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Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. Thrash metal lyrics often deal with social issues using direct and denunciatory language, an approach which partially overlaps with the hardcore genre. The "Big Four" bands of thrash metal are Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer, who simultaneously created and popularized the genre in the early 1980s.
The origins of thrash metal are generally traced to the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a number of bands began incorporating the sound of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, creating a new genre and developing into a separate movement from punk rock and hardcore. This genre is more aggressive compared to its relative, speed metal, and can be seen in part to be a reaction to the lighter, more widely acceptable sounds and themes of glam metal.
Thrash metal generally features fast tempos, low-register, complex guitar riffs, high-register guitar solos, double bass drumming, and aggressive vocals. Most thrash guitar solos are played at high speed, as they are usually characterized by shredding, and use techniques such as sweep picking, legato phrasing, alternate picking, string skipping, and two-hand tapping. Thrash lead guitarists are often influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Thrash guitar riffs often use chromatic scales and emphasize the tritone and diminished intervals, instead of using conventional single scale based riffing. For example, the main riff of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" is a chromatic descent, followed by a chromatic ascent based on the tritone. Rhythm guitar playing is characterized by extensive palm muting and down picking to give the riffs a chugging sound, along with extensive use of the pedal point technique (creating what can be considered a distinctive, 'thrashy' sound). Speed, pacing, and time-changes also define thrash metal. Thrash tends to have an accelerating feel which may be due in large part to its aggressive drumming style. For example, thrash drummers often use two bass drums, or a double-bass pedal, in order to create a relentless, driving beat. Cymbal stops/chokes are often used to transition from one riff to another or to precede an acceleration in tempo. To keep up with the other instruments, many thrash bassists use a pick. However, some prominent thrash metal bassists have used their fingers, such as Frank Bello, Greg Christian, Jack Gibson, Steve DiGiorgio, Robert Trujillo and the late Cliff Burton. Several bassists use a distorted bass tone, an approach popularized by Burton and Motörhead's Lemmy.
Lyrical themes in thrash metal include isolation, alienation, corruption, injustice, addiction, suicide, murder, warfare, and other maladies that afflict the individual and society. Humor and irony can occasionally be found, but they are limited, and are the exception rather than the rule.
Inclusive thrash metal music subgenres:
- Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. It is sometimes referred to as punk metal, though this is generally incorrect due to the existence of other music genres that combine forms of punk rock and heavy metal, such as grunge, crust punk, and more recently metalcore and its subgenres. While thrash metal is heavily influenced by hardcore punk, the overall sound of crossover thrash is more punk-influenced yet more metal-sounding and aggressive than traditional hardcore punk and thrashcore. The term was coined by the band D.R.I. with their album Crossover, released in 1987. The term 'crossover' is based on the metaphor of crossing over from one genre into the other, thus capturing artists the operate within the transition zone between thrash metal and hardcore punk. With the metaphor comes the conception of directionality, such that the genre is applied to hardcore and crust punk artists who have crossed over into thrash metal territory, such as D.R.I., Discharge, The Exploited, The Accüsed, Agnostic Front and Suicidal Tendencies (who eventually ventured into alternative metal), and thrash metal artists who crossed over into hardcore punk territory, such as Nuclear Assault and S.O.D. A number of death metal bands (especially those of the first wave of Swedish death metal) draw on hardcore punk, mainly because their members listen to crossover thrash - these bands are included under the death metal subgenre here at the MMA.
- Death-thrash combines elements from thrash metal and death metal. The most common type of death-thrash is based on thrash metal music (often played a bit faster than standard thrash metal) with growled vocals. Sepultura's "Schizophrenia", "Beneath the Remains", and "Arise" are considered examples of death-thrash. Given that death metal is derived from thrash metal, many early death metal bands played a style that was anchored thrash metal and could be considered death-thrash. Many of those artists are included under the death metal genre here on MMA.
- Technical/progressive (or tech/prog) thrash metal is considered a legitimate genre by some (or even two legitimate genres), while others argue that it is a pseudo-genre. Bands included in this genre take emphasize technicality in their music, in the form of complex riffs and/or complex song structures, while others apply the ethos of progressive music more broadly without straying from their basic thrash metal sound. Examples of artists that are sometimes considered tech/prog thrash metal acts are Dark Angel, Death Angel (especially on "Act III"), Annihilator, Artillery (especially on "By Inheritance", "When Death Comes", and "My Blood"), and Invocator. Releases like "Master of Puppets" and "...And Justice For All" by Metallica are quite progressively oriented with complex song structures and numerous sections per song. Some bands like Voivod, Antithesis and Watchtower took the progressive approach so far that they are primarily considered progressive metal artists rather than thrash metal artists.
- Blackened thrash metal is thrash metal with black metal elements. Its thrash metal basis is more primitive and akin to early German thrash metal. Examples of blackened thrash metal bands are Assaulter, Aura Noir, and The Metaphor. It should be mentioned that much early black metal, such as Venom and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost actually had its roots in thrash metal.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrash_metalWritten by Time Signature.
Sub-genre collaborators (+ child sub-genres & shared with Speed Metal and Groove Metal): - Vim Fuego (leader)
- Nightfly
Showing only albums and EPs | Based on members ratings & MMA custom algorithm | 24 hours caching
Album · 1992 ·
Crossover Thrash
UMUR
"Alpha-Omega" is the third full-length studio album by US, New York based hardcore/crossover thrash metal act Cro-Mags. The album was released through Century Media Records in May 1992. It´s the successor to "Best Wishes" from 1989 and only Harley Flanagan (bass, vocals) and Doug Holland (guitars) remain from the lineup who recorded the predecessor. New in the lineup are drummer Dave DiCenso, guitarist Gabby Abularach, and lead vocalist John Joseph. The latter makes a return to the band after he quit in 1987 and relieves Flanagan from his lead vocalist duties (Flanagan performed lead vocals on "Best Wishes (1989)").
Stylistically Cro-Mags add another layer of heavy/thrash metal influences to their hardcore/crossover thrash metal sound, and this was their most "metal" release up until then. The album features quite a few powerful riffs and heavy rhythms and some nice lead guitar work too (which often reminds me of Rocky George from Suicidal Tendencies). The return of Joseph to the lineup unfortunately does nothing good for the music. He has a pretty awful voice and vocal style. When he sings in raw hardcore mode it´s actually decent enough, but whenever he tries to sing anything melodic or performs one of his awkward sounding shouts it´s hard not to cringe with embarassement. I´m a bit harsh on him here, but there are just some vocal moments on this album which are unacceptable on a professional recording. His rap style vocals on "Eyes of Tomorrow" doesn´t help on that impression. I found his unique vocal style quite charming on "The Age of Quarrel" (1986), but here it´s more forced and strained, which is not pleasing to the ears.
When that is said the instrumental part of the music thankfully elevates the album to a higher state. There are some very powerful and intriguing songwriting ideas here, which deserve praise. It´s obvious that these guys are much more than "just" a another hardcore/crossover thrash metal act from New York. "Alpha-Omega" is well produced too, featuring a clear, powerful, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. So other than the awkward vocals, this is through and through a quality release. So a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong, but be prepared for some pretty odd sounding vocals.
EP · 2003 ·
Thrash Metal
UMUR
"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black" is an EP release by Danish death/thrash metal act Hatesphere. The EP was released through Scarlet Records in December 2003. It bridges the gap between the band´s second- and third full-length studio albums "Bloodred Hatred (2002)" and "Ballet of the Brute (2004)". "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black" is more a mini-album than it´s an EP as it features no less than 7 tracks and a total playing time of 27:59 minutes.
As the title may suggest the EP features both old, new, and borrowed (Cover tracks) material. I´m not sure what the "black" means in the title, but there is probably a message there. "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black" opens with "Release the Pain", which is the only new original track featured on the EP. It´s followed by covers of "Bark at the Moon" by Ozzy Osbourne and "Caught in a Mosh" by Anthrax and the EP then closes with four live tracks. Two tracks from the 2001 eponymously titled debut album ("Hate" and "Bloodsoil") and two tracks from "Bloodred Hatred (2002)" ("Low Life Vendetta" and "Plague").
"Release the Pain" continues the At the Gates meets The Haunted death/thrash metal style of the preceding releases, and while it´s arguably a solid new track from Hatesphere, there´s no surprises there. The two covers are actually pretty great and Hatesphere manage to put their own spin on the tracks. It´s especially great to hear "Bark at the Moon" given the death/thrash treatment. The live tracks feature a good quality sound production and the performances are tight, energetic, and raw. They were recorded live on the 1st of March 2002 at Voxhall, Aarhus, Denmark, which is the band´s home turf. The homeground situation is felt too as there´s some great response from the audience and some nice interaction with the audience from lead vocalist Jacob Bredahl.
Upon conclusion "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black" is a good quality EP and it´s therefore certainly a release worth your time. There´s both enough quality and enough quantity here to warrant a purchase. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Album · 1989 ·
Thrash Metal
UMUR
"Just a Face in the Crowd" is the seconnd full-length studio album by US, Hoboken/Jersey City, New Jersey based thrash metal act Gothic Slam. The album was released through Roadracer Records in 1989. It´s the successor to "Killer Instinct" from 1988 and proved to be the band´s last release before disbanding in 1993 (although a demo was recorded in 1991 but shelved).
Stylistically the material on "Just a Face in the Crowd" continue the thrash metal style with crossover leanings (the music for example features riot gang backing vocals) that was introduced on "Killer Instinct" (1988). Gothic Slam are well playing and lead vocalist Daniel Gomez delivers a passionate and powerful performance. He has a voice and vocal style which can be described as a combination of Bon Scott (AC/DC) and Steve "Zetro" Souza (Exodus), although he maybe lacks the uniqueness to his performance as his influences are able to deliver.
"Just a Face in the Crowd" features 9 original tracks and a cover of "Thunder and Lightning" by Thin Lizzy. Both the originals and the cover are well performed, energetic, and entertaining, and "Just a Face in the Crowd" is well produced too, which provides the material with good conditions to shine. The songwriting is relatively memorable and effective, but Gothic Slam don´t produce anything you haven´t heard before. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still warranted though, as this is a good quality recording.
EP · 2023 ·
Technical Thrash Metal
UMUR
"The Silent Call" is an EP release by Dutch technical/progressive thrash metal act Cryptosis. The EP was released through Century Media Records in December 2023. It follows the release of Cryptosis' debut full-length studio album "Bionic Swarm" (March 2021). "The Silent Call" features two new original compositions and two live tracks. The two latter are tracks found in their studio versions on "Bionic Swarm".
Both "The Silent Call" and "Master of Life" could well have been included on "Bionic Swarm" as they are much in the same sci-fi themed technical/progressive thrash metal style (featuring almost symphonic sounding keyboards) as the material featured on the full-length studio album. The two live tracks feature a very well sounding recording quality, and if I didn´t know it, I would have thought that these were studio recordings. The occasional "hey, "hey, "hey" from the audience also reveals that it´s indeed live recordings though. With the amount of keyboards used, I´m assuming that Cryptosis use a lot of backing tracks (they are a trio and probably don´t handle keyboards on stage), which explans the relatively polished live sound, but the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals also sound really good in the mix.
So if you enjoyed "Bionic Swarm" this is definitely a nice little stop-gap release between "Bionic Swarm" and the March 2025 second full-length studio album "Celestial Death". A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Album · 2024 ·
Thrash Metal
UMUR
"Altered Realities" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian death/thrash metal act Sovereign. The album was released through Dark Descent Records in January 2024. Sovereign formed in 2018 and their first release was the 2018 "Iron Cast" single. In 2019 the eponymously titled demo and a few more singles followed. The "Neurotic" EP was released in 2020.
Stylistically Sovereign travel a similar sci-fi themed technical thrash metal path as artists like Cryptic Shift, Vektor, Cryptosis, Dissimulator, and Obliveon (just to mention a few of the more prolific artists in the genre), but they are generally a bit more unhinged and savage and maybe bit less sophisticated. When they are most fast-paced, energetic, and caustic sounding I´m reminded of early Sadus (and even Merciless). So this is technical thrash metal bordering aggressive old school death metal albeit predominantly leaning towards the thrash metal side of things. Relentlessly aggressive, fast-paced, and highly energetic, but also with moments of more melodic sophistication. The vocals are raw, aggressive and hoarse shouting.
The quality of the songwriting is high throughout, the performances are top notch, and "Altered Realities" also features a raw, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, so upon conclusion it´s a good quality debut release from Sovereign. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Movie · 2012 ·
Thrash Metal
martindavey87
Pretty standard Metallica live DVD here. Great set, fantastic sound and visuals, and the band all on top form as always (even Lars does alright!). The metal legends, touring to promote 2008’s ‘Death Magnetic’ have gone back to their old-school way of having the stage in the middle of the venue, kind of making this feel like ‘Cunning Stunts’ all over again, except, ten years wiser and more mature. And while they may not have the same drive and ambition as they did in the 90’s, it’s clear to see that this is an alcohol and drug-free band, who are just having the time of their lives up on stage.
Featuring all the hits you’d come to expect, such as ‘One’, ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘Broken, Beat and Scarred’, ‘Battery’ and a whole host of others, including some “bonus track” surprises, such as ‘Turn the Page’, ‘Holier Than Thou’ and ‘Breadfan’, this is a great DVD that may not stand out in the bands discography as much as previous releases ‘Live Shit: Binge & Purge’, ‘Cunning Stunts’ or ‘S&M’, but is still plenty worthwhile owning, and certainly enough to satisfy any Metallica fan.
Movie · 2013 ·
Thrash Metal
martindavey87
Regardless of the results, I’ll always give Metallica credit for not being afraid to try new things. Going from thrash metal to alternative rock, playing with an orchestra, side projects with Lou Reed and now this… a concert movie?
And the results here, as expected, are pretty mixed. The actual movie aspect doesn’t make much sense. With a daft storyline interspersed with the concert footage, and at times tying into the show itself. Sometimes with the band actually even doing little choreographed bits on stage, this all comes across as a bit awkward at times, and is probably more of a detriment than anything.
However, the concert footage itself is absolutely gorgeous! The visuals are fantastic and the high-definition video really gives it a crystal-clear picture, with some very cool camera angles and some awesome close-ups. Along with all the usual Metallica pyrotechnics and on-stage stunts and props, this is like ‘Cunning Stunts’ on steroids.
But sadly, that’s pretty much the only highlight. There’s a whole hoard of extras, including behind-the-scenes documentaries, Q&A sessions, trailers, music videos, and a whole bunch more, but it’s mostly all pretty bland and generic, with the only saving grace being that live footage. I wish they’d just done an entire concert DVD recorded like this, because that part, really is THAT damn good!
Movie · 2009 ·
Thrash Metal
martindavey87
‘Francais...’ is one of three Metallica DVD’s that all seemed to pop up around a close time-frame of each other (the others being similar concerts from Mexico and Quebec). Released in 2009, it features Metallica touring to promote their fairly new release, ‘Death Magnetic’, from the previous year. On this concert DVD, the set list is solid, the playing is fantastic, and the visuals are excellent. The setting is an old amphitheatre that looks absolutely beautiful as a music venue. The only setback was that this lacks a lot of the pyrotechnics and effects that their arena shows afforded them. So unless you’re a huge fan, it might get a bit boring just sitting here and watching them, well, just play for over two hours.
Still, it’s a great DVD, and the band is on top form, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, we even see quite a few songs that hadn’t been played live in a long time! And with a few added extras (interviews, extra footage etc), this makes for a worthy addition to any Metallica fans collection.
