Thrash Metal Revival

During the 2000s, thrash metal experienced a revival of sorts. In the 1990s, the subgenre had died down a little to make way for newer, more extreme types of heavy metal. Many of the more mainstream thrash metal groups, such as Metallica and Megadeth, took on more of a hard rock approach in order to try to compete with grunge. Meanwhile, some thrash metal bands, such as Slayer, Testament and Exodus, stuck to their roots, but struggled to survive due to fans gaining more of an interest in new, heavier styles of metal.  Others groups like Destruction, Dark Angel, Vio-lence and Death Angel just couldn’t compete, so they disappeared entirely.

By the mid-2000s, thrash metal was cool again. Many fans had missed the passion of the music and longed to re-experience the mayhem that thrash metal brought to their youth, so new thrash metal bands started to emerge and old ones went back to their roots. Listed below are my ten favorite albums from the thrash metal revival movement. Take a look!

10. Death Angel - Killing Season

Death Angel was a really talented thrash metal band from the 1980s, but the band was always dragged down by the youth of its members. When Death Angel re-emerged in the 2000s after having broken up in the early 1990s, it sounded like a totally different band. The music was reminiscent of old Death Angel, but it was so much more mature. Weak link Mark Osgueda suddenly became one of the band’s biggest assets due the maturation in his voice. Killing Season has thus far been the highlight of Death Angel’s work since its reactivation, and is, in my opinion, the band's best album ever.

9. Megadeth - United Abominations

Megadeth has had three fantastic modern thrash metal albums: The System Has Failed, United Abominations and Endgame. My favorite is United Abominations. The album sounds really natural for Megadeth and is a great combination of the band’s work in the 1980s and the early 1990s. It’s a catchy thrash metal album that never tries too hard to impress its listeners. United Abominations is, in my opinion, the most underrated Megadeth.

8. Anthrax - Worship Music

Worship Music speaks for itself. Featuring the return of Joey Belladonna, the album sounds like Anthrax hasn’t missed a beat with its old singer. Worship Music is a great album by a band whose quality never suffered too much. Rob Caggiano did a great job producing the record too, and really motivated everyone to play their hearts out.

7. Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder

Warbringer is a newer thrash metal band that sounds like a combination of old-school Slayer and Exodus. This record is the band during its prime, and is heavy as hell. The band members all sound really pissed and it adds to the album’s intensity. That album opener, “Living Weapon,” is one of my favorite thrash metal songs ever. SO BRUTAL!

6. Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted

The Cavalera brothers didn’t play together for a long time after Max left Sepultura.  However, when the brothers finally reunited on Inflikted, all hell broke loose. This album features outstanding musicianship from everyone involved and is better than anything that modern day Sepultura has ever put out. If you’re a fan of Max Cavalera, even a little, this album is really worth listening to. It’s awesome!

5. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist 

Kreator has really done a good job at putting out memorable albums during the 2000s. The group’s most recent effort, Phantom Antichrist, is its best modern thrash metal album yet. The band still sounds great and will hopefully keep pummeling the ears of its fans for many years to come. Also, THAT ALBUM COVER IS FUCKING AWESOME! Look it up!

4. Battlecross - Pursuit of Honor

Battlecross is the newest band on this list. Pursuit of Honor combines thrash metal with melodic death metal in a way that has never been done before. Battlecross’ music is more passionate and exciting than the majority of heavy metal music that is coming out now. This album is worthy of all the praise it receives and should be checked out by thrash metal fans, as well as fans of groups such as At the Gates and Children of Bodom. Battlecross’ music does not disappoint.

3. Skeletonwitch - Beyond the Permafrost 

Hailing from Athens, Ohio, Skeletonwitch is one of the best modern thrash metal bands around. The group combines thrash metal and black metal in a way that no other group can emulate. The band's live performances are outstanding and the music is empowering. Beyond the Permafrost has become the group’s classic record, and it is one that many metalheads will surely be listening to for decades to come. 

2. Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition

Exodus has done a brilliant job of refining its sound in the 2000s. Gary Holt’s songwriting abilities are incredible, and each song on this album is really memorable. Exodus is still creating classics, and it is evident with this record, which was released only three years ago. The band still sounds so youthful and alive even though the members have aged significantly. Singer Rob Dukes is doing a phenomenal job of filling massive shoes, and he has really helped to give this band new life. Exodus is one of the few old thrash metal bands that is currently putting out records that are better than some of its old work from the 1980s. Exhibit B: The Human Condition is incredible, and is a modern thrash metal masterpiece. 

1. Overkill - Ironbound

Overkill is unbelievable. This band is always so overlooked, despite the fact that it's one of the best thrash metal bands around. Overkill combines old school speed metal with thrash metal, and has been creating some of the most exciting, fast metal albums of the last decade. Ironbound is my favorite recent Overkill record, but the last three have all really been phenomenal, and are better than most of the rest of the albums on this list. Ironbound is a memorable record from top to bottom and is a must-hear album for every metalhead.

Death metal

Throughout the history of heavy metal, new bands have always tried to become heavier than those that preceded them. Venom succeeded when they released Welcome to Hell which was more raw and vicious than anything that had come before it. Slayer then entered the scene, and with the release of their first three albums, they proved to be the heaviest band that had ever existed to that point.

Two years before Slayer released their legendary third album, Reign in Blood, though, the term “death metal” was coined by a band called, Possessed. Possessed released their debut demo simply called, Death Metal, and they instantly attracted the attention the band, Exodus, who then sent the demo to Metal Blade Records.

After Metal Blade decided to release one of their songs on a Metal Massacre compilation, they were soon signed to another label and they released their debut album a year later. This record called Seven Churches would end up being one the first real death metal record. Possessed only released one more album before disbanding, but it is important to note that they were the first true pioneer of death metal.

The members of Possessed didn’t go on to have much success with other projects, with the exception of Larry LaLonde, who soon went on to found the very famous funk metal band, Primus. The members of Possessed did list Venom, Motörhead, and Slayer among their main influences however, which is a testament to how much the more aggressive thrash and speed metal acts impacted death metal.

At this point, it is important that we specify what the musical qualities of death metal are. The subgenre is usually characterized by fast, highly distorted and drop-tuned guitars that use palm muting and tremolo picking techniques. Drum patterns in death metal are usually particularly fast and technical, making use of blast beats. There are also abrupt key, tempo and time signature changes that compliment varied song structures. Death metal vocals usually consist of guttural roars, grunts, snarls, and death growls.

Around the same time that Possessed was active, a new death metal band made its way on to the scene. This band was simply known as, Death. Death would soon go on to become the best-selling death metal band worldwide. Chuck Schuldiner was the only constant member of Death until his death in 2001. Schuldiner is also known as “Father of Death Metal.”

Death’s debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, is a legendary death metal album, and some critics consider it to be the first actual death metal album, claiming Possessed was more of a transitional band between thrash and death metal. Personally though, I think Possessed’s debut is the first death metal record, but there is no denying Scream Bloody Gore’s immense impact and legacy.

Death would go on to change their style in the future. The first few records were very straight-up death metal, however on their landmark record, Human, they began to become even more technically complex, and they started to incorporate progressive metal elements to their music. Human is Death’s best-selling record, and after it was released all following albums would incorporate more and more progressive influences.

There were a few other death metal bands that helped to popularize the genre that helped to popularize the subgenre during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Along with Death, bands such as Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Obituary were from Florida, and were labeled as “Florida death metal” because of the popularity of the subgeenre in that area. Other important death metal bands of the era are Suffocation, Necrophagia, Master, Entombed, Immolation and Autopsy.

Morbid Angel particularly put out several extremely important releases during their extensive history. Their first two records, Altars of Madness and Blessed Are the Sick are considered to be two of the best and most influential death metal records of all time. Their third album, Covenant, is the best-selling death metal album in the U.S, and is also a legendary death metal record.

Two other very important death metal bands are Obituary and Deicide. Obituary released several important records such as Slow We Rot and The End Complete that greatly contributed to the development of death metal.

Deicide also greatly contributed to the development of death metal with such releases as their self-titled record and Legion. Those two albums also were the second and third best-selling death metal albums in the during the Soundscan era. Deicide is also notable for being one of the first very directly anti-Chrisitan metal bands. This led to them being banned from playing at many venues, and caused controversy within the media.

The best-selling death metal band of all time in the U.S is Cannibal Corpse. With seminal records such as Butchered at Birth and Tomb of the Mutilated, they have established an extremely devoted cult following. Both of those records have also reached over a million sales worldwide. Cannibal Corpse is considered to be a very violently themed band, and have often caused controversy to due to the extreme and gory nature of their lyrics and artwork.

Death metal reached its peak in popularity from 1992 to 1993. Afterward death metal started to be divided into various types, each of which would achieve its own degree of popularity. These types consist of melodic death metal, technical death metal, brutal death metal, progressive death metal, blackened death metal, etc. and we will discuss them in more depth at a later date.

Death metal still remains a fairly popular genre today however, and there are many active and newly formed death metal bands who continue to put on shows around the world.