Thrash Metal

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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_metal

Written by Time Signature.

Sub-genre collaborators (+ child sub-genres & shared with Speed Metal and Groove Metal):
  • Vim Fuego (leader)
  • Nightfly

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METALLICA Master of Puppets Album Cover Master of Puppets
METALLICA
4.53 | 299 ratings
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MEGADETH Rust in Peace Album Cover Rust in Peace
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METALLICA Ride the Lightning Album Cover Ride the Lightning
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ANNIHILATOR Never, Neverland Album Cover Never, Neverland
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FORBIDDEN Twisted Into Form Album Cover Twisted Into Form
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SEPULTURA Beneath the Remains Album Cover Beneath the Remains
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SEPULTURA Arise Album Cover Arise
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ANNIHILATOR Alice in Hell Album Cover Alice in Hell
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ANTHRAX Among The Living Album Cover Among The Living
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4.35 | 95 ratings
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METALLICA ...And Justice for All Album Cover ...And Justice for All
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VOIVOD Dimension Hatröss Album Cover Dimension Hatröss
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Doomsday for the Deceiver Album Cover Doomsday for the Deceiver
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thrash metal Music Reviews

THE ACCÜSED More Fun Than an Open Casket Funeral

Album · 1987 · Crossover Thrash
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"More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is the second full-length studio album by US, Seattle based crossover thrash metal act The Accüsed. The album was released through Combat Records in 1987. The Accüsed was formed in 1980 and released a couple of demos before releasing the "Martha Splatterhead" EP in 1985. The debut album "The Return of... Martha Splatterhead" followed in 1986. "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is a self-produced effort, recorded during Valentines day 1987 at Michael Lord Productions.

A one day recording session is fully in keeping with The Accüsed´s DIY hardcore roots, and the material is as raw, gritty, and unpolished as expected. While still heavily rooted in hardcore punk, The Accüsed have become more metallic on "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!", and the label crossover thrash metal applies here, better than it did on the preceding releases. Most tracks are short and raw, fast-paced bursts of filth and aggression, but The Accüsed do incorporate heavy mid-paced sections too. An example of that is one of the album highlights in "Rape (Not a Love Song)".

While the production values are slightly better than on the extremely raw garage sounding debut album, it´s only details which separate the two and "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is definitely also in the more raw end of the production spectrum. This is a warts and all type of release and although the band can play their instruments, and it all sounds very organic and loose, it also sounds a bit detuned and sloppy.

So "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" functions because it´s a charmingly raw and authentic release, delivered by an honest and passionate band. The Accüsed get much out of little and while I wouldn´t exactly call "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" a masterpiece, there are enough interesting elements here to warrant a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating.

OXYGEN DESTROYER Spawned by the Horrors of Thermonuclear Warfare

Boxset / Compilation · 2022 · Thrash Metal
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"Spawned by the Horrors of Thermonuclear Warfare" is a compilation album by US, Seattle, Washington based death/thrash metal act Oxygen Destroyer. The compilation was released through Sewer Rot Records in July 2022. It bridges the gap between Oxygen Destroyer´s second- and third full-length studio albums "Sinister Monstrosities Spawned by the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind" (2021) and "Guardian of the Universe" (2024).

The compilation features eight tracks and a total playing time of 22:50 minutes. The material is culled from various demos and split releases from the period 2015-2019. It´s not a compilation featuring all rarity/minor release tracks from Oxygen Destroyer, which is actually a bit weird since the playing time is so short. They could easilay have put the missing tracks from the period on the tracklist and still kept the album length under 30 minutes. The tracks which are missing are "Atomic Breath" from the 2015 debut demo and the 2017 one-track single song "Vanquished by the Unrelenting Devastation of the Celestial Behemoth". Other than those two tracks you get everything on this compilation recorded and released by Oxygen Destroyer in the 2015-2019 period except the material from their 2018 debut full-length studio album "Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death". "Vanquished by the Unrelenting Devastation of the Celestial Behemoth" however appears on the debut album and "Atomic Breath" also appears in a re-recorded version, along with re-recorded versions of some of the tracks featured on this compilation.

Stylistically Oxygen Destroyer play a relentlessly aggressive death/thrash metal style with a rabid dog snarling vocalist in front. It´s a music style which was at its peak in the late 80s/early 90s with artists like Merciless, Demolition Hammer, and early Vader leading the pack. Since then there have from time to time appeared a new act playing the style, but Oxygen Destroyer are among the more prolific contemporary artists dedicated to playing death/thrash metal and they sound almost one to one like a band from the late 80s/early 90s period, both when it comes to compositional style, the performances, and the sound production choices.

The quality of the material featured on this compilation differs slightly. Not so much when it comes to the songwriting and the performances of the material, but when it comes to the production quality of the various tracks. It´s however predominantly "Relentless Desire for Nuclear Radiation" from the December 2015 demo, which stands out because of the crude, chaotic, and raw sounding demo production. The two other tracks from the same demo which are also included here, do no appear in the demo versions of the tracks, but instead in the re-recordings which were originally featured on the September 2016 "Saurian Warfare" split with Carnotaurus.

Upon conclusion "Spawned by the Horrors of Thermonuclear Warfare" is a good quality compilation of minor release tracks from the early period of Oxygen Destroyer´s discography, and although a few tracks are missing, you still get some great and raw early versions of tracks which would later appear in re-recorded form on "Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death" and a few rarities too which the band never re-recorded. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

SABBAT Mourning Has Broken

Album · 1991 · Thrash Metal
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"Mourning Has Broken" is the third full-length studio album by UK, Nottingham based thrash/heavy metal act Sabbat. The album was released through Noise Records in March 1991. It´s the successor to "Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays)" from 1989 and features several lineup changes since the predecessor. Lead vocalist Martin Walkyier has been replaced by Ritchie Desmond, guitarist Simon Jonas has been replaced by Neil Watson, and bassist Fraser Craske has been replaced by Wayne Banks, leaving only guitarist Andy Sneap and drummer Simon Negus from the lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Some artists are able to successfully replace band members and carry on as if nothing had happened, or at least with minimal impact, and even in some cases with an improved sound as a result of the lineup changes, but none of the above apply to Sabbat on "Mourning Has Broken". Especially the change on the lead vocalist spot has had great impact. Not only did Walkyier have a distinct sounding voice and vocal style, but his lyrics and pagan image, were a big part of Sabbat, and although Desmond is actually a skilled vocalist with a strong voice, who generally does a good job on "Mourning Has Broken", he has a hard time bringing anything resembling Walkyier´s intensity and uniqueness to the table.

"Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays)" introduced some longer and more complex compositions, compared to the material on the debut album, but on "Mourning Has Broken", Sabbat fully enters progressive territories, and the music on the album can best be described as a technical thrash/progressive metal release with touches of US power metal. Although some may argue it´s not the best comparison, I actually think Confessor is the most valid reference when describing the sound of "Mourning Has Broken". There´s a similar high pitched, bleak, and toneless quality to the vocal style of Desmond, and although not quite as technical or innovative as Confessor are, Sabbat still come off as a pretty technically well playing act on "Mourning Has Broken" (Negus do seem a bit out of his league here though, and the drumming has a tendency to sound a little stiff and awkward). At times I´m also reminded of an act like Sanctuary.

With the departure of Walkyier out goes the pagan/occult lyrics too, and "Mourning Has Broken" focuses more on bleak (even depressive) social/political/religious issues/topics/observations. This is a dark and heavy release filled to the brim with gloom and despair at the state of the world.

"Mourning Has Broken" features a sound production which is not up to par with what you´d expect from a production from 1991. There´s something wrong with the tone of the instruments (especially the drums) and how they are placed in the mix. Ultimately it´s just not a pleasant sounding production job, and even if the remaining parts of the album (performances, songwriting...etc.) were of a high quality, the sound production would still have a negative influence on my overall impression of the album. The performances and the songwriting are however not at all times of a high quality, and especially the songwriting seems directionless and lacking hooks. Sneap himself has in interviews called the songwriting patchy and said that the tracks were thrown together, and that´s also the feeling you get as a listener, when giving the album a spin (some tracks are decent while others suffer more as a consequence of the patchy songwriting).

When that is said I still think "Mourning Has Broken" is a relatively interesting album. It´s not a great album nor is a particularly memorable release, and it´s questionable if the decision to release the album under the Sabbat monicker was a good one, but there´s still something intriguing about the band´s ability to create a bleak atmosphere, and there are also some really sharp and powerful riffs and lead guitar work featured here. As mentioned above Desmond isn´t as unique a vocalist as Walkyier, but he can hold his own, and his US power metal vocal style (high pitched screaming and deeper and more raw shouting) actually suits the material pretty well. So bad sounding production and patchy songwriting, but predominantly great musicianship and a nicely bleak atmosphere are what characterize "Mourning Has Broken". A 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

OXYGEN DESTROYER Oxygen Destroyer vs. Power Beast: Pacific Devastation

Split · 2019 · Thrash Metal
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"Oxygen Destroyer vs. Power Beast: Pacific Devastation" is a split release between US, Seattle Washington based death/thrash metal act Oxygen Destroyer and US, Portland, Oregon based death/heavy metal act Power Beast. The split was released through Headsplit Records in October 2019. It´s a two-track split featuring one song by each artist.

Oxygen Destroyer had at this point released their debut full-length studio album "Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death" (April 2018), but "Sons of the Necrobeast" is a track which is exclusive to this split (at least at the time of release). The "Septic Punishment" track from Power Beast is also exclusive to this split.

Oxygen Destroyer´s track continues the aggressive death/thrash metal of their preceding releases and you´ll find no surprises here if you´re familiar with those. Fast-paced, aggressive, and highly energetic death/thrash metal is on the menu. Power Beast is a different sounding act, playing a filthy, raw, and brutal old school death metal style. Both tracks are well produced, well composed, and well performed and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

SLAYER South of Heaven

Album · 1988 · Thrash Metal
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"South of Heaven" is the fourth full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Slayer. The album was released through Def Jam Recordings in July 1988. It´s the successor to "Reign in Blood" from 1986 and like the predecessor "South of Heaven" was also produced by Rick Rubin. Following up an album like "Reign in Blood (1986)", which was an instant classic upon release and greatly boosted Slayer´s profile on the scene, was always going to be difficult if not downright impossible, so Slayer had discussions among themselves about where to go from there and they made a conscious decision not to make "Reign in Blood" part 2.

So while "South of Heaven" sounds unmistakably like Slayer, it´s a completely different sounding album to its direct predecessor. "South of Heaven" features a less heavy, raw, and abrasive sounding production to it´s predecessor, but the less savage power also means the sound production on "South of Heaven" is more clear and detailed than the sound production on "Reign in Blood". It´s just a completely different listening experience, and it´s understandable why some fans felt that "South of Heaven" packed a lot less punch than what they were used to hearing from Slayer.

It´s not only the sound production which makes "South of Heaven" different from the preceding Slayer releases, the songwriting is also quite different. The tracks are more varied, there are hints of melody (even some clean guitars on closing track "Spill the Blood"), and lead vocalist/bassist Tom Araya even sings a few lines in addition to his usual raw shouted vocals. Of course Slayer is still Slayer, and you won´t find any sweet lullabies or mainstream tendencies on "South of Heaven", which is still a highly aggressive, furiously fast-paced, and brutal thrash metal release.

Slayer haven´t scaled down on their controversial lyrics either, and right from the opening title track the listener is treated to anti-christian lyrics, and other subjects on the album include murder, violence and war. Highlights include the title track, "Mandatory Suicide", and "Silent Scream", but some of my personal favorites are "Behind the Crooked Cross" (about soldiers forced to fight for the Nazis during world war II), "Read Between the Lies", and the absolutely brilliant "Live Undead". The latter features a head scratching number of trade-off guitar solos, tempo changes, and riffs. Crazy track that one...

...I always felt the cover of "Dissident Aggressor" by Judas Priest was the least interesting track on the album, but I´ve come to appreciate even that song over the years. Performance wise Slayer are a force to be reckoned with. Fast-paced thrash riffs (and heavy ones too), blistering screaming guitar solos, great powerful and organic drumming by Dave Lombardo, and the distinct sounding and unique raw vocals by Araya in front. At this point they were an incredibly tight playing unit and very few contemporaries were able to match their level of intensity and extremity, while still producing memorable material. Because that is one of Slayer´s greatest assets. Producing really extreme music that you are still able to remember and scream along to.

So while "South of Heaven" is probably the least extreme Slayer album (along with the debut album, which also features hints of melody), it still packs a punch and sounds unmistakably like Slayer. It´s an incredibly bold release considering how relatively different it sounds to "Reign in Blood", and they could have risked that their fans had turned their backs on them, but that´s not at all what happened. Instead the fans embraced the new sound, or at least grew to appreciate it and respect the fact that Slayer did not want to stagnate, and it ultimately enabled Slayer to continue to further build upon their already considerable high level of artistic and commercial success. A 5 star (100%) rating is fully deserved.

thrash metal movie reviews

METALLICA Quebec Magnetic

Movie · 2012 · Thrash Metal
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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.

METALLICA Metallica Through The Never

Movie · 2013 · Thrash Metal
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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!

METALLICA Français Pour Une Nuit

Movie · 2009 · Thrash Metal
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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.

MEGADETH That One Night - Live in Buenos Aires

Movie · 2007 · Thrash Metal
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martindavey87
It’s an alright DVD, the picture is fine, the sound is fine, the playing is fantastic, the set is fantastic, Mustaine’s vocals are a bit naff, but in fairness I’ve never really thought he sounded too good live anyway. The main feature is about 90 minutes long, and interspersed with random clips of Mustaine and Drover playing acoustically. It’s watchable, but a little disjointed. Overall, this release is simply “good”. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s worth watching, and certainly if you’re a fan, then it’s nice to own. I think previous live DVD ‘Rude Awakening’ is much better though, and has more extras on it too. And what is up with the cover?

MEGADETH Megadeth - VH-1 Behind the Music Extended

Movie · 2001 · Thrash Metal
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martindavey87
The Megadeth episode of VH1’s ‘Behind the Music’ series is pretty much exactly what it says it is; a look at the history of one of heavy metal’s most beloved bands. The VH1 name gives this a bit more credibility and authenticity than your typical unofficial band biography, and as such, this features interviews with band members past and present, as well as other people associated with the band at one point or another.

Looking candidly at Dave Mustaine’s expulsion from Metallica, the bands early days and their later attempts to break into mainstream territory, as well as Mustaine’s endless battles with addictions, other than being a bit outdated now, (being released in 2001), this is overall a very interesting watch, and a worthy addition to any Megadeth fan’s collection.

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