Metal

In 1987, heavy-music scenes were strictly divided and definitely did not play nice with each other. But looking back on such a landmark year some three decades later, we can now appreciate the influence of Guns N Roses Appetite for Destruction alongside the impact of Deaths debut and the bombast of Candlemass—because not only can those records be seen in a clearer context, they also proudly share some of the same fans. And thats the beauty of time: things marinate and evolve. Ideas change, mentalities change, landscapes change. But when it comes to the heavy-metal revolution that was happening around the world 30 years ago, what was rad stayed rad—and thats what were celebrating with this playlist.Thrash adheres to the same face-ripping formula today as it did back then, and those who are into it are still completely stoked to be caught in a mosh. Monster ballads are now less polarizing to Beavis and Butthead types because most of us decided its not only okay to have guilty pleasures, it actually might be a lot cooler if you did. And yeah, there might still be some purists who will forever ignore the fact that Whitesnakes finest hour came at the same time as Napalm Deaths (and who think the two bands have no business being on the same playlist), but the variety of heavy music and abundance of killer guitar solos that define 1987 are actually pretty impressive to see in one place.It was a year where you could venture deep into the darkness with Sodom and Bathory, glimpse the future of extreme music with Death, scale the highest heights (and notes) on King Diamond and Helloweens most iconic albums, or maybe even get a little emotional with Def Leppards biggest commercial hit. You also got essential records from one of the greatest metal singers of all time (Dio), one of dooms most prolific bands (Candlemass), one of extreme metals sacred godfathers (Celtic Frost), not to mention a few of thrashs big guns (Testament, Anthrax, Death Angel, Overkill). It wasnt all just happening then; much of it was still emerging then, taking shape and branding its scorched mark on heavy and popular music worldwide. Heres a 30-year flashback of all the awesome varieties of metal from 1987.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

The shoring up of thrash metal into an identifiable genre—one with founders (i.e., the oft-invoked, if frequently debated Big Four), weirdo outliers, and delineated boundaries—occurred fairly late in the movement’s genesis. After all, back in the ’80s (and even into the early ’90s, actually) the phrase was used to describe just about any metal or hardcore band blurring the lines between them. Nowadays, we like to use micro-terms like "crossover thrash" when heaping praise on the mosh-pit belligerence of Suicidal Tendencies or Victim in Pain-era Agnostic Front, and "thrashcore" when gushing about the crap-fi eccentricities of Septic Death. Moreover, it isn’t at all inappropriate to apply the thrash label to Venom, the primary bridge between the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and early Slayer, or Possessed, perhaps the first shredders to make the leap to guttural death-metal terrain, or even the Exhorder-obsessed Pantera, who slowed down the music’s blazing tempos to help kickstart groove metal. Ultimately, though, all these bands are deliciously grotesque fruit fallen from the thrash family tree.Even modern revivalists—some of whom are like computer programs in their uncanny ability to recreate the feel of old, ’80s jams—can’t escape this fuzziness. Municipal Waste’s 2007 album The Art of Partying, frequently hailed as one of the great modern thrash albums (and every bit as rude and aggressive as the vintage stuff), worships the manic crossover of Suicidal Tendencies more than it does the canonical thrash of Slayer or Metallica. Another modern classic is The Haunted’s self-titled debut from 1998, and it’s clearly informed by the tight, mechanically disciplined rhythms of melodic death metal (which makes total sense considering the Swedes’ ties to At the Gates). But maybe the most radical examples are groups like Power Trip and Vektor, who drag thrash into the post-everything 21st-century by blending it with blackened blurs, noise-rock’s wall-of-distortion, layers of in-studio sound manipulation, and (in the case of the latter) proggy expanses and epic space-rock runs. But then again, this merely is par for the course for a genre that, despite its thrash or die!!! expression of purity, has always preferred messy splatters to well-groomed orderliness. For more, check out our New School of Thrash playlist. This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Thrash is all about feeling. It’s about low-register riffs that hit you in the gut, high-flying solos that make you throw those devil horns in the air, and gravelly singing imbued with a sense of purpose and meaning. It’s about raging against the powers that be with everything you’ve got in you. The “Big Four” of thrash defined these traits. Once they hit the scene some 30 years ago, the earth truly shook.Technically from L.A. but more commonly associated with their adopted home of San Francisco, Metallica is the Big Four group with the widest appeal. Everyone loves Metallica—classic rockers who want to go hard; hard rockers and heavy metallers who want something precise and driving; punk rockers in search of a bigger, tougher sound. Metallica were the sum of diverse influences, a cauldron that had been slow-cooking an angry stew of punk, rock, classic heavy metal, and NWOBHM, finally overflowing and creating something new: thrash. Metallica’s first two albums were great, but they really busted out of their shell with their third: 1986s Master of Puppets, the record that sent them on a skyward path. Above all, throughout their signature work, Metallica has displayed an unparalleled energy—a spark of cohesion and crispness thats rarely matched, even to this day.Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine was actually in Metallica for their first few years, but he was asked to leave in 1983 due to substance abuse and behavioural issues. Also from L.A., Megadeth’s a little thrashier than Metallica: Compared to the formers balanced, well-tempered aggression, Megadeth is wilder and more NWOBHM-influenced—which is to say they feel closer to the satanic howls, classic-style solos, and soaring riffs of Iron Maiden. Their second release, Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? (1986), was one of the decades best metal albums, and it remains near the top of many critics’ greatest-metal-records-ever lists. That said, Megadeth’s catalog is pretty divisive—some prefer Rust in Peace (1990), others Countdown to Extinction (1992). In any event, Megadeth have been hugely influential, especially in the burgeoning genre of extreme metal.Satanism, serial killers, crime, violence… these are Slayer’s bread and butter. And their heavy topics elicit equally heavy music. There’s no other way to put it: Slayer slays. Formed by Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo, and Tom Araya, Slayer hit the scene in ‘83 with Show No Mercy, which was pretty well-received. Like Metallica, though, it was their third album that catapulted them into the realm of greatness. When the Rick Rubin-produced Reign in Blood dropped in ‘86, it announced Slayer as one of the most formidable voices in metal. Its unhinged riffs and hellish yawps conveyed the feeling that the music was constantly going off the rails, a quartet of possessed musicians just jamming too hard and fast to ever stop. Reign in Blood was the beginning of an incredible run that also saw South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss. Of the Big Four, Slayer is the most deranged—in a good way.Finally, we’ve got Anthrax, the only one of the Big Four from the east coast—New York City, to be exact. Anthrax has had something of a fluctuating lineup, but their core centers around guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, and vocalist Joey Belladonna (who comes and goes). Oddly enough, their third LP was their big breakout, too. Among the Living (1987) was explosive among metalheads, and dealt with decidedly nerdy stuff like Stephen King novels, Judge Dredd, John Belushi, and, quite possibly, the film Poltergeist II. Anthrax’s music is built from big riffs and thundering drums—and compared to their Big Four peers, its not nearly as Satanic!This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Thrash represents that pivotal point at which heavy metal turns extreme. Of course, extreme music existed before Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Overkill, Celtic Frost, and thousands of other vile shredders across the globe declared war on our ears in the mid-’80s. There was Motörhead’s mechanically chugging roar, Venom’s cavernous blasphemy, Diamond Head’s white-hot intricacy, and Void’s violently messy hardcore (which basically is proto-thrash). Yet these were mere glimpses when compared to thrash’s radical, across-the-board redefining of heaviness, speed, and volume, one embedded in the genetic sequence of practically every manifestation of extreme metal to follow: death metal, black metal, metalcore, grindcore, sludge, you name it.It’s generally understood that thrash is a collision of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal’s scorching complexity (including that scene’s innovative use of double-bass-drumming) with hardcore punk’s raw force and gang chant toughness. And while this certainly is true—it’s especially obvious on Anthrax’s “Caught in a Mosh” and Exodus’ “And Then There Were None”—it doesn’t fully explain the movement’s revolutionary newness. And that’s because thrash isn’t a mere blending of antecedents. When it comes to fully appreciating these sick jams, what isn’t heard is just as important as what is. Take Sepultura’s absolutely manic “Stronger Than Hate”—it was recorded a mere six years after Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills,” and yet it sounds decades removed. Melodies, ornateness, choruses—indeed, any semblance of traditional songwriting—have been ruthlessly excised. All that remains is a high-velocity explosion of vicious shredding, incensed howls and grunts, whiplash rhythms, and lyrics splattered in seething rage and graphic imagery.This last quality created quite an uproar during the disgustingly conservative and paranoid Reagan era, back when Tipper Gore’s vile PMRC and tons of Bible-banging parents viewed the genre, as well as headbanger culture in general, as the decline of Western civilization. (Too bad it wasn’t.) It resulted in thrash bands frequently being dismissed as a cross between Satan worshippers and knuckle-dragging brutes, when in fact their lyrics often tackled environmental concerns, nuclear war, genocide, and psychological alienation with a mix of holding-a-mirror-up-to-society morality and intensely black humor inspired by horror flicks. Moreover, thrash unleashed some of the most dizzyingly demanding music this side of avant-garde jazz. Far and away the most potent proof of this is the genre’s crowning achievement: Slayer’s 1986 touchstone Reign in Blood, a record that bludgeons like a club embedded with nails (especially the screaming dive bombs of guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King) while also sounding so stunningly precise, energetic, and intelligent that it’s difficult to fathom mere mortals creating such a jigsaw-like artifact.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Sure, its easy to think of thrash as a metal genre that dallies with hardcore, but thats actually (literally) only the half of it. On the hardcore side of the fence, bands began incorporating more of a metal tinge in their speed and sonics, too, resulting in a sound that "crossed over" into the thrash zone. So yeah, theres more to the subgenre known as "crossover" than just a clever name, one that D.R.I.—absolute legends of the form—reinforced with album and song titles (you know, aside from the mic-dropping sound that became crossovers blueprint).This fusion was controversial at the time, as these two worlds did not peacefully coexist. Metalheads werent exactly welcome at hardcore shows and vice-versa; your hair length (or lack thereof) was enough to incur violence on sight. But as this clash of preferences peaked, these two heavy-music scenes found a kindred spirit in each other and something began to shift—i.e., the speed and guitars.Bands like Leeway, Gang Green, and Nuclear Assault took hardcore tempos, made them faster, kept the shouted punk vocals, and worked in wailing solos. Perhaps the biggest band to come from the crossover scene, Suicidal Tendencies, even made the sound commercially viable. The spirit of crossover still thrives today in bad-ass revivalists like Iron Reagan, who take the sawing hardcore breakdown structure and add in thrashing speed and vitriolic vocals to continue the tradition.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

What makes the history of thrash so legendary is not just the time and place from whence it sprung, but the fervor behind it all: the aggression, the solos, the speed, the sheer collision of wailing NWOBHM and hardcores piss and vitriol. Its fast, its dark, its got an attitude—and its also got a sense of humor. But no matter what, its always an invigorating listen. And in 2005, when it came back around, thrash proved its also completely timeless.Bands like Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust dug the torch out of some filthy dumpster (most likely in an abandoned skate park littered with cigarette butts and shitty graffiti), dusted it off, and fired up a whole new explosion. Notable young thrash bands popped up in a seemingly endless supply and broke through the zeitgeist, bringing with them a love for the sound and the opportunity to take a trip back in time. But it wasnt all about nostalgia. Thrash became a necessary mainstay in a landscape overtaken by metalcore and mainstream active rock disguised as metal. The Big Four were working through their third decade and some of them had veered off in directions far beyond their thrash foundation. To the new school, the excitement and vitality of what once was needed to rise again. And since the mid-2000s, it hasnt stopped. In 2017, we see crossover bands like Power Trip and Iron Reagan raising the flag, guitar shredders like Ramming Speed and Foreseen HKI carrying the tradition, and full-on crushers—like the all-female Nervosa—waging their own assault. Meet the New School of Thrash.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Growing up in the Bay Area throughout the 80s and early 90s was quite a special thing for a metalhead. Having the option to see bands like Exodus, Vio-lence, or Death Angel (to name just a few) on an almost weekly basis... not to mention all the thrash bands from around the world playing week in and week out... it seemed the norm. It was the norm. I was surrounded by one of the biggest movements in metal history, and Bay Area Thrash (BAT) was truly as fun as it sounds. Here are 20 songs that I think are not only each bands best, but also the songs that best represent the time, the era, the scene, the parties, and the RAGING! Enjoy...1. Metallica, "Fight Fire With Fire"The song that truly sent me down the thrash-metal rabbit hole. It opens Metallicas greatest opus and arguably the greatest thrash-metal album of all time: Ride The Lightning. That opening riff, that brutal guitar tone... it rips your fucking face off and sets the tone for the rest of the album. And, at the time, that was the fastest double-bass Id ever heard. I know its hard to imagine now, but its true.2. Exodus, "Fabulous Disaster"After the now-legendary debut Bonded by Blood, the firing of Paul Baloff, the hiring of Steve "Zetro" Souza, and the not-so-legendary release of Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus were kind of on shaky ground. Then they released a little album called Fabulous Disaster and BOOM!—theyre on MTV. Theyre touring the world multiple times over. Theyre HUGE! And thats because this record is FUCKING AWESOME!!! It rivals their debut for best Exodus album. With crystal-clean production, souped-up tempos, and razor-sharp guitar tones, this album shows the Slay Team at the top of their game.3. Death Angel, "Mistress of Pain"I grew up in the San Francisco suburb of Daly City, which, by chance, is home to three of the original members of Death Angel. They used to sometimes rehearse in DC as well, which kind of made them legends around town. So when The Ultra-Violence came out, it was like, "someone from this shit town put out a record?" It was quite inspiring to say the least. Not to mention every member was related, Filipino, and under the age of 18. This is the stuff of legends...4. Ulysses Siren, "No Trace Of Shame6"Another band with Daly City ties, Ulysses Siren were plagued by drugs, booze, and infighting. These are the only reasons I can possibly think of why they never got signed, because the two demos they put out are the best Bay Area Thrash demos ever, period. Listen for yourself.5. Vio-lence, "Bodies on Bodies"*My personal favorite BAT band, Vio-lence lived up to their name. Their shows were a true test of endurance. More times than not, Id walk out of a Vio-lence gig with my face in pain. Their not-so-secret weapon is vocalist Sean Killian. Love or hate his manic vocal stylings, he was the most unique in the scene. With demented lyrics to match, its a perfect combination. Youre definitely taking your thrash-metal training wheels off when listening to an album like Eternal Nightmare.* Note: this song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.6. Possessed, "Pentagram"So in the mid-80s, the metal world was focused on the Bay Area Thrash scene. But all the while, there was a death-metal scene a-brewin before death metal was really a thing. Since there were only a few other death-metal bands to play with (Insanity, for example), Possessed would usually be on thrash bills. Because of their guttural vocals and overtly satanic lyrical themes, they would usually be the odd band out.7. Testament, "Over the Wall"This song definitely is the best representation of Testament. It showcases all of their strengths and its a perfect opener to their debut, The Legacy. Alex Skolnicks solo is practically its own song. Its brilliant. Very cool video, too.8. Blind Illusion, "Blood Shower"In the ashes of Possessed comes Blind Illusion. Musically, there is no connection whatsoever—though future Primus guitarist Larry Lalonde was in both bands. And the bassist for Blind Illusion was Les Claypool, also of Primus fame. These guys didnt make too much of a splash in the scene. Their music is very avant garde and sometimes a tough sell. The Sane Asylum, their only full-length record, is something you need to let grow on you. But once you do, youll realize its a masterpiece.9. Forbidden, "Chalice of Blood"Of all the thrash bands I saw live, none of them made as huge an impression on me as the first time I saw Forbidden. I cant remember being more excited than when I rushed home from the Record Vault with my copy of Forbidden Evil. After hearing it, I started practicing a whole lot more. This is next-level thrash for sure.10. D.R.I., "Five Year Plan"While there was an embryonic death-metal scene going on in the 80s, the Bay Area had a huge hardcore scene that crossbred with the thrash scene frequently. D.R.I. were and are the kings of the Crossover Thrash scene. This song starts off the album Crossover, which was considered an album with a more metal approach. They both lost and gained fans by this move. I was on board with this record.11. Epidemic, "Circle of Fools"These guys were the top dogs of the third wave of BAT. If there was a big thrash or death-metal show rolling through The Bay, theyd be opening, guaranteed. In fact, playing all these high-profile shows (along with selling thousands of copies of their Demo 89 worldwide) is what got them signed to Metal Blade Records. Unfortunately, their debut for the label, Decameron, came out in 1992, during thrashs death knell. The scene was shifting to death-metal rapidly, and Epidemic followed suit. Their second album, Exit Paradise, sounded like a completely different band. They broke up shortly thereafter.12. Heathen, "Death By Hanging"These guys had the potential to be one of the top bands in the scene but, for some reason, couldnt keep the ball rolling consistently. Having huge gaps between albums (three full-lengths in the span of 22 years) and an ever-changing lineup definitely didnt help. These guys have a very unique, almost melodic approach to the Bay Area Thrash sound.13. Defiance, "Inside Looking Out"Many people in the scene would unfairly compare Defiance to Testament—to the point where folks would call them "Little Testament" or "Testament Jr." You get the idea. But quite frankly, that couldnt be further from the truth. The vocals do bear some similarity to Chuck Billy but musically theres no comparison. Defiance are a much more technical band and the drumming smokes! Dave White from Heathen does guest backing vocals on this track.14. Hexx, "Watery Graves"You would be more likely to see Hexx playing with Autopsy or Sadus than Vio-lence or Forbidden. They blurred the line between thrash and death and did it very well. Unfortunately, they never really got past the opening-slot stage.15. Laaz Rockit, "Last Breath"These dudes are definitely a product of their surroundings. Not many bands morph from an almost-glam band to an almost-thrash band, but Laaz did. By the time they released their third record, 1987s ripping Know Your Enemy, they had toughened up their sound and image. But their music never fully went all the way with the BAT sound, so they were always on the outside looking in.16. Sacrilege BC, "Fun With Napalm"Sacrilege BC are on the more obscure side of Bay Area Thrash. (The BC stands for Berkely, California.) Equal parts metal, hardcore, and just plain weird, they put out two records and abruptly called it quits.17. Sadus, "Certain Death"The fastest thrash band in the Bay. Sometimes, at Sadus gigs, theyd be playing so fast, it became hard to figure out what the hell was going on. And on top of these insane tempos, youd have the bass wizardry of Steve Di Giorgio throwing fuel on the fire. Another band that could easily fit on a death-metal bill as well as a thrash one. A severely underrated band that I feel never truly got their due.18. Mordred, "Sever And Splice"*Like Laaz Rockit, Mordred morphed over the years—but Mordreds changes were much, much more drastic. They went from a standard thrash band with a sword-wielding lead singer to a hip-hop-influenced funk-thrash band with a DJ. This tune is off their debut, Fools Game, which was when they were fully realizing their funky potential—but its an older song dating back to their heavier days.Note: This song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.19. Dekapitator, "Toxic Sanctuary"80s thrash all down the West Coast. In the Bay, we had bands like Hatchet, Fog of War, and Scarecrow. But the best of the bunch was Dekapitator. This is a side project of Matt Harvey from Bay Area gore gods Exhumed. They actually formed in the late-90s and put out two records. This is off their second album, 2007s The Storm Before The Calm. Definite Anthrax mosh vibe here.20. Exodus, "Deliver Us to Evil"Its impossible to make a list of BAT songs without including the late Paul Baloff—and thats why Exodus is on here twice. I have never met someone in my life who so many people in so many different circles, scenes, and places in the world have stories about. Hell, I have multiple stories about him. He was a one-of-a-kind vocalist and character. Some singers are heavy-metal heroes; he was a heavy-metal villain in the best way. Bonded By Blood is an album youll see on lists for greatest thrash albums ever.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine, Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe, and Death Angels Will Carroll. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

With 30-plus years of thrash under our bullet belts, its hard to think of a time when the music didnt exist (especially if you grew up during the early reign of Metallica on MTV). But the late 70s/ early 80s were a vastly different landscape, where music was separated by geography and two major forces were about to collide.Powered by complex guitars and cerebral bombast, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) was thriving in England. And before long, U.K. bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, and Iron Maiden became more than just social currency in the stateside tape-trading underground; they were starting to make waves on the charts one mega-solo at a time, spreading the word to ravenous heavy music fans everywhere about this massive sound blowing up on the isles.Concurrently, hardcore was erupting in the U.S. underground on both coasts. Bands like Discharge, The Misfits, and the Dead Kennedys had something to say and a rabid voice to say it with, along with an equally rabid fanbase to heed the call. And at a time when socio-political unrest was plaguing the American counterculture due to the intensifying Cold War and the cold conservatism of the Reagan presidency, both of these music scenes (one the natural progression of metal, the other the natural progression of punk) spoke to disenfranchised teens nationwide, and a movement was born from their marriage: thrash.Fueled by the outspokenness of punk, the big sound of NWOBHM, and the bottled aggression of hardcore, the disillusioned youth of America picked up their guitars and built upon the foundation laid before them. Tracks like Discharges "Protest and Survive" practically nailed the thrash formula in 1982, and when you hear early Venom and Angel Witch alongside Agnostic Front, youve got two sides of the same rusty coin.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

By the mid-1980s, the sound of heavy metal had come a long way from the demonic riffs of Sabbath and the groovy beats of Deep Purple. Its themes had evolved a lot, too. When Ozzy encounters Satan on the song “Black Sabbath,” he lets out a petrified cry of “Oh, no, no, please, God, help me!” But in the music of Slayer, Entombed, and the other bands in this playlist, we start to see man aligning with evil, pursuing it, making peace with it, even encouraging it. As thrash gave way to the rise of death metal, the mantra became “the more evil, the better”—we start getting dark, mythological, and even sadistic lyrics accompanying faster, heavier, and gnarlier music. As Mercyful Fate sang, “You know my only pleasure/ Is to hear you cry.” If that ain’t true evil, I don’t know what is.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Of course, all great thrash melts faces. That’s why the genre exists! But then there are those facemelters that go above and beyond the call of duty. They’re so violent, pissed, and chaotic they leave you feeling pumped, possibly a little dazed, and, in those rarest of instances, aurally violated.Certainly, speed is vital to thrash’s ability to invigorate/intimidate. Yet despite its lofty status among thrash lifers, it’s not the sole determining factor. After all, Exhorder’s “Homicide” comes riddled with dense, slower breakdowns, and it won’t just melt your face; it will chew it right off. Then there’s The Accüsed’s “Mechanized Death,” which derives most of its unhinged power from Blaine Cook’s puke-screech and the band’s stuttering primitivism, and Sarcófago’s “Sex, Drinks & Metal,” which certainly hits blurring velocities, yet ultimately smashes minds through its deeply nonsensical song structure. It’s kind of like the sonic equivalent of a drunken temper tantrum.Warning: This surely will piss off those who kneel before the Big Four, but outside of Slayer (okay—I’ll make an exception for Metallica when they’re plowing through ragers like “Fight Fire With Fire”), I’m of the belief that the sickest thrash (i.e., the most intense facemelters) doesn’t actually come from them. To subject yourself to true sonic fury, dive into the German outfits Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction: All three are downright cruel in ways that are unique to a Teutonic scene whose bloodlust for dense, mechanized propulsion has little use for melody or hooks. Brazil also has coughed up a bunch of sickos. Of course, Sepultura (pictured above) became megastars once they shifted to groove metal, but dig into early, cult-level thrash numbers like “Primitive Future,” and you’ll encounter a group that’s both terrifyingly unhinged and stunningly precise; ditto for the already mentioned Sarcófago, as well as the hyper-obscure Anthares, whose 1987 album No Limite Da Força is a grainy blast of Satanic phlegm bursts and feverishly raked guitars.If you dig these facemelters, there’s a whole lot more where they came from. After all, thrash is kind of like the garage rock of metal. It’s a sprawling, grassroots pastime that has sprouted far too many regional scenes and underground freaks to count. In other words, the facemelters are endless.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.