Here were are back again, ready for some more thrashing action. In my previous sections I focused on Thrash from the States and Germany, and so for this I’ll continue on the geographical theme and focus on bands from the rest of the world .Whereas the US and Germany both made immeasurable contributions to Thrash, bands from other countries did their fair share.
Anvil: A band only just now getting its due after toiling for three decades in relative obscurity. Anvil were among the innovators of Thrash, but despite being innovators and influential in the field, they were never a proper Thrash act. Their thrashiest album, Plugged in Permanent, is also arguably their worst. Anvil seemed at their best when they wrote songs that were heavy but still maintained a degree of restraint and catchiness. Today they might not sound like much, but when songs like
666,
Mothra and
March of the Crabs were released to an unsuspecting public in 1982, they were the closest thing to what we know call Thrash. Hence they helped sow the seeds for Thrash Metal as well as proved influential on Power Metal. Rec albums:
Forged in Fire,
Metal on Metal.
Artillery: A band that packed a bigger punch than the
Schwere Gustav and about a thousand times as deadly, this howitzer of a band hailed from Denmark. Their opening barrage in their discography,
Fear of Tomorrow, was an album bursting at the seems with Thrashy intensity, but even early on, this band showed a keen musical intelligence, incorporating technicality and more melodic passages without sacrificing intensity or aggression. This would only grow exponentially as the band continued on, releasing their masterpiece
By Inheritance in 1990, an album whose progressive nature is matched only by its visceral strength. This is an album that deserves to be mentioned with all the other Thrash classics like
Reign in Blood and
Darkness Descends . Rec albums:
Fear of Tomorrow,
By Inheritance,
Terror Squad.
Celtic Frost: Frost were among what’s now known as the first wave of Black Metal, but they were also firmly in the Thrash Metal camp for their best work. As well all know, Frost began as
Hellhammer, a band of Swiss misfits who recorded a few demos before breaking up, trying to out-Venom Venom, and far surpassing them, and becoming something of a cult band and whose low-fi recordings were a wellspring of inspiration to Black Metal. This led to the formation of Celtic Frost. What I like best about Frost’s Thrash period is the unconventional riffing which is equal parts catchy and heavy. Tom Warrior’s decidedly un professional solos fit snugly within the band’s sound.
To Mega Therion showed some experimentation in their sound, proving that Thrash wasn’t just about double bass drums and tremolo picking. Frost provided the kind of innovation that can only be supplied by autodidacts. Tom Warrior was also influential on another Swiss band, the almighty
Coroner, providing vocals on their
Death Cult demo. Rec albums:
Morbid Tales, Emperor's Return,
To Mega Therion.
Hobbs’ Angel of Death: The brainchild of guitarist and vocalist Peter Hobbs, HAOD were among the first Metal bands to emerge from Australia and to reach an international audience. Hobbs helped pave the way for such great Aussie bands as
Alchemist,
Destroyer 666 and others. Due to their name, they were unfairly dismissed in some quarters as being Slayer derivatives. But a close listen reveals this to be untrue. They weren’t the most original of bands but they weren’t plagiarizing one. Hobbs were a tried and true Thrash band, inhabiting all the standard formulas of the genre and fulfilling them with ease. They weren’t the greatest of bands, but they were very good at what they did. I wouldn’t call them essential, but nevertheless I do feel they’re underrated in many quarters. Rec albums:
Hobbs’ Angel of Death.
Infernal Majesty: Like many other bands I’ve written about, Infernal Majesty are a band who recorded a monster of a debut album that hinted at future greatness, only to encounter insurmountable obstacles that prevented that greatness from fully manifesting itself.
None Shall Defy is among the greatest debut albums in Thrashdom, probably in all of metal period. NSD is like a rawer take on Show no Mercy. There is the usual satanic imagery, fast sections that make you band your head into oblivion. But then, you’ll be headbanging along furiously, and the song slows down suddenly. But unlike most other bands who weave in slower sections in thrash, Infernal Majesty do it well. There’s no loss of momentum which is the usual result of said tempo change, if anything it serves to increase the momentum, leave you eagerly anticipating the breakneck fast part that’s just lurking around the corner. The songwriting on this album is a thing to behold and its what makes it such a great album. The band would encounter the usual lineup changes, inability to find a record deal, etc. Although they’re active now and still record decent material, they sound like a shell of themselves. Rec album:
None Shall Defy
Mortal Sin: Mortal Sin were probably the biggest Thrash band to emerge from down under. I wouldn’t call them an essential band but they did release some good material while they were around. Their debut is also their best release, 1987's
Mayhemic Destruction gets tagged as being fairly Metallica inspired. While that inspiration is clearly there, this isn’t plagiarism either. Mayhemic Destruction gave the band a foothold on the international scene, with many publications heralding them as the next big thing to happen in Thrash. But sadly that wasn’t to happen. Their follow-up, 1989's
Face of Despair is a decent album but inferior to the debut. After this release, the band imploded in a morass of line up changes and litigation. This band has released little of note since. Rec album:
Mayhemic Destruction.
Obliveon (Can): A band very much inspired by Voivod’s technical and cyber approach, but with the strength of personality to pave their own path. Although this band formed in the late 1980s, it wasn’t until the early 90's that they found a label and began releasing full lengths. Of course the 90s was a very tough decade for Thrash as most bands disbanded, went groove or were producing subpar material. For them to thrive in such an environment is a testament to their skill as much as their perseverance. Obliveon’s first release was 1987's
Whimsical Uproar demo, one of the better Thrash demos I’ve heard. It’s a short recording that captured a young band already fully matured. Their sound was technical but not on the same level as a band like latter Voivod or Watchtower but still geared primarily towards songwriting and aggression. At their peak I would say they sounded something like Nothingface era Voivod but with better vocals and less mainstream influences. Rec albums:
Whimsical Uproar,
Cybervoid,
Carnivore Motormouth .
Onslaught: The most famous of the UK Thrash bands, with only Sabbat rivalling them for the crown. Their debut was a heavily hardcore influenced affair but I still find a lot of enjoyment in this record, so don’t be scared off by the hardcore influence if such a thing raises your ire.
Power From Hell is fine [Thrash record, one of the best debuts in this genre’s history. The follow-up,
The Force, is far thrashier than the debut, and a far superior release. Their third releasing was a highly disappointing affair, and the band petered out of existence before doing like so many other bands and hitting the comeback trail. Rec albums:
The Force,
Power From Hell.
Pestilence: Like many pioneers of Death Metal, Pestilence’s sound at one point was heavily in the Thrash camp and it wasn’t until later that Pestilence became a through and through Death Metal act, paving the way for Dutch bands like
Asphyx,
Pungent Stench,
Sinister,
Pentacle and others. But their debut,
Malleus Maleficarum is one of the more riff-tastic releases in Thrashdom. Van Drunen’s vocals don’t sound as sick or demented yet, but it doesn’t hurt the album one iota. As much as I like this band’s Death Metal albums, I think that their Thrash debut is actually their best, most consistent release, one that never relents, the production is perfect, the whole album flows perfectly (i.e. no distracting ambient interludes). Its almost a perfect release really. Rec album (for this journal):
Malleus Maleficarum.
Razor (Can): The Rodney Dangerfield of Thrash. A band that recorded some of the best, most intense material this fine genre has ever known, only to get no respect, much less recognition for their efforts. Razor emerged in 1984 and demonstrated right from the beginning what they were about: fast, intense and aggressive thrash, with no compromises. There would be no selling out from this band. No progression. No regression. Just balls to the wall Thrash played the way it should be. They played a style that was reminiscent of Slayer, only more aggressive and less evil sounding. Razor’s best material came with Steve McLaren on vocals but they still managed to record a couple of very good albums with his replacement Rob Reid. Although as the title track to
Evil Invaders and a few other songs show, when they occasionally slowed things down, they could write very memorable songs, they were mainly about writing Thrash that was the fastest and most aggressive out there and by and large, they succeeded. Rec albums:
Armed and Dangerous,
Executioners Song,
Evil Invaders,
Custom Killing,
Open Hostility,
Shotgun Justice.
Sabbat: I’ll be covering the Japanese Sabbat in the next guide, this entry will focus on the British Sabbat. Before Martin Walkyier discovered his inner folkie, he fronted one of the most seminal yet criminally underrated Thrash outfits ever. Even in his youth, Walkyier was ambitious. Unlike their countrymen like Onslaught and Xentrix, Sabbat weren’t content to follow in familiar patterns. Those of you used to Walkyier’s present vocal style will probably be shocked back to the neolithic age by the speed and venom in his vocal styles. As much as Walkyier’s vision, ambition and lyrical prowess powered this band, they were matched by the guitar playing of Andy Sneap. Together they were able to make Sabbat one of the more unique bands in Thrash. Sabbat’s riffing is intense and multi directional, Sneap’s riffing provides the perfect vehicle for Walkyier’s tales of Pagan England. As far as I know, Sabbat were the only Thrash band to record a full and proper concept album. Highly recommended. Rec albums:
Dreamweaver,
History of a Time to Come.
Sacrifice (Can): Another fine underrated band. Hailing from Toronto, Sacrifice played a simple, no nonsense Thrash much like their peers Razor. Sacrifice’s songwriting became slightly more ambitious as they lived on, best witness on the
Soldiers of Misfortune album. One of my favorite all time Thrash riffs is actually the opening of the song
Re-animation. This band’s only misstep was their final album before disbanding,
Apocalypse Inside, which slowed things down too much and showed a band stretching itself too thin. As of this writing I haven’t heard this band’s new album yet, but the tracks I’ve heard sound promising indeed. Rec albums:
Torment in Fire,
Soldiers of Misfortune,
Forward to Termination.
Sacrilege (UK): A band with an interesting evolutionary path, despite only releasing 3 full length albums before dissolving. Their debut is a strong slab of Thrash with a nice dose of UK Crust, sounding like a thrashier version of the godly Amebix, and with a nasty female vocalist to boot. Their second album was more a pure thrash recording, perhaps not as primal as the debut but still an excellent and highly recommended release. Their third and final album saw them channeling a strong Doom Metal influence. This is probably their weakest album but not by much. Despite changing styles so often, Sacrilege managed to maintain a consistent aesthetic throughout their career, showing the world how dreary and miserable the West Midlands were in the 80s and brilliantly encapsulating the musical heritage of this region. Rec albums:
Behind the Realm of Madness, Within the Prophecy, Turn Back Trilobite.
Sepultura: It feels strange including this band in here. It seems more people know them for the groove and nu metal garbage of their more recent work, their past Thrash work seems almost forgotten under a chorus of “jumdafuckup!” and muddy, undefinable guitar “riffs”. Sepultura were the first band from South America to achieve a wider, international audience. Although this hasn’t seemed to spawn a surge of interest into the area. I’ve spoken with tons of people over the years who know of Sepultura, but haven’t bothered to investigate further, leaving them ignorant of bands like
Hadez,
Vulcano,
Inquisition,
Sarcofago, etc. But that’s their loss.
Sepultura’s beginnings were rather modest. Recording a split EP and a full length debut that were raw and under produced, showing a heavy Venom influence. Out of nowhere, 1987's sophomore
Schizophrenia burst onto the scene. Showing far more musical refinement than the early material, combined with the over the top aggression on the album makes this one of the greatest releases in the history of Thrash. This album has everything, from epic instrumentals, to mad thrashers and mid-tempo crunchers. There isn’t a single blemish on that disc. Their follow-up was 1989's
Beneath the Remains, an album which was more restrained in some ways but was still a seminal Thrash release. It was this band’s final Thrash release that they achieved a sizeable audience. Although heralded as a classic, 1991's
Arise was a letdown in some respects. The production is dry and stifles any energy the music conveys. The performances seem mechanical and its almost like the band had hit its creative nadir, from which it would quicky descend. There exists a mix of this album done by Scott Burns that differs from the version released to the greater public. I’d recommend you look for this, rather than the regular mix. Rec albums:
Schizophrenia,
Beneath the Remains.
Slaughter Lord: A band from down under. Slaughter Lord were decidedly less polished than their countrymen in Hobbs’... and Mortal Sin (two of the members of SL found their way into Mortal Sin). But they were also rawer, more primal and far heavier. Listening to their demos I’m reminded of
Sign of Evil/Obsessed by Cruelty era-Sodom but with better musicianship (the drummer actually stays in time on these recordings!). Slaughter Lord were a band who flaunted their disregard for the known conventions of Thrash of the time. Their demos are the sound of a band exploring the extremities of music and judging by the results, some of the heaviest and most primal Thrash ever recorded, they succeeded. They also succeeded in giving us the world’s first heavy metal comedian with drummer Steve Hughes. Rec album:
Thrash ‘Til Death.
Xentrix: A decent UK band who were more at ease with the melodic possibilities of thrash than with the aggressive side. Their biggest claim to Metal fame is their silly cover of the Ghostbusters song, which is quite terrible to be honest. At times they sounded like the British answer to Anthrax, other times they sounded more like a UK version of Nasty Savage or Laaz Rocket. Overall I’d say this band was above average, worth investigating if you’re a completist but if you’re looking to something akin to
Darkness Descends you’ll be disappointed. Rec albums:
Shattered Existence,
For Whose Advantage?.
This concludes my third part in my Thrash guide. As usual, if I omitted anyone worth mentioning please add ‘em in the comments since I admit that my knowledge of Thrash isn't as vast it is in other genres. The final part is on the way and hopefully will be up in the next few weeks. The final guide will focus on thrash hybrids like Progressive/Techincal Thrash, Blackened Thrash, Death/Thrash and the two crossover bands I like! This one would’ve been posted sooner but I had visiting in-laws to deal with that got in the way of some good Thrashing. I hope you find these equal parts informative and educational.
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Razor
