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

T.A.R. (SWEDEN)

An excellent technical power/thrash metal band who came at the very right time to replace the veterans Hexenhaus who showed with their last offering that they were not willing to tread the path of technical thrash anymore. T.A.R.'s style is more complex, with more twists bringing Living Death, or early, more thrashy Psychotic Waltz to mind. It's a pity that these guys stayed around for a very short time, because they have managed to come up with a fairly original sound, and there was definitely a demand in such kind of music back then.

Fear of Life Full-length, 1997
Tar and Feathers For the Millennium EP, 1998

TACTICS (USA)

This is a band featuring Steve Gaines- a famous vocal guru who sang for Abattoir and Bloodlust in the 80's, and Dreams Of Damnation and Anger As Art in more recent times. Based on the demo, Tactics are perhaps his least worthy venture: the music has its fast parts, but most of the time it is mid-paced, with some power metal tendencies, strangely recalling 90's Flotsam & Jetsam.

Playing To Win Demo, 1987
The Master Plan Full-length, 1987

TAI PAN (GERMANY)

This band is the continuation of the cult thrashers Backwater. The style is still in the classic thrash- mould, but is not an exact Backwater-soundalike. It's heavier and is closer to the Bay Area scene- Forbidden, in particular. It even calls to mind Onslaught's "In Search Of Sanity", but in a good way. It looked like a good beginning of a new career, but this formation also fell apart soon after.

Slow Death Full-length, 1995

TAKING OVER (USA)

These are the same guys who also play in the black/thrashers Witchaven. No shades of black here: this is pure old school thrash attack, fast and intense, reminding of Rigor Mortis and Possessed, among others. "Hellbastard" comes with a more melodic, crossover touch, which is compensated by the much more aggressive, slightly death-tinged follower "Prison Cell". "Street Force" is again a less intense, but a very cool speed/thrasher, sounding like a leftover from Sodom's "Persecution Mania".

Taking Over vs Phantom Witch Split, 2008

TALIÖN (UK)

Previously this band were known as Lethal, and Tröjan, both formations playing NWOBHM metal, the latter also adding some faster, speed metal elements. Here the guys offer slightly more aggressive stuff: a mixture of power and thrash, staying closer to power metal. When the band keep it short, they're much more effective, and can produce some really good power/thrashers: "Premonition", "Screamin' for Mercy". On the other hand we have "Laws of Retaliation": an ambitious, 11-min long song, which starts in a fairly cool energetic manner, but it's too long for the band to keep it interesting, and later it degenerates to some less impressive, tedious power metal. "Living on the Edge" is a hard'n heavy number, probably a leftover from the band's early incarnations.

Killing the World Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

TANKARD (GERMANY)

One of the most consistent bands in the history of metal, Tankard never betrayed their high speed/thrash style, and although short on originality, the band's sound is very long on energy and catchiness. "Zombie Attack" was a high octane debut of blitzkrieg speed/thrash, marked by the high, apocalyptic vocals of Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, which set the tone for most of the following works. "The Beauty and the Beer" is a magnificent slice of thrash, which saw the band in a new light, partially abandoning the old formula for the sake of more stylish, technical play, and is by far one of the best albums of 2006.

Zombie Attack Full-length, 1986
Chemical Invasion Full-length, 1987
The Morning After Full-length, 1988
Alien EP, 1989
The Meaning of Life Full-length, 1990
Stone Cold Sober Full-length, 1992
Two Faced Full-length, 1994
The Tankard Full-length, 1995
Disco Destroyer Full-length, 1998
Kings of Beer Full-length, 2000
B-Day Full-length, 2002
Beast Of Bourbon Full-length, 2004
The Beauty and the Beer Full-length, 2006
Schwarz-WeiŻ Wie Schnee EP, 2006

TANKWART (GERMANY)

A side project of the Tankard members, so don't expect anything new; the style is a more melodic, probably a kind of punk-ish version of Tankard.

Aufgetankt Full-length, 1994
Himbeergeist zum Frłhstłck Full-length, 1996

TARAMIS (AUSTRALIA)

"Queen Of Thieves" is power metal with some progressive touches. The second effort is much better, putting the band on line with progressive thrash heroes like Watchtower, Realm, etc. The bad thing is that of the 8 songs on it, there are only 4 which fit the classification above. Some moments from their power metal past are still present ("Delayed Reaction", "Diceman"), and they kind of spoil the picture, since they have very little to do with the other much more interesting material. The longer and more technical tracks are truly a revelation ("Dreaming, "A Maze of Glory"), although they are intercepted by some balladic, semi-acoustic sections from time to time. The singer is another highlight, possessing a powerful high-pitched tember similar to Jeoff Tate from Queensryche, but deeper. "Jigaboo Boogie" is a funky instrumental, which could have been a nice touch, if it had been half as long, but 5-min of this offbeat stuff...excuse me! The next track" "Lonely Star", which is a semi-ballad of the more melodic variety, puts the second half more on the dull side. Perhaps on the next release the flaws would have been fixed, but this band disappeared shortly after.

Queen of Thieves Full-length, 1988
Stretch of the Imagination Full-length, 1991

TARANTULA (CZECH)

A very obscure, but very worthy band, playing classic power/thrash. Their debut is an energetic affair, mixing faster power/thrashers with slower power metal numbers. The music stays in the power metal camp most of the time, but is cool. "Peklo Pro Všechny", recorded a few months later, is pure heavy/power metal, with no traces of thrash, except for the cool power/thrashing closer "Charlie". "Chemomarsh" is a much more aggressive work, strictly modern and groovy, but with meaty, crushing riffs, and varied tempos, sometimes even nicely speeding up (the Pantera-sque "Chemomarsh"). The bonus track at the end is a cover of Metallica's "Master of Puppets"- quite well, and faithfully done, with all the parts present, with the only complaint coming from the slightly unemotional, gruff vocals.

Mobilis In Mobili Full-length, 1992
Peklo pro všechny Full-length, 1992
Never Say Never Full-length, 1995
Chemomarsh Full-length, 1996

TARGET (BELGIUM)

A fabulous technical thrash metal band, Target pretty much established the rules of the genre on European ground, together with Mekong Delta and Living Death in 1987. "Mission Executed" still relied more on speed and energy rather than technicality, but the stylish guitar work is all over it, slowing down only for the stomping steam roller "The Gathering". "Master Project Genesis" is even stronger, with one of the finest openers in technical metal history: the overwhelming, beautifully chaotic 4-min wonder "The Coming Of Chaos". The screamy, Torsten Bergmann-like vocals (which were not too bad, by the way) are replaced by deeper, cleaner ones, which suit the more technical approach better, and the speed is still here- check out the smashing technical bomb "Dehumanization"! This is not an extremely complex work; the progressive virtuosity of Mekong Delta is seldom felt ("Secret of the Dome", and, of course, the opener!) (and this is not the purpose here), and the straight sections make it one of the more accessible technical efforts of the 80's. If Chemical Breath are the gods of Belgian thrash, this band are not too far behind.

Mission Executed Full-length, 1987
Master Project Genesis Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

TARTAROS (GERMANY)

This is the band who later made a name on the scene as Exumer. This 4-track demo is an uneven blend of thrash, speed and hardcore, which has a lot of energy, as well as some more unusual moments (acoustic sections on "Werewolf", etc.), but the level of musicianship is on a fairly low level, and Stein's vocals are just awful and barely audible. The guitar sound is just a bit better, but still quite fuzzy at times. "Wings of Death" is a good attempt at a heavy ballad, but again, these vocals ruin everything. "Thrash Bang" doesn't realy deserve the "Thrash" part from the title, since it is a laid-back number of the Motorhead type. Less than two years later the guys sounded like an almost new band, with almost nothing to remind of their raw, amateurish, but enthusiastic beginnings.

Tartaros Demo, 1984

TASTE OF INSANITY (HOLLAND)

Based on "The Great Escape", this band are determined to carry the Pantera and Machine Head heritage through the new millennium; groovy thrash marred by some clean, unsuitable vocals. The music is one-dimensional and monotonous, with some semi-alternative sections, sounding like more aggressive Tool.

Anima Full-length, 2002
The Great Escape Full-length, 2005

TAUNTED (USA)

"Zero" is a power/thrash metal album with a wide variety of influences: some of the songs have a dark, somewhat progressive sound close to Nevermore; others go into energetic thrash in the Imagika-mould (this band's drummer takes part in this album, by the way); some numbers are of the galloping power metal type similar to Attacker; there is also a nice short instrumental "Scent Of Hell", arguably the highlight of the album. Don't get me wrong- this is not a mish-mash; on the contrary- this is a very good effort, done with style and professionalism.

Taunted Vinyl EP, 2000
Zero Full-length, 2006

TAURUS (BRAZIL)

Bay Area -influenced thrash from Brazil; competently done, with all the albums being of consistently high quality. "Signo de Taurus" contains the most melodic and fastest material, and could pass for the band's finest hour, if you enjoy speed/thrash mixed with crossover ("Mundo em Alerta" is a very cool example of the latter hybrid); the songs on this one are very catchy, and are not hard to remember; shades of acts outside the Bay Area could also be felt: Destructor, Blessed Death, Sentinel Beast, the Spaniards Fuck Off, etc.
"Trapped in Lies" hardens the course with more hard-hitting guitars, but with a slightly dirtier sound, and the lack of speed ("Death by Booze" is the only more up-tempo number on this one) and the insertion of edgeless, heavy metal-based numbers like "Aria" and "Behind the Flags" pull this album towards the not very impressive releases. "More Than You Can See" is an average attempt at heavy, mid-paced riffage ala late 80's Metallica, but other bands have done a better job.
"Pornography" brings back the speed from the debut, but only partially, and the increased presence of technical play makes this effort quite worthwhile, again following the late 80's Metallica trends, but this time coming up with something much better. The dirty guitar sound, however, remains, but here it is not that annoying, and headbangers like "Pornography" and "Brainless" put this album on quite a high level. The rest is heavier and mostly mid-paced, but is by all means as good.

Signo de Taurus Full-length, 1986
Trapped in Lies Full-length, 1988
Pornography Full-length, 1989

TEABAG (USA)

This is another one-album project, which involves Norm Leggio (the other being the great progressive thrash act End Amen)- the former member of Psychotic Waltz. Together with another ex-member of that same band: Steve Cox, he does a good job, playing technical/progressive metal, with a more aggressive, thrashy edge than later period Psychotic Waltz, but not as flamboyant and striking as End Amen. The music actually resembles the works of Zero Hour, and the one-album-wonder IllWill: heavy, dark sound with sharp, technical riffs and complex song-structures. The sound is modern, but the guitar work is quite varied, never stays stale, and offers some sudden, but utterly effective speedy passages ("Convicted"). Certainly, some exercises in groove are inevitable, but mixed with some more interesting riffs, are not that bad: "Mummify", "Shadows". Watch out for the short, technical speedy killer in the middle "Earthbound". Unfortunately afterwards the remaining songs are considerably slower, a situation, slightly improved with the stomping, pounding closer "Projections". The singer is a find, with his good high, melodic voice, which serves the music just right.

Teabag Full-length, 2001

TEARABYTE (USA)

A not very convincing attempt at classic thrash, with influences from the American side of the spectre- Overkill, Testament, Exodus,etc. Some awkward groovy moments are thrown here and there to make things even more confusing. "Doom Generation" is probably the band's best album, including simplistic, but consistent sound, with some references to the heavy/power metal, and the modern 90's scene. There are no fast or brutal moments, this is mid-paced pounding thrash.

Doom Generation Full-length, 1998
Embrace Oblivion Full-length, 2002
Gloom Factory Full-length, 2004

TEARSTAINED (USA)

Black/thrash which quite often goes for the extremes with black hyper blasts, but there are several pure thrashers: "Genocide and Misanthropy", which is 7-min of very diverse stuff, covering all possible tempos in thrash, and is quite satisfactory. At the end there are two covers: one is expected: Bathory's immortal "Total Destruction", and the other totally unexpected, to the point of absurdity: Ratt's "Scene of the Crime"; it's made exactly the way Ratt did it, poppy and rock-ish.

Homicidal Tendencies Full-Length, 2006

TECHNAKILL (USA)

An excellent demo of heavy, technically-charged thrash, so the band name doesn't mislead, like it often happens; "Black Hills" is an awesome opener, with great technical, intense, up-tempo riffs and equally as effective lead guitar performance. "Intimidator" is slower, but the technical guitars are even more impressive, creating a really compelling, vortex-like picture. "Strange Perspective" brings back some speed again, and is a nice galloping speed/thrashing instrumental. "Technakill" doesn't quite deserve its title, since it's the least technical track here, but is a cool mid-paced thrash number, which partially makes up for the missing technicality with a quick, twisted guitar section at the end. The singer is quite good, possessing a mid-ranged, semi-clean voice, and his frequent attempts at higher-pitched screaming are quite impressive.

Technakill Demo, 1991

TECHNIKILL (UK)

Don't worry: the technical riffs won't kill you, like the band name suggests. Half of this demo recalls Iron Angel's "Hellish Crossfire" and Warrant"s "First Strike": very cool speed/thrash with good higher-pitched clean vocals. The rest includes the average "Heart of a Viking" which strays from the path into classic heavy metal territory, and the equally as unconvincing semi-ballad "Behind the Gallow Walls".

Taken... Without Warning Demo, 1987

TECHNOCRACY (USA)

Technocracy were formed by Phil Demmel- a former member of the Bay Area thrash masters Vio-Lence. The music is more updated Bay Area thrash metal, with a modern edge and some industrial and even electronic elements. The final result is quite engaging, but the band members have been seen in other projects recently, including Demmel in the reformed Vio-Lence for a while: a clear sign that this was only a one-work spell.

Technocracy Full-length, 2001

TECTONIC (ROMANIA)

Very good, bass-driven aggressive thrash metal, recalling early Celtic Frost in the slower sections (if we exclude the really slow ones which go straight into doom metal territory- not too many, though), and early Protector in the faster ones. This is curious stuff, sounding strangely technical at times, too. The short tracks are nice balls of aggression and energy, stylishly graced by more technical riffage, which forms a fairly appealing simbiosis with the bashing delivery. "Bass Metal" is an obvious nod to the very good bass player, who is the band's main asset. The Celtic Frost-influenced numbers are the longer ones ("Canalul Colector I", "Infestat"), but this is when the guys don't bother to make things more interesting, and they end up sounding quite samey and monotonous. The final part is the highlight, starting with "Komet": a very good short technical thrasher, with melodic sharp riffs, recalling Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), followed by the equally as effective, but more bass-driven "Mars". "Pact" is merciless brutal thrash/death, partially relieved by the more hardcore-based "Pobeda". The closing "Prohibit" is a disappointment, though, offering another portion of slow, pounding, dragging riffs- definitely not the best way to end this otherwise very interesting, but very obscure effort.

Anomalia Full-length, 1995

TED HEATH (UK)

This is the band who later changed their name to Xyster, and made a more lasting impression on the scene. The style on this demo is quite similar to the other band: thrash of a more simplistic nature, despite the big length of some of the tracks. The guitar sound is quite buzzy, but the deep bass bottom makes up for this flaw. The music is a mix of fast-paced ("Rapist", "Evil Prayer", the hardcore-ish "Way Of The Dead") and slower, but somewhat dragging and boring tracks ("EternalConflagration", "Death And Destruction", except for the speedy ending), smelling early Venom quite a bit.

30 Minutes of Metal Demo, 1986

TEFILLA (HOLLAND)

Music-wise, this is very competent modern technical thrash. The sound is quite mechanical, and early Meshuggah, or the Canadians Obliveon, are an obvious influence on the band, although these guys are more technical than both. Some tracks are quite long, going over the 10-min limit, and are filled with atmospheric, acoustic breaks. This is not headbanging stuff, as the riffs are quite heavy and not very fast. The leads are surprisingly good, albeit not very long and complex. The only downpoint are the vocals which are all over the place (shouts, growls, etc). If you can ignore them, the music is really rewarding.

Grievous Anguish Full-length, 1998

TEMPEST (USA)

This band is the project of one person only: Warren Harris, who performs all the instruments, and sings, too. His music is a blend of power and thrash metal, mid-paced and heavy, with some cool riffs, and a really good bass-bottom which is clearly the man's main instrument, and the last three tracks come as no surprise, being peaceful bass instrumentals.

Annihilation Of The Wicked Demo, 1986

TEMPEST REIGN (USA)

This band was founded by the drummer Brent Smedley, who made fame hitting the drums for the one-album-wonder Oracle, and Iced Earth. The music on this one resembles both bands (Iced Earth's first two albums), but is more thrashy, and a tad more modern. Some tracks remind of the complex brilliance of Oracle ("Revelations 911"- a great multi-layered number, graced by superb Oriental guitar lines), others are straight smashing thrashers ("Flesh and Bone"), others carry the spirit of the 80's American power metal scene ("Planet Bougadie") with its galloping rhythms, others have a more romantic, semi-balladic shade ("To Each His Own"). This is a really good start, although Smedley's engagements with Iced Earth and the newly reformed Oracle, under the name Odyssey (not reviewed on this site), make the future of Tempest Reign uncertain.

Calm Before The Storm EP, 2003
Catastrophic Full-length, 2007

TEMPLE OF BLOOD (USA)

Thrash metal with Candlemas-like vocals; an atractive mix, isn't it? And indeed, once you hear the singer you would think that Messiah Marcolin has decided to move to a thrash metal band for a change. Well, it's not him, but the guy here does a fairly good job. To the music: first rate power/thrash, with some genuine technical riffing, calling to mind even the mighty Hexenhaus. It starts with a couple of shorter, more immediate tracks, one of which is a smashing aggressive thrasher with a genuine technical edge: "Conviction", and the other two being more speed/power metal-oriented. "Spiritual Warfare" is longer, more comlex, but also slower, with cool dual guitar tunes in the tradition of Iron Maiden. "Trempling the Serpent" is another fine slab of aggressive, speedy thrash, but the following "Seeking the Truth" is a less hard-hitting, heavy/power metal song. The more intense and the more melodic side of the band's music take turns throughout the album, and here come "Legion of the Crypts" and "Realm of Insufferable Burning": very cool technical thrashers, the latter coming with fast-paced, raging riffs- the best song here. A nice finishing touch is the very cool cover version of Deadly Blessing's "Deliver Us From Evil".

Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind Full-length, 2005

TEMPLE OF BRUTALITY (USA)

This appears to be a side project for all the members of the traditional metal band Killing Machine, except Mr. James Rivera who is apparently not willing to try his hands on thrash metal again, after the flop with the last Helstar offering "Multiples Of Black", including the great Dave Ellefson (Megadeth). As Killing Machine the guys have done a pretty good job releasing two quality heavy metal albums (and I hope they will continue to do so!), but it would be better if they stay away from the thrash metal field for the future. This is banal modern, groovy thrash which sounds like a heavy-handed mixture of recent Overkill (in the better moments) and Biohazard. I really believe this was intended just as a one-album solitary effort for the guys to pass the time when not working on a new Killing Machine material. Rivera was smart enough to not get himself involved in this...

Lethal Agenda Full-length, 2005

TEMPLE OF THE ABSURD (GERMANY)

Holy Moses' Sabina Classen's collaboration with two Warpath members resulted in two similar albums of crunchy thrash of the modern type. Not terribly bad, but compared to the Holy Moses heritage, it just doesn't hold water.

Absurd Full-length, 1995
Mother, Creator, God Full-length, 1999

TEMPORARY INSANITY (USA)

Thrash metal with some hardcore elements similar to Evildead's debut, but more playful at times, and faster ("Abortive Conditions" picks some Slayer-like aggression).

T.I.D.C. Demo, 1990

TEN FEET FROM MURDER (USA)

Fast, intense thrash of the old school; some modern elements are thrown in (the heavy, groovy "Fear of Death"), but stomping thrashers ala late 80's Slayer ("Unto Others"), or the mighty speed/thrashing opener "Discordia" will make any thrash fan's day.

Murder EP, 2007

TENEBHRA (ITALY)

This very obscure band pull out quite interesting technical thrash which on its best moments touches Megadeth's early period quite a bit (even "Rust in Peace"). The singer is obviously influenced by Dave Mustaine, giving his vocals a more aggressive, and a higher-pitched blend. The music is not fast, and the concentration is more on cool, intriguing riffs and stylish melodic leads.

Seeking Under Ash Demo, 198?

TENEBRA (GERMANY)

Excellent technical thrash. The music is rooted in the 80's, but the guys are not strangers to some more modern passages used very tastefully. This album is a textbook on meaty, technical riffing; the guys looked like worthy followers of Coroner, Target, Turbo and the likes. The album opens with fast-paced, energetic tracks, until "Pellucid Viscera", which slows down, only to be followed by the marvellous technical speedster "Among"- the finest song here, which closes the first half of the album. The second one offers longer, more complex numbers, which are not as speed-based, but compensate with awesome technical riffage and cool atmospheric, balladic moments. This half also contains the shortest track- the less than 2-min marvellous technical thrasher "Re-Reborn", which brings back the speed for a while. The only downpoint is the hardcore-ish vocals which will remind you of Daniel Geiger(Erosion).

Tenebra Full-length, 1994

TENEBRIS (POLAND)

Based on "Catafalque - Comet" Best of/Compilation: this is one of the Polish metal scene's best kept secrets. Like with every compilation of this kind, one could find songs belonging to various sub-genres, but the base is solid progressive/technical thrash, not too far from Coroner's highest achievements on the best moments ("Wanderer", "You'd Better Fear Light"). There are parts where the sound acquires some more melodic, gothic tendencies, but some gems could still be dug out: the marvellous "The Comet", a nice modern take on technical, abstract thrash ala Corner's "Grin", or the 7-min progressive thrash wonder "Trial of the Comet", which will impress even the most skeptical fans of acts like Mekong Delta, Zero Hour, or even Dream Theater, if you like. Musicians of such a high calibre make even dark wave, "Sisters of Mercy meets Nefilim"-styled tracks sound compelling and interesting.
The Best of Compilation only includes songs from the period 1997-2001; songs from their full-length albums are not included. "The Odious Progress" is pure death metal, very well done, technical with numerous progressive passages, close to early Therion and Nocturnus. "Only Fearless Dreams" is standout progressive thrash/death, one of the finest achievements of the whole Polish metal scene. Apart from the keybords and the spacey, cosmic noises, which were so typical for the debut, there is a much more guitar-driven sound on this one, which will also remind you of 90's Coroner, Aftermath, Scenery from the Czech Republic, Atheist. This is music which turns and twists in many directions, and the tempo changes keep coming, although there is only one brutal moment: the beautifully named "Space Dancer". This stuff requires concentration, because there is a lot happening, and the last couple of songs hit the top (depending on the taste they could be considered the climax of the album), being very technical, multi-textured exercises in progressive thrash/death, with beautiful orchestral melodies, and some stupendous guitar work.

The Odious Progress Full-length, 1994
Only Fearless Dreams Full-length, 1996
Catafalque + Mesmerized EP, 1998
Catafalque - Comet Best of/Compilation, 2007

TENSIDE (GERMANY)

Based on "Mental Satisfaction", this band mix modern groovy thrash, with some cool, up-tempo sections ("Numb and Broken", "Awake", and especially the good thrasher "Mental Satisfaction"), which could have been more, because when they're around, the sound comes close to Pantera at their best.

My Personal War Full-length, 2007
Mental Satisfaction Full-length, 2008

TENSION (USA)

This is Tom Gattis'(Wardog, Ballistic) first band. An impressive speed/power/thrash release along the lines of Overkill, Metal Church, Agent Steel, etc. It's perhaps a bit premature to talk about thrash here, but the energy and catchiness of the songs will keep you entertained. In the middle the album loses momentum for a while, introducing slower numbers ("Angels from the Past", "Shock Treatment"), but quickly makes up with "The Downfall of Evil": the best and the thrashiest track here.

Breaking point Full-length, 1986

TEOFOBIA (CHILE)

Based on the "El Arte de Matar a Dios" demo, this is a somewhat raw and undeveloped blend of thrash and death metal which is not miles away from the early achievements from the Brazilian metal scene: Sarcofago, Vulcano, etc. The music alternates between brutal aggressive and more quiet moments, and the bass work is particularly good, overshadowing the other instruments.

Siempre Enfermo, Nunca Muerto Demo, 1995
El Arte de Matar a Dios Demo, 1996
Metal de la Muerte EP, 2002

TERAKIL (USA)

A demo of a somewhat mixed nature: two of the songs (the shorter ones: 4-5min) are well constructed thrash along the lines of 80's Anthrax and late 80's Overkill, and the other two (the longer ones: 7-9min long) are pure epic power metal, also quite well done, but having almost nothing to do with thrash.

Death by Any Other Name Demo, 1989
Terakil Demo, 1990

TERMINAL DEATH (USA)

This formation boast the most vicious and brutal vocals at that early stage of the gerne's development. To talk about death metal, however, is a bit premature. The singer has definitely been an influence on many of his death metal colleagues, but the music is plain thrash, quite sinister and gloomy at times, and quite fast and intense at others, coming as a cocktail of the music of many extreme acts: Possessed, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Bathory, etc. The only track which perhaps has any significance, music-wise, to the spawning of the death metal genre, is the furious less-than-two-min explosion "Brain Tumor".

Faces Of Death Demo, 1985

TERMINAL REIGN (USA)

This band was founded by the guitar maestro Rich Fortuna. This is quite well executed technical thrash, choppy and not very complex; kind of reminds me of the Germans Pyracanda's debut. Two of the songs are fast and energetic, and are the more technical ones, whereas the other two are slower, heavier, and more ordinary.

Terminal Reign Demo, 1993

TERMINATED RITE (CANADA)

Dark, brooding thrash akin to Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy", the Brits Deathwish and even early Coroner. There are quite a few stylish riffs, recalling Infernal Majesty rather than Coroner, and the guys nicely change the tempo: from more aggressive thrash, to some up-tempo galloping rhythms, to some technical breaks; there is enough room for all these to develop, since the songs are 5-6min long.

Darkness Weaves Demo, 1988

TERMINATOR (CZECH)

Based on the debut, this is quite good mid-paced to up-tempo 80's thrash, with slight technical tendencies, resembling the Dutch bands Mandator and Vulture, among others. At times the music slows down, introducing atmospheric, lead-dominated sections, giving the sound a slight gothic edge. The singer is a letdown, with his unemotional, undeveloped voice, despite the attepmts at cleaner, more dramatic singing he makes from time to time.

Probability Of Doom Full-length, 1991
Plugged! Full-length, 1994

TERRAHSPHERE (USA)

Another fine piece of technical/progressive thrash forgotten by most. The style is hectic, choppy, with some fast, brutal passages, which come all of a sudden to replace the more chaotic, complex sections. Some of the tracks might sound like total chaos, but after a more careful listen one would find out that this is nothing short of outstanding (but you need to have an ear for it). The guitar work is really impressive, with numerous technical and fast riffs changing within a short period of time; the leads are also sharp, not melodic, and short. Comparisons to a more aggressive Watchtower, or Sieges Even would not be ungrounded, but these guys forge a really original sound, with the many tempo changes and the intense proto-death moments, bringing them closer at times to Atheist and Hellwitch as well.

Third in Order of the Sun Full-length, 1991

TERRAPHOBIA (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the demo, this band pull out quite good power/thrash, firmly rooted in the 80's scene, recalling Meliah Rage and Testament's early 90's period. Similar to the latter, they come up with a cool thrashy ballad: "Where Angels Fear", where even the vocals take an interesting Chuck Billy-shade. This is good stuff, although the only up-tempo piece here is "Blood and Hatred". The band founder- Michael Jelinic, later joined the death metallers Mortification, and this band at the moment is just a side project.

Product Of Your Mind Demo, 1993
Natural Born Killer EP, 1996
An Eye For An Eye EP, 1997
Enemy Within Full-length, 2001

TERRATOMB (CANADA)

This band boast the presence of Quinn- the mainman behind the legendary thrashers DBC. The name clearly raises some hopes, but the music doesn't at all. On "At War Within" Quinn's talent is totally wasted: his stylish guitar work sounds almost surreal, compared to the otherwise mindless mix of black and thrash metal, topped up by some intolerable vocals and misplaced blast beats. It sounds as though one member of the band tries to put two-and-two together, but the others do their utmost to stop him. Hopefully on their second effort things have improved, because there is definitely some potential "lurking in the shadows" here.

At War Within Full-length, 2001
Rebirth Through Destination Full-length, 2006

TERRIFIC VERDICT (FINLAND)

Based on the 1988 demo, this band play really good aggressive thrash ala Slayer's "Reign in Blood"; short fast tracks with sharp riffage, and leads which are short and a bit chaotic in the Kerry King vein. The vocals are sinister, death-ish, similar to Vince Vampire (R.I.P.) from Infernal Majesty.

Demo Demo, 1988
Lost Preacher Demo, 1989

TERROR (USA)

Terror is the continuation of Evildead with all the members coming from this band, except the drummer, who comes from Agent Steel. The style is not really close to Evildead: it is less impressive, slower, with a clearly more modern sound, and with Spanish lyrics. The full-length is not a bad album at all, and once you adjust to the heavy, groovy approach, you will not be disappointed, although the lack of speed might pull you back at first. Some of the songs are actualy not too far from Evildead's "The Underworld", or sacred Reich's "The American Way": the crushing "Dia de los Muertos", but quite a few of the rest are a little more than heavy, one-dimensional pounding, surprisingly graced by some quiet, balladic moments. A stylish deviation is the jumpy technical instrumental "Freedom Town", which paves the way for the very good mid-paced steam rolling classic thrasher "Immortal", and the playful stomping piece with a Bay-Area edge "Humano", which finishes the album in quite a good maner, something which it didn't quite deserve.
The EP sinks even deeper, lacking the classic ornamentations of the full-length, and is full-fledged groovy thrash, if we exclude the very cool melodic power/thrasher "Nińo sin Amor", with a great piano section, and the two cover versions at the end, both actually quite well done: Metalica's "Jump in the Fire", and Iron Maiden's "Total Eclipse".

Hijos de los Cometas Full-length, 1997
Terror EP, 1998

TERROR 2000 (SWEDEN)

With members of Soilwork and Darkane in the band, you know what to expect. Well, you would be misled, because this is not technical death/thrash along the lines of Darkane; it's still death/thrash, but of a more ordinary nature, close to The Crown and Corporation 187.

Slaughterhouse Supremacy Full-length, 2000
Faster Disaster Full-length, 2002
Terror For Sale Full-length, 2005

TERROR CULT (BRAZIL)

Based on the "Bonebreaker" demo, this band try to bring back the glorious days of the early Brazilian scene; their style is aggressive thrash metal bordering on death, recalling the early works of Holocausto and MX (but heavier). "Terror Cult" is a nice heavy thrasher showing that the band are not strangers to some more ambitious, technical play. The guys feel more comfortable releasing "Best Of"-compilations instead of investing some creative energy to produce something new.

Bonebreaker Demo, 2002
Power Blade Collection Best of/Compilation, 2004
Brutal Fest Collection Best of/Compilation, 2005
Profane Force Underground Coletânia Best of/Compilation, 2007

TERROR FECTOR (JAPAN)

Slayer and Sepultura worship done in the mid 90's; very good stuff, capturing the essence of those two bands' style in their prime. The Japanese tend to write longer compositions, but do not insert any more technical decorations, although the stylish leads make up for that. Surprisingly, even the very long, 10.5-min song "Everlasting Hell Damnation" has no dull moment, frequently changing tempos. "Sacrifice" is a great number: an aggressive, death-tinged thrasher. The other highlight is probably "Demonic Torture", which again excels in length (8.5-min), but is a great fusion of crushing doomy riffs and speedy sections, where the only really technical licks on the album can clearly be heard. The closer "In My Load" is an awesome track, increasing the aggression to death metal at times, sounding quite close to mid-period Death. Along with the same year's Narcotic Greed debut ("Fatal"), these guys tried to wake up the sleeping classic spirit of thrash in Japan, and have done a very good job.

Everlasting Hell Damnation Full-length, 1994

TERROR OF THE TREES (USA)

This is a one-man project, going under the pseudonim His Eminence The Wicked. This same Eminence has also taken part in other acts: Mem Von Stein's (Exumer) Sun Descends and the black metallers Hemlock. The music here is closer to Hemlock, and actually comes as a more thrashy version of this band's style. This is quite intense old school stuff, and will also remind you of early Bathory and early Darkthrone, graced by surprisingly stylish melodic leads- by far the highlight here. "Gallows to the Grave" is the only slower number, quite sinister and doomy, something which Norwegian acts like Khold or Thorns could have been proud.

Devil Worship EP, 2002

TERROR STRIKE (CHILE)

Based on the "Fantomania" split, these guys take no prisoners, with their relentless old school thrash attack, not too far from another Chilean act: Thrash Attack (the guitarist Gonzalo Fuentealba actually takes part in both bands). The music here is a tad more aggressive, but not as good, with a buzzy guitar and drum sound. All tracks flow in the same vein: fast-paced thrashing, without any insertions from other syles; the last song is a cover version of the Hungarians Fantom's "Lidérces Alom", to whom this split is dedicated.

Donde Esta el Rehearsal Demo, 2006
El Golpe del Terror Demo, 2006
Rehearsing for thrash Demo, 2006
Fantomania Split, 2007
Executioner Thrash Metal EP, 2008

TERRORAMA (SWEDEN)

Very good old school black/thrash with black metal vocals; the music is fast and aggressive, recalling Necrodeath and another Italian band- Vexed. There are no quiet or slower breaks here- this is pure thrashing madness. In the middle there is a cool cover of the American thrash legends Holy Terror's "Black Plague".

Horrid Efface Full-length, 2004

TERROREIGN (USA)

This is a not very successful attempt at mixing thrash/crossover with some more aggressive, proto-death parts. The tempo is actually not fast all the time; there are heavy guitars ala Hellhammer, as well as tasteless grindcore passages ("Leatherface") which make things even worse.

Terminal Crazy Demo, 1988

TERRORIST (USA)

A 2-song demo: both songs here are fine examples of technical thrash at its best; their length (6-7min) allows the guys to show all they are capable of: there are many time changes, superb riffs, and great leads. The pace also changes a lot, but never ventures into very fast or aggressive waters. The music is quite complex, with some acoustic and atmospheric breaks, and the ever changing rhythms, which might at times find you begging for a more straight-forward section to put you back on track, might stop you from grasping these songs from the first listen, but for fans of the more unusual side of thrash metal this short effort will be a grand-scale entertainment.

Demo Demo, 1990

TERRORIST KOMMANDO (MEXICO)

Fast, aggressive thrash/death of the old school; there is a cover of Sodom's "Sodomy And Lust", made more brutal, with a grinding edge, but not really impressive.

Demo Demo, 2005

TERROWHEEL (FINLAND)

Based on the full-length: these guys pull out a mix of modern power/thrash and hardcore. Not bad, but often does the music go straight into power/heavy metal territory, and despite the presence of some cool speedy pieces ("Say No to Religion", "Tear This Nation Down"), the final result is not firmly on the thrash side.

Tear This Nation Down EP, 2001
Rhythm 'n' Murder Full-length, 2003

TESTAMENT (USA)

One of the "gods" of thrash. "The Legacy" brought them splashing on the scene with its blistering, fabulous technical guitar work. Neither of the band's releases which followed suit could equal this masterpiece although the next two were not that far. The 90's were a not very successful period for the band (like many others), with their style stretching from the bland power metal on "The Ritual" to the modern experimentations on the much better "Low", to the modern thrash-meets-death sound on "Demonic". All these wanderings through the metal "jungle" apparently helped; they closed the decade with flying colours with the "The Gathering"- a glorious epitaph of the troublesome 90's. Although the original line-up have been together again for quite a few years, they are really taking their time preparing for a worthy follow-up...
"The Formation of Damnation" finally saw the light of day, after its release has been postponed indefinitely several times. The joy that your favourites have a new album will probably overshadow your initial judgement of this album, although this is quite a cool comeback release for the thrash legends. The aggressive, proto-death leanings from "The Gathering" are nowhere to be heard, and the sound hesitates between the classic and the modern sound, sitting comfortably between both. "More Than Meets The Eye" is a nice opener, with energetic riffs, followed by the similar, but more modern sounding "The Evil Has Landed". At this point one might find how much, what he has heard so far, recalls Testament's "Souls of Black" (with an updated, modern production), which is hardly the band's finest achievement. But "The Formation Of Damnation" comes thrashing down with sharp, smashing riffs, and a faster tempo, and the listener can safely pack up his troubles; Chuck Billy adds more vicious death-styled vocals on this one. Whether this was just a solitary explosion, remains to be seen, since the following is a very ordinary modern power/thrasher ("Dangers Of The Faithless"), although Skolnick does his best to make it sound more appealing (he does a marvellous job on the whole album, and he is the main reason why this work can not possibly suck). "Henchman Ride" is the other place where you can see yourselves moshing around: a great up-tempo number, very close to the highlight. Another couple of slower, but this time better songs follow suit, before the intense thrashing "F.E.A.R" shoots you at close range. If you were wondering whether the guys have abandoned the habit of adding the odd ballad to their works, here comes the closing "Leave Me Alone", which is a slower, but quite cool, semi-ballad, with a sharper, middle break, again supported by more aggressive, death-ish vocals. 10 years is indeed a long time to wait, and it's debatable whether this effort was really worth such a long wait. Still, it is far from a failure, and although it doesn't really capture the spirit of the vintage Testament sound, fits quite well in the overall picture of classic comeback albums, served with a modern production and some modern "updates", and doesn't betray the tendency towards a more modern sound, started by the band in the mid-90's.

The Legacy Full-length, 1987
Trial by Fire EP, 1988
The New Order Full-length, 1988
Practice What You Preach Full-length, 1989
Souls of Black Full-length, 1990
The Ritual Full-length, 1992
Return to the Apocalyptic City EP, 1993
Low Full-length, 1994
Demonic Full-length, 1997
The Gathering Full-length, 1999
The Formation of Damnation Full-length, 2008

TESTIMONY (SLOVAKIA)

Based on the debut, Testimony play thrash/death metal; the style is close to Death's "Spiritual Healing", and 90's Protector, but mixed with thrash. There is a certain modern, 90's element in the sound: the semi-groovy, but also quite technical "War Desire". The brutality goes beyond Death at times: "Spiritual World:, which is closer to Morbid Angel, and is served with great bass performance. "Disdusting Look" and "Kapos sarkom" go into the other extreme, slowing down, with very heavy, doomy riffage. "Degenerate" is a cool attempt at more elaborate, progressive song-writing, but the guys are better off when they rely on shorter, more direct compositions, although some of them are filled with technical, twisting guitars: "Testimony About Yourself". Near the end the songs become shorter, much more melodic, with a clear groovy/hardcore edge, and could have been left out.

Satisfaction Warranted Full-length, 1993
Of Life And Death Full-length, 1997

TESTOR (POLAND)

Based on "Ruiny", the band play modern, slightly technical thrash resembling Annihilator, plus some poppy non- thrash melodies; below average. "Next Stop Insanity" abandons the technical elements, and concentrates on more aggressive riffage, which results in some cool headbangers ("Morality Is Over", "Here Comes the Electric"), which this time comes with a big amount of groove, and the obligatory "exits" from thrash: "United Unworthy", "In Blood".

Ruiny Full-length, 1996
50% - Garage 2000/2001 Full-length, 2001
Next Stop Insanity Full-length, 2007

TETRAGON (FINLAND)

Quite aggressive thrash/death metal coming from this very obscure band; the tempo is fast, and even brutal, including frequent blast beats, with only "Silent One" slowing down with heavy, crushing riffs.

Demo Demo, 1989

THALIDOMIDE (FRANCE)

Technical, dark death/thrash with death metal, Atheist-like vocals; exquisitely performed. The band are pretty much in a league of their own- if you can imagine a thrashy version of Atheist's "Unquestionable Presence"... "Les Maitres De Lillusion" begins as a doom metal track, but later the faster technical riffs tell a different story, and when the singer enters the scene with his tormented, unholy sharls, one knows that this will be a much less ordinary trip; that same song twists and turns, without leaving the slow-ish tempo, introducing a handful of complex guitars, relieving the listener with a more conventional, melodic outro. "Les Clones Programmes" starts in the same way, but before you get a headache, switches onto faster, straight thrash/death; a tendency further carried by the superb speedy technical death/thrasher "Le Regne De Linnommable", which might scare you with the two sudden, short blast-beat sections. And finally one exercise in doom metal, with a twist: "Les Fleaux De Lobscurantisme", followed by the slightly faster "Last Breath". The technical exuberance reaches its culmination on the fine aggressive, "Atheist-meets Morbid Angel" number "Survivre Par Le Sang", and the vortex-like, technical thrash number "Laboratories Of Death". The closing track "Le Paradis Du Mal" is only a bit more relaxed, more melodic, progressive opus, with a cool speedy middle part, and a very sudden twisted, super-technical ending. This great album will hopefully have a follow-up, since the band are still active, and some noise has been coming out of their camp for some time.

Le Paradis Du Mal Full-length, 2003

THANATOPSIS (USA)

A 4-song demo of brutal thrash/death metal. The music will remind you of Hellwitch, although Thanatopsis are not as technical, but in terms of aggression and speed they could equal almost any other band from those times. All tracks, except one, are long, in the 8-min range, but there are not too many time changes or technical structures within them; this is sheer thrash/death aggression.

A View Of Death Demo, 1990

THANATOS (HOLLAND)

One of the oldest Dutch metal bands. The band's debut is fairly good aggressive thrash, with some cool technical touches; the music is quite fast and intense, and very seldom takes a break from the merciless, but stylish bashing (the exception is the heavy, technical closer which precedes Death's future more complex style, although it's only 2-min long (the expert musicians don't need too much to impress).
"Realm Of Ecstacy" moves more into the death metal realm, rather than the ecstasy one (pun intended). The guitar work is even more technical and faster, bringing to mind masters like Death, Invocator, Massacra; the end again is preserved for the slowest tracks: the short and technical "Reincarnation", and the doom metal hymn "Terminal Breath".
"Angelic Encounters" elaborates on both the aggression and technicality, and especially the latter is quite striking, with some cool backward play in the vein of Morbid Angel, which seem to be the main influence on this album, although thrash hasn't disappeared completely, and some good tracks are exactly that- pure headbanging thrash: "The Devil's Concubine", "Speed Kills".
"Undead, Unholy, Divine" brings back the more thrashy patterns of the debut, and is arguably the band's finest hour. This album is full of great thrashing: from the sheer headbanging delights ("Undead, Inholy, Divine"), to some heavy, late 80's Slayer-esque ones (Eraser"), to some brutal thrash/death mixtures ("Servants of Hatred"). Again the guys pay tribute to the large doom/death scene in their homeland with "The Sign of Sadako".

Emerging From The Netherworlds Full-length, 1990
Realm Of Ecstacy Full-length, 1992
Angelic Encounters Full-length, 2000
Beyond Terror EP, 2002
Undead, Unholy, Divine Full-length, 2004
The Burning Of Sodom / ...And Jesus Wept EP, 2006

THANATOS (POLAND)

Based on the "Out of Sanity" demo, this band specialize in brutal, very fast thrash/death, bordering on grind-core. Considering the ferocity of this recording, and other similar ones coming from Poland (Smirnoff, etc.), it looks as though the Polish metal scene was the first in Europe to answer to the demands for more aggressive than thrash music.

Deo Optimo Maximo Demo, 1989
Out of Sanity Demo, 1989

THANATOS INC (GREECE)

The guitarist Nigel Foxxe formed this band right after he left Flames. The style here is less frantic, sounding more like a mixture of power and thrash, clinging towards the other side of the Atlantic ocean. Quite well done- fans of Attacker, early Hexx, early Laaz Rockit, beware! To avoid disputes with the Dutch band Thanatos, Nigel Foxxe changed the band's name to Nigel Foxxe Inc. some time later.

Life Ltd. Full-length, 1987

THARGOS (GERMANY)

Very good old school thrash metal with a few black-ish passages, similar to Sodom and Destruction. Fans of the classic period of thrash will rejoice! The debut is the more aggressive work, staying closer to black metal, but "Salem City" is a fine piece of cool 80's thrash. The lead work is excellent, maybe a bit more melodic for the style, but give the songs a certain, distinctive edge. The jumpy, energetic opener "The Kill" is a great beginning, followed by a calmer, slower track: "Processing Unit". "Silent Service" is a blasting speed/thrasher, which strangely reminds me of Headhunter's debut and, of course, early Destruction. "Nachtfaller" is an awesome intense thrasher, with some great melodic hooks and leads. "Hellraiser": is a kind of a break: slower, with a touch of power metal. "Worship Me" is one of the most furious black/thrashers of recent times: a 2.5min ball of fury, which will leave you exhausted, as well as the mighty "Luzifer": another vicious speedy number. The album closer is a softer thrash/crossover track, bringing to mind the calmer, mid 90's Sodom, finished with a lengthy, but quite fascinating, dreamy acoustic passage. The singer does a good job, with his vicious, Schmier-like delivery.

Killfukk Full-length, 2003
Salem City Full-length, 2006

THE ABSENCE (USA)

These Americans could easily put to shame the majority of the contemporary Swedish death/thrash metal bands who desperately try to be the new In Flames or Dark Tranquillity. This is a blend of Gothenburg death metal and thrash done in a very impressive way. This band actually come closer than any other band to the sound of At The Gates' magnificent "Slaughter Of The Soul", but with a more thrashy edge. "Riders Of The Plague" is even better than their fabulous debut with a more complex, darker and heavier sound, plus an increased amount of thrash, cemented with a nice cover version of Testament's smashing hit "Into The Pit". With the presence of The Absence (no pun intended) on the modern metal scene, the Scandinavian bands will have a very strong competition, and why not even an example to follow?

The Absence EP, 2004
From Your Grave Full-length, 2005
Riders Of The Plague Full-length, 2007

THE ACCUSED (USA)

One of the first thrash/crossover bands, and one of the most uncompromising ones, characterized by unique squealing vocals and fast, intense delivery. All their albums come recommended (except, perhaps, their debut where the music is raw and kind of undeveloped); a cult band.

Martha Splatterhead EP, 1985
The Return of... Martha Splatterhead Full-length, 1986
More Fun Than An Open Casket Funeral Full-length, 1987
Hymns for the Deranged EP, 1988
Martha Splatterhead's Maddest Stories Ever Told Full-length, 1988
Grinning Like An Undertaker Full-length, 1990
Straight Razor EP, 1991
Splatter Rock Full-length, 1992
Oh Martha! Full-length, 2005
Why Even Try? EP, 2007

THE AFFECTED (CANADA)

A cool 4-track demo which bears resemblances to a few 80's acts- Overkill, Anthrax, Mordred, Blind Illusion (in the more off-beat moments), etc. The tempo is mid-paced, but the style is quite choppy, and there are some really interesting jazz/funky passages, emphasized by great bass work and some original technical riffs.

The Affected Demo, 1989

THE ARRS (FRANCE)

Based on "Trinite", this band play modern thrash metal, not too far from another French act- Lyzanxia (their later period), with nods to the Swedish school- The Haunted, Terror 2000, etc.

Et la douleur est la męme Full-length, 2005
Trinite Full-length, 2007

THE ATMOSFEAR (GERMANY)

Based on "Millenium Of Thorns", this band offer modern death/thrash, which is mid to up-tempo, with some sudden adherence to aggressive blasting sections. The guitar work is cool and melodic, and some nice acoustic passages are scattered throughout, but this has been done on many other works of recent times.

Shadow In Your Dreams Full-length, 1998
Feelings - Urgency Of Dark Emotions EP, 1999
Millenium Of Thorns Full-length, 2000
Lose The Pain Full-length, 2004
Lost Pain Full-length, 2005

THE AUTUMN OFFERING (USA)

Based on "Fear Will Cast No Shadow", this is typical modern thrash, despite the hopes raised by the presence of two members of the progressive death metallers Cadaveryne. The music is energetic and professionally done, but the duels between the melodic and the gruff vocals, the atmospheric breaks, the melodic guitar lines, the obligatory semi-ballad ("Silence And Goodbye"), the more aggressive death metal implements ("Your Time Is Mine"), have been used thousands of times by many other acts.

Summer 2002 EP, 2002
2003 Demo Demo, 2003
Revelations of the Unsung Full-length, 2004
Embrace The Gutter Full-length, 2006
Fear Will Cast No Shadow Full-length, 2007

THE BATALLION (NORWAY)

Cool old school black/thrash metal of the mid-paced variety, similar to the Swedes Bewitched, plus some dark, heavy riffage reminiscent of Celtic Frost ("Hate"). "Stronghold of Men" is an elaboration on the EP, providing virtually the same style. The Celtic Frost influence is more strongly felt, but on the other hand some songs are faster ("Detonate"; the explosive "Victims", which still finds time to court the great Swiss with a slower section in the middle; the smashing riff-fest "March Of The Veterans", which doomy middle break is simply brilliant, graced by sparce, but very cool leads), with nice catchy riffs. The guitars often aim at more melodic hooks which work very well ("Hate at last Sight", "Tension in the Stronghold"). Black metal here is almost nowhere to be heard, except on the closing "Last Dawn", which is lighter, Venom-influenced.

The Batallion EP, 2007
Stronghold of Men Full-length, 2008

THE BEDLAM (HUNGARY)

The band played very serious, technical thrash with long elaborate songs on the demos, and although at times the music took a more experimental, off-beat approach, straying into other metal fields, and the singer has a kind of impassionate, and slightly melodic for the genre voice, it packed a punch with quite a few interesting, original riffs. Sounded very promising, but the guys were full of surprises, and four years later they showed their middle finger to the thrash metal scene, and produced an insipid, modern progressive metal album.

Reality of Present Demo, 1988
General Rejection Demo, 1989
Dreamland in Misery Demo, 1990
Inside Ash Full-length, 1994

THE BRAINDEAD (USA)

This band started as a pure punk band, but the thrash metal vogue of the 80's swept them away, and they joined "the army". Their style is similar to The Accused and Ludichrist: thrash/crossover which introduced some more aggressive guitars in the 90's, influenced by the "powers of the day"- Pantera, Machine Head.

Lost Somewhere In The Horizon EP, 1989
God's Greatest Gift To Mankind EP, 1994
Red Full-length, 1999
Born Defiant Full-length, 2003

THE BROOD (USA)

A melodic blend of thrash/crossover and classic heavy metal; has its similarities to Suicidal Tendencies, but is far inferior. Later the guys changed their name to Uncle Slam, and started playing some really cool thrash/crossover with a much sharper edge.

The Brood Full-length, 1986

THE BURNING (DENMARK)

Run-of-the-mill modern thrash which contains some cool guitar work, and the tempo changes nicely, featuring some more aggressive thrashers ("Kill the Swine"), but otherwise this is quite generic, with a considerable doze of groove involved as well.

Storm The Walls Full-length, 2007

THE CAVALERA CONSPIRACY (BRAZIL)

The Cavalera brothers are back together, but not in Sepultura; maybe prefer to rehearse a bit before come up with something new with their main band? Judging by what they have done on this one, they look well prepared to strike with Sepultura: this is excellent thrash, which is not exactly an early, or mid-period Sepultura soundalike, although it's also rooted in the classic sound, but the production is modern, something what Exodus, Onslaught, etc. have also done earlier, and some modern "updates" in the music can still be caught. The sound varies from some direct retro thrashers (the brilliant smashing pieces "Terrorizer" and "Ultra-Violent", and most of the tracks) to some slower, atmospheric songs ("Dark Art"), to some more modern sounding ones ("Inflikted"), which could well stand also on another Nailbomb album. The album beats by miles the Sepultura works without Max, it surpasses "Chaos AD" as well, but it needs more to reach the greatness of "Arise" or "Beneath the Remains". This is a fine example that the brothers haven't lost the chemistry between them, which helped them make some great thrash in the past, and it's high time they stopped testing the soil, but give the fans another masterpiece.

Inflikted Full-Length, 2008

THE COMPANY (USA)

Based on "Frozen By Heat": this band play a mixture of Bay Area and modern 90's thrash, similar to what Testament tried to do with "Low". "Impostor" raises the hopes that this would be one of those rare works from the mid 90's which have preserved some of the classic flame burning, but the groovy numbers come up pretty soon ("Citizen Streetkid") for those hopes to reach very high. Later on both styles alternate, sometimes being mixed within one song only ("Frozen By Heat"). In the second half the heavy groovy sound takes over almost completely, leaving room for just one more classic headbanger near the end: "Hate In Cold Eyes". The last song- "Leave'Em Alone", is a nice heavy semi-ballad.

The Company Full-length, 1995
Frozen By Heat Full-length, 1997
Awaking Under Dogs Full-length, 2002

THE CROWN (SWEDEN)

This band really made a name for themselves despite their short career. Their original name was Crown Of Thorns, but they had to give it up after legal claims made by a Christian metal band of the same name. The style is very fast/aggressive death/thrash of the modern type, with some occasional punk-ish tones, and death'n roll elements, not too far from the music Entombed started to play on "Wolverine Blues": a very good, but a short lived band. Their singer Johan Lindstrand after the split-up formed the band One Man Army And The Undead Quartet.

Hell is Here Full-length, 1999
Deathrace King Full-length, 2000
Crowned In Terror Full-length, 2002
Possessed 13 Full-length, 2003

THE CRUCIFIED (USA)

This band tried to keep crossover alive for a while during the 90's. Their guitarist, Greg Minier, had two side projects. The debut is a very good beginnig for the band's career, thrashing quite intensely most of the time, leaving little room for the crossover side of the music to show up: check out the raging opener "The Pit". "Die Hard" preserves the speed and intensity, but the guitars have a jollier, crossover edge. "Your Image" is a furious short hardcore outbreak, after which the guys never let the aggression loose, and here comes another couple of thrashing delights: "Hellcorn", "Rise", "One Demon to Another", which reach almost a Slayer-like intensity. "Back to the Cross" is a pure Slayer worship, after which comes a time for some more laid-back crossover: "Confidence", but only for a while, since the guys are eager to thrash their hearts out, which is what exactly happens on the raging "The Insult Circus" and "Threat". The closing "Crucial Moment" retains the speed, but gives way to more melodic riffs. This excellent work was another testimony that back in 1989 thrash was alive and well, with no signs of wearing out, or falling from grace.
"The Pillars of Humanity" is a very worthy follow-up, offering the same uncompromising attitude, with fast-paced fierce thrashers. "Mindbender" slows down after the first three intense tracks, even offering a slight groovy twist, well conformed with the tastes of the time. "Path To Sorrow" is a surprising turn to a semi-balladic song-writing, but the guys haven't forgotten about their thrashy side, and "Fellowship Of Thieves" takes no prisoners. "Focus" is a lighter thrash/crossover piece, followed by "The Strength" which, in order to justify its title, thrasher more aggressively once again. "The Pillars Of Humanity" closes the album with heavier, slower, and more melodic riffs, which are quite welcome after the non-stop headbanging material provided earlier.

The Crucified Full-length, 1989
The Pillars of Humanity Full-length, 1991
Nailed/Take Up Your Cross Full-length, 1994

THE CURSE (CANADA)

This is a side project for the Slaughter members, who apparently at some stage wanted to play slow, twisted thrash along the lines of Hellhammer. And this is exactly what this badly produced demo delivers: crushing, amateurish thrash, sounding quite close to the legendary Swiss, but spiced with some faster sections, and decidedly more brutal, low-tuned death metal vocals. High level of musicianship is, certainly, nowhere to be found, but even such a raw recording could have its charm, especially if you give it a listen nowadays.

Demo Demo, 1986

THE DYING (BELGIUM)

Quite good, energetic modern thrash/death, occasionally spiced with some classic riffs. The guys play fast and tight, without forgetting about the more melodic side of the genre, and some cool melodic hooks could be heard on quite a few of the songs (check out the one on the excellent "Gotham"). "Serpent" is a heavy, semi-balladic number, with good crushing riffs, and another nice melodic tune; it speeds up later on for a while, showing the guys losing their patience with the slower pace. This is cool headbanging stuff, which reaches heights like the mighty fast shredding monster "The Sadist Virus" and the smashing mid-paced steam roller "Jesus the Judas". The closer "Slaves of Tomorrow" is a peaceful melodic track, a bit underwhelming compared to the preceding raging ones.

Triumph of Tragedy Full-length, 2008

THE DYING LIGHT (USA)

Based on "The Killing Plan", this band manage to combine Floridian death metal with thrash in quite an impressive way. The music is very technical, recalling Morbid Angel and even Atheist at times, with heavy, stomping parts alternating with some furious blast beats. The guitar work is simply marvellous, and although most of the time the sound is more death metal-based, the high level of musicianship displayed here makes this band recommended to all metal fans.
"Survival Guide To The Apocalypse" is a good debut, again courting death metal more, but the guitar work is great all over. The music is constantly fast, and the songs are much shorter, not accentuating on the technical peformance that much. "Warstrike" is a nice piece, with slight progressive overtones, thrashing more than the rest, but offering some slower, doomy moments as well. "Seven" is a nice short technical death/thrasher, after which the technical charge increases, for the atmopsheric mid-paced "The Idol Usurped". "Megalomania" is all-out thrash attack, where the singer tries some unholy shrieks ala Tom Araya ("Black Magic"), but quickly the guys show that they can manage much more aggressive than that, with the following brutal death metal fury "In The Land Of The Dead". The closing "The First Waters" beats all, however, with the ultra fast black metal sections, and is actually a full-blooded black metal number, showing a band still in a stage of honing their "weapons".

Survival Guide To The Apocalypse Full-length, 2002
The Killing Plan Full-length, 2005

THE ENCHANTED (UK)

Based on the "For Those Who Fall..." EP, this is death/thrash metal with a classic sound, and some nice technical touches ala Death ("Human"); the pace is mid to up-tempo, with competent typical death metal growling vocals interrupted at times by some weak cleaner ones.

Trust In Death And Rebirth Full-length, 2002
For Those Who Fall... EP, 2004

THE END (FRANCE)

A very wild mixture of thrash, black and hardcore. The music is very fast and aggressive, with a strong industrial edge, including the horrible synthesized vocals. Impaled Nazarene could be a close call, but these guys are more thrashy, although the approach is the same: relentless, violent stuff, with frequent blast beats thrown in the most unexpected places. The guitar sound is very thin, and creates the impression that everything has been done on a computer.

Speedcore Metal Hell Demo, 2002

THE END OF 6000 YEARS (ITALY)

A prototypical modern thrash/death blend, with shouty, hoarse vocals and some more brutal blast-beat sections added, as well as sections where the band slow down, and the music starts smelling metalcore.

Isolation Full-length, 2008

THE EXALTED PILEDRIVER (CANADA)

The band name tells a lot: yes, this is the continuation of the great Piledriver with the omnipresent Gord Kirchin (also Dogs With Jobs) being the only member left from the old formation. Was the name change really necessary is not known- Kirchin himself is not willing to answer this question. The music is not exactly a direct follow-up to Piledriver's excellent "Stay Ugly"; it is slower and more melodic reminiscent more of the Dogs With Jobs' two albums, with the obligatory modern "updates". "Road Pigs" is a nice thrasher, though, which shows that Kirchin hasn't lost his knack of making headbanging music, and the best from his new act would probably come at some later stage.

Metal Manifesto/Promo '05 Demo, 2005

THE EXPERIENCE (GERMANY)

The demo is a melodic mixture of power/thrash and gothic metal, with keyboards and slow, dreamy moments aplenty; might irritate the thrash metal fans a bit with its Crematory-influenced sound, whose patience would probably be pushed to the limits with the 7-min acoustic ballad "Mental Solitude". "Insight" is an interesting take on thrash with the gothic atmosphere from the demo still present. The guys concentrate on atmosphere and emotions again, and despite the presence of very cool lead guitars, the music is not very sharp, and slows down to a balladic tempo quite often. The overall sound will remind you of a more aggressive version of the Finns Sentenced (their later period after "Amok") and To Die For. At least this time the ballad : "Resign", is shorter- 3.5min, but the 11-min epic compensates with its "Opeth-meets-Pink Floyd" sprawling, non-metal melodies.

Mental Solitude Demo, 1995
Realusion Full-length, 1996
Insight Full-length, 1999
Cid: Reflections of a blue mind Full-length, 2001

THE FADING (ISRAEL)

Modern thrash/death with a slight technical twist. The music is energetic and brisk, and the band play with gusto and competence, but is nothing sticking out of the contemorary thrash/death metal pack.

Chaos in Flesh EP, 2007

THE FALLEN (USA)

Based on "Front Toward Enemy": this is thrash reminding of Prong's mid-period ("Beg To Differ", "Prove You Wrong") with touches of hardcore, but with a more aggressive attitude, moving into Pantera-territory quite a few times.

The Tones In Which We Speak Full-length, 2000
Front Toward Enemy Full-length, 2002

THE FALLEN SONS (GERMANY)

Doomy, heavy thrash with some crossover tendencies; the music at times sounds like a thrashy version of the German depressive doomsters End of Green.

Aggrieving Feeling Demo, 2006

THE FORCE (PARAGUAY)

4 tracks of energetic old school speed/thrash with cool sharp, melodic riffs, not too far from early Whiplash. The South Americans care more about melody, and their music has some shades of power metal as well ("Evil World"). On the other hand we have "Heathen's Attack", which is an explosive thrasher in the beginning, before the more melodic hooks take over, alternating with the fast aggressive riffs.

Old School Metal Onslaught Demo, 2007

THE FORSAKEN (SWEDEN)

A cool band who play mostly melodic death metal of the Gothenburg school mixed with thrash and even some old school American death. The guys are quite technical, and occasionally manage to pull out some great riffs, but as a whole the music is not that striking to classify them as anything more than just another modern thrash/death metal band.

Manifest Of Hate Full-length, 2001
Arts Of Desolation Full-length, 2002
Traces Of The Past Full-length, 2003

THE GREAT KAT (USA)

A classically trained guitarist (she is also a very skillful violinist), this woman (or girl) takes the infatuation with classical music a way further than Mekong Delta, and turns it into ferocious thrash outbursts played with a lot of skill and confidence. The tracks are instrumentals only: short, but quite effective, and the speed might be a problem for you to distinguish the classical pieces on which they are based; her original works are on the two full-lengths, whereas later she started paying tribute to her favourite composers (the EP titles give you a clue).

Worship me or Die Full-length, 1987
Beethoven on Speed Full-length, 1990
Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed EP, 1996
Guitar Goddess EP, 1997
Bloody Vivaldi EP, 1998
Rossini's Rape EP, 2000
Wagner's War EP, 2002

THE GUFF (USA)

This band was formed by two of the future members of the death metallers Brutality. Based on the "The Art of Deception" demo, these guys offer very good thrash with nods to Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Death Angel, etc. There are two songs which are about 5-5.5min long, and are slightly technical, as opposed to the other two, shorter ones, which are great fast-paced thrashers.

The Art of Deception Demo, 1989
Refuse to Crawl Demo, 1991
Jackass Live Demo, 1992

THE HARROWED (AUSTRALIA)

This band are factually all the members of Fury. The Bay Area riffs which used to take a considerable part of the band's previous style, have been partially replaced by more aggressive, Slayer-esque ones, but still catchy and great, accompanied by excellent lead guitar which was missing from the works of Fury. Overall this is much better music, with more technical, choppy at times guitars, faster tempos, helped by some death metal rhythms as well, with a sparce use of blast beats. "The Voyage" is a superb instrumental, which abandons the aggression, but boasts the most stylish lead guitar work on the album.

The Harrowed Full-length, 2007

THE HAUNTED (SWEDEN)

This band literally invented the moden thrash/death hybrid on their first two albums. The band's cross between classic thrash and the Gothenburg sound had a huge influence on many bands. On "Revolver" the band started expanding their horizons outside the metal spectre which took a full-fledged realization on "The Dead Eye"- an album which has very little to do with their basic thrash/death metal sound, pulling back the majority of their fanbase.

The Haunted Full-length, 1998
The Haunted Made Me Do It Full-length, 2000
One Kill Wonder Full-length, 2003
rEVOLVEr Full-length, 2004
The Dead Eye Full-length, 2006

THE HIGH COUNCIL (USA)

This is the same band who operated during the late 80's-early 90's under the name Drop Dead. As Drop Dead, they helped Pantera and Exhorder establish the laws of the 90's groovy thrash; now they follow this trend very closely- heavy, pounding groovy thrash the way it used to be done in the good old 90's.

The High Council EP, 2005

THE HIRVI (FINLAND)

On their only demo this band pull out first rate thrash ala Kreator's "Extreme Aggression". The references to the Germans are strengthened by the very good Mille Petrozza-like vocals, but the music of the Finns is more technical, and not as fast, with some very stylish guitar work. "Welcome to the Wonderland" is a brilliant 7-min technical opus which "suggests" the style Kreator adopted for "Coma of Souls", plus some very original decisions ala Anacrusis.

Demo Demo, 1989

THE HOWLING (PORTUGAL)

Death/thrash metal with dark, gothic atmosphere of the mid-tempo variety, with beautiful Oriental melodies and some borrowed moments from Moonspell; a great band. "Scent of Desire" is a proof that the guys can pull out some cool headbanging riffs, still graced by a dark, gothic feel and some keyboards in the background. Another more intense dark thrasher is "Howl of Centuries", but it comes with an overuse of keyboards, and with another great acoustic Oriental middle break. "A Drop of Cruelty" with its marvellous battle, pounding rhythm will remind you of Bolt Thrower. The closer "In Her I Tasted God" is a beautiful acousitc instrumental.

Howl Of Centuries Full-length, 2004

THE KILL (USA)

Based on the "Kill Or Be Killed" demo, this band are obviously influenced by early Exciter; this is a melodic mix of speed and thrash (more speed than thrash) also resembling Destructor, and the Whiplash debut in the more aggressive parts. The singer has a good, mid-ranged voice, and the songs have memorable choruses sticking in your mind.

Force Of Habit Demo, 1985
Kill Or Be Killed Demo, 1986

THE KRIXHJALTERS (SWEDEN)

Based on "Evilution", this is cool crossover/thrash; the tempo is energetic, without being very fast. Some tracks are pure intense speed/thrashers- "Mulling Over Anaesthesia", others are jolly crossover hymns- "Beria, Show Him the Door". Both the bass and guitar work are very strong, giving the sound some technical decorations- "To Whom Can You Turn", a very cool diverse instrumental. The guys are specialists in catchy, infectious choruses- check out the nice "Kill each Other". They later decided to change their name to Omnitron.

Guineapig Assasinator EP, 1983
Evilution Full-length, 1989
A Krixmas Carol EP, 1990

THE KRUSHERS (ITALY)

Based on the EP, this band pull out a very wild mixture of thrash, death, hardcore, and grindcore; these are 11 short outbursts of violence and aggression which will remind you of Wehrmacht, The Accused, Napalm Death, and their compatriots from Schizo, at the same time.

The Godz of the Atom's Starz Demo, 2001
Rehearsal Tape Demo, 2001
1985 Demo, 2002
Megaloi Theoi Demo, 2002
Megaloi Theoi (Extended Version) Best of/Compilation, 2004
Unholy Underground Ritual Split, 2004
Kaos at CSOA Excarcere Demo, 2005
Baruch Ashem EP, 2005
Memorie di Un Anticristo Demo, 2007
Merciless Onslaught/The Krushers Split, 2007

THEE KVLT OV (((OUROBOROS (USA)

A slightly uneven mix of thrash, doom and black metal with horrible synthesized black-ish vocals. The music is mostly mid-paced to slow-ish, with some sparce faster thrashy breaks; the overall sound clings towards Lair Of The Minotaur, or Barathrum. At the end there is an interesting cover of Blue Oyster Cult's hit "Godzilla"; this legendary band are another soundalike, actually; this is probably how they would have sounded if they had translated their music for the metal fans...I guess...

BLVD EP, 2006

THE LAST OF THEM (PORTUGAL)

Groovy thrash which was much more typical for the 90's, but still works not bad. The riffs are crunchy, and the guys don't forget to speed up wherever necessary, but some alternative numbers like "Kronik Impulse", and the use of awful industrialized vocals, shake the confidence in the band's delivery. On top of that there is a certain nod to the modern gothic/death metal scene: "Stone Immaculated", which is good, but totally inappropriate on such an effort. When the guys stick to the groove, they can do a job not much worse than Pantera and Machine Head; although the 90's groovy sound is a gradually vanishing species these days, this band are definitely not "The Last Of Them" ...

Slow Motion Chaos EP, 2008

THE LAW (SWEDEN)

The acts from Sweden who are bringing back the old school thrash metal sound of the past, are increasing fast. The Law play nice Bay Area influenced thrash- think Exodus, Vio-lence, etc., but it comes "served" with a certain presence of elements from the 90's scene- you know I mean this "sweet" groovy sound, brought by Pantera and Exhorder. This mix here works quite well, resulting in cool and catchy headbangers.

Lawman & The Law/Anthem Demo, 2004
Dudes of Darkness Demo, 2006

THE LEAD (USA)

Thrash/crossover mixed with death metal- quite unique at the time, and very seldom tried after. Yes, it's true that Wehrmacht were pretty close to reach this intensity, but didn't, and here come The Lead to provide you with the most brutal slab from this genre. Most of the songs are very fast and violent, but in the middle of most of them one can hear some great, proficient leads, as well as some quite stylish riffs. The singer has a very melodic, punk-ish voice, which totally contrasts to the aggressive music, but works very well. Near the middle the guys take a break with a heavy, mid-paced track: "Infernal Pain". Some songs are pure death metal assaults: "To The Ends Of The World", but work as good, with their great melodic, speedy hooks. "Skate Or Die", on the other hand, is pure crossover delight- catchy and high-spirited. This is a really interesting and original blend of two contrasting genres, done with style.

Burn This record Full-Length, 1989

THE MACHETE (FINLAND)

This is a side project of three members from Mokoma; based on "Regression", the music is not miles away from recent Mokoma, but is faster, with some aggressive death metal sections, plus the unnecessary presence of some clean vocals.

Regression Full-length, 2005
Untrue Full-length, 2007

THE MIST (BRAZIL)

Another one of the Brazilian bands with a touch of originality (Acid Storm, Leviaethan). The band's music on the first two releases (where the Chakal's singer- Vladimir Korg, sings) is very impressive; "Phantasmagoria" features energetic headbanging thrash, spiced with some slower, dark, gothic-tinged numbers ("A Step Into The Dark"). The concentration is on the faster side of the music, and as such this album is a fairly satisfying listen.
"The Hangman Tree" is the band's finest hour; the first two compositions are complex affairs, mixing the more speedy, immediate riffs, with those dark, gloomy ones, which were only slightly hinted at on the debut. But later the guys start thrashing with passion, and are almost unreachable ("Peter Pan Against the World", "The Hangman Tree- Act One", and others), alternating these thrashing gems with equally effective, slower, atmospheric numbers.
"Ashes To Ashes,..." shows a shift in direction to a Ministry-like sound, and is still a very strong effort (for fans of industrial and modern thrash). Their swan song is not worthy, and has nothing to do with their previous works, opting for some awful brand of modern metal.

Phantasmagoria Full-length, 1989
The Hangman Tree Full-length, 1991
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust Full-length, 1993
Gottverlassen Full-length, 1997

THE MORBID (USA)

A 4-song demo of aggressive thrash, resembling Rigor Mortis and Slayer. This is actually the band Morbid Scream who, for some reason decided to change their name, but not the style which is pretty much the same, maybe not as fast, and sharing some of the aggro sound of Exhorder ("A World Away").

The Morbider the Merrier Demo, 1990

THE NATIONAL CEMETERY ORCHESTRA (USA)

This is a very ambitious project run by just one man- Karl Nix, who specializes in instrumental thrash metal. The debut is plain thrash, melodic and quite well done, with a certain technical edge. "Beyond The Shadows" takes a more aggressive turn, introducing some black and death metal elements, but the music only increases its appeal. "Prince of Rosh" sees a return to the thrash roots of the debut, but the riffs are sharper and the overall result is much more intense and better, borrowing both from the Bay Area and the German scenes.

As Twilight Fades Into Night Full-length, 2001
Beyond The Shadows Full-length, 2002
Prince of Rosh Full-length, 2004
Monument Full-length, 2007

THE NOTHING (UK)

A cool debut of modern thrash along the lines of the Finns Maple Cross, and Municipal Waste, so it's far from nothing (pun intended); there are some groovy parts, but most of the time the music is energetic and has a good headbanging potential.

How to Avoid Heaven Full-length, 2006

THE NO-MADS (POLAND)

Based on "No Hush Till Thrash", this is a cross between modern and classic thrash, featuring a very interesting cover of The Beatles' "Yesterday". The first part is the more immediate, with faster songs. In the second half the tracks suddenly become longer and less catchy.

No Hush Till Thrash Full-length, 2003
Deranged Full-length, 2006

THE PLAGUE (USA)

Based on the "For The Faith Of Man" demo, these guys offer very good, technically-minded thrash, with frequent change of tempos which create a somewhat frantic feeling, including some faster, aggressive parts. There are definitely touches of Forbidden and Deus Vult in the guitar department, but this band pull out sharper, albeit less technical riffs. "World Apart" is not a very successful attempt at the "ballad-meets-thrash" variation which tones down the intensity a bit, but the rest is quite a worthy slab of a less ordinary take on thrash.
"Games For The Insane" is a much more straight-forward stuff, and more diverse. You can hear some pure crossover pieces ("I Quit"), some heavy/power metal numbers ("Scapegoat"); the rest is energetic thrash with a hardcore edge quite close to Nuclear Assault.

Games For The Insane Demo, 1990
For The Faith Of Man Demo, 1991

THE RECKONING (USA)

Brilliant technical thrash metal along the lines of Forbidden's "Twisted into Form" and Wargasm's "Why Play Around". "Immortal Majority" contains the more aggressive and faster material, with the sound frequently rubbing shoulders with Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare" and Viking's "Man of Straw"; a great underground gem.

Immoral Majority Demo, 1989
Absence of Mind Demo, 1990
This Side of Tomorrow Demo, 1991

THE REIGN (USA)

Although 3 of the songs on this 4-song demo are over 8-min long, this is not technical stuff; this is heavy, mid-paced, even doomy at times power/thrash metal. The guitar work is interesting and keeps the tempo alive; rest assured that you won't fall asleep. Each of the long songs starts with slow, pounding riffs as pure doom metal, and livens up later on. The only short track: "The Last Laugh", is actually an instrumental which speeds up a bit, but the guitars there are more melodic. The vocals are gruff and low-tuned, with a slight death metal shade.

Act of Penance Demo, 1991

THE SCOURGER (FINLAND)

A band who walk the line between the modern and the classic sound: whereas their debut is more on the modern side, and didn't sound too different from hundreds of similar efforts, with "Dark Invitation to Armageddon" the guys aim at the classic school, and do a much better job. This is encompassing music, which stays much closer to thrash, with very few traces of death metal, and has something in common with the Bay-Area scene, Slayer, but also Destruction and Kreator. There is a very good balance between fast-paced pieces ("Never Bury the Hatchet"), and some heavier and slower ones ("To Tame a Life"), having a strong late 80's Slayer influence; some are great combinations of the two: "Beyond Judas". The guitarists have a great sense of melody, and some lines are very catchy and memorable- check out the brilliant "Dark Invitation to Armageddon", among others! Some sparce use of keybords in the background can be heard on some songs ("Last Nail to the Coffin"), which gives them a cool dark, atmospheric edge. If the debut was of a more ordinary nature, with this album the band make a major step towards the front row; well, it takes more to reach it, but if they go on in the same vein, it wouldn't be hard...

To the Slayground EP, 2005
Blind Date With Violence Full-length, 2006
Dark Invitation to Armageddon Full-length, 2008

THE SOULS UNREST (USA)

A death/thrash/sludge band; the music is very heavy, and references to Eye Hate God could be heard on quite a few times. If I have to choose a soundalike from the thrash metal field, that would be Lair Of The Minotaur, but this band here are more technical, with nice twisted riffs involved at times (check out "Though I Fall").

The Souls Unrest Full-length, 2006

THE SPUDMONSTERS (USA)

This band is a side-project for two members of Pro-Pain, and their style is a direct take on the more enjoyable, early period of that same band. This is mostly hardcore, with occasional thrashy riffs, not very aggressive, but catchy and energetic. The debut is the band's most thrashy offering, containing the fastest material the guys ever recorded ("Death Sucks", "Repo Man"); check also the crushing mid-paced "Self Proclaimed Expert".

Stop the Madness Full-length, 1993
No Guarantees Full-length, 1995
Moment of Truth Full-length, 1996

THE STEEL EMPIRE (USA)

A very good mix of speed and thrash metal; of all the three tracks here one is a great thrashy, Bay Area-influenced headbanger: "NYC Streets", one is pure speed metal piece with a German flavour (Scanner, Helloween): "Quetzalcoatl (Aztec Messiah)", and one is a fine combination of the two styles: "Knight of the Bat".

Demo Demo, 1988

THE UNJUST (USA)

A very good speed/thrash metal album, calling to mind Agent Steel's debut and Attacker. There is an interesting vocal duel between clean high-pitched tones and some very low proto-death growling (guess who wins!). The songs are kind of samey with a fast tempo, and merge into one another, that's why you might not be able to distinguish one song from another in the long run, but this is great music and fans of the speedier side of thrash will find a lot to like here.

Hammerhead Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

THE UNSANE (USA)

The band's EP was an inauspicious beginning featuring some raw, fast thrash without any interesting moments. The full-length is an improvement in every aspect, and contains very well played intense thrash (actually, music-wise both works are not too far from each other, but with better production qualities the full-length is way ahead), sounding like a nice companion piece to Slayer's "Reign in Blood". The guys play without compromises, blasting through the songs in a fairly intelligible way, with a slightly abrasive, but very sharp guitar sound. "Next Left Eternal Rest" introduces some slower, pounding riffs, but after it the aggression continues until the end.

Inverted Crosses EP, 1988
Slap of Reality Full-length, 1991

THE WARSLAIN (FINLAND)

Heavy, groovy thrash with some faster death metal passages.

One Bullet Left Demo, 2006

THE WRETCHED (JAPAN)

An obscure, but worthy band who pull out some very good classic thrash metal, neither too aggressive nor melodic, but keeping a nice balance between both, with occasional nods to heavy metal, and good clean vocals which will remind you of "Toto" Bergmann from Living Death.

Too Fast To Die Demo, 1990

THE ZEPHYR (MEXICO)

The line-up includes members of other acts from the Mexican thrash metal field: Lust, Raped God, etc. Based on "Fake Measured Smile", this is first class technical thrash, easily beating the aforementioned bands, as well as many others worldwide. The guitar work is very diverse, covering a wide spectre of tempos and hooks. The songs never indulge in a technical show-off, and are short, with a lot to offer. The pace is quite fast for most of the time, slowing down for some more complex passages. Every track is a highlight, some of them being truly outstanding: the energetic instrumental "Love Turn To Hate": a technical riff-fest at its finest; the short frantic "Stormy Day", the superb lead-driven "Yell With The Wind", which will startle you with its brutal, death-laced ending; the speed metal delight "...Its Pay Time". "Just To Rise Again" steals some riffs from Black Sabbath's "Heaven & Hell" at the end, but they are a nice touch to the frantic thrashing which precedes them. Probably the finest Mexican metal act of the new millennium, these guys will hopefully find some time, outside their other engagements, to record something new soon.
"Impure & Divine" is mix of black, thrash and death metal. The guitar work is not as technical, but the speed remains, often reaching out for aggressive ultra-fast passages. The music probably favours death metal most, but the thrash metal fan will be pleased on fast-paced death/thrashers, like the excellent "State of Mind" and "The God Who KIlls". "Lunar Sea" is a very good example of the other extreme: a gothic doomy/black metal number, with some nice melodic hooks, slow and very atmospheric. A nice touch are the two short acoustic insrumentals, where the guitar performance is just brilliant.

Celestial Evil God EP, 1996
Impure & Divine Full-length, 1998
Fake Measured Smile Full-length, 2003

THEM (CHILE)

Based on the "Journey Into the Unknown" demo, this band mix black, thrash and death metal, and although the musicianship is not on a very high level, and the vocals are especially annoying, having this hysterical black metal rasp, one could catch elements from Bathory, Messiah, Sarcofago, Protector, etc. The guys try to keep the speed high, and they manage to do that for most of the time.

Journey Into the Unknown Demo, 1992
Hidden Journey Demo, 2006

THERIAC (HOLLAND)

This band was formed by ex-members of Pestilence. Based on the "Staccato Thrashio" 3-song demo, these guys have done a fairly good job, playing excellent fast-paced thrash, not as aggressive as the one on the Pestilence debut, but more along the lines of Torture's "Storm Alert" and Viking's "Man of Straw". This is a short, but memorable thrash assault, with mighty speedy guitars, and gruff, low-tuned vocals.

Staccato Thrashio Demo, 1988
Claustrophobia Demo, 1990
Thoughts Demo, 1991