Time for a simpler top ten list, this one of my favorite thrash metal bands. I’ll offer up a fairly short breakdown of each band, judging them based on their entire career from inception to today. There may be some surprises in here for you 🙂
But first a little bit o’ history… For those of you that haven’t kept up with this blog, here’s a bit of news for ya… I’m a SERIOUS thrash metal fan. Go back a few posts and read HERE about how I got hooked- it took a little bit of time but once it got me in its grubby little paws it’s never let me go. I’m a little too old for the pit but I still dig a good show!
10. Flotsam & Jetsam (great band and may have released their finest platter EVER with this year’s self titled album- it’s that good)
9. Death Angel (relentless and formidible, moved from punky/clattery early noise to a more refined and excellent thrash unit who have made a welcome return to the scene)
8. Overkill (No holds barred and workmanlike, these NYC boys are still going strong and release great new material although I miss the early Bobby Gustafson era)
7. Sacred Reich (a little more brutal with hardcore punk overtones mixed with Sabbath heft, maybe some of the better lyrics in the genre- release something new please!)
6. Slayer (got into Slayer quite late; that midperiod Rick Rubin produced stuff is epic and stands the test of time. Best drummer in thrash bar none in Dave Lombardo)
5. Anthrax (gets a higher vote here due to the massive Among The Living, which got me into the genre and will always rank high on my list of favorite albums)
4. Exodus (manic yet insanely catchy thrash from another band that’s still going strong- Gary Holt has a well full of riffs and the goblin shriek of Zetro is back where he belongs!)
3. Metallica (might be low for some but have fallen somewhat due to some lackluster mid-period material. Still, the first three albums rank VERY high for me with #4 not far behind)
2. Megadeth (Mustaine edges out his former band here, mostly due to the continued technical mastery of his bandmates and to the all out aggression on the early material)
1. Testament (in terms of overall consistency and a continued push of the thrash boundary with excellent results, Testament stands at the top. Having the best frontman and the best lead guitarist in the genre certainly helps, plus Eric Peterson continues to write outstanding riffs)
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I agree with your top 6, but then I’d have Death Angel 7, Metal Church 8, Overkill 9, and any number of bands 10 just because I don’t have enough of any other band’s material to make a good call. Just a bunch of one albums per band that are all really cool. Right now, though, Havok would be 10, but I don’t know if they should count since they’re new generation!
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I don’t consider Metal Church a thrash band; otherwise, they would definitely have been on this list. They certainly have elements but they fall in line with someone like Armored Saint for me. Interesting when I think back on this is that I believe I got the MC tape before we even listened to Anthrax and Metallica. I may be wrong on that though.
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Also, the Top 10 was pretty cut and dried for me. Other bands certainly to consider but I didn’t really get into them until much later (although Annihilator may have been #11). Havok certainly ranks high in these new wave of thrashers!
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Oh, and that collage is awesome!
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Yeah, I figured you either just forgot Metal Church or just didn’t consider them thrash. That’s what I was thinking about Sacred Reich, but I guess I just haven’t listened to enough of their stuff. Also, who was the band that opened for Anthrax/Metal Church that night? It was a one word name like Annhilator……
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You’re thinking Annihilator\Wrathchild America\Testament!
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Oh yeah, that’s right, it WAS Annihilator but a different show. Still, wasn’t there a local band or something that opened Metal Church/Anthrax? Because I REALLY feel like someone played a version of Caught in a Mosh to open one of those shows. Did Annihilator do it maybe? That’s really obscure, I know, but if anybody remembers little things like that, YOU do!😄
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Oh yeah! ARMAGEDDON! But was that Ahthrax/Metal Church? Man, that was a loooong time ago. Maybe they opened for CJSS?
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Yeah! I knew it was an A word name, haha! Maybe it was a CJSS show at that. Can’t remember other than that they played covers and we’re pretty good if I recall correctly. Were they local? Because I only remember seeing them once, so that seems unlikely considering how many times we saw CJSS and even Thruster.
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They were from Dayton, OH, I believe. They were really good. I think they even did a Metal Church song.
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