When I talk about Thrash Metal I often like to equate it to McDonald’s. It’s great when you’re younger because it’s all the same and gets you hyped but, as you grow older, it’s just sad and even starts to hurt. Thrash is often the gateway to Metal for many of those not already in the scene. It’s fast, energetic and often “stands for something.” However, much like McDonald’s, Thrash was once a great thing but is now just making a mockery of itself by still being around. It’s sister genre, Speed Metal, is inherently more timeless as a genre for the shred will never die. Speed has brought much musical greatness to the world and, contrary to Thrash, it has given us fewer disappointments. The two genres evolved from plain, old Heavy Metal simultaneously, but where Thrash attempted to push boundaries and break necks, Speed sought to simply take Heavy Metal’s recipe for success and add some wank to it.

Thrash, I argue, began in 1984 with Hellhammer’s “Apocalyptic Raids” which was swiftly followed by Celtic Frost’s “Morbid Tales.” What Celtic Frost did in Switzerland could not be undone and, in fact, would spread unlike any subgenre in Metal history. Thrash truly became a worldwide phenomenon and the first European act, of import, to join Celtic Frost was Sweden’s Bathory. Bathory’s eponymous debut, also released in 1984, and its 1985 follow-up “The Return…” emphatically showed the world that Thrash was here to stay. Bathory, through Quorthon’s devilish vocals, fiendish guitar work and pounding drums, created a unique sound that would forever leave its mark on the Scandinavian metal scenes to come.

The next country in Europe to follow suit was Germany. Germany’s Trinity was composed of Destruction, Kreator and Sodom. Destruction is probably the most unsung of the three and, marginally, the least aggressive, but established itself by releasing three crushing records between 1985 and 1987. Sodom was the darkest of the three and thus endeared itself to those who later created Death Metal, and some even consider Sodom to be Death Metal – I am not one of those people. “Obsessed by Cruelty” was a punishing debut and was followed by the cult classics “Persecution Mania” and “Agent Orange.” Sodom’s shrieked vocals have even led some to say they were an early form of Black Metal, and while I do agree they share certain musical qualities, Black Metal began in 1992. Kreator was the most technically gifted and most commercially successful of the three. Kreator’s 1985 debut, Endless Pain, was raw and reckless but they consistently tightened up their sound and released the incredible “Pleasure to Kill” in 1986. 1990’s “Coma of Souls” was, in Metal terms, a commercial success and though it was still a great record, it was largely devoid of the Thrash edge that made Kreator such instant favorites.

Not to be outdone by the Europeans, the South Americans also got in on the budding Thrash scene in 1985. Sepultura’s “Bestial Devastation” sent the message that when it came to anger and the desire to frighten no one could match a Brazilian. “Morbid Visions” followed in 1986 but it was with two masterful records, 1987’s “Schizophrenia” and 1989’s “Beneath the Remains,” that Sepultura forever cemented their place in Metal history. Max and Igor Cavalera formed a duo unlike any other in the Metal scene. And when it came to delivering the goods they never disappointed until they decided to suck, which I still claim was a deliberate choice by two humble men exhausted by being so good. Sepultura might have been the first, and best, but Brazil’s Thrash scene went far beyond just one or two noteworthy bands.

Thrash, for whatever reason, struck a chord with Brazilians who took the genre and perfected it. Vulcano joined Sepultura with their 1986 release “Bloody Vengeance,” a brilliant piece of sloppy Thrash that makes up for what it lacked in precision with incomparable atmosphere. Holocausto (Brazil’s wannabe Nazis like fellow idiots Slayer and Graveland) released their cheap attempt at shock value, “Campo de Extermínio in 1987. 1987 – the best year for Thrash Metal – also saw the release of Sarcófago’s “INRI” which may very well be the most influential record in South American Metal history (which is one heck of a qualified statement). Sarcófago sought to terrify the world’s largest Catholic population by running around cemeteries with early “corpsepaint,” and what they couldn’t achieve with image alone they certainly did musically. INRI is a Thrash masterpiece for it has all that which makes the genre great. It’s gritty, aggressive and crude and all without compromising pace. Attomica also released their self-titled debut in 1987 which was very much a textbook attempt at Thrash, not bad but not great. Psychic Possessor showed true potential with their 1988 debut “Toxin Diffusion,” before they opted to become a Hardcore Punk band. The Mist hit the scene in 1989 with “Phantasmagoria,” a devastating brand of Thrash and even covered a Psychic Possessor track on their 1991 record “The Hangman Tree.” Chile also made its mark with Pentagram’s “Fatal Prediction/Demoniac Possession,” a stellar EP that warranted a sequel (that came way too late).

Then, of course, we have the California Thrash scene, which actually predates Celtic Frost for it was in 1983 that it all began. Slayer’s “Show no Mercy” showcased a sound that was far more like traditional Heavy Metal, but when “Hell Awaits” was released two years later it was clear that Thrash had arrived in the States. Slayer further solidified their Thrash credentials with 1986’s “Reign in Blood,” which is as popular as an extreme Metal album can get. Slayer would then release a slew of mediocre records before releasing a slew of terrible ones which is where we find ourselves today. Slayer were the first but by no means the best in the Golden State Thrash scene.
In the same year as Hell Awaits (1985) we saw debut records from: Possessed, who coined the term “Death Metal” via a track on “Seven Churches”; Exodus who released “Bonded by Blood”; and Dark Angel, who “cleverly” began with their record “We Have Arrived.” California brought us a lot of Thrash but nothing particularly remarkable outside of Dark Angel’s 1986 release “Darkness Descends” and Sadus’ 1988 record “Illusions.” And much of the scene went the “Crossover” route (a more Hardcore-styled version of Thrash), Cryptic Slaughter being the most esteemed of such acts. Crossover saw increased popularity with acts like Voivod and Suicidal Tendencies, and even produced some gems like Mayhem’s (Portland, OR) “Burned Alive,” but no one really cares save for those with oversized Reeboks and flat-brimmed caps.

Thrash, in its later stages, saw the rise of truly exceptional acts that were not contented with maintaining the status quo in Thrash. One such act that began to push the envelope was New York’s Nuclear Assault which broke through Thrash’s original speed barrier with their 1986 album “Game Over.” Bands like Norway’s Mayhem (1987 “Deathcrush) and Hungary’s Tormentor (1989 “Anno Domini) gave Thrash a fiendish makeover. Anacrusis created something of a thinking man’s Thrash Metal, displaying musicality and techniques unknown to other bands in the genre. Morbid Saint, who released their debut record “Spectrum of Death” in 1990, was a standard opener for Florida’s own Death and thus they’re often considered a Death Metal band but their music is pure Thrash.

Thrash was absurd, scary and fast but it did not have the exclusive rights to rapid paced Metal, for while Thrash was unfolding so was Speed. The Speed Metal genre is where California really made its mark on the Metal world. Metallica, a band that it almost hurts to compliment for how insufferable they’ve become, set the standard for Speed Metal. Beginning with 1983’s “Kill ‘Em All,” Metallica performed a more sophisticated brand of Metal. A mixture of iconic riffs tinged with Classic and Punk Rock overtones, shouted vocals and impressive songwriting maturity made a sound that’d take Metallica to fame of Led Zeppelin-esque proportions. Metallica’s subsequent releases, “Ride the Lighting” and “Master of Puppets,” were nothing short of perfection with songs as catchy as they were ingenious but the death of bassist Cliff Burton saw the band lose its way.

Another person who takes credit for the demise of Metallica’s overall sound was Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. An early member of Metallica, Mustaine’s writing can be heard throughout Metallica’s first two records, though not as strongly as Dave might think. As whiny as Mustaine may be, he was able to stop crying about his ousting from Metallica long enough to produce some quality records. While many Metal bands start off strong, Megadeth took a while to hit their stride. Once Mustaine quit trying to make Megadeth the new Metallica he struck songwriting gold with 1990’s “Rust in Peace” which is as much a guitar clinic as it is a Metal masterpiece thanks, in no small part, to Marty Friedman.

The Bay Area trinity was completed by Testament who dropped their first record in 1987 (“The Legacy”). Alex Skolnick, easily the most talented guitarist of the massive legion of California Metal bands, set Testament apart through his stunning playing. While he had the sensibility of a Smooth Jazz player, he could shred like Yngwie and crush like Schuldiner. But when it came to all-around musical perfection in the genre there was only one name: Helstar.

Texas’ Helstar spectacularly utilized classical training in composing music that’d make Bach proud. While so much that bears the name “neo-classical” is as dull as it is tedious to listen to, Helstar was innovative, dynamic and exciting. Culminating in what is one of the best records of all time, Helstar released their grand symphony “Nosferatu” in 1989. Helstar perfected the shred so it’s certainly a shame that they’re so unsung, but they’re no more obscure than Sweden’s Proud.

Proud came and went like a shooting star in the Metal world, releasing just one album in 1984 (“Fire Breaks the Dawn”). Proud showcased such promise that it is baffling to consider what might have been had they been able to follow up such a wonderful debut. Proud displayed expert musical prowess and songwriting ability on their sole LP which was certainly ahead of its time. Shredding like that achieved by Proud, and Helstar, paved the way for Speed Metal bands to come and they showed that Metal could have as much technique as any other genre of Music. And for musical magicians like Jeff Waters of Annihilator, technique was paramount in crafting higher caliber Speed Metal.

Annihilator’s first record, “Alice in Hell,” was a late-comer but that made it no less groundbreaking. Jeff Waters’ mastery of the riff was evident in the two-minute shred session that preceded the vocals in almost every song. Annihilator secured their place in the non-existent Metal Hall of Fame with 1990’s “Never, Neverland,” which is one of the finest examples of guitar-focused Metal ever. Speed became a showcasing of skill for guitarists, and determined not to be outdone by American and Canadian guitarists was Denmark’s Andy Larocque.

Andy Larocque, of King Diamond fame, is the only guitarist capable of outshining King Diamonds insane vocals. And it is because of Andy’s playing that the band King Diamond was capable of eclipsing the greatness achieved by Mercyful Fate, King Diamond’s earlier band. On classic albums like “Abigail” and “Them” Larocque’s immaculate guitar work was always front and center no matter how high King’s falsetto got. Thus it’s no shock that the infamously “difficult to work with” Chuck Schuldiner enlisted Larocque for 1993’s “Individual Thought Patterns.” Speed Metal wasn’t at all old before it too began to evolve and it was only in the late 80s that we saw the formation of a new brand of Speed Metal created by the German greats Blind Guardian.

Power Metal is nothing more than a flamboyant and bombastic interpretation of Speed Metal. Power has technique galore, speed and finesse and in place of gang vocals it has choirs, and there is no better choir than Hansi Kürsch. Blind Guardian’s vocals are their biggest strength, even when they were more on the raw side on their 1988 debut “Battalions of Fear.” Kürsch’s trademark one-manned choir, done by overlaying several vocal tracks performed by Hansi himself, is one of the staples of Blind Guardian’s sound. The other most important signature is the guitar duo of André Olbich and Marcus Siepen which is the most underrated guitar duo of all time.

Thrash and Speed took the groundwork layed by Heavy Metal in the 1970s and early 1980s and substantially upped the tempo. Thrash tossed in elements of horror films and Punk Rock aggression to make music that’d scare your grandma. Speed implemented Classical melodies and virtuoso musicianship in making music that would annoy your neighbors. But the late 80s saw the birth of something far scarier and far more annoying to common folk: Death Metal.