It was the abrasive metal sub-genre that shot out of the early 80s like a punch to the gut.
Fast, heavy, and blatantly in-your-face, thrash metal was a fierce antidote to glam metal as well as a big ‘fuck you’ to the conservatism of the Reagan era. Thrash had its roots in myriad influences, from NWOBHM to Motörhead to punk rock, but in the end the sound was all its own, and as the thrash movement grew scenes began to develop around the world from the Bay Area to Brazil.
From the ‘Big Four’ of Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth to the newer crop of thrashers like Evile and Municipal Waste, here are the 50 greatest thrash albums of all time as voted for by Metal Hammer readers.
50. Evile – Enter The Grave (2007)
49. Forbidden – Forbidden Evil (1988)
48. Dark Angel – Darkness Descends (1986)
47. Sodom – Agent Orange (1989)
46. Slayer - Divine Intervention (1994)
45. Exodus – Fabulous Disaster (1989)
44. Possessed – Seven Churches (1985)
43. Exhorder – Slaughter In The Vatican (1990)
42. Kreator – Endless Pain (1985)
41. Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence (1987)
40. Sabbat – History Of A Time To Come
39. Blood Tsunami – Thrash Metal (2007)
38. Overkill – The Years Of Decay (1989)
37. Slayer – Christ Illusion (2006)
36. Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion (1985)
35. Testament – Practice What You Preach (1989)
34. Sepultura – Morbid Visions (1986)
33. Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned (2004)
32. Kreator - Violent Revolution (2001)
31. Slayer – God Hates Us All (2001)
30. Destruction – Eternal Devastation (1986)
29. Annihilator – Alice In Hell (1989)
28. Municipal Waste – The Art Of Partying (2007)
27. Megadeth – So Far, So Good… So What! (1988)
26. Kreator – Pleasure To Kill (1986)
25. Celtic Frost – Into The Pandemonium (1987)
24. Overkill – Horrorscope (1991)
23. Voivod – Dimension Hatröss (1988)
22. Testament – The New Order (1988)
21. Anthrax - Fistful Of Metal (1984)
20. Slayer – Show No Mercy (1983)
19. Megadeth – Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good (1985)
18. Slayer - World Painted Blood (2009)
17. Sepultura – Beneath The Remains (1989)
16. Anthrax – Spreading The Disease (1985)
15. Slayer – Hell Awaits (1985)
14. Testament – The Legacy (1987)
13. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic (2017)
12. Metallica – …And Justice For All (1988)
11. Slayer - South Of Heaven (1988)
10. Sepultura – Arise (1991)
9. Metallica – Kill ’Em All (1983)
8. Slayer – Seasons In The Abyss (1990)
7. Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986)
6. Exodus – Bonded By Blood (1985)
5. Anthrax – Among The Living (1987)
4. Metallica – Ride The Lightning (1984)
3. Megadeth – Rust In Peace (1986)
2. Metallica – Master Of Puppets (1986)
1. Slayer – Reign In Blood (1990)
Who are the Big 4 thrash metal bands?
The bands known as The Big 4 of thrash metal are Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. They never all appeared on the same bill until June 16, 2010, where they performed together at Warsaw's Bemowo Airport in Poland as part of the Sonisphere Festival.
What is the heaviest thrash metal song?
Clocking in at 4 minutes and 51seconds, Slayer's controversial Angel of Death – a hellish retelling of concentration camp atrocities by SS doctor Josef Mengele – is fast, brutal and heavy in every sense of the word.
Who is the most popular thrash metal band?
Although they're no longer considered a thrash band, Metallica are the most commercially successful band to emerge from the thrash scene and have sold over 125 million albums.
Who is the godfather of thrash metal?
If you ask erstwhile Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt, he will point to Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine as the Godfather of thrash metal. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is inclined to agree. "Without Dave Mustaine, maybe thrash metal never would have happened," wrote Ian in his memoir I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax.
Who is the heaviest of the Big 4?
Have you seen the video of the metal fan screaming "Slayer" until he looks like he's about to pass out? He's just told you the answer in the most emphatic of ways.
