrashers, we have some cool more moderate tracks like the merry melodic punk-ish "Couch Potato", the Motorhead-like "Fuk-u", the interesting "Aerobic Genocide", introducing some very cool melodies. One of their unfluences has been given a tribute at the end: Motorhead with... you have the right to make 3 guesses: but of course "Ace of Spades"! The singer Matt McCourt later sang for other acts, like Wild Dogs, Mr. Mastermind, etc.

Burned Alive Full-length, 1987

MAYHEM INC (USA)

This band features the famous guitar player Louie Svitek who later took part in other much more famous bands: Mindfunk, Ministry, M.O.D. (he definitely likes the acts whose names start with the letter M), Zoetrope, as well as the drummer Bill Schmidt who later helped Paul Speckman both in Death Strike and Master. This 3-song demo is standout speed/thrash metal which recalls strong albums like Blessed Death's "Destined For Extinction" and Heathen's "Break the Silence". The tempo is fast, except on "Matter in the Universe" which is a nice heavy thrasher with a more technical edge. Svitek does a very good job; especially his leads are quite striking, and the vocals are worth mentioning being quite high-pitched, but suiting the music just fine. The guys could have forged themselves quite a career if they had voted to carry on with this fine band.

Demo Demo, 1985

MAYHEMESIS (USA)

This band specialize in aggressive thrash with a strong Slayer-influence, mixing their early, more aggressive period ("Prey on Terror") with their heavier, more restrained one ("Crunchy Frog"). The demo is long, and there is room for some deviations from the pattern: the excellent speedy "Mirror of Judgement", whish is a nod to the German school.

Dead From The Skyroom Demo, 1989

MAZE OF TORMENT (SWEDEN)

One of the first Swedish bands (along with The Haunted and Carnal Forge) who introduced the modern thrash/death metal genre on the scene. Maze Of Torment are more aggressive than the other two, with their works placed closer to death metal.

The Force Full-length, 1997
Faster Disaster Full-length, 1998
Death Strikes Full-length, 2000
The Unmarked Graves Full-length, 2003
Hammers of Mayhem Full-length, 2005
Hidden Cruelty Full-length, 2007

MEANSTREAK (USA)

An all female thrash band who play power/thrash of the more melodic variety recalling at times 80's Chastain, with excellent female vocals. It's not deprived of good headbanging numbers: the intense thrashy opener "Roadkill", for example, but the rest is a mix of power and thrash, clinging more towards the power metal side.

Roadkill Full-length, 1988

MEANTIME (BELGIUM)

Like their compatriots from Channel Zero, these guys started in an awesome fashion, resurrecting the glorious Bay-Area sound, opposing to the modern trends of the 90's. Meantime are perhaps even better than the other more popular band, with their music being more technical and overall better executed. Forbidden's debut is the main influence, including in the vocal department, but the music here has a slightly more technical edge, which at its best also smells another Belgian act: Target. Unlike Channel Zero, this band voted to split up right after this demo, before turning into another Pantera-clone, like the other one.

Demo Demo, 1993

MEATLOCKER (USA)

Hardcore meets the groovy deviations of Helmet and Pantera, on the more aggressive parts; the former Intruder guitarist Rotten Ron Hanisco plays here, but hardly reminds of himself, although the music is quite energetic, and some tracks are cool up-tempo headbangers ("Who´s Your God", "Triangle Of Pain"). Certainly, there are fillers which had better be skipped (the punk-ish "OI Hate").

Triangle Of Pain EP, 1994

MEATLOCKER SEVEN (CANADA)

The interesting name comes from their rehearsal place, which was a real meatlocker. A place like this certainly inspires for nothing else, but thrash/death metal of the modern type, with a more aggressive approach than the lot, and some cool technical riffs ala Morbid Angel.

Corrode EP, 1997
The Biological Mechanism of Hate Full-length, 2003
Depression Earth EP, 2004
2005 Sampler EP, 2005

MEATWAGON (CANADA)

Good modern thrash metal similar to what Overkill and Cyclone Temple were doing around the same time, plus some technical, Jeff Waters-like riffs. The sound takes a very groovy orientation at times ("Laid to Rest"), but contains enough impressive energetic thrashers, like the album opener "You Speak With Lies" and the album highlight "Mouthwired".

Left With Nothing Full-length, 1996

MECHANISM (CANADA)

This new formation is another vehicle for the talents of the drummer Gene Hoglan. The style is fairly complex, progressive modern death/thrash, with sharp technical riffs, frequently changing tempos, and, of course, precise expert drumming. To describe the band's style would not be a very easy task, but if you can imagine a cocktail of Nevermore, Biomechanical, Meshuggah, Obliveon, and their compatriots Martyr, you may get somewhere. The vocals are divided between screechy black-ish and brutal death metal ones; oh, and let's not forget the semi-clean ones springing up from time to time. The lead guitar work is quite good, and works very well combined with the very complex, vortex-like riffage. The guys don't rely on very long songs, the only exception being the 7-min long progressive opus "Hall Of The Gods", which is a wild mix of moods and time changes, ranging from sprawling head-spinning sections to very short blasting moments. Even short numbers, like "Awake" or the less-than-2min furious "Lord And Thief", are very heavily technically charged, leaving little room for straight head-banging passages. The closer "Hellmutt" will scare you with its very brutal blasting beginning, and is the only death metal number on the album, a somewhat illogical exit from it, having in mind that there was no trace of brutal, stripped-down death metal to be heard earlier. Still, it remains a fairly satisfying slab of technical/progressive metal, and may do well to fill in the gap left by Obliveon, as the leaders of the modern side of the genre in Canada.

Inspired Horrific Full-length, 2009

MECHANIX (GERMANY)

Having taken their name from the last track from "Killing Is My Business,...", this band's style shouldn't be hard to define: excellent melodic thrash which sticks close to 90's Megadeth (1992-1997), but more aggressive ("Aggressive"), and the vocal lines of Dave Mustaine. The lead guitar work is particularly impressive featuring some great melodies, and the guys do admirable job bringing to mind the technical, sharp riffs of their renowned peers. With Megadeth being on the edge of falling from grace in the late 90's, Mechanix came right on time to keep their style "alive", and even nowadays they seem like their worthy competitors. I can see quite a few of you banging wildly their heads on the excellent "44 Masterplan" which is a slightly modified version of Megadeth's early thrash hymn "Devil's Island" from "Peace Sells...".
I was quite surprised to find that "History Re-Rotten" contains completely different tracks from the ones included in the obscure Best of Compilation on which I based my review above; but the style remains the same: melodic semi-technical thrash along the lines of Megadeth, with the vocals even more resembling Dave Mustaine. This is very good stuff; mid-paced, with some deviations into faster play: the fine headbangers "Zero Point", "Passive/Agressive", and especially the mighty short outburst "27", again following the way Megadeth used to do it in the good old days (remember "Holy Wars" and "502"). These guys are a pleasant surprise, although they hardly offer anything outside pure Megadeth-worship.

Mindfucked Demo, 1997
Masters of Self-Destruction EP, 1999
History Re-Rotten Full-length, 2003
Point of no Return EP, 2005

MECHANIX (POLAND)

Based on the "The Very First Heavy Release" demo, these guys were quite capable of pulling out some cool technical thrash along the lines of early Megadeth (up to "Rust in Peace"), an influence also betrayed by their name; the singer has a voice quite similar to Dave Mustaine, maybe a bit rougher. The music is not aggressive, but the musicianship is quite good, with some nice leads and a heavy bass bottom. Reportedly the band have given up thrash on later releases, and have joined the nu-metal legions.

The Very First Heavy Release Demo, 1993
Diverse Opinions Demo, 1997
Never-fail Fix Demo, 2003

MECHANIX (RUSSIA)

Melodic power/post-thrash, strongly influenced by Metallica's Black Album; this is much inferior, though, with borrowings from other genres (the hard'n heavy "Disclose The Secret"), and numerous melodic elements, including one cool ballad at the end: "Feel The Pain", which is the best song on this below average effort.

Gravewish Full-Length, 2008

MEDIEVAL DEATH (GREECE)

An obscure demo from the Greek underground offering cool dark intense speed/thrash along the lines of Infernal Majesty and Slaughter's "Not Dead Yet". There is a keyboard background here and there ("Eternal Death") which gives a nice surreal touch to the music, and will also remind you of the early "exploits" of their compatriots Nightfall. The sound is energetic in up-tempo with good sharp but also melodic guitars (the leads are particularly cool), but the singer may be a flaw to some with his indifferent declamatory chants which can hardly be called singing, and would better suit a magical evocation ritual.

Moments of Silence Demo, 1990

MEDUSA (FRANCE)

Based on "Dream Machine", this is melodic power/thrash, with a slight progressive edge, which sounds like more melodic Drifter (Switzerland). Most of the songs are long, with all the atmospheric and balladic passages included, as well as some epic/pagan atmosphere present. The singer is the highlight, with his emotional mid-ranged clean tone. The music is mostly mid-paced, but often moves into slower waters, and there is at least one track which will make you move around, but just a bit: "Eternida".

Dream Machine Full-length, 1995
Etherias Full-length, 2002

MEGA MOSH (GERMANY)

On "Different Kind Of Meat" Mega Mosh play thrash metal with slight hardcore influences, close to Nuclear Assault. This is enjoyable, unpretentious energetic stuff, graced by some furious, speedy tracks: "Organ Dealer", "You Forced Me", which would have been a hit even on Slayer's "Reign in Blood". On the other extreme are the punk-ish jolly songs, like "Euphoria", but they sound cool as well. The guitar work is sharp and tight, serving right the direct, short explosive songs.

Fight the Epidemic Prince EP, 1988
Call to Account Full-length, 1989
A Different Kind Of... Meat Full-length, 1992

Vibrations of Doom

MEGACE (GERMANY)

"Human Errors" is very good progressive thrash similar to Lost Century and Depressive Age, characterized by the slightly rough, but fine female vocals. The delivery is more aggressive and more hectic, accentuated by the excellent lead guitar work. The album begins in a fairly impressive manner with the first three songs, which are shorter, effective technical thrashers with some stupendous technical riffs. Later the song-structures get more complex, the guitar lines become harder to swallow, but remain on a high level. The music never lacks coherence, and one would find himself quite entertained moving around this labyrinth of interesting, non-conventional stuff, although here the moments for the regular headbanger are not many at all- "Monofaces" arrives to provide a fair amount of intense, energetic, but again quite technical riffs. This album is one of the more interesting works from the progressive/technical thrash metal wave which overtook for a while the German metal scene in the early-mid 90's.

Alas, instead of keeping the inertia accumulated with the debut, the band inexplicably disappeared from the scene to come back 8 years later, when very few of the fans could remember who they were. "Inner War" offers the same hectic delivery, but the song-writing is a lot more conventional; there are no longer, more thought-out numbers, which were the highlight on the debut. Still there are a few interesting technical decisions to be heard ("Industrial Dictatorship"), but the dull moments are here as well: the odd ballads "Ciphers" and "Rain", which sound as though the girl was preparing to join The Third and the Mortal, or Theatre of Tragedy, followed by one pure heavy metal number: "Synchronicity". Despite the lack of any detrimental groovy tendencies, this album showed that 8 years are too big a gap to be filled properly. Later the guys (and a girl) continued their musical career under the name Step Into Liquid, where they started playing more melodic progressive metal.

Human Errors Full-length, 1991
Inner War Full-length, 1999

MEGADETH (USA)

By kicking Dave Mustaine out, Metallica indirectly created a major rival for the title "best American metal band". And while Metallica left the thrash metal department a while ago, with "Death Magnetic" finally showing signs of waking up, Megadeth have been treading the true path with just a few deviations. The unpolished and slightly naive approach on "Killing Is My Business,..." was hardly the best answer to Metallica's first two stellar efforts seeing Mustaine's gang having a long way to go to catch up. "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" was a much better offering, the band this time sounding much more convincing, with the title track remining one of the definitive thrash metal hymns with its razor-sharp mid-paced main rhythm. "So Far, So Good...So What!" acquired a darker heavier sound, well reflected on the excellent "My Darkest Hour", which was actually written two years previously after Mustaine found out about Cliff Burton (R.I.P.)'s death. Even the uplifting cover of Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" fit well into the overall not very optimistic (atmosphere and text-wise) picture.
This album, however, could not be even viewed as a rehearsal to the glorious "Rust in Peace": a masterpiece of sophisticated technical thrash which saw the band hitting the top in every department. Here is the place where the name of the newcomer Marty Friedman should be mentioned as one of the main reasons for this, his great talents providing the best possible support for Mustaine's guitar pyrotechnics. The 90's saw the band experimenting with more melodic genres, although "Countdown to Extinction" was pretty much a classic thrash offering, not as technical as its triumphant predecessor, but still delivering with its catchy infectious approach, producing the megahit "Symphony of Destruction". "Youthanasia" steered away from thrash a bit, even flirting with the balladic genre on "A Tout le Monde". "Cryptic Writings" continued in the same vein, and was the first indication that the band were loosening up. It eventually led to the disastrous "Risk", which saw Mustaine finding it hard to "bury" the shadow of Metallica trying to produce an album in the modern non-thrash vein akin to "Load" and "Reload". "Risk" was a "risk" indeed, and not a very well measured one at that since it threatened to cause damages of the "Cold Lake"-proportions, especially after the follow-up was just a bit better. Still Megadeth managed to pull themselves together (not without the considerable help of the Drover brothers from Eidolon who came as a kind of replacements for the departed Marty Friedman (yeah, sometimes it takes two to replace a genius)), and their last couple of releases brought the band's sound almost back to "Rust In Piece" on their best moments.
"Endgame" (I'm not sure if the album title reflects Mustaine's intention for this album to be the band's swansong) sticks to the safe successful formula from the previous 2 works, mixing the stylish technical thrash of early Megadeth with the more melodic approach of their 90's efforts; what makes this one superior to the previous two is that here the concentration is clearly on hard-hitting thrash, with not a single filler, even among the mellower material. It opens with the soft heavy metal instrumental "Dialectic Chaos", which is miles away from the thunderous ominous character of "Into the Lungs of Hell", the instrumental which started "So Far...So Good" more than 20 years ago. Mustaine, however, can not possibly keep you in "nomansland" confused as to what's going on here, and quickly blasts out with the cool energetic speed/thrasher "This Day We Fight!", sounding as though directly taken from "Peace Sells...". Don't expect two of the kind in a row, and the following "44 Minutes" is a nod to the romantic melancholic style of "Youthanasia". Then "1,320" thrashes on again, vintage classic Megadeth, with "Bite The Hand That Feeds" carrying on in the same vein, maybe a tad more melodic. "Bodies Left Behind" is a heavy stomper more in the spirit of their 90's output, with nice lead performence and fast closing speed/thrashing minutes. "Endgame" is even heavier with doomy overtones in the beginning, later evolving into standout technical thrash, well deserving to carry the album title. More romance on "The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss", which is a fine semi-ballad, more aggressive, and better, than "Tout Le Monde". Grab your seat for the next headcrushing "Headcrusher", splashing raging thrash, the most brutal song in the band's discography. "How The Story Ends" offers just a slight relief, being slower, but the riffs crush no worse on this one. The final "The Right To Go Insane" is a bit of a letdown, which could have been placed somewhere earlier, since it is another reminder of the band's more "tender" period, although the 2nd part serves a cool portion of more dynamic headbanging thrash. There should hardly be anyone dissatisfied with this album, which effortlessly manages to provide an entertaining cross over the band's previous output, sounding both fresh and true to the classic tastes.

Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good Full-length, 1985
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? Full-length, 1986
So Far, So Good...So What! Full-length, 1988
Rust In Peace Full-length, 1990
Maximum Megadeth EP, 1991
Countdown to Extinction Full-length, 1992
Youthanasia Full-length, 1994
Hidden Treasures Best of/Compilation, 1995
Cryptic Writings Full-length, 1997
Risk Full-length, 1999
The World Needs A Hero Full-length, 2001
The System Has Failed Full-length, 2004
United Abominations Full-length, 2007
Endgame Full-Length, 2009

MEGALITH (USA)

Good energetic music, blending the speed/thrash approach of early Angel Dust ("My Evil Now") with the heavy doomy style of Anvil and Jag Panzer ("Nail Us to Your Cross"). The singer is a bit annoying, with his gruff semi-clean drunken voice, slightly recalling Lips (Anvil) and early Denis "Snake" Bélanger (Voivod).

Risen From The Grave Demo, 1986

MEGALON (BRAZIL)

Based on the "Hands Of God" demo, these guys play thrash/death metal of the classic school, the sound ranging from all-out brutal pieces ("Macabre Insemination") to heavy doomy ones ("Buried Beauty"). "Ticket To Neverland" is a surprisingly mild gothic affair, more suitable for the Finnish acts Razorback and To Die For, and the final "Preludio" is a nice progressive melodic instrumental.

Hands Of God Demo, 1998
Gattaca Demo, 2000

MEGASLAUGHTER (SWEDEN)

The full-length: this is mostly death metal stuff with touches of thrash, similar to Agressor and Entombed in their earlier stages. The demo is more thrash-fixated, containing three lengthy tracks, concentrating on up-tempo aggressive thrash along the lines of early Pestilence, maybe not as fast, offering slow breaks on every song, as well as vicious gruff death-ish vocals.

Death Remains Demo, 1990
Calls from the Beyond Full-length, 1991

MEGATHERIO (BRAZIL)

This album is a collection of the band's old demos released in the mid-80's, plus a few new tracks added, and show an act playing a speedy crossover version of the classic thrash sounding quite close to both the early and later efforts of their compartiots Ratos de Porao. The lead guitar is surprisingly cool albeit too short, and there is no energy and speed lost, the uplifting atmosphere further aggravated by the two covers near the end: MC5's "Ramblin' Rose", and the S.O.D.'s emblematic medley "March of the S.O.D. / United Forces".

Megatherio Full-length, 2009

MEGAZETOR (HUNGARY)

This act shares members with the progressive power metallers Ad Astra. Based on the full-length, the music is minimalistic technical/progressive modern thrash, mixing complex with more direct passages with fine performances in both the bass and lead guitar sector. The tempo changes constantly, sometimes suddenly ("Interform", which introduces some brutal blasting sections even), but one-dimensional hypnotic numbers ("Ribcaged") work almost as well, despite the cold industrial flavour which accompanies them. "Cause Or Effect" is a hardly necessary blatant groovy non-sense, a situation partially improved by the aggressive thrash/death shredder "The Traitor Of Absence", which scores high in the bass department. The last "Dying Process" shows the band in a stage of dying; kidding, of course, but this is some lengthy monotonous modern thrasher-ism, which undesirably abandons the more technical patterns.

The Drug You Daily Crave EP, 2004
Dying Process Full-length, 2008

MEGERA (SERBIA)

This obscure Serbian band come up with well done energetic thrash, without any modern leanings- pure old school stuff, which will remind you of many veterans from the 80's: those from the Bay-Area scene, above all. The pace is up-tempo, with several clever attempts at a more technical play ("Radost I Bol", the excellent instrumental piece "Megera"). The singer is kind of a setback, with his unemotional, semi-hardcore delivery.

Iza Nas Full-length, 1992

MEGIDDO (CANADA)

Old Bathory-worship made in Canada; a cool black/thrash metal band who have done a really good job resurrecting the Bathory sound from their first three full-length albums. There are also touches of Venom and Bulldozer. The band have a penchant for covers, but surprisingly from the four covers featured on their efforts, there is not a single one with the Bathory name on it (the albums contain covers of Exciter, Razor, Onslaught and Warfare).

The Devil And The Whore Full-length, 2000
The Atavism Of Evil Full-length, 2002

MEGORA (SWITZERLAND)

Based on "The Fog", these guys had all the skills to stand right beside Celtic Frost, Coroner and Apocalypse: excellent power/thrash similar to Apocalypse and Wargasm, maybe even more technical and varied. The music is energetic and up-tempo, with nice leads and great bass work. "False Game" is an awesome technical number, which will also remind you of early Megadeth; the vocals are also reminiscent of Dave Mustaine. "Suppressor" speeds up, with mighty intense riffage, followed by the last song "The Fog": a nice combination of speedy and technical guitars. It would be interesting to check whether the band managed to develop further their potent style...
"Illusions" bears few resemblances to the debut demo; it's much more melodic, with some modern elements. It's not completely deprived of sharp riffage, and "Time for Illusion" is a good thrashing number, but of the less intense variety. The other songs are laid-back modern power/thrash numbers with numerous balladic, peaceful breaks.
"...And At Last - Moonstill Waters" is 4 songs of heads-down intense thrash metal ala early Testament, and "Neither Fish Nor Fowl" could perfectly be on "The Legacy"; the singer sounds very close to Chuck Billy, mixed with some hoarse tones in the vein of Dave Mustaine again, and does a great job behind the mike. "Matter Of Course" could be a bit unnerving, with the innovative funky touches, but the rest is pounding mid-paced thrash, quite cool. "Stop The Noise" thrashes with full force, adding some genuine technical guitars, and a brilliant quiet interlude in the middle. "Moonstill Waters" slows down, but the heavy riffage is all over it, and this track hits harder no worse than the preceding one.
"Waiting" is a disappointment, seeing the band softening considerably, with only the three songs already heard on the last demo, here present with almost no alterations, providing some more aggressive headbanging moments. The new material is your average heavy/power metal, still appealing, though, considering the time of release.

The Fog Demo, 1989
...And At Last - Moonstill Waters Demo, 1991
Waiting Full-length, 1994
Illusions EP, 1997

MEKONG DELTA (GERMANY)

One of the most original and innovative bands in metal history, started by the Aaarrg label owner Ralph Hubert (he produced and supported quite a few technical/progressive thrash bands during the 80's, virtually founding the technical/progressive thrash scene in Europe: Target, Living Death, Calhoun Conquer, Ravenous, Pyracanda, etc.; he also gave an enormous push to the Holy Moses career, by releasing their first two albums, including the legendary "Finished with the Dogs") in the distant 1985. In the beginnig he was just the composer, and the bass which he started to play later, was handled by Peavy Wagner (Rage). Since the band members were involved with other bands at the time, an agreement was made for the guys to use pseudonims so that their real names would not be revealed to the public. Apart from Hubert, the other musicians who took part in those spawning stages were the Living Death guitarists Frank Fricke and Reiner Kelch, and the German drum hero Jörg Michael, for whom this first formation was a good field for honing his "weapon". The debut was a stylish technical affair, albeit a bit rough around the edges, with a couple of heavy-handed pieces (the doomy off-context "Black Sabbath": no relations to the Brits music-wise), which actually gave birth to the technical thrash scene in Europe, along with the works of Coroner, Target, and of course, Living Death, whose same year's "Protected from Reality" bore more than a few passing resemblances to the Mekong Delta debut, leading some specialists to believe that the two acts were sharing members. Later on those resemblances completely disappeared, with the band elaborating their style quite a bit, and it was the second metal act to be labelled as "progressive thrash", after their American colleagues Watchtower. A string of two classy progressive thrash albums and EP's followed, but Hubert wanted to embrace the classical idea even tighter, by adding more melody to the band's delivery as well, and the cold technical shredding of Fricke and Kelch did not quite serve his purposes anymore, so both of them had to go after the release of "The Principle of Doubt" (Fricke actually left after the "Tokkata" EP, and couldn't take part in the recording of that album).
The band continued thriving in the early 90's, first with "Dances Of Death": a fabulous blend of furious thrash riffs and classical music, and then with "Kaleidoscope", which toned down the complexity a bit, and was for the more mainstream-inclined fans, but was quite a truly satisfying slab of classic technical thrash ("About Science" is one of the finest progressive/technical thrashers ever). The guys could now reveal their identities, as Hubert had managed to find full-time members, with no attachments to other acts, with only Michael preserving his pseudonim. "Vision Fugitives" concentrated more on the instrumental side, with only two vocal tracks present, the rest being top-notch complex thrash with, of course, numerous nods to classical music. "Pictures at an Exhibition" is purely instrumental, with no ties to thrash, quite deeply emerged into classical stuff, consequently being of little interest to the band's die-hard fanbase, and to thrash fans in general.
After a long, 10-year break Hubert has gathered a very respectable line-up: Leszek "Leo" Szpigiel (Scanner, Wolf Spider), Uli Kusch (Helloween,Gamma Ray, Holy Moses), Peter Sjöberg (Theory In Practice), to start a new chapter in the Mekong Delta history, and with such a stellar cast one knows that the sky would be the limit: "Lurking Fear" is magnificent progressive thrash, one of the main pretenders for "album of the year" for 2007. The sound is not as elaborate as the band's works of the 80's, but opts for a more accessible one similar to "Kaleidoscope"; the classical elements are all here, and combined with some of the finest technical riffage not heard in a long time, make up for a great musical experience. Once "Society in Dissolution" starts with its dissonant rhythms and abrupt time-changes, one knows that this is unmistakably a Mekong Delta effort. Szpigiel perfectly fits the picture, with his emotional, but at the same detached, clean high delivery. "Purification" is another masterpiece of complex progressive thrash, a bit less hectic than the opener, with brooding minimalistic riffage, and a few faster speedy breaks. "Immortal Hate (Accepting Prayers of Supremacy)" will remind you of the immortal (no pun intended) "About Science" with the immediate, without any warning or introduction, jump on the technical abstract riff wagon, later on introducing a nice melodic semi-chorus, and some more aggressive thrash sections. "Allegro Furioso" is the traditional for the band instrumental "flirtation" with classical music, mixed with sharp guitars, and haunting keyboards: quite a sinister piece. "Rules of Corruption" is a heavy mid-paced sleeper, with very good leads, where the music speeds up for a while. "Ratters (Among the Dead)" is the most melodic song, sounding like a more typical progressive metal composition, with more retouched guitars, and melodic chorus lines, but Szpigiel saves the day with his great performance. "Moderato" is another "classical-meets-thrash" instrumental, this time calmer, with less presence of the hard-hitting riffage. "Defenders of the Faith" (by all means not a Judas Priest cover) is the longest track, a progressive opus, an endless whirlwind of riffs and moods, graced by fine lead guitar work and a brilliant acoustic flamenco hook. "Symphony of Agony" is a staple abstract progressive thrasher, after which comes the closer "Allegro": a nice jumpy hectic slassical instrumental variation, with a considerable presence of the lead guitar, and a great bass support. Progressive thrash is back on the map, and done in a way very few acts would be able to match; hopefully the eccentric Hubert will be able to keep this talented line-up longer.
Hubert is preparing to strike again, hopefully soon, although he couldn't keep anyone from the "Lurking Fear" line-up, and has summoned under the banner the singer Martin LeMar from the progressive metallers Tomorrow's Eve, the guitarist Erik Adam H. Grösch from the talented technical/progressive outfit from the not so distant past Annon Vin, and the drummer Alex Landenburg, who has hit drums in Annihilator, Axxis and At Vance.

Mekong Delta Full-length, 1987
The Gnome EP, 1988
The Music of Erich Zann Full-length, 1988
The Principle of Doubt Full-length, 1989
Dances of Death (and other Walking Shadows) Full-length, 1990
Kaleidoscope Full-length, 1992
Classics Best of/Compilation, 1993
Visions Fugitives Full-length, 1994
Pictures at an Exhibition Full-length, 1997
Lurking Fear Full-length, 2007

MELIAH RAGE (USA)

A good power/thrash metal band whose debut is their best, and most thrashy release; the music is simplistic, but catchy and memorable, and it wouldn't take too many spins for one to remember the songs there. It develops in a heavy, mid-paced fashion, until it hits "Meliah Rage": the band name carrier is an overlong melodic power metal instrumental, which "excuses" itself for the lost inertia, with cool energetic thrashy ending. "Deadly Existence" is the most aggressive number on this one, thrashing with confidence. However, instead of pulling out all the stops with a couple of more tracks of the more intense variety, the guys move back to the heavy/power metal patterns, producing a very bland result, in the form of the toothless heavy metal anthem "Enter the Darkness"; a situation partially saved by another furious number: "Impaling Doom"- speed/thrash at its finest and heaviest, which tries something more technical, and succeeds. "The Pack" is not too far behind, smashing with force, closing this work with style, making up for the several dull moments before.
"Solitary Solitude" is more consistent than the debut, and contains well executed melodic power/thrash, which moves from shorter, energetic numbers ("No Mind") to longer, heavy doom-laden ones ("Decline of Rule"), plus one very cool acoustic ballad: "Deliver Me". The second half is probably less striking, with a more power metal-based sound, with the guys refusing to add more intensity to the proceedings.
"Unfinished Business", recorded in 1992, but released whole 10 years later, is closer in spirit to the debut, being again a more uneven effort, jumping from one extreme to another: the raging thrashers "Decade Dreams", "Mind Stalk", which are some of the most aggressive material the band ever composed; on the opposite side of the spectre we have the slow, melodic "Possessing Judgement", "Ruthless" (which is anything but ruthless), and the last two, more edgy, but still more power metal-sounding tracks.
"Death Valley Dream" again scores higher in the consistency department than its predecessor, without leaving the thrashy aspect aside, and some cool headbangers are here to make your day: "War Journal", but watch out for the funk-ish experiments on "The Last Detail", the modern groovy sound on the opener "Death Valley Dream", and other offbeat, maybe not very desirable moments elsewhere. The hidden track "Scarred" should have been hidden more carefully: just kidding, it's a cool semi-ballad, pretty much in the vein of the traditional band approach. This album remained the guys' last offering for quite some time.
8 years after their last release, Meliah Rage are back on the metal field with "Barely Human", but this is "barely" the edgy power/thrash sound known from their past: the last two albums tread the classic heavy metal path with some nods to the American power metal scene, and with almost no traces of thrash. Both works are actually sure picks for the fans of traditional metal, and are a good example of a band moving on, without betraying their roots.
"Masquerade" is the band's best offering from the new millennium, finally bringing the thrash back. "Lost or Found" is a commendable dark heavy opener with nice Oriental hooks and a cool speedy ending. "Chosen" is a smashing speed/thrasher, arguably the most aggressive track the guys ever produced. More moderate power/thrash comes on "History Will Tell", before "Dreamer" explodes in another ball of speed/thrashing fury with early Metallica flavour. Slower heavy/power metal rhythms with balladic overtones reign on "Seeker". They stay around for "Hour Glass" and the cool ballad "Masquerade", but on "Last Rites" all hell breaks loose once again, this one being vintage galloping American power/thrash. "Whatever it Takes" thrashes like there's no tomorrow for about 7.5-min, finishing this album in the best possible way, showing the band looking back at their roots where their real power lies.

Kill to Survive Full-length, 1988
Solitary Solitude Full-length, 1990
Death Valley Dream Full-length, 1996
Unfinished Business Full-length, 2002
Barely Human Full-length, 2004
The Deep and Dreamless Sleep Full-length, 2006
Masquerade Full-Length, 2009

MELISSA (SWEDEN)

Based on the "A Flight To Insanity" 2-track single, this is brutal unappealing thrash with some proto-death metal moments, not too far from early Messiah, or Devastation's "Violent Termination".

Demo Demo, 1987
A Flight To Insanity Single, 1989

MELTDOWN (USA)

Based on the two demos: a promising new band who play Bay Area-inlfuenced thrash along the lines of Exodus' "Bonded By Blood" topped up by some cool guitar solo work.
"Executioner", the band's full-length debut, fulfills, if not surpasses, all the promises. The opener "One by One" melts speed and thrash metal in a way not heard in a long time. The opening riff of the next track will throw you into Destruction-territory ("Mad Butcher"), and from then things only get better and better. "Death and Destruction" will bring you to tears with the memories of Metallica's debut (compared to what these guys are playing now...). The following "Murdered to Death" is a lesson in speed, and the remaining tracks are not too far behind. It would be a miracle if Meltdown don't grab the "Best Metal Debut" Award for 2007.
The band are at present operational under the name Mantic Ritual, and the first step of the guys was to re-release "Executioner". Nothing new there, so those who have the album reviewed here, need not bother.

Live Demo Demo, 2005
Executioner Demo Demo, 2006
Executioner Full-length, 2007

MEMORAIN (GREECE)

This band boast the presence of Nick Menza, the legendary Megadeth drummer. The style has something in common with Megadeth, but it's closer to recent Annihilator (Jeff Waters actually takes part on their last album, playing solo on "TV War", which is not an Accept cover). This is thrash metal on the more melodic side, with some slight technical tendencies ("Facing My Demons" is a good more aggressive thrasher, and is the best track on the new album bringing you back to early Megadeth).
"White Line" is pretty much in the same vein, but this time the music actually recalls Megadeth more often, but their 90's, more melodic works. One of the best songs is actually a ballad: "Condemn Me to Obscurity", a really good achievement in the genre; there is another heavy, semi-balladic instrumental later on: "Silent Cry", which is almost as good. So in other words this is quiet and peaceful stuff, mostly mid-paced, with not much edge in the guitar department, which sometimes makes the music sound like pure heavy metal (the closer "My Choice"). It was good that later the guys hardened the course a bit...

Digital Crimes Full-length, 2002
White Line Full-length, 2003
Reduced To Ashes Full-length, 2006

MEN EATER (PORTUGAL)

Based on the "Men Eater" EP, this act pulls out modern hardcore-ish thrash with doom/sludge overtones. The faster and slower side are equally given share both occupying two songs, the latter coming in the beginning creating a cool headbanging atmosphere. The abrasive shouty vocals are a bit hard to bear, though.

Men Eater EP, 2006
Hellstone Full-length, 2007
Vendaval Full-length, 2009

MENCEA (GREECE)

Typical modern thrash/death, which at times jumps on the technical wagon, and this is when the music may remind you of late period Death ("Ardad"). The sound has its progressive, as well as gothic elements, although the sudden blast-beat interruptions do not serve the band right, but if we exclude them, this is not very aggressive stuff, and there are numerous melodic hooks thrown in. The closing "When Strife And Greed Collide" is a nice ambitious, multi-faced composition, which could make even Opeth proud, although to these ears this one is more satisfying, thrashing intensely on quite a few moments.

Dark Matter Energy Noir Full-length, 2008

MENGELE (USA)

Based on the "Abominable Thoughts" demo, this band offer a lot more than some of the longest (and strangest) song titles: this is first-rate thrash quite close to the works of Destruction ("Bestial Devastation") and Kreator ("Extreme Aggression"). The tempo is fast, quite intense at times, with a very slight death metal flavour, and the riffage is technical and sharp.

Kuusamon Demo, 1988
Senseless Extermination EP, 1989
Abominable Thoughts Demo, 1989
Thrashing Relics Volume 1 Split, 2006

MENTAL AMPUTATION (GERMANY)

Based on "Utter Subordination": this is a vicious and often quite aggressive mix of thrash and death metal. The blast-beats are too many, decorating almost every song, and might pull back the more faint-hearted, but those who choose to stay with the music will find quite a few thrashy riffs to enjoy. The guitars are quite technical, recalling Suffocation and Morbid Angel.

Mass Crisis Full-length, 2001
Utter Subordination Full-length, 2007

MENTAL CARE FOUNDATION (FINLAND)

Based on "Alcohol Anthems", this is groovy thrash along the lines of Pantera and Machine Head.

Alcohol Anthems Full-length, 2005
The Holy Bastards Demo, 2006
Hair Of The Dog Full-length, 2006

MENTAL CRYPT (SWEDEN)

This is mostly death metal stuff with some more quiet thrash metal passages; quite brutal and well done: will appeal to fans of Massacre, Agressor and other similar bands from the early 90's. There are several stylish technical guitars to be heard ("Warzone"), although the focus is on direct assault with no compromises.

Extreme Unction Full-length, 1998

MENTALLY DEFILED (GREECE)

This "thrash brigade" from Greece specializes in energetic Bay-Area thrash, clinging between Forbidden and Vio-Lence. The album is quite an entertaining headbanging effort, full of fast sharp riffs and screaming leads. The songs are up-tempo, and the first more mid-paced moments are introduced in the middle, on "Lunar Chaos", which is still intense, with good bass implements. "Politisize" speeds up again, but comes up with a couple of more interesting semi-technical guitars. "Leatherface (Watch Me Die)" is a ball of aggression, touching Slayer, and the closer is an extended version of the already heard previously "Thrash Brigade", maybe not very necessary since the changes can be hardly felt. This is a confident debut, something which the Greek metal scene needed to break the spell of the circle of dominant black/gothic acts.

The Thrash Brigade Full-length, 2009

MENTICIDE (FINLAND)

The second demo is dark depressive music, crossing intense thrash/death metal ala Massacra with heavy doomy riifs taken from the Beyond Belief or the early Cemetary catalogue. The sound quality is a bit muddy, and the singer is a really brutal death growler not miles away from Dave Ingram (Benediction).

Enforcer Single, 1990
Some Call It Educational And The Others Just Domestic Violence Single, 1990

MEPHISTO (ITALY)

Based on "Tyrant's Return", these guys come up with a vicious and quite brutal blend of thrash and black metal, resembling Impaled Nazarene most of the time. The band don't bother to calm down, except on "Necro Satanik Magick", which is a direct nod to early Celtic Frost, serving aslso to justify the demo title probably, and on "Mayhemic Demons" which is an excellent atmospheric doomy number and will remind you of Enslaved's viking period and Bathory's "Blood, Fire, Death".
"Metal of Death" quietens down, and is much closer to thrash, which varies from morose doomy one ala early Celtic Frost ("Megiddo", the excellent sinister funeral hymn "Maniac"), to some edgier Germanic one ("Zombie Terror"), to a happy Motorhead-ish one ("Motordeath").

Metal of Death Full-length, 2005
Tyrant's Return Full-Length, 2007

MERAUDER (USA)

Intense, aggressive groovy thrash, which sounds quite good, and reflects well the fashion of the times. At times the guys switch onto some more energetic riffage ("Master Killer", "Downfall Of Christ"), and generally the guitar work moves around, never sounding stale or repetitive, producing some nice headbanging moments.

Masterkiller Full-Length, 1994

MERCENARY (USA)

The line up here includes two former members of more celebrated bands: one from Mordred (Danny White), and one from Heathen (Sven Soderlund). Based on the 1986 demo, this band come up with very good thrash metal resembling Wargasm's "Why Play Around" and early Testament, with great melodic leads which are clearly the highlight here.

Demo Demo, 1986
Demo Demo, 1987

MERCILESS (BRAZIL)

A 4-track demo of primal Germanic thrash ala Destruction and early Exumer; vicious mean vocals ala Schmier, razor-sharp fast guitars, sparce use of solos and other unnecessary gimmicks; these guys are really possessed by thrash, like the demo-title suggests, which is an obvious allusion to the legendary Exumer debut.

Possessed by Thrash Demo, 2008

MERCILESS (SWEDEN)

Merciless' debut is a first-rate death/thrash metal effort, which put to shame most of the releases at that time with its merciless (no pun intended), brutal approach. "The Treasures Within" follows a similar path, with a forceful sound, closer to death metal: brutal relentless pieces like "Mind Possession" and "Darkened Clouds". Despite the aggressive delivery, some cool technical hooks ala Death can be caught ("Book of Lies", "Shadows of Fire"), but the guys' desire to play as fast and brutally as possible leave these moments unfinished. Still, this was a solid release, showing the band standing proud among the sea of 90's death metal acts.
"Unbound" was expected to emphasize on the technical side of their music, but it was actually stripped down direct thrash, nicely mixing the old school sound with some modern "updates", resulting in another strong work. The guys thrash with full force on "The Land I Used to Walk" and "Feebleminded", but the more appealing side appears to be the long, pounding mid-paced thrashterpiece "Back to North", "decorated" by some nice epic/atmospheric passages: an obvious, and a good nod to mid-period Bathory. After another raging number ("Silent Truth") comes another brilliant epic thrasher: "Lost Eternally", combining frantic thrashy sections with superb doomy riffs. "Nuclear Attack" is lightning speed/thrashing madness, which sounds like a leftover from the debut. And finally, something softer: the speed metal delight "Forbidden Pleasure", with magnificent melodic guitar lines all over.
After 3 fine efforts the guys took a well-deserved break, maybe a bit longer than necessary, to emerge with their self-titled 4th offering. This album showed the band having preserved their skill to play some great thrash/death metal of the old school. There are some modern implements added, and the overall sound is close to the Kreator works of the new millennium, maybe more classic sounding. The music is mostly thrash, with few traces of death, and outbursts like "Cleansed By Fire" and "Cold Eyes Of Grey" are pure gems of fast headbanging thrash, as well as most of the songs. This is by far one of the better comebacks made by old veterans, an impressive work finished with a slower, heavier hypnotic number ("In Your Blood") in the vein of late 80's Slayer.

The Awakening Full-length, 1990
The Treasures Within Full-length, 1992
Unbound Full-length, 1994
Merciless Full-length, 2003

MERCILESS DEATH (USA)

This is cool stuff: heads-down speed/thrash quite close to Cranium, Solitaire and Razor's heydays ("Shotgun Justice", in particular). This is a true speed monster, from beginning to end, no slower breaks or intermissions, just merciless, lightning speed thrashing. Well, there is one more peaceful track (this is very relative here), but only the 1st half: "The Final Slaughter", but it quickly turns into the next violent speed/thrasher in the 2nd one.
"Realm of Terror" is another fine slab of straight, all-out retro thrash, but more aggressive and merciless (no pun intended) than the debut. This is really violent stuff, which goes well beyond "Shotgun Justice", rubbing shoulders with proto-death at times, and as such is closer to late period Protector on the most brutal moments (check out the ultra-aggressive ball of fury "Tormented Fate", which would make even Slayer and Dark Angel cringe; or the lightning speed monster "The Gate"). It's surprising how fast and intense these guys can play the whole time, without pausing for a single break; well, no complaints, as it is one more gem added to the thrash metal crown of 2008.

Evil in the Night Full-length, 2006
Realm of Terror Full-length, 2008

MERCILESS ONSLAUGHT (ITALY)

This young Italian band specialize in an old school blend of thrash and black metal, quite well done, not too aggressive, nicely staying within the mid to up-tempo range. There is a slight shade of death metal, coming mostly from the vocals, which have both a death and a black metal vibe. The interesting thing is that these guys do not sound like anyone else from the old veterans; maybe Sacrifice's early period could be a reference point, or, from the newer names the Portuguese Alastor, but the music here has a more genuine black-ish atmosphere, and has no shades of speed metal.

Italian Warfare Demo, 2006
Promo Demo, 2007
Merciless Onslaught/The Krushers Split, 2007

MERCILESS TERROR

3 songs of classic up-tempo thrash of the German school with a modern production, bringing it close to the more recent Dew-Scented works; the difference comes in the form of the two vocal styles, both of the death metal school (one shrieky, the other one low-tuned), and the few blast-beats scattered around.

Deeds of Inhumanity Demo, 2009

MERCINARI (USA)

An excellent 4-song demo of energetic, fast-paced thrash along the lines of the Forbidden debut; the vocals also remind of Russ Anderson, maybe a little lower. These guys are a bit more aggressive and more technical, coming up with some really intriguing riffs. The tempo is fast the whole time, with some occasional slowdowns where the guitars start to crush really heavily.

Demo Demo, 1989

MERCY KILLING (BRAZIL)

Good energetic thrash metal with some crossover touches.

Under the Acid Rain Demo, 2001
Life Live Demo, 2002
Dominant Class Demo, 2003

MERCYLESS (FRANCE)

Mercyless are one of the wave of bands from the French scene who showed up in the late 80-early 90's with the intention to "marry" the old school thrash sound with the coming death metal trends. They are one of the better practitioners of this sub-genre (second only to Massacra probably), and their first two albums are prime examples of well executed death/thrash metal, mixing brutal blast-beat parts with some genuine technical sections. The music is probably more death metal-based, but the good moments are simply too many for it to be ignored by fans of good quality metal in general. Like Massacra, they changed their style to sound more modern, but, unlike them, their works from this period are far less impressive.

Vomiting Nausea EP, 1990
Abject Offerings Full-length, 1992
Coloured Funeral Full-length, 1993
Cold Full-length, 1996
Sure to be Pure Full-length, 2000

MERCYNARY (USA)

Based on the "Plagues of Death" demo, this is cool speed/thrash similar to the Forbidden debut, but with a dirtier sound, and a more aggressive attitude. The vocals are another thing worth mentioning, being of the high-pitched semi-clean type, sounding like a harsher version of Russ Anderson (Forbidden again).

In Memory of the Dead Demo, 1988
Plagues of Death Demo, 1989
Publishing Death Demo, 1990
Beliefs Demo, 1994

MERCY OF DEVIL (ITALY)

Fast, aggressive black/thrash which has a clear old school sound: maybe the works of early Sodom and Bathory are close soundalikes, as well the bands from the thrash/black metal wave from Japan: Abigail, Sabbat, Barbatos. This is basic stuff, with no many musical merits, the way it used to be done in the very early days.

Sodomy Attack EP, 2005

MERENDINE ATOMICHE (ITALY)

The band's style is in the modern camp. There are certain Metallica influences from the Black Album and modern day Anthrax ones (especially on "Raw").

The Holy Metal EP, 2000
Walk Across Fire Full-length, 2003
Raw Full-length, 2006

MERSINARY (USA)

The band's output includes some classic American power metal similar to early Helstar or Griffin, but also some good speed/thrash in the Agent Steel tradition. The singer at times sounds like a lower-pitched John Cyriis attempting some wailing vocals in his vein.

Choose Death EP, 1987
Dead Is Dead Full-length, 1988
Dead Is Dead EP, 1990

Vibrations of Doom

MESHUGGAH (SWEDEN)

A very original and distinguished band; from the Metallica-influenced, technical thrash on their debut they developed gradually into progressive, dry, industrialized, "mathematical" thrash/death which can not possibly be described. A unique band, but definitely not for everyone.
"Obzen" is a nice, and desirable deviation from the abstract, robotic sound of the last few releases into a more accessible, and faster one. "Combustion" opens the album in a nice headbanging fashion, last heard on "Contradictions Collapse" probably. "Electric Red" returns to the more industrialized style, introduced with "Chaosphere", but the follower "Bleed" thrashes again in an awesome way, with some great technical, mechanical riffs. After that the songs mix both styles, and although they don't surpass "Bleed", are quite worthy with their choppy, dry guitars (check out the complex and very intriguing "Pravus"), which will also bring to mind Coroner's "Grin" and the Americans Baghead. Those of you who had given the band up after the hard to swallow music the guys started to play on "Nothing" and after, will be delighted to hear their idols back with full force.

Psykisk Testbild EP, 1989
Contradictions Collapse Full-length, 1991
None EP, 1994
Selfcaged EP, 1995
Destroy Erase Improve Full-length, 1995
The True Human Design EP, 1997
Chaosphere Full-length, 1998
Nothing Full-length, 2002
I EP, 2004
Catch 33 Full-length, 2005
Nothing (New Edition) Full-length, 2006
Obzen Full-Length, 2008

MESSENGER (HUNGARY)

Based on "Mivé Fajul A Világ": this band play groovy 90's thrash, quite close to Sepultura's "Chaos AD", edgy and mid-paced for most of the time, with angry vocals not miles away from the ones of Max Cavalera. Heavy riffs, choppy rhythms, some more playful crossover tunes, but other than that the music bears no surprises for the genre's connoisseurs.

Pokoli világ Full-length, 1998
Élsz, Ahogy Élsz Full-length, 2000
Más törvény Full-length, 2002
Savvá válik a vér EP, 2004
Mivé fajul a világ Full-length, 2005
Isten tervez, Ember végez Full-length, 2008

MESSIAH (SWITZERLAND)

This legendary Swiss band provided a respectable answer to the extreme "products" which came from the other side of the Atlantic (Slayer's "Reign in Blood", Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends") in 1986, and along with Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" helped Europe get even with the States. From the 4 albums "Hymn to Abramelin" is clearly the most brutal achievement ("Messiah" and "Thrashing Madness" are pure death metal, predating the Death and Protector debuts with a whole year), although in terms of musicianship it is also quite clearly the least capable one.
Things didn't get much better on "Extreme Cold Weather", which was a less consistent effort, mixing furious death/thrash numbers with much more laid-back ones, with a doom/gothic shade, and the latter could be considered one of the first genuine gothic compositions, released at a time when the Paradise Lost members didn't even know each other. Other touches are scattered throughout he album as well: the tender balladic instrumental "Mother Theresa", dedicated to... well...; the brutal metallic take on Johann Strauss' "Radezky Marcht"; the excellent melodic atmospheric instrumental "Hyper Borea", which nicely mixes raging riffs with melodic atmospheric passages. The bonus tracks at the end are recorded live, but they are not present on any of the two full-lengths, and are some of the most brutal stuff released at the time: relentless outrageous death, bordering on grind.
Having the first two albums in mind, one could hardly expect what a big musical step the guys would take with "Choir of Horrors", which put them right along Celtic frost and Coroner as the finest extreme metal practitioners from Switzerland. With a much better production, and much superior musicianship, this album remains one of the finest crosses of thrash and death metal to come out of Europe. The music nicely switches from one style to the other, with great sharp riffs, fast tempos, and some smart semi-technical "decorations". The pace is quite speedy, but the slower sections are quite frequent as well, making this work a fairly interesting, not predictable listen. The fine instrumental "Northern Command" is a perfect example of this combination, which also reveals the guys' more technical side, which would soon find a better expression on the closing "Weena": a very good semi-technical death/thrasher, with the best lead guitar work on the album.
"Rotten Perish" appeared just several months later, and it captures the listener from the very first note, with the brilliant acoustic intro "Act of Fate". "Living With A Confidence" fulfills the promises for more technical, but also more controlled, performance, suggested on a couple of songs from the previous recording, and this great number will strongly remind you of the more recent Death output ("Spiritual Healing", "Human"), albeit served with a big doze of thrash. The speed is not lost completely, though, as is evident from the following "Raped Bodies", which thrashes intensely, without losing the technical edge. Talking about technicality, this can not be even considered a prelude to the excellent "Contrition", which apart from the heavy technical riffage, provides fine quiet, acoustic moments, and more. "Dreams Of Eschaton" is a surprising, but well made cover of Manilla Road from "Crystal Logic"; it has no ties to the band's style, but serves as the necessary intermission, after which the assault continues on the furious "Anorexia Nervosa", the technical riff-fest "Deformed Creatures", and the combination of the two "Alzheimers's Disease". "Ascension Of A Divine Ordinance" is a good epic progressive track, scoring high in the technical department again, with the pounding twisted 1st part, making a summary of what was heard on the album within its 10-min, finding also time for one of the finest outros, which starts like the intro, with a fine acoustic theme, before the main doomy riff overwhelms you.
This work was seemingly the band's creative peak, so it was not a surprise when they scattered around after it, with the mainman Andy Kaina summoning other musicians under the Messiah-banner (including Christofer Johnsson: the founder and leader of Therion, who sang on the album) for the recording of "Underground", which saw the band moving into a gothic metal territory similar to Paradise Lost's "Gothic" and Cemetary, to finally develop those gothic tendencies heard on their early efforts.

Hymn to Abramelin Full-length, 1986
Extreme Cold Weather Full-length, 1987
Psychomorphia EP, 1990
Choir of Horrors Full-length, 1991
Rotten Perish Full-length, 1992
The Ballad of Jesus EP, 1994
Underground Full-length, 1994

MESSIAH (USA)

Based on the "In the Flesh" demo, this band specialize in interesting mid-tempo thrash with simplistic, but quite effective guitar work, and excellent heavy bass bottom. The tracks are 5-6min long, but there isn't anything technical going on; just cool, not aggressive thrash, which doesn't sound like anything else out there.

In the Flesh Demo, 1988
Look Unto The Cross Demo, 1989

MESSIAH DEATH (JAPAN)

Based on the "Invocated Unholy Souls", this band must have been the first extreme thrash/death metal formation in the Far East. The style is brutal, but very well done, with a sound which will remind you of Pestilence"s "Consuming Impulse", or Massacra's first three efforts.

Gore of the Crucifix Demo, 1987
Immortal Kingdom Demo, 1988
Invocated Unholy Souls Demo, 1989

MESSIAH FORCE (CANADA)

A one-album wonder from Canada with a very capable female singer (Lynn Renaud is the name); the music is mostly speed metal ala the Germans Warrant and Steeler, with also touches of 80's Chastain and the Germans Not Fragile. This album has definitely had a big influence on the 90's power/speed metal scene. The brisk opener "The Sequel" is the definitive speed metal delight, after which "Call From the Night" hardens the course with some heavier, thrashy riffage, without losing the speed. "Watch Out" is speed metal at its purest once again, followed by the more moderate heavy/power metal of "White Night". "Spirit Killer" will not only not kill your spirit, but will lift it much higher, with its meaty galloping riffs, a tendency continued on the following "Silent Tyrant". "Hero's Saga" switches onto a full-frontal speed assault, before "The Last Day" adds more pounding power/thrash to the proceedings. "The Third One" closes the album in a flying speed metal fashion, setting a very strong example for hundreds of acts to follow in the 90's, making this effort one of the ultimate speed metal works on the scene. The leads are quite good, short and melodic, and Renaud shines all over, with her emotional delivery ala Doro Pesch, with a more frequent adherence to the higher registers than the German metal legend.

The Last Day Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

MESSINA (HOLLAND)

Competent aggressive thrash metal recalling Slayer and Devastation, with a more technical edge and longer songs; the band play fast and tight, varying things with some heavy, stomping riffage: "Nothing Will Change". The guys are quite good at making longer compositions sound aggressive, without speeding too much, relying on crushing, mid-paced, semi-technical riffs: "Who's for Dinner", "Ritual Killings".

Terrortory Full-length, 1990

METAL CHURCH (USA)

One of the pioneers of the speed/power/thrash metal movement, these greats never gained the recognition they truly deserved, which went to other far less impressive acts. "Metal Church" is an extraordinary debut, which even unbiased encyclopaedias, like "A to Z of Heavy Metal" can not help but call "phenomenal" (the only time this word is used in the encyclopaedia, by the way). It's needless to go into further details about this perennial classic, which contains some of the definitive riffs in metal history (the opening machine-gun like one on the title track remains my personal favourite all these years; David Wayne (R.I.P.) couldn't resist to use it later for the opening number from his controversial solo effort "The Choice"). "The Dark" was even more thrash-fixated, abandoning the heaviness and the epic feeling that have permeated some of the songs from the debut, and it probably needed just one more effort of the same calibre for the band to seal their fate on the pedestal of metal fame along with their colleagues from the Bay-Area and the East Coast, but the leaving of David Wayne closed the thrash metal page from the band's career. With the coming of Mike Howe from Heathen Metal Church entered the power metal arena where they are still one of its most distinguished representatives, despite the numerous ups and downs witnessed both in the musical and the personal (remember the ill-fated attempt for a reunion with David Wayne "Masterpeace" for both) sector.

Metal Church Full-length, 1985
The Dark Full-length, 1986

METAL DUCK (UK)

Most of the time the music here is cool thrash/death metal along the lines of later period Protector, but with a darker sound, and some fierce grindcore outbursts which could have been avoided. On the other hand, there are some good leads, as well as some pure punk-ish pieces ("Mean, Green and Pink").

Auto Ducko Destructo Mondo Full-length, 1990

METAL GENOCIDE (CHILE)

Nice energetic retro speed/thrash in the tradition of Angel Dust and Iron Angel (too many "angels" here, one may say...); the guitars lash with passion seldom slowing down, ably supported by mid-levelled semi-clean vocals quite close to Jörg Weiss (the first Angel Dust singer). Some of the band members are also involved in another thrash metal act: Impact.

Send the Posers to Hell Demo, 2006

METAL INC. (USA)

A 3-song demo coming from North Africa to put this part of the world on the metal map; the guys do a good job, thrashing in a sure-handed classic manner with a strong technical edge, not far from mid-80's Voivod. There are speedy more aggressive moments present, but the clever more technical "decorations" are always at hand to make this an intriguing off-the-track listen, ably supported by cool mid-ranged clean vocals.

Demo Demo, 2009

METAL MESSIAH (UK)

Good Bay Area-influenced thrash, with Metallica the prime target for worship (their early period); even the vocals resemble the slightly undeveloped James Hetfield-ones used on "Kill'em All" (in the higher tones they might also remind you of Jeff Martin from Racer X). The lead guitar is particularly striking, even having a certain Shrapnel vibe, and is the highlight here. The music is quite energetic and fast, and loses steam once, but only a little: on "The Awakening", which is a power metal-based number, and would also recall the early Racer X works.

Honour Among Thieves Full-length, 1989

METAL MILITIA (USA)

The band name says it all: Metallica and nothing else matters. Well, although Metallica are an obvious influence on some tracks, the overall style reminds more of early Megadeth, with the exception of some speedy numbers ("The Impending Holocaust", "Slave of Darkness") where one could hear some Slayer-esque riffs as well. Nice guitar solos and heavy riffs make this album an enjoyable listen.

Perpetual State of Aggression Full-length, 2003

METAL ONSLAUGHT (USA)

Energetic, noisy thrash metal with hardcore touches not too far from the Acrophet debut, but a lot less professionally done. This would probably appeal to some if they can tolerate the screeching vocals which recall some modern day black metal singers, and are actually the distinctive feature of the band, distinguishing them from many other similar acts.

Cease To Exist Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

METAL REQUIEM (GUATEMALA)

Based on "Unorthodox", this act plays fast aggressive thrash/death of the retro type with an abrasive guitar sound and brutal death metal vocals. The "requiem" is thrown as an intro, but there is nothing classical later on, as the guys thrash hard adding a few interesting Oriental motives. As a whole the style resembles the one of early-90's Messiah ("Choir of Horros", in particular), but the music here is not as interesring, especially near the end when it loses the speed almost completely "resurrecting" it a bit on the cool black metal-tinged closer "Evil Detonator". Some of the musicians involved here also take part in the power/progressive metal outfit Sierpe.

Inquisition EP, 2002
Illusions Of Fire Full-length, 2004
Unorthodox Full-length, 2010

METAL STORM (GERMANY)

Having taken their name from the Sodom song, this band are not as vicious as the style on the album to which this song belongs ("Obsessed by Cruelty", that is), but are more in the speed/thrash camp, occupied by acts like Vectom, Iron Angel, Atlain, etc. Their music is not constantly fast ("Soldiers of the Nite" is more laid-back power/thrash; "Paranoid" is pure classic heavy metal; "Hiroshima" is a slightly overlong tender ballad), and some of their speedy material has this simplistic, crossover shade ("Sometimes a Barkin' Dog May Bite"). Still, full speed ahead we have on at least half the numbers: "Burnin' Metal", "Suicide Commando", "Outbreak of Evil". As a whole this is just a passing release, with not much to impress the thrash fan, who by that time has raised his standards quite a bit.

Outbreak of Evil Full-length, 1987

METAL WARRIORS (GERMANY)

An early mix of power, speed and thrash metal reminiscent of early Exciter and Vectom; the music here is probably more melodic, staying more within the confines of power/speed metal, and the musicianship on display is considerably inferior.

Metal Race Demo, 1985

METAL X (GERMANY)

4 songs of early classic speed/thrash mixing early German trends with the American wave: the Metallica debut, Exciter, etc.; cool stuff, with a slight crossover potential ("Let the Evil Begin") as well. The music is moderately fast assisted by hoarse semi-clean vocals with a certain punk-ish tember.

Into the Grave Demo, 2009

METALCHRIST (ROMANIA)

One of the few thrash metal bands from Romania, Metalchrist mix 90's speed/power metal with thrash. The music at times reminds of the Germans Brainstorm. It's a melodic stuff, might not appeal to many thrash metal fans.

Nihil Sine deo Full-length, 1994

METALEPSIA (ARGENTINA)

These guys play thrash/crossover not too far from early Nuclear Assault. In other words, this is simplistic, but catchy stuff, fast and energetic, maybe a tad more melodic than the music of the aforementioned Americans. The singer is bad, with his undeveloped raspy delivery, which doesn't quite suit the better music. "Victime del Futura" is a melodic, mid-paced track, with a power/epic feel, but deviations of this kind are not too many.

Violencia y Metal EP, 2006
Crucificados EP, 2007

METALETY (GERMANY)

This band, who boast the presence of a beautiful female guiatrist (Anna Olejniczak is her name) specialize in modern power/thrash with several classic leanings. The music resembles the one of their colleagues and compatriots Perzonal War and Runamok, developing in a dynamic mid-tempo helped by heavy meaty riffs, but the intense speedster at the end "Beyond Reality" shows another side of the band's skills, and one may wish this side would be better covered on future efforts.

March To Hell Full-length, 2010

METALIUM (TURKEY)

The band's debut is classic thrash of the German school similar to Necronomicon and their compatriots Mezarkabul: intense, heavy music, which is not all-out speed all the time; actually it starts with heavy, mid-paced thrashers, before it moves onto the faster material, where the guys simply take no prisoners with their uncompromising delivery: check out the excellent instrumental "No Descent". The cool, Schmier-like vocals are also worth mentioning.
5 years later the band are back with "Suffer", and with the very first song it's obvious that the guys will show no mercy once again. The sound, however, is more aggressive and vicious, with nods to death metal, in a way similar to the Swedes Merciless' debut, or Massacra, at least on half of the tracks, but there is a fair number of songs, which are not fast at all, and even come with some shades of doom: "Circle of Despair". The vocals have changed as well, now sounding more along the lines of Fred "Death" Duval (R.I.P.) from Massacra.

Behind The Power Full-length, 1990
Suffer Full-length, 1995

METALLIC ASS

2 tracks of classic thrash/crossover, fast but melodic with cool crisp riffs and clean punk vocals.

Distorsi Menendang Bokong EP, 2009

METALLICA (USA)

The "fathers" of the whole genre, along with Slayer; their 80's works are of an immeasurable significance to music in general. The first thrash metal band to break it really big and rival even pop-artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson in terms of albums sold. Even the Black Album is a compelling listen with its dark, post-thrash sound which later had a huge influence on the 90's scene. Metallica lost interest in thrash metal later in the 90's, and although "St. Anger" features some aggressive riffage not heard on the band's works in a long time, it's nothing more than just another modern metal album. It raised some hopes, though, and I'm sure that there are quite a few of you out there who believe that "Master Of Puppets 2" is lying in wait ready to strike at the right time.
"Death Magnetic" is finally out, and it was interesting to see whether the band would be able to shut the mouths of the hordes of "weenies", who quickly denounced the band after the change of course during the 90's, pouring piles of crap over them on blogs, forums, etc. (not that Metallica ever cared about what this or that one would write about them), blaming them in what the hell.
Well, "Master of Puppets" 2 this is not, and if one comes to think of it, it is hardly necessary for this great album to be revised. "Death Magnetic" sounds exactly the way the guys said it would: it serves as a fine bridge between their 80's legacy (their output from the 2nd half of the 80's) and the post-thrash sound epitomized on the Black Album. This is not all-out retro thrash, but comes quite close on quite a few times. "That Was Just Your Life" starts the way the immediate follow-up to "...And Justice for All" should, and although it's not "Blackend", it's a fairly satisfying energetic heavy thrasher, a number which was missing from the band's albums for a loong time. "The End of the Line" offers more laid-back riffage, along with a couple of more modern-sounding sections, but overall the sharp guitar sound is not completely lost. "Broken, Beat & Scarred" is in a similar vein, not thrashing out intensely the whole time, but never leaves the thrash metal field, and some fine leads which Kirk Hammett hasn't unleashed in quite a while, can be heard on this one. "The Day That Never Comes" is mostly a ballad, quite good at that, except for the nice speedy ending, but the guys needed this break; after all, they haven't thrashed for three whole tracks in a row in a long time. "All Nightmare Long" introduces some more technical guitar play, which this album was missing up to this point, and is a very cool mid to up-tempo thrasher with a fine melodic chorus, and great crushing riffs. "Cyanide" is a reminder of the style metamorphosis the band has been going through since 1991, but the fine lead section saves it from being just a filler. "The Unforgiven III" is... but of course, the second ballad, which this work hardly needed, weaker than the first, let alone the original "Unforgiven". Enough with more modern deviations, one may say, and here comes "The Judas Kiss", which is a combination of the classic and the modern sound, containing some genuinely impulsive headbanging parts. "Suicide & Redemption" is the instrumental piece, 10-min long, but unfortunately is far from the high standards established by the band 20 years ago, and is a little more than mid-paced modern post-thrash, with some occasional more stylish decisions in the 2nd half, where the music speed up for a while. The listener can not help, but have mixed feelings about the new Metallica output up to this point, and his judgement would largely depend on the last song: "My Apocalypse", which seals the fate of the album in a magnificent way, putting it on the front row, closing it with great classic fast-paced thrash rhythms, blitzkrieg screaming leads, and some fine more technical implements- a thrash masterpiece, which alone serves as a big slap on the face of all those who were bitching about the band for years, for having betrayed their fans, and what not. The slap could have been harder, since there were "fans" who more than deserved it, but there will be another one later, and why not a punch, which will hopefully deal with those who survived this one. Metallica are back in the game, plain and simple, and this is hopefully just the rehearsal for what would befall us later.

Kill 'Em All Full-length, 1983
Ride the Lightning Full-length, 1984
Creeping Death EP, 1984
Whiplash EP, 1985
Master of Puppets Full-length, 1986
Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, 1987
...And Justice for All Full-length, 1988
One EP, 1989
Metallica Full-length, 1991
Death Magnetic Full-Length, 2008

METALOURD (USA)

Based on "Self Destruct", this is typical modern thrash, heavy and slow, with influences ranging from Pantera to White Zombie, with some flashes of the 80's scene.

Self-destruct Full-length, 1999
American Nightmare Full-length, 2003

METASTASIS (CHILE)

Excellent aggressive demo of thrash/death metal of the old school, not miles away from the Swedes Merciless' debut and Devastation's "Idolatry"; the guys thrash with force and speed, occasionally adding the more stylish semi-technical hook, also providing a couple of cool both screaming and melodic leads along the way. The singer is a bit noisy, mixing semi-hardcore shouts with more brutal death metal singing sounding like the early style of Fred "Death" Duval (Massacra).

Under the Snow Demo, 2007

METHEDRAS (ITALY)

The band's style is a combination of present day Entombed and modern thrash metal. "Katarsis" is an intense release, with heavy crushing riffage, and tries to keep the tempo up for most of the time, although the 10-ton groovy sections are present on almost every track, but combined with more energetic one delivers in a way no worse than more recent Pro-Pain. The vocals, though, are gruffer with a certain death metal edge which suit the steam roller approach well. The bonus track at the end is a cool deviation: a nice gothic number ala their compatriots Lacuna Coil with fine female vocals.

Recursive Full-length, 2004
The Worst Within Full-length, 2006
Katarsis Full-Length, 2009

METHEDRINE (USA)

Based on the "Crawl...Before You Walk" demo, these guys come up with good energetic thrash/crossover which sounds like a mix between Nuclear Assault and Cryptic Slaughter. There are some really fast aggressive numbers (parts of "What's Your Point" and the excellent "Lullaby") and some heavy, pounding, but equally as effective tracks ("Welcome to the End").

Meth Til Deth Demo, 1988
Crawl...Before You Walk Demo, 1989

METHOD (SOUTH KOREA)

A cool debut crossing the classic and modern sound; the vocals are of the death metal-type, and seldom can one hear a more Gothenburg-influenced guitar. The band play aggressively with conviction, frequently changing the pace from fast to slower. At the end there is a cool cover version of Testament's "D.N.R." from "The Gathering" (the overall approach actually is quite close to that Testament album).
"Spiritual Reinforcement" has moved more towards modern Swedish death/thrash, and is consequently not as interesting, although the fast-paced numbers would be worthy to be placed even on the best Dark Tranquillity and early In Flames works, with the "inhuman" furious thrasher "Inhuman Rights" leading the pack there. The lead guitar work is really good, and "Black Eagle" is a great bass-driven instrumental, a stylish touch which this otherwise pedestrian album doesn't really deserve. At the end the fans will hear a re-mastered version of the bombastic raging "Coldest Fear" from the full-length.

Survival Of The Fittest Full-length, 2006
Spiritual Reinforcement Full-length, 2009

METHUSELAHS (RUSSIA)

This Russian trio plays minimalistic retro black/thrash with a very fuzzy guitar sound, and snarly mean vocals, quite close to the ones of Gard from Khold. Seriously, these vocals are so deeply "underground" that some of you may spontaneously burst with laughter, while listening to them. The music has something in common with early Barathrum, Khold as well, but Bathory and Venom haven't been forgotten, either, although the music seldom reaches the speed of the early 80's Bathory works, but is mid-paced with a depressing doomy atmosphere. Some weird noises and ambient tunes are also well implemented into the sound: an interesting, albeit a bit one-dimensional, listen as a whole, with a very cool mix of the most aggressive riffs on the album, and some nice melody, which could have been taken from a Russian folk song, on the closing number.

Ëèêàíòðîïèÿ Full-length, 2006

METRALIATOR (BRAZIL)

After the overlong boring intro, the guys throw pretty decent classic speed/thrash which sounds more appealing when it's sustained in an all-out speedy manner, like on the appriopriately titled "Speed Metal Machine", or the moshing delight "Kill The Oppression". The "speed metal machine" produces other good results later on: the relentless "Misanthropic Way", a speed/thrasfest in the spirit of the Angel Dust debut; the lightning speed metal killer "Weapon Of Truth"; the very enjoyable 9-min opus "Medicinal Sickiness", which seamlessly blends power, thrash, speed and crossover; the excellent closer "Força Alcoólica", reminiscent of Exumer's "The First Supper" from "Rising from the Sea", with more emphasis on speed. The thing which one may not like a lot here, would be the bad shouty vocals, similar to the ones of Tony Portaro on the Whiplash debut. Music-wise this is a commendable effort, which will help the guys establish their name as a promising young hope on the Brazilian scene.

Satanic Machine Full-Length, 2009

METRALION (BRAZIL)

Metralion will remain in music history as one of the few bands who have tried to metallize Pink Floyd throughout the years, in this case the British's most famous number "Another Brick In The Wall": a pretty faithful version, if you ask me, but not matching the rest of the material on this album, which is more dynamic and interesting. The band's style has nothing to do with progressive music, although the songs on "Mosh In Brazil" are quite lengthy, with some cool riffs and a few semi-technical twists. The music only occasionally picks a lot of aggression, and on those moments it is not too far from the proto-death metal field (the beginning of "No Way Out"). "Disorder" is a cool more complex number, with some sudden speedier sections, and it would have been better if those speedier sections were a bit more.

Quo Vadis Full-length, 1988
A Mosh In Brazil Full-length, 1989

METRALLA (ARGENTINA)

Members from two good Argentinian thrash metal bands (Horcas and Serpentor) have decided to join forces here, and the result is cool classic power/thrash, quite close to the works of early Horcas. The music nicely flows from power to thrash metal on the various songs; maybe a bit more sharpness in the guitar sound would have made things better. Now quite often the ball remains in the power metal field, not far from more recent Horcas. Probably the guys should have chosen the more hard-hitting Serpentor style as an example to follow here.
"Sotanas de Satanás" is the better effort; now the guys thrash with more edge and sharpness also adding cool melodic licks wherever needed. The music is full-fledged thrash with a few decsents into power metal. After a quick string of dynamic blitzkrieg thrashers comes the semi-balladic " Fuerte como un roble", a nice pounding piece slightly ruined by the indifferent semi-clean vocals. The music doesn't lose steam afterwards, however, and even goes up the speed scale with headbangers like "Crisis nerviosa", "Kilometros a mil" and especially the excellent cover of Hermetica's "Ardiendo en llamas" which is not the closer; it comes after it and is called "Nido de viboras": another cool energetic speed/thrasher which ends this work in a high note. Some of the band members are also active in the death/thrash formation Exthremony.

Fuego en las Mentes Full-length, 2007
Sotanas de Satanás Full-length, 2010

METRALLA (SPAIN)

A really nice demo of intense speed/thrash of the old school with great melodies; "Fok A La Barraka" will split you at the seams with raging fast riffs, setting the tone for the remaining numbers which keep the level high, sometimes turning into pure speed metal ("Warra"), sometimes acquiring nice technical tendencies ("Setas") in the best tradition of the Polish Hellfire. This excellent demo simply screams for a full-length...

Fok A La Barraka Demo, 2009

METROCK (ROMANIA)

Based on "Kind Of Hell", Metrock play power/thrash with a modern edge. There are some classic thrash remains("Black Evil": a nice aggressive thrasher), but the rest is not really interesting.

Castelul de nisip Full-length, 1984
A Kind Of Hell Full-length, 1994

METROZ (SWEDEN)

Speed/thrash in the German tradition, not bad, but badly produced, and with unsuitable death metal vocals, similar to the ones used by Toxic Shock on "Welcome Home...Near Dark".

Brain Explosion Demo, 1989

MEZARKABUL/PENTAGRAM (TURKEY)

Arguably the greatest Turkish thrash metal band; "Pentagram" is superb speed/thrash in the vein of early Destruction and the first Exumer album- fast, intense music which will make you headbang for days; there's no speed lost here, except on the offbeat melodic, orchestral track "Metal Not Dead", and on the excellent technical instrumental "Blood Guillotine", which nicely suggests at the band's bigger potential, to be revealed soon. The album closer "Los Magandos" shows the lead guitarist at his best, with some awesome, Shrapnel-like performance.
"Trail Blazer" is another good effort, but the style there has changed into more technical and complex, sacrificing some of the speed and the fury of the first one. It would probably surprise those who expected another ball of speed and intensity, but such well executed music one would not find hard to appreciate. The songs on this one are longer, and some of the guitar work is quite technical, ably supported by brilliant Oriental implements. Another great instrumental awaits you: "Trail Blazer", of a less frenetic, but equally effective variety. "Fly Forever" is a cool ballad, but it might bore you, being more than 6-min long, and too soft. "Brain on the Wall" is a pure heavy metal hymn ala Accept; all these were clear signs that the band were preparing their exit from the thrash scene. The vocals are more restrained than the vicious Mem Von Stein-like snarls on the debut, and are almost semi-clean. The band continued producing albums in the 90's and beyond, also high quality ones, but in the heavy/power metal mould.

Pentagram Full-length, 1990
Trail Blazer Full-length, 1992

MEZZROW (SWEDEN)

Cool Bay Area thrash made in Sweden; the line-up features Ulf Petersson, who later founded two more acts: the modern technical thrash masters Rosicrucian and the much more ordinary groovy post-thrashers Slapdash. The guys play energetically and tight, with sharp riffs and cool, Chuck Billy-like vocals; music-wise the band are also quite close to Testament, and more particular "The New Order" and "Practice What You Preach". So apart from speed and intensity one can come across meaty heavy mid-paced bombs: "Ancient Terror", "The Final Holocaust". The full-on fast thrash attacks could rank with the best from the field: "Frozen Soul", "The Cross of Torment", "Where Death Begins", where some shades from Exodus' "Bonded by Blood" can also be felt.

Then Came the Killing Full-length, 1990

MG-15 (SPAIN)

Based on "Clon", this trio pulls out a decent mix of classic and 90's thrash with a Sepultura flavour (between "Arise" and "Chaos AD"), plus a pinch of crossover, and overall more melodic than the Brazilians. The vocals also resemble Max Cavalera. The music is fairly energetic, if we exclude some pointless softer numbers ("Danzad, Malditos!"), which are a direct nod the classic heavy metal heritage. "La Araka" is a cool semi-ballad, followed by the closing cover version of the Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", the only track sung in English. Reportedly on their works from the 80's the guys were playing pure heads-down punk/hardcore, not miles away from the punk legends Discharge with whom they have a split released in 2005.

Derecho A La Vida EP, 1984
Holy Earth Single, 1988
Clon Full-length, 1994
Clonycore Best of/Compilation, 1997
Piromania EP, 2004
MG-15 / Discharge Split, 2005
El Album Negro / The Black Album Full-length, 2007

MICAWBER (USA)

Hectic jumpy modern thrash/death metal with brutal low-tuned growls and some technical pretensions; still the heavy clumsy moments are too many to make this effort a compelling listen, and the lack of speed puts it more on the tiring side.

Bloodrunner Full-Length, 2008

MICTLANTECUHTLI (USA)

A good, albeit flawed album which tries to pack quite a few styles into a not very large space; the base is aggressive thrash/black metal of the old school, but there are some epic moments, too, which would remind you of Destroyer 666, but here come the Gothenburg nods, and all of a sudden there is an In Flames or At The Gates-like riff which sneaks into the sound. The pure black-ish thrash sections work best (that's my opinion, of course), but the guys quickly catch up with the other styles the very next moment. With a less diverse approach, this band with a very difficult to pronounce (and to write) name, which actually has a meaning: "death" in the old Aztec language, could make a more lasting impression on the metal scene.

Pillars of silence Full-length, 2004

MIDAS TOUCH (SWEDEN)

Sweden seems to have quite a long list of one-album wonders which appeared in the late 80's. Midas Touch play excellent technical speed/thrash, quite aggressive and heavy. The technical guitars would remind you of the Dutch Mandator and Living Death's "World Neurosis". The demo is an excellent slab of slightly less technical, but very enjoyable speed/thrash; the guys never take a break from the fast-paced music, except on the heavy, semi-balladic "Strikezone". "Masquerade" carries a strong technical charge, and suggests at future things to come.
The full-length contains competely different songs from the demo (which, of course, is good for the fans), and the guitar sound is much heavier, starting with the very aggressive "Forcibly Incarcerated", which sounds as though the music would jump on the death metal wagon at any moment. Well, this never happens on the next songs, but the aggression remains, and the most intense sections are not miles away from Gammacide or Devastation. The guys could have done a marvellous job, if they had carried on through the 90's joining the death metal brotherhood, but this remained their only official release. Later members of Midas Touch formed the industrial metal act Misery Loves Co.

Ground Zero Demo, 1987
Presage Of Disaster, Full-Length, 1989

MIDEVIL (USA)

Good power/thrash similar to Meliah Rage, Liege Lord and early Iced Earth; this is heavy, mostly mid-paced music, with cool vocals, which are not too far from Matt Barlow (Iced Earth). Some modern, groovy variations could be heard ("Condoned"), as well as some more up-tempo thrashers ("Last Breath"). The debut is the lighter, more power metal-based (but better), whereas the sophomore album is heavier and thrashier, but a bit one-dimensional, except for the last piece, which is a very good instrumental ("Zonk"), to which attached are some awkward acoustic country variations.

Thee Almighty Full-length, 1996
Expiration Date Full-length, 1997
Forced To Believe EP, 1999

MIDGARD (AUSTRIA)

Swedish death metal in the Dark Tranquillity, In Flames tradition meets 90's aggro thrash ala Pantera and Machine Head. It could have been good if the guys haven't decided to attract the power metal crowd, too, with some American power metal elements added which dissipate the pounding sound of the album, making it quite a mish-mash. On top of that there are some clean vocals which make things even worse.

Born From Ashes Full-length, 2005

MILITANT (USA)

The bad sound quality doesn't give the listener a chance to enjoy these three tracks too much; the music is fast aggressive thrash metal bordering on death with rusty, death-ish vocals which, when they go for the higher notes, will make you run away: and fast. The last track "A Nomadic Soul's Search For Solace" is a semi-acoustic atmospheric instrumental.

Ferocious Dominance Demo, 2004

MILITANT ATTACK (MALAYSIA)

Based on the "Hostile Takeover" demo, this band plays pretty decent classic Bay-Area thrash with good semi-clean higher, slightly screamy at times, vocals. The tempo is mid to up, also recalling the models from the early German speed/thrash metal scene ("Corruption (The New Mayhem)"), and cool melodic implements are present on almost every track (check out "Down The Pecking Order"), although "Systematic Slaughter" is on the opposite pole, thrashing out in an aggressive proto-death fashion, a trend which is apparently the dominant one in their other band, the more death metal-influenced Obsolete.

Violent Riot Demo, 2008
Mortal Slave (Rehearsal) Demo, 2008
Hostile Takeover Demo, 2009

MILITIA (ARGENTINA)

These latecomers on the Argentinian metal scene pull out quite good classic speed/thrash, not too far from their compatriots Lethal. The music is often speedy and energetic, but the band do not forget to insert some slower, mid-paced numbers ("Carcelero Del Alma", "Violencia"), which are a tad more melodic, with a shade of power metal. The guys spare no energy, and here come some fine speed/thrashers to make your day: "Horror", "Militia", which is a mix of thrash and crossover, the mighty riff-fest with a great lead work "Crimen Azul". To make a few heads turn with this kind of music in the 90's was out of the question, but the band have done a good job keeping the classic sound alive for a little more.

Agonia Infernal Full-length, 1992

MILITIA (USA)

This band features the former Watchtower singer Mike Soliz. Militia are not anywhere near the technical exuberance of the mentioned band, but are appealing nonetheless. With three demos and one EP released within the span of less than two years, it was obvious that the guys wanted to get noticed, and it's a surprise they weren't, since the music on all releases is consistently quite good, ranging from American power/thrash ala Helstar, early Laaz Rockit and Liege Lord, to some high speed numbers in the Agent Steel vein. Soliz does a good job, if we exclude the hysterical screams on some of the songs, which is clearly not his favourite range.

The Sybling EP, 1985
Regiments of Death Demo, 1985
Talking to the Stone Demo, 1985
No Submission Demo, 1986

MINAS TIRITH (NORWAY)

This band was founded by two members of the black metallers Old Man's Child who here give way to their more thought-out and complex nature. "The Art of Becoming": black metal is nowhere to be found: this is very well composed progressive metal with a strong thrashy edge. The main vocals are clean, and quite cool, with an alternative blend, spiced by the casual death metal growl; the compositions are not sprawling, but compact, although the time changes are quite a few as well. The guitar sound is heavy and sharp, "broken" by the obligatory for the style quiet acoustic moments ala Opeth, which here are much shorter. "Sympathy form the Devil" (no relations to The Rolling Stones music-wise) is a nice acoustic ballad, which precedes the Opeth all-acoustic album "Damnation" and other similar efforts. "The Art of Becoming" is a progressive thrashterpiece, which starts in a fairly furious manner, with fast-paced brutal guitars, which very nicely contrast to the tender clean vocals, and the sparce calmer sections. Some songs are inevitably exercises in an eclectic, elaborate song-writing, still quite edgy: "X=666", which twists and turns in many directions, without losing coherence. Others are built on the contrast made by the quiet peaceful parts and the sudden thrashy outbursts: "In Union We Die". If Opeth are too hard for you, and are not a pick for the thrash metal fan, here is a band who offer similar entertainment with a nice thrashy twist.

"Dissertation Prophetae" is another sure pick for the progressive metal fans, this time with fewer ties to thrash. The change is the singer: there is no romantic soft singing anymore: apart from the brutal death vocals, there are the main ones, which now are rougher, but still belonging to the clean department. The ballads ("God of Gods God", the closer "Ferry") this time are not acoustic, but are also good; there is one semi-ballad right after: "The Day My Life Lost Me", which softens the album quite a bit. As a whole the sound is milder, and despite the presence of some intense fast sections ("The Tunnel", "Enemykind") overall this effort is more melodic and slower, with the more non-conventional compositions exiting the metal field with ease: "I Am the Night". By all means an interesting listen, this work sees the guys emphasizing on the progressive side, sacrificing in the process the hardness of previous recordings.

Mythology EP, 1992
The Art of Becoming Full-length, 1995
...Demons Are Forever Full-length, 1998
Dissertation Prophetae Full-length, 2004

MINAX (CANADA)

Good retro thrash, quite diverse, covering a couple of influences, to these ears sounding closest to the American power/thrash metal school (Helstar, Laaz Rockit, Savage Grace, even Agent Steel on the more speedy moments: check out "Whirlwind of Darkness" and "Our Justice"). The singer creates a lot of dramatism to a positive effect singing with a high-pitched clean blend reaching the heights of Ski (Deadly Blessing) even. Some of the guys practice playing more straight-forward speed metal with their other formation Striker.

Vengeance Rising EP, 2009

MINCERY (USA)

Very cool music awaits you here: very technical twisted thrash/death, much closer to death metal, crossing Necrophagist and Gorguts, adding some quiet jazzy sections here and there, as well as very grunty pig-like low vocals, which should have been left out: noone would pay attention to them anyway, concentrating on this engaging less ordinary listen, which will cause you a headspin, since this whirlwind of ever-changing riffs never stops, even for a split second. This is really wild stuff, with very few slower stomping breaks, but at the same with very few super-fast ones as well.

Demo Demo, 2002

MIND-A-STRAY (FINLAND)

The band have changed their name a few times throughout the years, known first as Holocaust, then Darcane and finally settling down for Mind-A-Stray. As Holocaust they played some cool speedy thrash, and this is arguably the band's best period. Later their music is no less impressive, but is less thrashy, drawing similarities to Metallica- their Black Album days (listen to "Sadlife" and tell me which song it reminds you of). A Metallica substitute is badly needed on the scene, so these guys could pefectly fill the gap.

Face the Holocaust Best of/Compilation, 1999
Valley of Misery Demo, 2001
PanDEMOnium Demo, 2002
Survivors of the Holochaust Demo, 2003
The Very Worst of Darcane Best of/Compilation, 2003
Anamorphica Demo, 2004
Sign Of Victory Demo, 2005

MIND-ASHES (GERMANY)

This band is a real find. "The Views Obscured" is a stunning progressive/technical thrash masterpiece, by far one of the best achievements of the genre. It is a constant feast of superb technical riffage, sometimes served with a more aggressive attitude ("Pseudo"), sometimes in a very complex, overwhelming way ("Agreementality"), sometimes with a more lyrical, semi-balladic approach ("The Leaf"). The album boasts a very thick guitar sound, which slightly stifles the bass. The singer changes his styles in a way not too far from Ken Nardy (Anacrusis), but the predominant one is a levelled, clean one, sounding like a lower-tuned Warrel Dane.
It was interesting to see whether the band would be able to keep such a high level of musicianship for another release; "Trend Cemetary" adopts a more conventional, but still quite technical approach, including songs which are slow, semi-balladic and rich in atmosphere (the Scorpions' cover of "China White" from "Blackout" leads the pack there), but the technical brilliance of the debut could be heard on songs like the mighty headbanging piece "Nurse", or the energetic, complex opener "Paradise Beach". Still, this album leaves something to be desired, showing the band in a more melodic, less impressive form.
"Warcore" is quite a letdown, with only small shades of technical play, and an increased number of slower tracks which make it sound more like a mix of thrash and doom. The first two songs at least promise more, with their energetic, semi-technical riffs, but later the music takes a turn towards much slower, doomy direction, with retouched guitars. The guys' balladic infatuation finds some fine forms ("They Don't Die"- a really good ballad), but this is not what the thrash metal fan looks for in such an album. Fans of doom and gothic will definitely find their new hit in "Forensic Nights". "Warcore" comes to awaken the sleeping thrashers, at least those, who have still their players on, but it shouldn't, because the next song (the last one) is a very dreamy doomy instrumental (back to sleep again).

The Views Obscured Full-length, 1997
Trend Cemetary Full-length, 2001
Warcore Full-length, 2003

MIND OF ASIAN (JAPAN)

These guys deliver wild unbridled hardcore/thrash; noisy amateurish music also having something to do with Discharge and the more extreme side of the punk movement, with abrasive guitars and shouty synthesized vocals.

Split Split, 2008

MIND SLAVERY

Heavy, pounding thrash with a shade of hardcore; the music is never aggressive, mostly mid-tempo, with heavy riffage and gruff, hardcore-ish vocals. "Mind Slavery" surprisingly picks up speed near the end, and turns for a while into a cool speed/thrasher, making the listener want to hear something more of the same. "The Media Way" follows exactly the same pattern, offering more energetic moments at the end. The closing "Flesh" is a cool mix of stomping riffage and speedy sections, again slightly hinted at, and a cool balladic intro and outro.

Planet of Ghosts

MINDCOLLAPSE (SWEDEN)

Based on "Vampires Dawn", this band plays good modern/classic thrash with hoarse death-ish vocals. The album begins well with the nice melodic, but intense speed/thrasher "Waiting For Another Dawn". Then a "pause" comes in the face of the slower, mid-paced "Forbidden Land", before "Transforming Queen" comes thrashing with a Gothenburg-like death metal edge, accompanied by the high-octane doom monster "God Abandoned", where the singer (if that's the same one; could be another one...) starts growling in a manner no worse than Chris Barnes himself; the music, however, is a very satisfying slab of doom. "Fear Of Heaven" is vintage aggressive 80's thrash assault, but the inertia is lost once again on the soft gothic, Sentenced/Paradise Lost-influenced "Remaining Time". "Greed For Souls" is another merciless piece of old school thrash, which fortunately sets the tone for the remaning 2 songs, although the closing "Sinking" at some point "sails away" into the fields of gothic again for a while. This effort definitely has its thrash charm, but the band is obviously interested in pleasing a wider spectre of metal fans.

Lifeless Full-length, 1996
Vampires Dawn Full-length, 2001

MINDGRINDER (NORWAY)

The band's debut has almost nothing to do with thrash, being industrial death/black metal similar to Dodheimsgard and the likes. "Riot Detonator" moves considerably things into a thrashy direction, and the result is quite good thrash/death metal album, quite fast, with a modern sound, reminding of Carnal Forge and Terror 2000.

MindTech Full-length, 2004
Riot Detonator Full-length, 2005

MINDLOCK (PORTUGAL)

Based on the full-length, these guys play run-of-the-mill groovy post-thrash, with a strong shade of the Pro-Pain hardcore aesthetics. Some alternative touches are thrown in ("Reality Relativity"), but they fail to give this unimpressive outing the desirable touch of originality.

Manifesto EP, 2000
Ego Trip Full-length, 2003

MINDSNARE (AUSTRALIA)

Based on "The Death", this is a mix of groove, thrash and death metal, quite fast and intense at times, but mostly reminiscent of Pro-Pain with a more aggressive attitude. When the guys get tired of following the pattern, they manage to come up with some cool thrashing headbangers ("The Death").

Hanged Choked Wrists Slit Full-length, 2001
The Death Full-length, 2004
Disturb the Hive Full-length, 2007

MINDWORK (CZECH)

A really good debut of technically-minded thrash/death metal, which will remind you of the guys' compatriots Scenery on the more laid-back progressive passages, but the rest has a characteristic sound of its own, being heavy and mid-paced for most of the time with sharp technical riffs flowing effortlessly, albeit frequently interrupted by the aforementioned slower sections. "Essence Of Existence" starts thrashing aggressively at some stage, which is a coot addition, nicely contrasting to the peaceful moments around it. Those peaceful moments turn to Cynic or Atheist-like jazz on "Freedom Of Mentality" which is a creepy minimalistic thrasher, before "Wretchlessness" sweeps you with its speedy rhythms, which carry an echo of late period Death. Hats down on the next "Parasite", which is a sublime technical number with smashing maze-y riffs and a couple of nice melodic hooks. "Twisted Priorities" is a milder more conventional composition, relying more on laid-back riffage and slower pace, before the final "On The Path To Oblivion" moves up the scale speed-wise, exiting this nice debut in a cool progressive thrash manner, offering a great quiet outro. It is always good to hear technical music brought in an original way recalling heroes from the past, without borrowing heavily from neither. The band's guitarists move up the progressive scale with their other project: the progressive death metal outfit Pessimist.

Into The Swirl Full-length, 2009

MINIER (USA)

This is a solo project of The Crucified's guitar player Greg Minier who wanted to give way to his more classic thrash metal nature as opposed to his main band's more crossover-inclined style. The guy performs all the instruments here and does a very good job; vintage Bay Area thrash metal, one of the last good albums to represent the scene. It's a nice combination of stomping heavy numbers (the opener "Do Not Be Deceived") and energetic, up-tempo ones ("The Skeptic"). "Price" softens down, being a cool ballad, and "Philosophy Of Man" is an attempt at a more technical song-writing in the vein of early Testament.

Minier Full-length, 1990

MINION (GERMANY)

Based on "Exile Of Fear": this band play typical for the time modern thrash/death, with more nods towards death metal; no surprises here, professionally done, but hardly memorable.

Pantera Full-length, 2002
Exile Of Fear Full-length, 2006

MINISTERS OF ANGER (USA)

First-rate technical thrash which sounds like a cross between the two Toxik albums: it has both very speedy and technical anthems ("Fields of the Dead") and slower, but also quite impressive ones ("Money Man"). "The Great Escape" is a brilliant combination of the two styles. The guitar work is simply stunning, with swirling solos, mighty riffs and unexpected, but utterly coherent time changes. The vocals are lower-pitched than the ones of Mike Sanders from Toxik, and at times recall Sean Killian from Vio-lence. The sound quality is crystal clear; where these guys have gone after this demo, is a big mystery; this is a very obscure, but a very essential gem.

Renaissance Demo, 1990

MINISTRY (USA)

Industrial managed to establish itself as a full-blooded sub-genre on the metal field during the 90's, and although some metal fans are prejudiced against the computerized, electronic sounds and industrial noises with which these works are full, anyone who is more familiar with the style knows that in most cases industrial metal is just badly disguised thrash or death metal.
Ministry were the first band who combined the sharp guitar sound with electronic and industrial elements, and are virtually the creators of the whole genre. Having started as a new wave band, the band incorporated some harsh electronic sounds on their later works. "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" is their first full-fledged effort in the industrial/thrash field, and a great one at that. Just when the opener "Thieves" hits you with its aggressive, merciless riffage, you know there'll be a lot of moshing around on this one; the album loses steam towards the end, finishing with three pure industrial tracks. But the aggression returns with "Psalm 69": a colossal success for the band, one of the best-selling releases of 1992. The guys take no prisoners with thrashers like "N.W.O.", "Just One Fix", "Hero", "Psalm 69"; the last couple of tracks are again reserved strictly for exercise in harsh industrial. After this effort Ministry took a break from their intense approach, and gave way to their more experimental nature on the next three albums. With the flag of thrash raised high in the new millennium, the band returned to a thrash metal territory, in an even more uncompromising manner with "Houses of the Mole", arguably their most aggressive work to date. "Rio Grande Blood" followed, thrashing quite forcefully as well, at times moving onto heads-down thrash, stripped of any industrial "assistance".
"The Last Sucker" is on the opposite side, at least in the 1st half, heavily industrialized, but quite heavy and crushing, with the thrashy surprises all placed in the 2nd half: the fierce "No Glory", which is fast relentless thrash with a tinge of hardcore; the "purer", more speed/thrash metal based "Death & Destruction"; and the speedy undustrial thrash monster "Roadhouse Blues", recalling "Hero" from "Plsalm 69". "Die In A Crash" is probably also worth mentioning: merry industrial crossover, after which industrial takes over on the 2-part "End of Days", with a very sprawling calm melodic industrial passage, something last heard on "The Land of Rape and Honey", touching even "Twitch" on the more electronic sections.

The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste Full-length, 1989
Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs Full-length, 1992
Houses of the Molé Full-length, 2004
Rio Grande Blood Full-length, 2006
The Last Sucker Full-length, 2007

MINISTRY OF TERROR (HOLLAND)

This band offer a nice cross between classic and modern thrash, with shades of gothic, and great dark atmosphere; a fairly interesting sound. This is mostly mid-paced and heavy stuff, strangely resembling the steam-rolling sound of the Brits Cerebral Fix, but songs like "Agony" and "Human Nature" (this one is a hyper-speed number with nice technical licks) thrash like there's no tomorrow. "Darkened" is a great nod to Paradise Lost with a thrashy edge, and "Fall of Life" honours another great British act: Bolt Thrower, with its doomy, death-tinged guitars. This is far from a mixed bag; this is actually one of the more interesting thrash metal albums of the 90's.

Fall Of Life Full-length, 1995

MINOTAUR (GERMANY)

The music on the full length is raw, messy and very badly produced thrash not too far from Necronomicon's first effort. This is miles away from even the average achievements in the genre. On the other side stays the EP, which is a much much better effort, featuring awesome speed/thrashers, similar to late 80's Kreator, and again Necronomicon, but their later, better period. Tracks like "Towards My Eternity" are instant classics, with their fast and sharp guitar work, and cool Mille Petrozza-like vocals. "Total Decay" is total fury, very fast and intense piece, with a death metal flavour, which could overshadow even at least a couple of the songs from the Swedes Merciless' debut, for example. Having found the right way to making some great thrash, it would be a very good idea if the guys could re-release their debut; with the musicianship displayed on the EP, it could finally turn into a winner.
"God May Show You Mercy... We Will Not" is an elaboration on the EP from 16 years ago, sounding like it had been recorded right after it, wtih barely a month between them. If we exclude the hysterical high-pitched black vocals, this is quite a good rendition of the retro German thrash sound, in fast tempo, which never lets loose, and the guys are apparently determined to not show mercy in the music department, like the album-title suggests. Among the 11 songs some shorter, more laid-back moments can be found: the more speed metal-based "Princess of Hell" and "Soulless", but most of the time this is relentless old school thrash attack, fast and uncompromising, finished with a cover of W.A.S.P.'s early hit "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", where the music loses the speed and the edge, trying to sound true to the heavy metal approach of the original. While the debut was a good example of badly played amateurish thrash, this new effort is on the very opposite pole, showing the guys in a much brighter light, aiming high (hey, don't we love this Accept song so much!), and well deservedly so.

Power of Darkness Full-length, 1988
Welcome To... EP, 1993
God May Show You Mercy...We Will Not Full-length, 2009

MIRROR (HUNGARY)

Good, albeit badly produced speed/thrash along the lines of early Kreator and Destruction, with good Mille Petrozza-like vocals (think the ones on "Terrible Certainty"). The bass is put too much up front, and stifles the other instruments, especially the slightly thin guitar sound, but the fast aggressive delivery saves the day.

Dead By Done Demo, 1989

MIRROR OF DEAD FACES

A 3-sond promo of run-of-the-mill brutal Gothenburg death/thrash; fast tempos, some good guitar work, some blast-beats, ... you know the story.

The Suffering Promo, 2007

MIRTHLESS (IRELAND)

This band were earlier known as Descent (a band not reviewed here). The music hesitates between the aggro 90's thrash and the more classic sound of the 80's German school, and despite the presence of some cool headbanging riffs, doesn't sound very convincing. On top of that, the vocals are very annoying hardcore shouts.

Vicious Cycle Demo,2005

MISA NEGRA (CHILE)

Based on the demo, these guys play modern black/thrash with some very impressive lead guitar work which will remind you of old masters like Wolf Hoffman (Accept) and Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond). The music otherwise is nothing really special: quite fast and aggressive, with some blast-beats and death metal thrown in as well. There are also some slow, depressive passages which recall early Samael.

Legiones EP, 2003
Antigua Maldicion...Nueva Rebelion Demo, 2005

MISANTHROPE COUNT MERCYFUL (RUSSIA)

Based on "Last Living Man", this young Russian band practice thrash/death metal, with both classic and modern elements present; the music is mostly mid-tempo, sounding at times close to Bolt Thrower, or Benediction, but with a more modern edge, if we exclude the presence of clean vocals on some parts, and some gothic, atmospheric numbers ("Last Living Man"), recalling Cemetary and modern day Samael.

Life Is Gone Full-length, 2005
Last Living Man Full-length, 2007

MISBEGOTTEN (AUSTRIA)

Based on the band's last two releases, this is heavy, groovy thrash in the tradition of Pantera and the likes, with some faster hardcore parts.

Children For Sale EP, 1995
Perfect World Full-length, 1997
Join The MBG Full-length, 2003
To End All Lies Full-Length,2006

MISCARRIAGE (GERMANY)

Based on the "The Difference Between" demo, these guys pull out a classic thrash/death mix, at times atmospheric and technical, at other times fast, but not to the point of brutality. Both sides of their music are well blended together, and thrash is clearly the dominant style, with touches of death metal in the more intense sections. The singer is the downpoint here, whose hardcore shouts could be serious distraction to some.

Heritage of the Past Demo, 1990
Dark Epitaph Demo, 1991
The Difference Between Demo, 1993
Blutsyndrom Demo, 1994

MISCREANTS (HOLLAND)

Modern thrash, with some good guitar melodies, but otherwise not terribly different from acts like Terror 2000, or Carnal Forge.

Welcome the Miscreants EP, 2007

MISER (USA)

This demo precedes the coming of aggressive, semi-technical masterpieces like Viking's "Man of Straw" and Torture's "Storm Alert" (could have been an influence on both?). In other words we have fast, aggressive thrash mixed with some cool technical moments. At times the guys throw away the technical licks, and go straight for the throat with pure aggression: "Open Your Eyes", but after a few repeated listens one would start to discover some stylish guitar work there, too. "Nuclear Wastoid" is a punk-ish/hardcore number, the joke song here, and "Heroine Face" is the band's tribute to Slayer's "Reign in Blood": a merciless brutal thrasher.

Demo Demo, 1988

MISERY (USA)

Based on the "Cries From the Dark" demo, this is quite good aggressive thrash inspired by works like Slayer's "Reign in Blood", Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare", with a more technical edge ala Gammacide (but less death metal-tinged).

Cries From the Dark Demo, 1989
Flirt With Insanity Demo, 1990

MISERY LOVES CO. (SWEDEN)

This is kind of the continuation of the promising technical speed/thrashers Midas Touch, who have also invited the Entombed drummer Olle Dahlstedt to help them with the recordings. The bombastic speed antics of the Midas Touch works are nowhere to be heard here, so the classic thrash fans should stop reading. The truth is that the full-length debut is one of the best takes on modern industrial thrash; a style very close to early Skrew. The music is full of energy, very sharp riffs, angry shouted vocals, and a couple of industrial/noise implements. There is a lot of moshing on this one, and the 90's fans recognized its greatness, turning it into one of the best-selling albums of the genre. Unfortunately the future works of the band abandoned the aggressive approach, and settled for more melodic, alternative post-thrash, not bad, but having very little to do with the debut.

Misery Loves Co. Full-length, 1994
Happy? EP, 1995
Need Another One EP, 1995
Kiss Your Boots Single, 1995

MISERYCORE (CHILE)

Based on the EP: devastating classic thrash metal- very fast and aggressive, calling to mind Hypnosia, Necrodeath and early Kreator (but with a more technical edge). The vocals have this black metallic blend, but suit the relentless music just perfect. The Split with their compatriots Unholy Force sees the guys blasting out in a much less controlled manner, providing very fast brutal music, often being on the edge of falling apart. Impaled Nazarene have achieved something simlar in their early days, but this is more extreme- seriously. This is black/thrash madness, which easily beats the early efforts from the Brazilian metal scene (Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sextrash, etc.), on which it's obviously based.

Civilization Torture Demo, 2005
Get Total Apart EP, 2006
Unleashing Hell's Wrath Split, 2009

MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY (ITALY)

Groovy heavy 90's thrash, lacking the energy of Pantera and early Machine Head; one-dimensional, boring stuff.

There Will Be Only One Full-Length, 1995

MISSING LINK (DENMARK)

The band were formed by members of Artillery after that band's demise a few years earlier. Don't expect some fabulous technical thrash here: the style is pretty ordinary modern power/thrash, melodic and quite average.

When The Door Is Closed Full-length, 1995
Merry X-mas Everybody EP, 1995
Lobotomized Full-length, 1997

MISTAKEN ELEMENT (FRANCE)

Modern thrash metal with Pantera/Machine Head-influences and some more melodic touches.

Engraved in Memory Full-length, 2006

MISTER GREEN (FRANCE)

A cool, 3-track demo of Bay-Area influenced thrash, with good melodic, not very hard-hitting guitars; despite the energetic tempo the guys try to keep throughout, the final result is not very intense; will remind you of the Heathen debut.

Mirror Punishment EP, 2007

MISTICIA (COLOMBIA)

This is a curious demo, which contains one track of brooding, dark, mid-paced, effective thrash/death metal: "Welcome to Utopia", one very good energetic headbanging piece: "Devastated Paradise", and one quite long, 10-min doomy, atmospheric, beautiful, peaceful instrumental "Llaki Runa", where you can hear numerous instruments (flutes, acoustic guitar, violins, etc.).
The full-length is not as varied albeit much longer, containing modern thrash/death metal with a dry mechanical guitar sound. "Above My Lies" surprisingly brings the "winds of the past" with brisk classic riffs, but the continuation is on exactly the opposite side: "Alergia" is a heavy doomy groover with a much faster contrasting mid-break. Still, one more pleasant surprise comes before the end: the aggressive death/thrash shredder "Course". Half of the line-up is based in Germany, and can also be seen in Aardvarks.

Welcome to Utopia EP, 2003
Sickness of the earth Full-length, 2009

MITRA (USA)

Modern post-thrash meets stoner/doom; we've had quite a few of those blends in recent times, and this one will also end up in the pile after one listen: heavy abrasive riffs get repeated throughout with very little variation between songs, and despite the presence of several faster crossover-influenced numbers, this effort as a whole will satisfy the stoner/doom lovers above all.

All Gods Kill Full-length, 2006

MIZERY (USA)

Apart from another mention of the abbreviation F.U.C.K. (you know what this stands for, don't you?), there's not much to write about this band: aggressive, semi-technical thrash; some good ideas, but sounds more like a rehearsal for bigger things to come (which never did).

Inauspicious Eulogy Demo, 1990

MNICH (CZECH)

Based on "Nine Shapes of Death", this outfit, which shares a drummer (Martin "Guli" Lukasek) with another talented contemporary technical thrash/death metal act from the Czech Republic: Barracuda, pulls out good technical thrash/death, touching Death on quite a few times, mostly in the vocal approach, where the singer openly emulates the style adopted by Schuldiner (R.I.P.) on the last two Death efforts. The music is more thrash-oriented, and comes close to the one of "The Sound of Perseverance", but is more diverse, serving both very fast (not many, and short) and very dreamy abstract, even jazzy ("Euthanasia") ala Cynic sections, often embedded into one composition ("The Chilly Touch Of Death"), and the word "progressive" may come to mind while listening to the longer compositions. The more direct thrashers (Death") are not too many, for the sake of some pure exercises in complex technical play ("Puppets", "Total Apocalypse": this one comes with brilliant melodic hooks) with great thought-out riffage and stylish leads. The 2nd half is more melodic, and the sound "courts" melodic death metal more, producing some really cool results: the fast energetic "Suicide", the jumpy varied, and quite meandering "Inward Fury". The end comes in the form of "The End": a nice short "leads-versus-acoustic" instrumental (remember Death's "Voice of The Soul") and, finally, a full-blooded Death song: "Crystal Mountain" from "Symbolic", done by the book. Although the contemporary metal field has filled with quite a lot of technical metal bands following closely on the steps of the legendary Americans, these Czechs have no reasons to worry that they would remain buried under the others, and it would be interesting to hear how those influences have been reflected on their first two releases.

Pøivítej smrt Full-length, 1994
Impervious Gates Of Heaven Full-length, 1996
Nine Shapes of Death Full-length, 2007

MO RAGE (USA)

A cool effort offering pure 80's American power/thrash during the hostile mid-90's environment; "The Storm" is a heavy stomping opener, but the approach softens later to power metal ala the Metal Church period with Mike Howe hardening with the casual galloping riff ala Attacker ("See Ya!"). The singer has a nice melodic tember recalling a less operatic Messhiah Marcolin (Candlemass) on the higher tones. He later joined the progressive metallers Archetype.

The Fix Of Rage Full-length, 1996

MOB 47

Fast intense thrash/crossover, simplistic and direct, with short 1-2min songs, and hoarse shouty vocals.

Garanterat Mangel Full-Length, 1995

MOBY DICK (HUNGARY)

The first thrash metal band from Hungary, Moby Dick's debut is a noteworthy start for the scene in this country. The band had some good ideas, some nice guitar work, some cool technical riffs and all. But on their subsequent works they kind of lost it, replacing their somewhat original style for a Bay Area-influenced one (think Metallica, Testament), and the music partially lost its initial appeal.

Ugass Kutya! Full-length, 1990
Kegyetlen Évek Full-length, 1991
Körhinta Full-length, 1992
Fejfa Helyett Full-length, 1994
Memento Full-length, 1994
Indul a Boksz Full-length, 1996
Tisztítótûz Full-length, 1997
Golgota Full-length, 2003
Se Nap Se Hold Full-length, 2005

MODERN CRIMES (CANADA)

This Canadian outfit mixes jolly thrash/crossover with heavy, power, and some doom. This cocktail may come as too sotf for the hard-core thrash metal fan, although the forceful death metal-ish vocals add a slight aggressive shade, and are better suited to the faster material.

Modern Crimes Full-Length, 2008

MODIFIDIOUS (USA)

These guys are the same ones who later found one of the most popular extreme metal acts of modern times: Slipknot. Here the emphasis is not on outrageous shows, but on music, although it will hardly make a few eyebrows raise, being strictly modern groovy thrash, not too bad, and quite intense at times, and considering the time of release, they could have been one of the first to practice the style. "Indisposed" is a nice heavy, steam-rolling thrasher, and "Into O Shadow" adds some more intensity to the proceedings, with crushing, death-tinged riffs. "Ritual Circle" even speeds up a bit, but in a modern, groovy way. One needn't have a very big imagination to find traces of this formation's music into the future Slipknot sound.

Visceral EP, 1993
Sprawl Best of/Compilation, 1994
Mud Fuchia EP, 1994

MOKOMA (FINLAND)

One of the more popular metal bands on the Finnish metal scene nowadays; their style is a fusion of the old and modern thrash school with touches of pagan/viking metal, melodic death, and heavy/power on their early efforts. Their debut, at least from a thrash metal point of view, is hardly the finest album around, providing some quite melodic power/heavy/thrash. "Mokoman 120 päivää" hardens the course, but just a bit, and to talk about full-blooded thrash on this one is a bit farfetched, since the majority of the tracks are mid-paced at best, with nods to heavy/power metal, crossover, epic and even punk. The band's real "baptism" in thrash is on "Kurimus" which is a nice mix of the modern and the classic sound with sharp, but also melodic riffs, with the majority of the songs sustained in an energetic headbanging tempo. The softer fillers are very few, and they come with a cool epic shade, for which the capable emotional semi-clean vocals are very suitable. On their later works the guys have hardened the course, moving more towards the modern melo-thrash/death wave, typical for their neighbours, abandoning the classic thrash leanings which here are quite frequent.

Valu Full-length, 1999
Mokoman 120 päivää Full-length, 2001
Kurimus Full-length, 2003
Tämän maailman ruhtinaan hovi Full-length, 2004
Kuoleman laulukunnaat Full-length, 2006
Luihin ja ytimiin Full-length, 2007

MOLECULAR REPULSION (CANADA)

Aggressive thrash/death hybrid which at times sounds quite brutal and fast, at times acquires some cool technical tendencies recalling Disciples of Power's debut, at times has a strong crossover touch, bringing to mind Nuclear Assault. "Ephemera" is a nice both technical and aggressive instrumental which displays the band's more skilful side. Although the guys prefer to stick to the more simplistic and catchy part of their music for most of the album, this is a varied and enjoyable stuff.

Veil Of Deception Full-length, 1991

MOLEST (BELGIUM)

Based on the demo, this band play fast aggressive thrash along the lines of Devastation and Sepultura. The guys try to experiment with longer songs, but there aren't any technical leanings here (except on "Think"), and the music starts getting a bit monotonous on the longer tracks. Still, this is a cool headbanging experience.
"Milkfish" will be a very unpleasant surprise to those who have heard the demo: this is pretty generic groovy thrash, which lacks speed or energy, except for the punk/hardcore closing joke "What's Up", relying on rehashed, repetitive riffs and tempos: not even for the completists.

Looney Tunes from Insania Demo 1991
Milkfish Full-length, 1996
Tep Zepi Full-length, 1997

MONARK (FRANCE)

Very cool, albeit roughly-sounding speed/thrash metal ala Not Fragile and early ADX (France) with clean mid-levelled vocals, sing-along choruses and some decent guitar work; the tempo is constantly fast, except for the longer "Minautor", which brings forward some epic power metal elements, but the hooks and riffs and the excellent leads are not samey and compensate for the one-dimensional delivery of the singer. "Monark" is a very good galloping instrumental, and the closing "Dictateur" is an example of perfectly executed speed metal, which comes as the definitive pattern for the future 90's power/speed metal bands to follow: fast pace, melodic tunes, catchy choruses, edgy guitars- everything is here.

Demo Demo, 1989

MONASTERY (POLAND)

Based on "Thrashing Pictures", these guys really paint a nice picture of thrash, based on the classic masters. Their music is heads-down 80's thrash, with strong nods to Slayer, among others, and a sparce use of blast-beats. This is aggressive, intense stuff, only broken by one very awkward, romantic semi-ballad "One Love" in the middle. Two covers await the listener: one in the middle, Sepultura's "Innerself", and one at the end: Slayer's "Raining Blood".

God Save... Full-length, 1993
Œwiêta Inkwizycja Full-length, 1993
The Evil has landed Demo, 1996
Shattered Faith Demo, 2003
Thrashing Pictures Full-length, 2005

MONDOCANE (ITALY)

This band is a side-project of members of Necrodeath and Schizo. The joint efforts of these musicians have produced a good album; style-wise the band's music is closer to Schizo, with the same brutal and aggressive thrash metal sound, and shades of crossover. Apart from the sheer speed, one could hear some nice heavy, slower riffs, too: "Necroschizophrenia". Apparently this band were intended only as a one-album project, without any intentions for further development.

Project One Full-length, 1989

MONGREL'S CROSS (AUSTRALIA)

This hellish Australian trio pulls out brutal black/thrash, wiht a couple of moody breaks ala Khold and early Bathory. "Mongrel's Cross" shows some mercy from the fast intense sound with a lighter crossover section mixed with a more epic approach ala mid-period Bathory.

Mongrel's Cross Demo, 2009

MONKEY HEAD (SOUTH KOREA)

Based on the second album: this band are a good example that apart from Japan, there are other places in the Far East where people can play cool thrash (along with Crash and Sahon). The band's music is a cross between modern (not much) and classic thrash in the Exodus-mould. There is a nice reference to "La Bamba", and also a cool relaxing instrumental at the end. Before that you can hear some joke songs, too, but the album is long, and there is enough to please the hungry thrash metal souls.

Monkey's Ass Full-length, 1994
The Second Phase of Monkey Head Full-length, 1995
Nan Gaeya! Full-length, 2005

MONOGONO (PORTUGAL)

This is a very wild stuff sounding like a combination between Atheist, Mastodon, Voivod, and Coroner's "Grin". There is progressive, thrash, death, sludge and even hardcore here. But the music hits the mark most of the time, and never loses coherence despite the insane time-changes and mind-bending technical riffs. The insanity only stops on the "The Untold Story" and "The Ednless Trip": both 2-part instrumentals. These guys are here to conquer, and I personally have nothing against it if they later become one of the leading bands on the scene.

Amuk Full-length, 2007

MONOLIT (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

Based on the "Arcana Balkanica", this act offers mid-paced semi-technical thrash recalling Metallica's "...And Justice for All" and the Brits Slammer. The problem is that the music develops in a predictable mid-paced crunchy tempo, which serves very well the guys' purpose on the excellent semi-ballad "Demona", which is a masterpiece along the ranks of "Fade to Black" and "Sanatorium". This composition kind of splits the demo into two parts, sitting right in the middle; the second half is kind of influenced by it, since the sound becomes softer with power metal elements, and the semi-clean hoarse pitch of the singer acquires more melodic dimensions (they are, actually, very good on the aforementioned "Demona").

Demo Demo, 1989
Arcana Balkanica Demo, 2008

MONOLITH (UK)

This band featured the legendary Nicholas Howard Barker- the drummer who took part in numerous acts throughout the metal spectre (Benediction, Atrocity (Ger), Testament, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, etc.). Based on the 2-song EP, this band play fast-paced thrash/death along the lines of early Pestilence and Death. "Sleep with the Dead" is slower and more thrashy, whereas "Maceration" is aggressive death metal assault. The vocals are pure death metal, sounding like a more vicious, lower-pitched Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.).

Sleep With the Dead EP, 1992
Tales Of The Macabre Full-length, 1993

MONOLITH (USA, CA)

Melodic laid-back power/thrash, with a not very good sound quality; the guys mix their American power metal heritage with the NWOBHM-sound, and as a result we have decent mid-paced stuff, without any highlights whatsoever, seldom changing the pace or mood, except on the very romantic tender closing ballad, which sounds like a completely different band, but that hardly matters, since at that stage the listener would hardly care which song, or which band he listens to.

Field of Stone Full-Length, 1991

MONOLITH (USA, VA)

Based on "One Nation Under Metal", this act plays typical modern groovy thrash spiced with hardcore although there is not much speed involved, and the overall approach is not miles away from more recent Pro-Pain. Somewhere in the middle the guys wake up for energetic almost classic-sounding thrash ("Endless Negativity"), but this never happens later on, with the sound safely going back to the safe well-tested groovy formula.

Have A Nice Day! Full-length, 1997
Use Only As Directed Full-length, 1999
One Nation Under Metal Full-length, 2002
FOUR Full-length, 2009

MONSTER MASH (BRAZIL)

A 3-song demo of retro speed/thrash metal influenced by the early German scene: Vectom, early Blind Guardian, Iron Angel. This is very good stuff, with excellent deep clean vocals of the mid-range which higher screams are quite effective recalling Ralf Scheepers (Tyran Pace, Gamma Ray). The music is predictably fast-paced blending sharp direct riffs with melodic hooks and swirling leads.

He Gambled with Satan and Lost Demo, 2009

MONSTERWOKS (NEW ZEALAND)

Thrash metal acts from New Zealand are a rarity. Based on "The Precautionary Principle", this is melodic thrash/death metal-the one we are used to connect with the Swedish scene, professionally done, with some nice guitar work. At times the vocals, which are otherwise typical for the genre, take a higher-pitched clean form, and combined with the heavy music, create a somewhat original sound. Another interesting moment is "Metal Is Everything": a straight heavy metal hymn where, near the end of the song, there is a fast, aggressive break as a finishing touch.
"Spacial Operations" offers a slightly more melodic approach and is much inferior: the traditional heavy metal moments are more than on the previous offering, and the guitars are not as sharp; there are a few ballads ("November", "Lonely Crown"), and although aggressive pieces like "Stars Malign" , which bring Strapping Young Lad to mind, try to keep the ship floating, it's clear that they are not enough to oppose to the predominantly pop-ish and unappealing atmosphere. The "Metal Is Everything" analogue here is "The Voyage of Magma Maiden" which is a catchy power/thrasher, but it comes too late to save the day.
"Singularity" is slow, sprawling and modern, in other words another step back from the band's earlier more potent style. Thrash metal plays a very secondary role leaving room for gothic, doom, classic heavy/power metal, death/doom (check out the steam-rolling "Death Sentence"), and even hardcore with industrial overtones ("Godkiller"); a very ambititous picture, isn't it? Comes close to the "cocktails" stirred by Devin Townsend on his solo projects and Strapping Young Lad, by the way, and may actually have its appeal to fans of the larger-than-life eclectic efforts (also check the Norwegians Dimension F3H).

Dimensional Urgency Full-length, 2000
Rogue Full-length, 2002
M-Theory Full-length, 2003
The Precautionary Principle Full-length, 2006
Spacial Operations Full-length, 2007
Singularity Full-length, 2009

MONUMENT (USA)

Based on "Resting Place", this band offers cool progressively-sounding doom/power/thrash "roaming" the "no-mans-land" between the classic and the modern trends. After the imposing epic opener "In The Name" recalling the Brits Sabbat, the sound moves towards heavier slower waters for two songs, before "The Game" provides more energetic thrashing. Time for pure traditional doom with "Reflections", which would easily overshadow most of the tracks from the last Saint Vitus album. "Mortal Divinity" returns to the power/thrashy progressive from the beginning in a heavier crushing fashion, but the doom-fixated approach comes back with "Judgement", leaving its mark on the remaining 3 songs, the last of which ("Resting Peace") is pure melancholic doom ala mid-period Anathema and Katatonia. There are definitely moments here which would delight the thrash fan, but the overall focus is more on the fields of doom.

Dust EP, 1995
Resting Place Full-length, 1999
The Millennial Death of God Full-length, 2000

MOON OF SOUL (HUNGARY)

Based on "Titokszülõ", this obscure Hungarian band offer excellent dark progressive thrash with nice guitar work, interesting tempo changes, some genuine atmospheric moments, and harsh death-ish vocals. The music is not fast, but moves from slow, balladic to mid-paced. This is by no means some feelgood progressive stuff; there are plenty of sharp, thrashy riffs; it's just that the songs are long on musicianship and atmosphere, and would attract those who like concentrating on what they listen, and would also please fans of the more sprawling progressive song-structures (Opeth, for instance).
Their demo is more aggressive, offering the same highly technical music, but the time changes are a bit more hectic, and the sound "staggers" towards Atheist and Pestilence quite a few times. The delivery is tight and intense, despite the presence of the 9-min sprawling opus "Hang-alkony-menedék", which, again, will delight fans of Opeth, above all.

Hang-Alkony-Menedék Demo, 1999 Égforrás Full-length, 2001
Titokszülõ Full-length, 2003

MOONCALF (USA)

This very obscure band pull out intriguing heavy, often up-tempo technical thrash, with an angry, even groovy sound which a few years later would become the fashion of the decade ("What We've Become", the choppy, jumpy "Hi Jesus"). There are certainly several straight intense thrashers ("I Live"), and at least half of the songs are very close to Metallica's late 80's period, but the real winner is the 9-min progressive thrasher "Kill The Fooldead Dummy": an impressive concoction of moods and tempos, with some great twisted technical guitars near the end. The vocals sound like a rougher version of James Hetfield. It's a pity they disappeared so fast; their music would have quickly found a place under the 90's metal sun.

Kill the Fool Demo, 1990

MORAL CRUSADE (IRELAND)

Thrash metal from Ireland; not a very common phenomenon, but this one here is well done. The tempo is pretty fast with razor sharp riffs, along the lines of Slayer and Vio-Lence. There is no much variation throughout the songs, if we exclude the heavy, slower track near the end "A Change in Two Directions", but the intensity of the music makes up for it.

An Act Of Violence Full-length, 1990

MORAY EEL (RUSSIA)

A female-fronted thrash metal band; the girl changes from good clean vocals to some screechy, hysterical ones easily. This is music with a certain modern, industrialized edge and gothic overtones, heavy without any speedy parts. The debut is the better, more thrashy effort, whereas "Priest Hunter" deepens further into modern waters, and with an increased amount of groove and industrial elements, strays from the more appealing and immediate nature of its predecessor.

Psycho: Delusion Full-length, 2005
Priest Hunter Full-length, 2006

MORBID (GERMANY)

A quite good demo which combines the speedy thrash metal of the Toxic Shock debut with the more aggressive sound of Sepultura and Devastation, topped by brutal death metal vocals.

Returning Impossible Demo, 1988

MORBID (SWEDEN)

This is the band from where the legendary Dead (R.I.P.) started his short, but eventful career in metal, before joining the ill-fated Mayhem (and put an end to his life). Morbid are actually one of the first extreme bands in the history of the genre mixing black, thrash and even death metal on their first three demos, and despite the raw and undeveloped nature of the music, it is clear that the guys have gotten together with the clear intention to broaden the borders of metal into more brutal areas.

Rehearsal 07/08/1987 Demo, 1987
December Moon Demo, 1987
Last Supper... Demo, 1988
Death Execution Best of/Compilation, 1995
December Moon EP, 2000
Live in Stockholm Live album, 2000
Death Execution III EP, 2001

MORBID CORPSES (USA)

A 3-song demo of fast thrash/death ala Rigor Mortis; well done, with some surprisingly good, but sparce leads and bass work. The vocals are brutal, but good death metal ones.

Demonstrations of Devastation Demo, 1992

MORBID DEATH (PORTUGAL)

Based on the "Shamless Faith" demo, which contains 3 live tracks, this band play doomy thrash in the vein of early Celtic Frost, but here the doom is more strongly involved. There is no speed present, and except for the more lively "War and Pain" (which is not a Voivod cover) the tempo very seldom goes up.

Nomad Demo, 1993
Shamless Faith Demo, 1997
Echoes of Solitude Full-length, 1997
Secrets Full-length, 2002
Unlocked Full-length, 2004

MORBID DECAPITATION (CANADA)

Noisy grind/thrash which could have been at least half good, if the musicianship had been at least decent: worth hearing just out of curiousity.

Death Anthem Full-length, 1990

MORBID FEAR (SWEDEN)

Aggressive thrash/death, quite close to the Merciless debut, with some cool semi-technical guitar work, and a very strong bass bottom. The vocals have this distant John Tardy echo, but are lower-pitched, and less intelligible.

Darkest Age Demo, 1990

MORBID RITES (FRANCE)

Based on the "Celtic Thrash Metal" demo, these guys offer speedy thrash in the spirit of Rigor Mortis and mid-late 80's Sodom. This is good stuff, constantly fast, seldom lashing out in a more aggressive proto-death manner ("Destruction", which is a great headbanger also reminiscent of the early Death approach). The only stop from the intense moshing is in the from of a heavier Celtic Frost-like section on the aptly titled for the purpose "Celtic Thrash Metal".

Bestial Attack Demo, 2000
Celtic Thrash Metal Demo, 2001

MORBID SAINT (USA)

"Spectrum Of Death" is a fabulous debut featuring some furious thrash metal, sounding like a mix of Necrodeath and more vicious Kreator.This is great fast-paced music, with mighty sharp smashing riffs and direct 3-4min explosive tracks (the exceptions are "Assassin" and "Scars", which are about 7-min, but are not deviations from the aggressive formula). "Beyond the Gates of Hell"- the album closer, reduces the speed for the sake of some up-tempo riffage, and is the only slight break from the merciless thrashing.
"Destruction System" is actually an unreleased album, and carries on in the same uncompromising vein: great aggressive thrash, this time containing some slower, but equally as intense pieces: "Destruction System" and "Halls of Terror" (this one speed up here and there). The whole work has this genuine dark atmosphere, created by the thick, brooding guitar sound. Few were the bands in the 90's, who managed to sound as fresh and as true to their roots after such a long break.

Spectrum of Death Full-length, 1988
Destruction System Demo, 1992

MORBID SCREAM (USA)

Very good aggressive thrash metal made in Texas: the band's style bears resemblance to the Rigor Mortis debut, but these guys vary things more with tracks which are not based entirely on speed, but are also graced with some nice stomping riffs, recalling Nasty Savage's "Ignorance". The guitar work is sharp and heavy, and never strays into death metal territory. The vocals are particularly good, sounding like a mixture between Nasty Ronnie and Bruce Corbit.

Demo Demo, 1987
Morbid Scream Demo, 1989
The Signal To Attack: 1986-1990 Best of/Compilation, 2007

MORBID SIN (USA)

Power/thrash metal in the early Metal Church-vein, or Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy"; good stuff, with some slower, epic tracks. At the end there is a live cover of Mercyful Fate's "Evil".

Cauldron Of Souls EP, 1992

MORBID TERMINATION (USA)

"Aggressive Destruction" is very good American power/thrash reminiscent of Abattoir and Attacker, quite heavy and aggressive at times ("Life for Violence"). "Target Earth" surprisingly tones down the thrash ("Fight, Kill, Slaughter, Burn" being the only exception), and is more power/speed metal-based, and the inclusion of very awkward death metal vocals on "Pyrokinesis" makes things even less appealing, despite the presence of some interesting moments ("Technical Death").

Aggressive Destruction Demo, 1985
Target Earth Demo, 1986

MORBID VISION (DENMARK)

Very cool headbanging old school thrash comes all of a sudden from Denmark, of all countries, for the country to give its contribution to the awakening of thrash. Unfortunately it's done in the form of 4 tracks only which, despite their furious, classic thrash nature, are far from enough to turn Denmark into a major contributor to the process. The guys play fast and tight, with sharp riffs and timid nods to the more technical style of their renowned compatriots Artillery ("The Glory"), which never developed further, since soon after the release of this EP, the band went their separate ways.

The Firstborn EP, 1998

MORBID YELL (SPAIN)

Based on the last split, this band play a raw, vicious mix of black, death and thrash, with low-tuned death metal vocals. The music favours black metal most, but some sharp thrashy riffs could be heard, which may remind you of Absu's "Tara".
The "The First Desecration" compilation is a really brutal affair, and will not delight the thrash fan. This is bashing black/death for most of the time, with a very bad sound quality and grunting very low-tuned, absolutely unintelligible, vocals. The guitars form one impenetrable wall of sound without any solos or melodic hooks.

Death Desecration Demo, 2004
Ritual Sacrifice Demo, 2004
The First Desecration Best of/Compilation, 2006
Chainsaw Death Fuck Demo, 2006
Akerbeltz / Avangh Dhür / Morbid Yell / Hellthrone Split, 2007
Körgull The Exterminator / Morbid Yell Split, 2008

MORBIDA (ARGENTINA)

4 tracks of heavy, proto groovy thrash, sounding not as stale as the Pantera followers of the same time, if we exclude the throaty angry vocals. The music has an edge, and adheres to some 80's gimmicks ala the Bay-Area. Certainly there is some groove to be "enjoyed", but "El Placer De La Vaciedad" is a good headbanging fun, although on the others the heavy, slightly monotonous mid-tempo dominates.

Ideas Desfiguradas Demo, 1996

MORBIDOX (CANADA)

Based on the first demo, this band plays good edgy thrash metal with nice flashy lead guitar work and forceful deep clean vocals. The guys mix faster and slower numbers, the former delivering a bit better, especially those coming with a touch of crossover (the excellent speedster "Truth Or Consequence"; the thrashcore happiness "Sh(italy) Wops").

C.R.D.K. Demo, 1989
Strange But False Demo, 1991

MORDOR (SPAIN)

Based on the debut, this is typical modern thrash metal with awful hardcore vocals, and a handful of joke songs scattered all around.

Hogar, Dulce Hogar Full-length, 1994
¿Evolución?… Full-length, 1997

MORDRED (USA)

Mordred were kind of pioneers on the scene who, along with Death Angel and Re-Animator, started adding some funk-elements into their music. On their debut these elements are very few, and for the most part it is really well-done, mid-paced to up-tempo thrash. "State of Mind" is a great fast-paced opener with sharp, intense riffage, and nice, melodic vocals. "Spectacle of Fear" continues the riff-fest with full force, slower, but with a more clever, technical guitar work, and strong bass support. "Every Day's a Holiday" brings forward the experimental spirit, which would later be the main driving force, on the band's next effort: a funky, jolly number, scarily non-thrash. But once the introductory riffs of the next "The Artist" hit you, you will have no problems forgiving the guys this innocent deviation: what follows is another hard-hitting intense thrasher, which will make you jump around in no time. "Shatter", apart from the great riffs, has a very catchy chorus, and is arguably the most memorable song here. "Reckless Abandon" is another mighty, up-tempo piece, again coming with a more catchy chorus, followed by the rock-ish cover version of Rick James' "Super Freak", which at least this time doesn't abandon the thrash metal idea completely, and is quite cool. Another big excuse is brought in the form of the marvellous aggressive thrashing closer "Numb", graced by superb leads (which, by the way, are on a very high level throughout the whole album, but here they beat anything); there's no way you won't accept it. This was a truly impressive entry for the band, and they hardly needed to go into a much more adventurous sound on the follow-up, at least not as much.
"In This Life" is where the band let loose their experimental spirit, and showed that a mixture of two contrasting styles could not produce very good results. The music has lost its thrashy appeal almost completely, being some "funk meets metal" mish-mash. Their last effort has very little to do with the past, and is actually a good attempt at a more ambitious progressive song-writing with a modern flavour.

Everyday's a Holiday EP, 1989
Fool's Game Full-length, 1989
Falling Away EP, 1991
In this life Full-length, 1991
Vision EP, 1992
Grand Summit EP, 1994
Splinter Down EP, 1994
The Next Room Full-length, 1994

MORENA (RUSSIA)

Based on "Smuta", these guys offer a not very convincing of intense fast retro thrash and modern groove. Certainly the former are the more appealing side of the album, and there some really cool sharp riffs can be heard on quite a few times. The singer is not bad, either, assisting the music with good mid-ranged clean vocals, which do not really suit the slower modern passages, but nicely become more aggressive on the faster ones.

Russian Album Full-length, 2002
Smuta Full-length, 2003
Monastic Days Full-length, 2005

MORFEUS (BRAZIL)

Morfeus have been wandering the Brazilian metal underground for quite a few years, having released two capable agressive thrash demos in the late-80's, and when they finally got lucky to sign an album deal, it was the mid-90's, and the thrash metal scene has almost retired. However, this didn't prove an obstacle for the band to provide us with some great stylish, technical classic thrash, one of the finest achievements of the Brazilian metal scene, and one of the best works of thrash of the 90's. The music is intense, aggressive and fast for most of the time, but the band never forget to serve it with a certain doze of technicality. The guys start lashing from the get-go with "Rigor Mortis": fast tight thrash with nice both melodic and technical decorations, and a strong bass-bottom. "Hopeless" excels in the lead guitar department, and is another very fast technical thrasher. "Witness" focuses on the twisted technical play, and is consequesntly slower, with the leads reigning supreme again and a super-fast ending which will make your head spin. "Human Degradation" is speedy thrash from beginning to end with a more aggressive proto-death edge; "You Die" is equally as fast and relentless, but adds more technical guitars which on the slower passages are quite head-spinning. "The Creep In My Grave" is just a bit slower, but the technical edge of the guitars has been increased; it goes another level up on the progressive thrashterpiece "Dead Gods", which sacrifices some of the aggression again, for the sake of impeccable technical performance, still finding room for melody (there is one short balladic moment near the end) and a few more direct headbanging passages throughout its 6.5-min. "Ratkill" closes the album in a brutal direct manner, with the bass scoring really high with a virtuoso mid-section. This gem sums up the best from earlier works of more technical aggressive thrash like Midas Touch's "Presage for Disaster", Invocator's "Excursion Demise", Gammacide's "Victims of Science", Anacrusis' debut; it doesn't really reach the extreme proto-death heights of the last three, but in terms of musicianship it's probably only second to the Invocator effort.

Disbelieved World Full-length, 1993

MORFIUM (HUNGARY)

Based on the "Preda" demo, this band pulls out modern thrash with elements of stoner/doom; heavy stuff with crushing riffs and rough semi-hardcore vocals. The sound of the guitars is too buzzy, which takes away some of both the sharpness and the melody. Still on "Ha Ugy Akarom" they manage to sound interesting and even semi-technical, with the exclusion of the very fuzzy screaming leads.

Bûnöd és hibád Demo, 2002
Préda Demo, 2003
Ellenõrzés (Control) Demo, 2004
Öreg Sátán Demo, 2006
A Mester alkot Demo, 2009

MORG (FINLAND)

Based on the "Monolith" demo, this band play aggressive thrash/death of the modern school, with frequent blast-beats, spiced with some slower, groovy sections. On "Buried" the guys continue the carnage in a more controlled manner, considerably increasing the presence of the groove, which disappears for the excellent mid-tempo semi-technical "Strife" at the end.

Enter the Morgue Demo, 2004
Return to the Soil Demo, 2005
Buried Demo, 2006
Monolith Demo, 2007

MORGANA LEFAY (SWEDEN)

Often considered one of the "holy three" (Iced Earth and Nevermore, in case of some you wonder which the other two are) of the darker, more aggressive side of the modern power/thrash metal movement, this act began their career at a time when the style they had chosen to pursue was quickly going underground, and not many were those who enjoyed their excellent debut back in 1990, which was a potent blend of power, thrash and doom, with a heavy dark sound similar to the Candlemass more thrashy compositions (particularly those from "Ancient Dreams"), with the singer Charles Rytkönen adding a great semi-high passionate melodic blend, not too far from Savatage's Jon Oliva. They persevered through those hard times, and 3 years later were ready with two more albums: the faster and more thrash-fixated "Knowing Just As I" and the less dynamic, but equally as effective doom-laden "The Secret Doctrine", which was way heavier and truer to the 80's than Candlemass' previous year's shaky "Chapter VI". 1995 was a time for some retrospective, done with the "Past Present Future" compilation, which collected songs from their 3 full-lengths, as well as two cool cover versions: one a tribute to their pop music compatriots ABBA ("Voulez Voux"), the other one a nice take on Crimson Glory's ballad "Lost Reflection". A few months later another LP was released: "Sanctified", which was a bit disappointing, serving a more epic/power metal sound, straying away from thrash and doom. The guys quickly went back on track with the great "Maleficium", considered by many their finest hour. Just when they literally hit the top, with their sales steadily increasing, and their having started sharing the stage with the most popular acts at the time, internal frictions led to the band's demise. Rytkönen and the guitarist Tony Eriksson were determined to continue, but since they did not possess the rights for the band name, they had to modify it a bit, to Lefay, and under this moniker they relased 3 more albums, the first one a re-mastered version of Morgana lefay's debut; the style there is more conventional power metal, without too many borrowings from other genres.
Suddenly in 1999 another full-length sprang up from their camp, self-titled, done by the other half: those who didn't take part in Lefay, with the only purpose to clear them of any contractual obligations towards the label; don't bother to track it down: it has nothing to do with the band's old style, being tedious dull groovy nu-metal. With this obstacle put aside, Rytkönen and Co. were ready to resume their career under the old name, the Co. part consisting of members from the Swedish groovy metallers Fantasmagoria, who have already worked with him (and Eriksson) on the Lefay albums. On the first album with them "Grand Materia" their groovy past shows clearly on a couple of tracks; the sound after the return is more "updated", more complex, bordering on progressive on the longer compositions, bearing resemblance to Nevermore and the Germans Courageous and Psychotron. Needless to say, there is a lot from their old days present, too, which, combined with the new elements sounds almost as good and compelling.
A harder course has been taken with their latest offering "Aberrations Of The Mind", which is their most aggressive work to date, which in this case doesn't mean the best. "Delusions" is the most fierce opener the guys have ever composed, and although later on such speed is nowhere encountered (with the possible exception of the cool speed/thrasher near the end "Vultures Devouring"), the album remains within the thrash realm for most of the time. The modern implements are here, the sound at times taking an angrier, almost Pantera-like attitude, but there is an increased presence of more peaceful semi-balladic sections, which sometimes too strikingly contrast to the hard-hitting guitars, and are not very well embedded into the overall picture. Some fillers roam around as well: the modern alternative post-thrasher "Where I Rule", the heavy semi-ballad "Over and Over Again", which is miles away from the high standards in this field witnessed on their older material ("The Secret Doctrine", in particular). There are no longer songs, and consequently there is nothing too complex or progressive going on, a tendency which was nicely started on "Grand Materia", but here not even hinted at. If the previous album had quite a few ties to their past, this one tries to pull the band's style into a new, and not a very desirable direction. Hopefully this renowned band's vision reaches further than the "comfort" of ending up like any other modern power/thrash metal act.

Symphony of the Damned Full-length, 1990
Knowing Just As I Full-length, 1993
The Secret Doctrine Full-length, 1993
Sanctified Full-length, 1995
Past Present Future Best of/Compilation, 1995
Maleficium Full-length, 1996
Morgana Lefay Full-length, 1999
Grand Materia Full-length, 2005
Aberrations Of The Mind Full-length, 2007

MORGGORM (MALAYSIA)

This Far East trio comes up with very cool retro thrash in the Germanic tradition, and more particularly, early Kreator. The music is fast, with sharp riffs, sparce more aggressive, proto-death sections ("Mutation From Devastation"), and light joke numbers ("Broiler Price"), typical for acts like Sodom, Tankard, Necronomicon, etc. "Independence" is a more laid-back track, a good speed/thrasher in the spirit of Warrant and Paradox. "Warmth of Blood" is a nice touch: a slower, mid-paced track, with good melodic licks. But, as if to compensate, the band place the most aggressive song after it: "New World Prosecution" which, apart from the furious riffage, doesn't forget to add some melodic tunes. Having fulfilled their responsibility towards the thrash fans, the guys take it easy, producing one more crossover-laced piece ("Scumbag"), and one noisy sinister outro ("Dead Souls in Abyss").

Cruelty Devastation EP, 2006
The Eye Of Gorsha Dimmag Full-length, 2007

MORIA (USA)

A modern mix of thrash and death, with some interesting stylish guitar work present, but with some brutal grind-core sections as well. This is really wild at times stuff, especially when the more aggressive passages sometimes come suddenly, without warning, to break a cool thrashy one. Still, some hooks are quite melodic, and are a nice contrast to the very heavy music, and as a whole this style will have a wider appeal, not strictly to thrash and death metal fans.

No Light Ahead (Upcoming Full Length) EP, 2006
No Light Ahead Full-length, 2007

MORPHEMA (ITALY)

This Italian trio comes with 4 tracks on the EP playing laid-back modern gothic-tinged thrash with a clear concentration on melody as opposed to the very low brutal death metal vocals. This is not fast stuff, and the nods to doom are more than passing.

5th Rebirth EP, 2010

MORPHEUS (USA)

Melodic thrash/crossover, with a strong punk-ish attitude; this is enjoyable music, with memorable, catchy songs, but might not be to the taste of the more hard-boiled thrash metal fans. The band later took an unexpected turn to death metal, where they changed their name to Morpheus Descends.

More for Us Demo, 1990

MORPHOSIS (FINLAND)

These guys unfairly passed unnoticed, sicne they were one of the more extreme practitioners of the genre from Finland in the late-80's, early 90's offering intense speedy thrash/proto-death metal with an almost hardcore intensity on the faster material. Both demos are sustained in an aggressive all-out speed manner, with very few moments breaking the brutal formula, in the form of odd joke punk/hardcore passages. After the split-up some of the band members were seen in the much more melodic progressive heavy metal formation Ancient Dawn in the 90's, with which the guys keep on releasing demos on regular bases up to present times, apparently still waiting for their chance for an offical release.

Sick Standard of Living Demo, 1989
And the Pain Is.. Demo, 1993
Thrashing Relics Vol. 1 Split, 2006

MORPHOSS (FRANCE)

Based on the "Marches for the Condemned" demo, these French offer typical late 80's, early 90's thrash/death metal sounding more restrained than the outbursts of their compatriots Agressor and Loudblast consequently ending up with better more proficient execution recalling another French effort from those times: No Return's "Contamination Rises". The music siwtches from fast intense to slower pounding passages the whole time asthe formr lead the pack, except on the more laid-back power/thrasher "March of the Condemned" which is unexpectedm but is a pleasant deviation. The following "Dark Obscenity" is another unexpected, this time turn towards technical death metal: a really stylish mix of twisted technical and brutal blasting sections. The outro "The Sentence" is not too far behind pulling the demo into the other extreme being ponderous slow doom with funeral guitars.

Condemned to Thrash Demo, 2004
Marches for the Condemned Demo, 2006

MORTAGE (BRAZIL)

Excellent 80's speed/thrash metal in the tradition of Exumer's "Possessed By Fire" and early Destruction; this is explosive music, which will sweep you with its brisk, speedy guitars; it has its more quiet moments, of course: the mid-paced, almost Slayer-esque "Dead Again", and the heavy stomper with nice Oriental tunes "Misery Existence". The guys heroically keep a very intense, aggressive pace on the 7-min long smasher "Bastard Race"- the highlight of the album.

Trench for Evolution Full-length, 2006

MORTAL FORM (HOLLAND)

Based on the Split, these guys play good thrash/death metal of the classic school with meaty heavy riffs and cool semi-technical licks. The music stays closer to death metal, bringing to mind Bolt Thrower on the slower sections.

Evil Reborn Full-length, 2002
Arnhem Trolleymetaal Split, 2003

MORTAL PASSION (GERMANY)

Based on "Invisible Invaders", this band is a representative of the classic thrash metal revival witnessed so far in the new millennium. The music has this uplifting, punkish attitude typical for the Sodom albums from the 90's. The vocals are also close to Tom Angelripper. The last song- "Drink And Drive", is a joke reminding of the Tankard side project Tankwart.
"The Last Will Be The First" comes with a slightly more aggressive sound: "Cursed to Destroy" will tear you apart with its sharp, brutal proto-death riffage, but to balance things up, the band still have included some more laid-back tunes: "Intoxication". The predominant tempo is quite energetic, with some numbers speeding up admirably: "Diving Into Emptiness" is another very good example of the latter. It looked as though through the years the guys have found the right way to thrash, but this was their swan song. Or...
"Undere" is not miles away from its follow-up: energetic, mid to up-tempo thrash with a classic edge, with catchy, not very sharp riffs. "Army Of Darkness" is a cool change with more aggressive guitars and a brutal, death metal break in the middle, followed by the similar, but shorter "You Can". These tracks are placed in the middle, and after them the music returns to the previous formula, mixing more interesting dynamic thrashy pieces ("Have You Forgotten") with pure punk/hardcore ones ("Dark Paradise").

Undere Full-length, 1998
Invisible Invaders Full-length, 2002
The Last Will Be The First Full-length, 2003

MORTAL REIGN (USA)

This band is one of the proofs that quality 80's thrash could still be played in the 90's; dark, almost gothic stuff with heavy, razor sharp riffs and galloping rhythms, similar to what Eidolon started doing a few years later. Both albums are very good, and are well worth tracking down; "Return to Battle" starts in an imposing 80's American power/thrash galloping tempo, but the guys later slow down with heavy doom-laden riffs for a couple of tracks, before "Have a Nice Day" moves up the speed scale a bit partially abandoning the steam-roller approach. No more faster surprises till the end, the rest crushing in a very heavy pounding fashion ably assisted by the macabre low-tuned semi-death metal vocals.
"No Demons" is the more immediate listen, with generally shorter tracks and a slightly "updated" mechanized guitar sound, but not wading too much into groovy waters, and with a certain shade of Metallica's Black Album, including the good, but derivative James Hetfield-like vocals. "Dead Meat" opens in a way similar to the debut, with energetic galloping riffs, but again the following material slows down preserving the heaviness which now is even bigger due to the added groove at times. "Bring Out Your Dead" is the another more speedy moment, but all the laurels go for the sweeping speedster "Meet Your Maker" sustained in the best tradition of Attacker.

Return To Battle Full-length, 1993
No Demons Full-length, 1995

MORTAL REMAINS (GERMANY)

A female fronted thrash metal band from Germany- yes, we've had quite a few of those in the past. If, for some reason, you were left unimpressed by the recent Holy Moses releases, here is a band for you. Mortal Remains are not an exact Holy Moses soundalike, but shades of the Sabine Classen's band are definitely present, the target being the legendary "Finished With The Dogs". What distinguishes this band is the melodic guitar harmonies which work very well with the general dark, almost gothic sound of the album. The other difference is that this girl's vocal style is actually less harsh and somehow more fitting for a thrash metal band.

Next Level Full-length, 2007

MORTAL SIN (AUSTRALIA)

The most famous Australian thrash metal band; they forged their reputation with two nice releases more in the Bay-Area tradition, with Metallica and Exodus being more obvious influences on the heavier material. "Mayhemic Destruction" is a decent debut, which starts promisingly in a heavy crushing heavy manner with "Women In Leather". With "Lebanon" the music becomes more technical, although it remains in the mid-tempo parameters. "Liar" is a softer thrash/crossover number, and when "Blood, Death, Hatred" is just a bit edgier, one may start wondering where the Bay-Area thrash from the beginning went. Well, it never returns in the form of a whole song, as the predominating sound is more melodic, even touching heavy metal on "Into The Fire". The closing nod to Metallica's early days "Mayhemic Destruction" restores some faith with more aggressive riffs, but would hardly win the listener for the band's cause.
"Face of Despair" begins in an imposing way with the good headbanger "I Am Immortal", but the next "Voyage Of The Disturbed" is already a different story, much slower and more melodic. "The Infantry Corps" picks more intensity, but the following couple of tracks are milder, with "Martyrs Of Eternity" switching onto full-blooded doom at some point. "Innocent Torture" adds some fire into the proceedings, being a better Exodus-like thrasher. The Exodus influence stays until the end, providing mostly mid-paced riffs, but the closing "Terminal Reward" thrashes out in a faster fashion, recalling early Metallica again. Still, based on those first 2 albums it's hard to justify the high status this act has as the leading Australian thrash metal act during the genre's peak.
"Every Dog Has Its Day" is less heavy, sounding close to Death Angel's "Act III" on the more eclectic parts, but without the funky sections, including a nice ballad "Wasted Days", which could be considered the highlight. The beginning traditionally promises more, with the intense "Access Denied", and "Every Dog Has It's Day" is not a complete waste with its consistent heavy mid-paced delivery. The experimentation, which is never annoying, by the way, starts afterwards, stretching into a couple of songs occupying the middle. Then the aforementioned "Wasted Days" comes to free space for the really cool headbanging thrasher "Behind The Lies", which puts an end to the classic "temptations", and till the end we have proto-modern thrash which at least on "Rebellious Youth" sounds appealing and semi-technical. "Why" deserves to be the closer, trying to mix the modern funky sections with more straight thrashing, sounding like a cross between Mordred's "Fool's Game" and Death Angel's "Act III". This album showed the guys capable of adjusting to the modern tastes in a way more convincing than quite a few of their American and European colleagues, but they sank without a trace.
"An Absence Of Faith" is a return to the Metallica-influenced sound of the first 2 albums, but this time there are shades of the Black Album present, and the overall sound is less hard-hitting and more modern; still smashing thrashers like the 9-min epic "Tears Of Redemption" and "Say Your Prayers" save the day.

Mayhemic Destruction Full-length, 1987
Face of Despair Full-length, 1989
Every Dog Has Its Day Full-length, 1991
Revolution of the Mind EP, 1998
Out Of The Darkness EP, 2006
An Absence Of Faith Full-length, 2007

MORTAL SIN (HOLLAND)

An early mix of power, speed and a little bit of thrash, energetic and catchy, but the singer has the bad habit of screaming too high in not very appropriate times. The music will remind you of the Germans Tyrant, and Vectom in the more intense parts.

Death on Arrival Demo, 1985

MORTAL TERROR (GERMANY)

Death metal which sounds like mid-period Gorefest (including in the vocal department), with a considerable doze of thrash; the music is heavy and crushing with the occasional speed outbursts. "Evolving Self" is a very heavy proto-modern effort, rubbing shoulders with doom quite a bit, with one sole exception in the faster sector ("The Cognitive Triad"), and partially the frantic technical "World in My Hand", which is a stylish track, but remains unsupported by the other more ordinary material.
"Posthuman" is even more doomy, with balladic stretches and gothic overtones ("Silence Is Silence", "Belief"), and the faster sections ("Social Suicide", which is lightning speed death metal at some point ala early Dark Tranquillity) sound awkward and unnecessary. A weird choice for a cover version is made near the end: Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams", and it has to be heard to be appreciated- a very slow funeral doom take, and the listener definitely has to have a very vivid imagination to recognize this hit; still, in terms of originality this song scores very high.

Evolving Self Full-length, 1994
Posthuman Full-length, 1995
A Strange Harvest EP, 1998
Graveyard Anthems for unhappy Teenagers EP, 2001
We Set Your Thoughts on Fire Full-length, 2003

MORTAL THREAT

A 2-track demo of cool American thrash, mixing intense Slayer-esque riffage with a Bay-Area one.

Trapped Inside Demo

MORTALHA (BRAZIL)

This very obscure demo shows that apart from brutal raw black/thrash/death, the Brazilian scene at the earlier stages had something more to offer; these guys play quite good speed/thrash on the more melodic side with cool leads and in various tempos. Two of the 4 tracks are unadulterated speed/thrash at its finest (think the Angel Dust debut), one is a more laid-back mid-paced power/thrasher, and the opener is a nice melodic speed/power metal instrumental.

Demo Demo, 1986

MORTALITAS (RUSSIA)

This trio's line-up features two girls, one handling the bass, the other one... the keyboards; the band uses a drum machine. Otherwise this is fairly satisfying classic thrash with a strong technical edge. The girls (and a guy) keep a good tempo throughout, thrashing hard, even blastbeating on the opening "Den Gneva", before taking a more technical, but no less intense, turn on "Igra", which is an intriguing meandering number, even recalling the style on the great "Alice in Hell". "Instinct" raises the speed, but the technicality remains to remind of their compatriots from the distant past Aspid; a seamless blend of aggression and technicality, also touching another Russian act: Koma. "V Ogne" is an excellent technical thrasher, another one worthy of "Alice in Hell". "C.C.C." abandons the more complex arrangements, and blasts out with sharp fast riffs, slowing down only for a short twisted Coroner-like section in the middle. More deviations, and bigger surprises, with "The Doom", which is brilliant gothic/doom thrash (the title says it very well) with mesmerizing female vocals (could be one of the girls in the band, but which one?), but the dominating technical tone of the album is all over on the great closing instrumental "System Error", which lashes steel technical riffs from beginning to end for more than 8-min, recalling the Leather Wolf speed metal monster "Black Knight" in the faster more swirling parts. The drum machine may annoy those who are for a purer classic sound, but rest assured that there will be no dull moment on this very enjoyable debut which does a lot to bring the technical side of the genre back to Russia (another very good newcomer- Immoralist, can also help here), after several of the still operating main practitioners (Valkyria, Koma, Trizna, the Lithuanians Katedra) have already given up the thrash metal idea.
The demo is a much less polished effort, with a much worse sound quality and the guys thrashing in a less controlled, less technical manner. The songs are long, the opener "Zatmenie" alone being more than 9-min offering purely instrumental stuff in up-tempo. The remaining tracks are straight intense retro thrashers, with "Vremia Platit" slightly hinting at the band's bigger technical potential.

Vremia Platit (Time to Pay) Demo, 2005
V Nedobrui Chas Full-length, 2009

MORTALITY (SWEDEN)

Three striking demos of high quality 80's thrash; the music throughout is quite energetic, and will bring to mind several standout acts from around the same time: Slayer, Vio-lence, Exodus, Metallica, Wargasm, etc. All three demos nicely capture the essence of the American 80's thrash metal scene; "When Barbarity Reigns" is probably the best one, with the most aggressive and technical guitars, with a strong nod to late 80's Metallica.

Demo 1 Demo, 1989
The Prophecy Demo, 1990
When Barbarity Reigns Demo, 1991

MORTAR (POLAND)

This album opens with the furious "Triangulum", which will remind you of early In Flames or Dark Tranquillity, with a more technical edge. Later the music introduces some thrash metal elements as well as some Sentenced's "Amok"-like sound, and things really become interesting on some cool tracks like "Influence" and especially the last one- the instrumental piece "M33", with some nice guitar work.

M33 Full-length, 2007

MORTAR (USA)

Raw, fast speed/thrash metal similar to the Whiplash debut, based on the 1st demo. The 1990 demo calms down, and takes turn towards the power/speed/thrash scene which at that time has said its final word in the USA. The sound is slower, with a heavy bass-bottom, and recalls Liege Lord's "Master Control" quite a bit. It's only "Contradiction" which recalls the debut demo, speeding up, again in a more controlled manner.
The "Created" demo offers a heavier and more technical sound, with longer and more complex songs, not miles away from Metallica's late 80's period, and Defiance. Again there is one faster number: "First Fallen", a nice intense speed/thrasher.

Conquering Armies Demo, 1988
Demo Demo, 1990
Created Demo, 1992

MORTE SLIMORIS (HUNGARY)

3 songs of classic heavy thrash having some shades from Metallica's late 80's period, but this demo is more melodic, and less dynamic. The music never leaves the mid-range, and the use of clean alternative vocals quite frequently is not the most approprite choice. The lead guitar, however, saves the day, but is used sparingly, and a bit more space given to it for the future, would be a sure step in the right direction.

Introduction Demo, 2005

MORTEM

Dark doomy thrash more on the classic side, with a few groovy implements; this is clumsy not very eventful music with brutal death metal vocals.

Course Demo, 1996

MORTICIOUS (USA)

Based on the "Genetic Blur" demo, these guys pull out cool thrash/death, with meaty heavy guitars, mid-tempo, with one short, more dynamic number ("Psycho Genesis"), and one smashing very good instrumental piece ("Stygian Shore").

Terminal Terror Demo, 1989
Genetic Blur Demo, 1989

MORTIFER (RUSSIA)

Mortifer released their debut during the late boom of thrash on the Russian metal scene in the early 90's, and then got lost. Seven years later, when the times looked good for thrash again, they re-emerged and have released four solid albums so far. Their style is clearly old school, being a combination of Slayer and Sepultura.

Euthanasia Full-length, 1993
If Tomorrow Comes Full-length, 2000
Blind Faith Full-length, 2002
Total Darkness Full-length, 2004
Cybernized Full-length, 2006

MORTIFICATION (AUSTRALIA)

Mortification have changed several styles during their existence, but their beginnings are firmly in thrash metal. Both albums are good examples of the genre, more on the aggressive side, with nods to death metal. The debut is the lesser achievement, being quite scattered, with the style jumping from thrash to death all the time, and despite the fairly aggressive delivery, left a lot to be desired. The self-titled album boasts a tighter sound; the music is still fast, but not as aggressive, and closer to thrash, despite the brutal, death-metal vocals. "Satan's Doom" is a slow track in the middle, but doesn't reach doom waters, like the title suggests, and remains quite a cool stomping thrasher. The fields of doom , however, are reached with the last song: the slow brooding "Pathway of Reconciliation". These guys could have done an even better job, if they had stayed within the thrash metal limits.

Break The Curse Full-length, 1990
Mortification Full-length, 1991

MORTIFIER (USA)

Based on the debut: another retro thrash monster (there is an epidemic out there... but who's complaining?) which thrashes in a Rigor Mortis and Razor manner with aggressive short tracks, adding the casual more light-hearted speed/thrasher: "Black Plague". There is no speed lost on this commendable debut, where the guitar work takes more intriguing dimensions at times, not too far from Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis, Ministry): "After the Fall of Man", "Wizard Trees". Everything here is close to perfect, with no breaks from the intense pattern, if we exclude the silly closing "Vocal Struggggleeeee", where some people are talking, wasting about 2-min which would have been more than enough for another thrash bomb.
The 3-song EP diminishes the speed, although the tempo is seldom below the up, but there is not too much all-out speed to be heard, and the slower breaks grace every track with the guitars taking a cool melodic even semi-technical edge on the final "Lord of the Seas".

Underground Noise Full-length, 2008
Tales of Torture EP, 2009

MORTUARY (FINLAND)

A 3-song demo of excellent aggressive technical death/thrash akin to Invocator and Hellwitch; the music is quite fast at times, but never falls apart; on the contrary, these guys manage to come up with stylish interesting and very appealing guitar melodies. Later bands like Suffocation, Decapitated, Necrophagist, etc. have continued the legacy of this very obscure, but highly worthy band.

Here Won't Be Life Anyway Demo, 1990

MORTUARY (MEXICO)

Thrash/death metal, but with a strong classic spirit; it sounds like a cross between Death and Slayer; aggressive, but also technical music, exquisitely done, probably the finest thrash metal work to ever come out of Mexico. "Abyss Angel" is an awesome starter with great pounding riffs, speeding up little by little, until it explodes into a smashing death-tinged thrasher. Later on the attack continues with no mercy, with shorter, but very effective thrashing pieces, which will make you leave whatever you're doing, and mosh around like crazy. Few are the albums which could capture the essence of the thrash/death hybrid so well; on top of that often do the guitars have this genuine technical edge (the brilliant "Reign Of Dead" and "Blood Storm") which would make you wonder what would happen if the guys would concentrate on this side for the future. Don't expect any slower breaks; they come in the form of occasional sections from separate songs, sounding dark and heavy, along the lines of late 80's Slayer, but are very short. This is a masterpiece of aggressive, fast-paced thrash/death metal.
"Shine Of The End" arrives after a 3-year hiatus, and sounds more restrained and decidedly slower, and closer to death metal. Still dark, haunting songs like "Shine of the End" and "Dead Life" are quite interesting; certainly the band haven't forgotten about the more aggressive side of the style, and here comes "Decaying Kind" which, among the fast thrashing, comes with a stylish slower technical break ala Morbid Angel; "Negatively Alive" is a great speedy technical death metal number, which slows down in the second half, followed by another intense deathster "Retroevolution", again accompanied by great technical, Morbid Angel-like hooks. "The Arrival" recalls Pestilence's "Consuming Impulse", with a great bass support ala Death's "Lack of Comprehension". "The Prey" is a very nice short technical death metal delight, but "Imperfection" is slightly off-focus, being slower and not on par with the rest. Apparently at this stage the band has given up the faster play, and "Fantasy Fall" is another slow and dragging track, after which you may lose interest in listening to the closer, "Frozen Flames", which embraces the doom/death idea even tighter, despite the faster break in the middle. Not even half as great as the debut, this album is still a fairly decent effort, coming a bit late to save the dying, both death and thrash metal, genres.

Blackened Images Full-length, 1992
Shine of the End Full-length, 1995

MORTUARY (SERBIA)

This is aggressive, intense thrash/death in the tradition of the Merciless debut, early Massacra (this is straight-forward, with no technical elements), and the Mexican band with the same name (their debut- see the review above). Relentless, heads-down assault with gruff, low-tuned death metal vocals, often crossing the border towards pure death metal ("Affected Sufferance", which also features a nice stomping mid-section ala Bolt Thrower). Kudos should be paid to the guys for playing so fast and tight without pausing for a break.

Void Full-Length, 1991

MOSH (BRAZIL)

A forgotten gem from the Brazilian underground, which surprises with its solidarity with the 80's scene in the troublesome mid-90's, and the very capable (and quite good-looking as well) female singer, whose hoarse delivery is not miles away from the one of the legendary Debbie Gunn (Znowhite, Sentinel Beast, etc.). The sound is heavy and pounding, with a meaty bass bottom, all this very clearly displayed on the opening "Behind Locks And Bars". "Private Place" admirably speeds up, thrashing with full force with heavy crushing riffs. "The Scene" is a sudden break: a heavy ballad, where the singer starts to really shine, despite the loss of energy. "Suffocated" introduces modern elements, but the tempo is energetic, and the screaming leads are quite cool. "H.T.K." is another very cool galloping retro thrasher, followed by the less intense power/thrash mix "Shake My Bones". "Black Skin" is a great moody, almost doomy sleeper, with a sudden speedy outburst near the end. "Gang Wars" is a speed/power/thrash amalgam, but the closing "Tribal" leaves no place for illusions, thrashing in a heavy crushing fashion. Certainly one will be pleased to find out another act defying the metal laws of the 90's, with their sincere old school approach, raising their middle finger high to the groovy clowns swarming the scene at the time.

Private Place Full-length, 1995

MOSH ANGEL (FINLAND)

Based on the "In The Sign Of Mosh Angel" demo, these guys show an obvious influence from the early German metal scene- think Destruction, Kreator, Sodom. This is well-played, mostly fast and energetic speed/thrash metal, topped up by more black metal-based vocals, similar to the ones of Nocturnal from Germany again, and the Italians Vexed.

Grave Digger Demo, 1997
Total Destruction Demo, 1999
In The Sign Of Mosh Angel Demo, 2002

MOSHLIM (BELGIUM)

Based on the "Mosh Till Mecca" demo, this band offer fast thrash similar to Sodom's "Persecution Mania" and Toxic Shock's "Change from Reality". This is quite good music, despite the awful sound quality. "Invasion of the Snobs" contains some crossover elements, along with the hard-hitting riffage.

Mosh Till Mecca Demo, 1988
The End of the Innocence Demo 1991

MOSHQUITO (GERMANY)

The band's demos are fine slices of classic thrash, but they never got lucky to secure an album deal during the 80's. They returned in the late 90's with "Secrets", which saw the band hungry for some more thrash, containing whole 14 songs. With such a big number of tracks, one should expect quite a diversity, and indeed, apart from the intense old school headbangers, one could catch some attempts at more modern play, but not annoyingly many. The new singer has a more hoarse, hardcore voice, and is probably the only flaw, considerably ruining the Jimmy Hendrix cover of "Purple Haze".
"World's End" is a much better effort, albeit more modern sounding. The songs are longer, and carry this intriguing technical edge, typical for works like Invocator's "Weaving the Apocalypse". The album also offers some interesting mixtures of classic and modern thrash ("Hunting Demon", "Flesh"), which jump from clumsy groovy sections to blistering fast-paced classic ones in no time. The technical side reaches its heights on the best tracks, like "Cold Grave" and "Liquid Killer", which also come with a genuine, mechanical edge ala Meshuggah and mid-90's Voivod.
"Behind The Mask" is probably the band's finest hour; the music now is firmly in the progressive/technical thrash metal camp ("Schizophrenia") with shades of Gothenburg styled death; for that reason the pace is quite fast, but not the whole time. Even the shortest numbers, like "Perverted Appetite", for example, which are meant to oppose to the longer, more technically charged ones, are filled with puzzling riffs and time changes. The guitar work is simply brilliant (check out the amazing "Behind The Mask", and the magnificent "acousitc-versus-lead guitar" instrumental piece "Visions of a Better World", as well as every other song), especially the leads which are some of the finest I've heard in quite a while. The vocals are much more aggressive, now typical death metal growls. Fans of late period Death, the Polish Sceptic, the Belgians Chemical Breath, and the French Droys will rejoice. With albums like this one around one knows that thrash metal is far from having said its final word yet...

No Back to Inferno Demo, 1987
Mosh In Moscow Demo, 1989
Only Death Is For Nothing Demo, 1991
Secrets Full-length, 1998
World's End Full-length, 2001
Enter New Spheres Full-length, 2004
Behind The Mask Full-length, 2008

MOTIVE (USA)

"What Will Become" is one of the finest songs I've heard in the past few years. It was very appropriately placed at the end of the album ("Rock'n Roll Terrorist"), otherwise it would have overshadowed everything which came after it. The band's style varies quite a bit: from all-out thrash to classic heavy metal, to modern groove (the part which I couldn't quite stand). There are even shades of stoner-doom not too far from bands like Spirit Caravan or Spiritual Beggars. A mixed bag as a whole, but the aforementioned song makes up for the flaws.

Damned if you do ... Full-length, 2001
4 song EP EP, 2002
Worn Down Dream Full-length, 2003
Rock 'N' Roll Terrorist Full-length, 2005

MOTTEK (GERMANY)

The band's efforts from the 80's are mostly hardcore. That's why the surprise was big when they hit hard with "Fatal Violence"- a furious slab of thrash, reminiscent of late 80's Overkill and Anthrax, with some nods to the German speed/thrash heritage. The intro is a cool slower, stomping piece, followed by the raging "Fatal Violence"; later on heavy, mid-paced numbers take turns with more aggressive ones, making this album a very entertaining listen. The guitar work is very sharp and tight, accentuated by the crystal clear production. This is a great effort which put the band's name strongly on the metal map, but it remained their only exercise in thrash.

Hypnose Full-length, 1984
Riot Full-length, 1986
Fatal Violence Full-length, 1990

MOURNBLADE (USA)

Classic, but ultimately monotonous mid-tempo thrash which, if the guys do not make things more interesting for the eventual full-length, will not pass the thrash metal test, with regards to how many great thrash acts swarm the scene nowadays. In the middle there is a nice "intermission" lasting for just one minute-"Set", but with its ultra aggressive riffage it will catch you with your pants down simply because it comes utterly unexpected. If the band manage to find some balance between the two contrasting styles displayed here, they would definitely win themselves a place under the metal sun.

Mangled Lies EP, 2006

MOURNER (DENMARK)

This band were formed by two members of the cult thrashers Desexult. The music here is better, much more technical, but more melodic. However, this is hardly a complaint, since this demo still contains enough hard-hitting riffs, but the concentration is firmly on technicality, and all the songs are complex pieces, with meandering guitars, great bass-bottom, superb leads, and some slower, atmospheric passages. The overall approach reminds of another Danish band: Unleashed Power, their debut, in particular, and these guys also sometimes get carried away, absorbed in some technical passage, sounding as though they are never going to end it. Fortunately, on a demo like this such moments can not possibly be too many; watch out for "Night Fright": a marvellous, sinister technical thrasher, filled with scary guitar melodies and macabre whispers in the background.

Welcome to My House Demo, 1987

MSOD (USA)

Good classic power/thrash, sounding like more aggressive later period Iced Earth, featuring mostly heavy mid-paced guitars, but the hooks vary and the songs differ from each other, some of them coming with a touch of doom. Ominous galloping riffs can be heard on "Darksoul", and especially on the intense speed/thrasher "Mastermind" which will remind you of Wargasm's "Why Play Around". The closing "War Of The Wizards" is a fine epic power/thrasher with excellent lead guitar work and atmospheric keyboard background. The singer Greg Gruben has a forceful mid-ranged semi-clean tember fitting the heavy music very well. He is the same one who also sings in the traditional heavy metal formation Icarus Witch.

Mastermind Full-length, 2002
Metal Symphony Of Darkness EP, 2006

MUCKY PUP (UK)

From this popular band's discography, it's these two albums which would be of any interest to the thrash metal fan. The guys provide a cool mix of hardcore and thrash, which is quite energetic and hard-hitting at times. The guitars are quite sharp, and don't have this dissipated hardcore sound which comes with the style; actually quite often the music is pure headbanging thrash, although several soft, punk-ish joke songs are scattered around, but they are quite enjoyable. The debut is the most thrashy, and best effort, whereas on the sophomore album the sound softens a bit, increasing the off-beat moments and the joke tracks.

Can't You Take A Joke Full-length, 1988
Boy In A Man's World Full-Length, 1989

MUDRA (PERU)

Quite good classic thrash along the lines of the first two Lethal (Argentina) albums and the Canadians Sacrifice ("Soldiers of Misfortune"). The music is up to mid-tempo, except for "Ira" which is a fine speed/thrasher, and the guitar sound is quite heavy, of a more straight-forward nature, if we exclude the really good leads. "La Maldad" begins as a gentle acoustic ballad, but quickly develops into an aggressive thrash piece, the highlight of the album.

Hábitos de Guerra Full-length, 2002

MULTOC (USA)

A good debut of modern thrash with the obligatory amount of groove, as well as some post-industrial sound along the lines of the Voivod albums with Eric Forrest. There is also a slight alternative touch ala Tool brought mainly by the clean vocals which mix with harsher, hardcore-ish ones.

...They Never Saw It Coming Full-length, 2006

MUNDANE (CANADA)

Groovy industrial thrash, quite typical for the period, unfortunately offering nothing more than the even by 1995 already worn-out sound: expect heavy crushing riffs which seldom change, rarely providing the odd doomy Godflesh rhythm, supported by the characteristic for the style mechanic semi-shouty synthesized vocals.

Seed Full-Length, 1995

MUNICIPAL WASTE (USA)

This band brought 80's crossover/thrash back in the game in the new millennium. This is furious, frenetic music with short, bursting numbers coming straight from the albums of D.R.I., Wehrmacht and S.O.D; a very fast and relentless, but a highly enjoyable listen.
"Massive Aggressive" doesn't betray the brisk energetic sound from previous releases, but is more hardcore-based, now sounding very close to D.R.I. Still this speedy music will make anyone happy, with not a single moment even in mid-tempo, often blasting out in a fairly uncontroled manner: "Media Skeptic". The closing "Acid Sentence" is a more "serious" attempt at Bay-Area semi-technical thrash, a very cool exit from this non-stop roller coaster.

Municipal Waste EP, 2001
Waste 'Em All Full-length, 2003
Hazardous Mutation Full-length, 2005
The Art of Partying EP, 2007
The Art Of Partying Full-length, 2007
Massive Aggressive Full-length, 2009

MURDER MANIFEST

Run-of-the-mill modern thrash/death- nothing new here...

Mental Surgery Full-Length, 2008

MURDERCAR (USA)

Very good 80's thrash metal in the Anthrax-vein, founded by musicians who have been in other more famous bands before and after (the drummer Dave McClain, who have roamed the American field quite a bit, having stopped at the camps of SA Slayer, Sacred Reich, Juggernaut, etc.).

Demo Demo, 1990

MURDERWORLD (USA)

First rate classic thrash of the more aggressive variety, similar to the Slayer and Vio-lence debuts; excellent Tom Araya-esque vocals, too. Slayer have been very frequently emulated throughout the years, but these guys really stand from the pack.

Out of the Ashes Full-length, 2006

MURO (SPAIN)

Muro were one of the "big four" of Spanish speed/thrash, who started it all back in the mid-80's (the other three being Crom, Legion, and Fuck Off). This band here relies more on speed, compared to the other ones,
"Mutant Hunter" starts in a good American way: mid-paced power/thrash ala Liege Lord and early Helstar with "Mutant Hunter", but soon switches onto all-out speed/thrash with the very next "Kill", a tendency later followed by the majority of the songs. "Final Judgement" is excellent galloping speed/thrash, a cross between Anthrax's "Death From Above" and Agent Steel's "Rager". "Born to be Wild" in the middle is a very cool cover of the Steppenwolf evergreen, here made in a brisk speed/thrashing fashion. Some of the tracks included here have also been heard on the band's older efforts, including a couple from their debut.
The debut is brisk speed/thrash all the way through, switching from all out speed assaults (the furious opener "Telon De Acero", "Extrano Poder", "No Aguanto Mas") to some imposing galloping thrashers ("Maldicion de Kcor", "Juicio Final"). "Holocausto" is a bit off context, a mild hard rocker, and "Solo En La Oscuridad" starts in a quiet balladic manner, before it starts thrashing with full force pretty soon after.
"Pacto de Sangre" lacks the edge of the first two albums. It begins in the same dynamic way with "Desengancha", but later on it's just "Bebetelo Todo" and "Los Nueve Mandamientos" which equal it in terms of speed. From the rest of the songs only "Voy a Por Ti" delivers with its galloping up-tempo riffs, the orhers treading heavy metal waters, including "Una Mentira Llamada Amor", which is an overlong ballad.
"Peligro Inminente" arrives a long 7-year pause, and the good news is that the guys haven't forgotten how to play some brisk classic speed/thrash. The first 4 tracks rush through the speakers in a wild fast tempo, and it's on "Peligro Inminente" when the guys slow down, but only in the 1st half. The sound turns to pure hard thrash on "Cierra tu Mente", and "Pesadilla" is not too far behind, despite the balladic intro. The 2nd half is harder, actually, with more vicious guitars and some harsh Bay-Area shouty choruses. "Gracias Por Nada" starts again as a ballad, and the tempo is mid for most of the time, but the last "Mirada Asesina" is all-out speed, making this album way better than their previous one, seeing the guys more than ready to lead Spain through the speed/thrash renaissance during the new millennnium.

Telón de Acero Full-length, 1988
Mutant Hunter Full-length, 1989
Pacto de Sangre Full-length, 1992
Peligro Inminente Full-length, 1999
Corazon de Metal Full-length, 2001

Vibrations of Doom

MUST MISSA (ESTONIA)

Black/thrash; the music is mostly black metal with sparingly used thrash riffs, but is quite good with a majestic, epic atmosphere.

Ma Ei Talu Valgust Full-length, 2004
Goat of Sin Full-length, 2004
The Target of Hate Full-length, 2005
Pure Hate EP, 2006
Martyr Of Wrath Full-length, 2007

MUTANT (UK)

A blend of thrash and death metal with cool atmospheric moments, and some interesting guitar work; the style might remind you of the first two Therion albums quite a bit, or Nocturnus, but is much more thrash-based. Very fast, aggressive parts take turns with slower, more technically inclined; at times the music becomes a bit chaotic, with different rhythms changing within a small space quite fast, but all this gets under control soon. This was quite original music, and had a big potential for development, but this remained the band's only effort.

The Awakening Conscience Demo, 1988

MUTANT (UK, London)

These young thrashers pull out very cool old school thrash, fast and energetic, boasting crystal-clear production, and lashing sharp riffs. The music at times recalls the German speed/thrash scene ("Laserdrome"; this number reminds me a lot of the German one-album-wonder Deztroyer; "Turbo Hyper Ultra Mega Power"), at other times goes head-over-heals towards the Bay Area ("The Rauncher", which exits the whole EP with a smashing heavy riffage, the only slower mid-tempo moment here). The leads are good, albeit short, and the singer is convincing, with his gruff semi-death at times tone.

Wreck Your Neck EP, 2006
Laserdrome EP, 2009

MUTANT SOLDIER (USA)

This is the band where Paul Konjicija- the guitarist who later played in the excellent progressive thrashers Antithesis, started his career. Based on the demo, this band played energetic speed/thrash metal reminiscent of bands like Sentinel Beast and Blessed Death, but without the semi-technical tendencies of the latter.

Severe Warning/Mutant Soldier Split Split, 1989
Battered Existence Demo, 1989

MUTILATED (FRANCE)

Based on the "Psychodeath Lunatics" demo, this band are easily one of the first really extreme acts on the French metal scene, mixing furious, ultra fast thrash and death metal in a way which makes the early demos of more popular bands like Agressor and Loudblast (from the same country) sound quite mild in comparison. With three songs only these guys will shatter you the way few full-length efforts of the same time would be able to: merciless full-frontal brutal assault.

Psychodeath Lunatics Demo, 1988
Resurrected Demo, 1991

MUTILATION (USA)

This band don't care about any modern influences, but go head-over-heels into classic thrash territory, and produce great results; this is multi-faced thrash which at times sounds like Slayer's heavier period (88-90)-"In The Flesh"), other times it switches into more aggressive sound similar to Sepultura's heydays ("Disbelief"), or slow, almost doomy numbers ("No Choice"), or brutal proto-death ones ("Aggression in Effect"); a very good release, one of the last classic thrash masterpieces before the genre's fall into oblivion.

Mutilation Full-length, 1992

MUTILATOR (BELGIUM)

Based on "Demo 1", this band offer quite good energetic speed/thrash, sounding like more aggressive Vectom, even touching Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past" on the most inspired moments ("Empire Of Lies"), and even Kreator's late 80's period, when the music becomes more aggressive ("Walk Into The Void"). Even the gruff, semi-death metal vocals fit the picture perfectly.

Demo 1 Demo, 1989
Demo 2 Demo, 1989

MUTILATOR (BRAZIL)

The band started like many others from the Brazilian thrash scene with raw, fast thrash with sloppy production ala Sepultura, Holocausto, Korzus, etc. The follow-up is a much more professional work, with a tighter musicianship and some very good riffs. The speed and agression have been reduced considerably, and the leads sound as though directly taken from the textbooks of Accept or Scorpions, but are quite good, albeit too melodic- check the nice 2-min lead instrumental "Raise the Strange". Most of the time the music flows in the mid-tempo, with "Fighting in the Past" being the only more intense headbanging thrasher.

Immortal Force Full-length, 1987
Into the Strange Full-length, 1988

MUTILATOR (FRANCE)

This is so fast and brutal, that you might give it a few consecutive listens before you grasp it fully. Seriously, this is the most aggressive and intense recording on the whole scene until the rise of the first Floridian metal legions in 1989. Even after all these years it's hard to point at a band who can play faster than these guys. Imagine Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" played 3 times faster, mixed with Hellwitch, but not as technical, and, again, played considerably faster, topped by super vicious black-ish vocals. Despite the ultra rocket-like speed, the guitars can be clearly heard, and the guys never lose focus, managing to pull out even some good technical hooks. This trio (there are three people involved in the recordings) unleash hell and, if they have pulled the fans back at those times because of their utterly intense and merciless delivery, have definitely been an enormous influence on the future development of black and death metal.

Omens of Dark Fate Demo, 1987

MUTILIST (USA)

A 3-track demo of classic melodic power/thrash ala Meliah Rage and Metal Church, in mid-tempo, with some creepy dark riffage (“End Of Youth”) involved, plus the obligatory more intense moments (“End Of Youth”).

Mutilist EP, 2008

MWS (HUNGARY)

Thrash/crossover of the more melodic variety, with some heavier, groovy moments; jolly, playful stuff.

1 Punch = 2 Deaths Full-length, 2006

MX (BRAZIL)

One of the best metal bands from Brazil, if not the best one from the 80's, MX were the 1st act to produce some more meaningful better-constructed thrash from South America as opposed to the noisy brutal affairs which were pouring out at the time, mostly from their homeland. They appeared a bit later than the core pack, but caught up with the excellent debut, which featured very well executed fast-paced aggressive thrash, stripped off the more extreme black/death metal "decorations" of their compatriots. The guys do not rely on all-out speed all the time, and some heavier stompers are also included ("Satanic Noise"). The guitars have this unique dark sound, which doesn't get lost even on the fastest tracks, also typical for their colleagues from the same country The Mist.
"Mental Slavery" is even better, sounding both more aggressive and more technical, with occasional borrowings from proto-death, and gave a stylish finish of the 80's for Brazil, along with Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains". The dominant pace is quite fast again, and some fine "marriages" of technicality and melody can one find here: "Behind His Glasses", "Fake Truth"; the latter unleashes some addictive melodies which will stay in your mind. "The Guf" is excellent thrash/death ala mid-period Death with great leads, followed by the mellower crossover-laced "Obvious, Who Isn't?". The most aggressive moments, however, are yet to come: the Slayer-esque explosion "I Will be Alive", after which more variety is offered, on "I'll Bring You with Me", which is a very surprising, and a very good ballad, no worse than the Testament efforts at around the same time; on "Ritual of Strings", which is a 1-min bass instrumental, before the closing "No Violence" lashes a few more final energetic riffs.
The band were the first to lay down the "weapons" and retire from the Brazilian pack, and were back at a time when most of their "brothers in arms" have either split up (Vulcano, Sextrash, The Mist) or have mutated into something too remote from their early days (Sepultura, Holocausto, Sarcofago). "Again" could be considered by some the band's finest hour: stylish modern/classic technical thrash with less aggression involved, compared to their previous output. The album starts explosively with the first two smashing tracks, which show the guys carrying on in virtually the same vein as before. "Psycho to the Bones" slows down, introducing the more modern and technical moments. Later on the album picks some speed, but doesn't reach the intensity of the beginning, staying mostly in the mid to up-tempo sections, and excels in technicality on cool songs like "Buy My Impunity" and "Criminous Command". "Ashes to Ashes" finishes the album in a slow, doomy crushing fashion with a nice faster outro.
Their "Last File" moves deeper into modern thrash territory even to the point of industrial metal at times, but is another worthy effort. It also makes quite a few heads bang with the great fast opener "The World Is Dying", before it moves onto slower, mid-tempo tracks, with some groove present as well, for a while, until the coming of another aggressive bomb- "Gagged by the Fear". One song later another explosion, this time even faster, comes along- "Cut Off Heads", showing that the band really find it hard to bid farewell to their past. After another group of heavier, slower numbers, the album closer "The Daughter of the Bitch" offers the last fine headbanging episode.

Simoniacal Full-length, 1988
Mental Slavery Full-length, 1989
Again Full-length, 1997
Last File Full-length, 2000

MX MACHINE (USA)

Ordinary thrash/crossover- not very heavy, mixed with some classic heavy metal elements.

Manic Panic Full-length, 1988

MY FATE (FINLAND)

Based on "Kill The Light", this is atmospheric modern thrash/death metal with the quite fashionable these days mixture of clean and more aggressive death vocals. The band rely on heavier, slower, but at the same time melodic riffs, and this is where their strength lies, and where the atmospheric shades come from.

Bloodstains EP, 2000
Sinking EP, 2001
Happiness Is Fiction Full-length, 2004
Kill The Light Full-length, 2005

MY OWN GRAVE (SWEDEN)

This band don't stray too much from the path chosen by so many other bands from Sweden before them: modern thrash/death metal, with a slight twist due to some black metal-styled vocals, and some riffs belonging again to the black metal department.

Unleash Full-length, 2006
Unholy EP, 2007

MY OWN MESS (HOLLAND)

Very good classic thrash, nicely mixing heavy, mid-paced numbers ("Leve Me Be") with some faster, intense thrash attacks ("Thrash Attack"). The last song- "Holy Wars", is not a Megadeth cover, but is another cool dynamic piece of direct headbanging thrash.

Away From The Light... EP, 2006

MYIN SANITY (USA)

A technical, but very uneven, jumpy mix of classic and modern thrash, not far from the French Aleister's "Tribal Tech" in the 1st half. The riffs twist and turn, never speeding up, adding the odd jazzy/funky tune from time to time. The dynamics gets completely lost on the long dreamy Pink Floyd-ish "Sea Of Broken Glass", to be re-captured on the only faster number "The Burning", which offers more straight galloping rhythms. It sets the scene for more aggressive music, with "S.O.S.", a nice speedy technical thrasher, but "Death Is Near" is a serious drawback, a funky Mordred-esque embarrassment. The raging riffs on "Warfare" will bring you back in the game, although some may get annoyed by the lengthy dreamy sequence in the middle. "Part Of Me" is only a bit better, lifting up the mood with creepy heavy riffage. The last 2 songs are nothing special, the first one being a monotonous doomy one, the closer being another dreamy balladic piece, ruining the 2nd part beyond repair, and consequently pulling the whole album towards the negative side, displaying a lack of focus and hesitation as to to which genre this work should belong.

Worlds Of Hurt Full-length, 1995

MYNDSNARE (INDIA)

This Indian trio manages to keep the level high on the whole album, to come up with quite intriguing technical death/thrash metal, which could put to shame many acts from Europe or the States. The music is based on the Swedish school, and recalls Darkane at times, but the Indians are more hectic, mixing more direct with more elaborate parts, which creates a lot of dynamics. Shades of Death can be felt, too: the excellent "Altar Ego", which also boasts great lead guitars. "Conditioned: Human" is exemplary technical death/thrash in the best tradition of Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients": a riff-fest of addictive tunes and hooks. The Death-worship continues on "Temporal Movements", which concentrates on the more aggressive delivery, suddenly interrupted by a beautiful progressive break. Thumbs up for the marvelous vortex-like "Layers of Hypocrisy": one-of-a-kind Oriental-laced piece of technical brilliance. "Visionary Realism" is 3-min of super-technical performance, which will leave you gaping. "Within A Mind: Mis-Shapen" thrashes with no mercy, and a great technical main theme, with constantly twisting riffs. "Mirror of Nothingness" tones down the technicality, but only a bit, and pulls out some more aggression and speed as a finishing touch to this brilliant debut, all this wrapped in a nice Oriental tune, coming as a complete surprise, from a totally obscure on the metal map place.

Conditioned: Human Full-length, 2008

MYOPIA (POLAND)

This is a really original take on modern thrash metal: the music is very progressive with quite a few tempo changes (including occasional blast-beats), and a sound evoking a strange, almost surreal atmosphere. Fans of the mid-90's Voivod period with Eric Forrest and his later act E-Force will love that, as well as those who enjoy the last two Mastodon efforts. These guys, along with Monogono from Portugal whose style is also quite unconventional, are trying to put modern metal on a new, more interesting level.
"Biomechatronic Intervention": modern technical/progressive thrash can not possibly be better than here; simply put this is "Killing Technology" of the new millennium, only that the music here is more complex and even more "out there" at times. This is wonderfully abstract stuff full of twisted sections, weird illogical guitar decisions, strange coming out of nowhere leads, and excellent indifferent robotic clean vocals sounding like a harsher Denis "Snake" Bélanger (Voivod again). Apart from the staple dry mechanical riffage there is quite a bit of melody present as well, almost on every song, nicely interrupting the compelling cold "landscapes". The blast-beats are gone, but the headbangers will be happy with the excellent up-tempo shredder "Supermegagrid", although their heads may start spinning on the vortex-like mid-break. "Malfunction" contains a few very furious speedy passages as well, but the rest is much slower very elaborate music. This Polish trio, who are yet to be recognized, have produced one of the best albums of 2009, an exemplary work of surreal technical metal, generally for the more thinking part of the metal fanbase.

Enter Insect Masterplan Full-length, 2007
Biomechatronic Intervention Full-length, 2009

MYRAMAINZ (USA)

The debut demo: this band with this very strange name unleash superb technical thrash with excellent melodic vocals which sound good even when going for the very high tones. The style nicely takes the vacant seat between Forbidden's "Twisted into Form" and Wargasm's "Why Play Around". Like these two albums, the music never gets quite aggressive, but changes the tempo quite a bit, relying on sharp, technical riffs. "Obliveon Dream" comes splashing, being a full-out speed thrasher with great leads and a furious tempo (remember Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past").
The 2nd demo is another stellar effort, maybe a tad more melodic, with more polished production. The songs are very technical exercises, meandering through the tempo and mood jungle, with the first 2 tracks being graced by some semi-balladic moments, being less intense. "Father" starts thrashing hard in the middle, a hectic faster technical number. "No World for Angels" preserves the aggression, and is another technical winner, more in the mid-paced crushing department. "Exit This Trance" at the end is a complex progressive Watchtower-like opus, twisting and turning into many directions, beginning and ending in a more dynamic manner, but in-between there are elaborate passages, balladic sections, doomy breaks, and more. The singer is even better here, with his dramatic emotional tone, this time sounding close to Jeoff Tate at times.

Demo Demo, 1988
Demo Demo, 1990

MYRMIDON (CANADA)

Energetic classic thrash with shades of hardcore; the riffs are sharp and heavy, but the playful attitude is all over, providing the necessary more melodic relief: "Dark Moon Falling", but on the other hand "Headless Horseman" and "Back From Below" are bursting uncompromising thrashers. "The Awakening" is a cool mixture of heavy, chaotic riffs and brisk speedy ones. "Dawn Of Death" is the only song sustained in a slower, mid-paced rhythm, if we exclude the merciless speedy ending.

Aggressive Redemption EP, 2002

MYSTERIA (POLAND)

An ambitious, but overdone, blend of death, thrash, black, doom and gothic sounding like more diverse and more aggressive Septic Flesh; the music has its epic side as well, which is not bad since this is the time when one can hear enchanting Oriental tunes and cool acoustic implements ("Pestilence of Mind") where the music also comes close to Orphaned Land. There is a lot of music to be enjoyed here, but its abundance may confuse the listener who may not be sure whether he listens to the same song at some point with the frequent change of mood and pace which also creates a baroque operatic atmosphere characteristic of Bal-Sagoth.

Temple of The Scorn Full-length, 2008

MYSTIC (BRAZIL)

Frank 'Blackfire'- yes, that same one who was once a part from both Sodom and Kreator (he is yet to play in the third member of the legendary German "holy three": Destruction (pun intended)), has moved to Brazil for inspiration, and there he's formed his own band with the help of two members from the Brazilian power metallers Dark Avenger. The music is classic German thrash, something which 'Blackfire' can do better than anyone else. If the guys carry on in the same direction very soon we might see them sharing a stage with Blackfire's ex-colleagues.

Insane Human Race Demo, 2002
Pre-production demo Demo, 2004

MYSTIC (USA)

This band was later transformed to Mystik (see the next review), and under the new name they managed to release two pretty decent power/thrash metal albums. This demo is not a distant departure from the Mystik's style, being the same power/thrash mixture.

Come Die With Us Demo, 1989

MYSTIK (USA)

The band's debut is excellent speed/power/thrash, recalling Deadly Blessing and early Metal Church. The first song "Reflections of the Dying" is a very cool speed/thrasher which sets the tone for what is to come. Even some softer, power metal numbers ("Commandment") sound quite appealing, with their energetic, galloping rhythm. Later the sound is pure headbanging thrash on quite a few songs ("Death To All"). "Method to Madness", which is placed in the middle, is a slower, dark, but effective power/thrasher, serving as a kind of an intermission, because after it the speed/thrash assault continues with full force, until the last song: "The Plot Sickens", which is another heavier mixture of power and thrash.
"Perpetual Being" takes a more melodic and modern direction, with a style not too far from 90's Flotsam & Jetsam, or Forbidden's "Green". The blistering speed of the debut is very rarely displayed, being replaced by slower, less sharp riffage. Some cool attempts at power/doom could be heard: "Born to be Hanged", and the slightly faster, proto-stoner/doom piece "Buried Alive". Of course, there is a ballad, too, but it's quite cool, being heavy, metal-ish: "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". The rest is fairly ordinary, uneventful modern power/thrash, if we exclude the last song: "To Be Continued", which features some nice up-tempo rhythm, but finishes abruptly later extended with sample voices, thunder noises and sinister organ tunes: quite weird.

The Plot Sickens Full-length, 1992
Perpetual Being Full-length, 1994

MYSTO DYSTO (HOLLAND)

This band later evolved into Mandator. The music here is not very heavy, being in the power/speed metal department most of the time, with touches of thrash here and there.

The Rules Have Been Disturbed Full-length, 1986

MYSTREZ (HOLLAND)

Mystrez have an interesting sound which is hard to compare directly to any band; the music is technical thrash with many twists and turns and good up-tempo tracks which all sound different from each other, and despite its complex nature, this album is quite memorable. Not many bands are capable of putting so much technical play into one song without turning it into a little more than a mere exercise in technicality. They even find room for one cool acoustic ballad: "The Endless Sleep". Despite its gruff, but effective vocal delivery, coming as a fusion betwen Chuck Billy and David Wayne (R.I.P.), the singer manages to spit out some interesting choruses: check out "Trouble Shifting". Perhaps early Accuser (minus the debut) and Despair might be good, but not perfectly accurate reference points.

The Indictment Full-length, 1990
Out of the Blue Full-length, 1999

MYSTURA (ITALY)

Modern mechanical thrash, with an audible technical edge, not too far from the more conventional early Meshuggah works, or mid-90's Voivod. When the guys feel like thrashing, they do a fairly good job ("Mind The Gap"), but their slower side is more appealing ("...In Your Face", "Brutal"), coming with a certain Prong-like feeling as well. In the middle the band drops the ball, offering some bland groovy tracks, with clean vocals, dragging riffs, and all the rest. Ironically, it is the song with the title "Fucking Techno" which brings the sound back to its more intriguing roots, leading to the dark minimalistic, very effective sleeper "Acapulco", and to the intense thrashing closer "Tequila Speed".

Have You Got Enough...? Full-length, 2004

MYTRA (HUNGARY)

Based on the "Ecotone" demo, this is quite good all-instrumental progressive power/thrash, with great heavy riffs, melodic classical leads in the Shrapnel vein, and a strong, but not annoying presence of keyboards. The leads are everywhere, and kind of stifle the very good sharp riffage, except on "Seraph", where the riffs are clearly heard, despite the constant keyboard background. "Ecotone" also has a section, where the guitars cut admirably, but as a whole the emphasis is on mood and atmosphere, created by the nice interplay between the leads and the keyboards.

Meaningless Heavenly Being Demo, 2000
Ecotone Demo, 2007

MÄNIAC (CANADA)

Based on "Fast and Deadly": this band plays thrash/crossover of the fast, energetic variety, with some cool catchy thrashers roaming around: "Nuclear Death", "Possessed", which capture the best from D.R.I. and the Suicidal Tendencies' more thrashy efforts. "Mäniac" adds some speed metal to the proceedings, as well as tasteful lead guitar work. "Fight To The Death" is standout crossover/thrash, which suddenly turns for inspiration to Germany, and finds it in the early works of Rumble Militia. "I Vomit On The Shroud Of Jesus Christ" is wild speed/thrash, which would make even masters like Angel Dust and Destruction cringe. "City Of Madness" doesn't betray the sound of the last couple of songs, thrashing intensely, ably accompanied by a few hellish screams unleashed by the singer, whose dominating style is quite close to the one of Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.), closing the album in a nice headbanging manner.

Hell on Hogtown Live album, 2006
Fast and Deadly Full-length, 2007

MÖRSER (GERMANY)

Based on "10.000 Bad Guys Dead", this is quite a fast and aggressive mixture of thrash and death metal. This is not mindless bashing, there are some tempo changes into heavier and slower riffage, and tracks like "Sonic Door" put the band's music on a higher, more technical level. The guys seem to not have a very big imagination when it comes to album titles judging by the last two...

Two Hours To Doom Full-length, 1997
10.000 Bad Guys Dead Full-length, 2001
Scum Full-length, 2002
Pure Scum Full-length, 2006

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