What is Thrash Metal ?
Thrash metal is not for those of a gentle disposition. Thrash metal is a mixture of animalistic raw aggression and high speed rapid guitar work, played extremely heavily and extremely loudly. Doom laden distorted riffs support apocalyptic raging vocals, backed up by drumming so fast and hard, that it barely seems humanly possible to achieve.Thrash metal is not something you put on when your granny comes round for tea that's for sure.
Neither is it suitable for the beginner guitarist, thrash, like speed metal, is exceptionally advanced and challenging to play. To play thrash metal means you are an accomplished and dedicated musician, highly articulate in your field. Don't let all that madness and insanely behaviour put you off, these guys are professionals.
The origins of thrash can, like most metal, be traced back to Black Sabbath, in particular the track "Paranoid". Although this is an early embryonic form of thrash and doesn't come close to the sheer power and aggression of thrash played by the likes of Anthrax and early Metallica, the galloping nature of this classic track embodies the genres foundation.
But for me no band incorporates thrash like that of Slayer. Listen to "Raining Blood" or "War Ensamble" and you will be under no illusions as to the power and force of thrash music. Every time I play "Raining Blood" I swear that my heart tries to burst from my chest as I try to keep up with the rapid guitar and the pounding bass. This sounds corny, but it is true. The track only lasts for little over two minutes, but at the end of it you are exhausted by the unbelievable tempo of the riffs and sheer energy of the song. Go listen.
Though surely the most well known band in this arena are Metallica. Their debut album Kill Em All, is pure thrash through and through, although later albums are its superior, this album is a good place to start if your thinking of travelling on the road of thrash metal. Metallica's late bass guitarist Cliff Burton is widely regarded as one of the finest bass players in this genre or any genre for that matter, and it is worth checking out to hear his inspiration bass alone.
Though the likes of Metallica and Slayer didn't appear on the scene over night. Bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest and Venom were early precursors to the genre and need to be investigated strongly for any budding thrash pupil. Indeed there are hundreds of insane thrash metal bands out there, blowing away listeners with their cyclone of thrash, the fun is in discovering them.
Like any fan of Heavy metal there is a strong element of rebellion attached to it, but with thrash this seems intensified by its concentrated energy and all out mayhem. Vocally there are very few love songs in their ranks, or sweet smiling melodies (ok there are none). It is out and out death and slaughter.
Of course thrash music is something that you instantly take to, or you instantly reject. You are either a thrash person or not. It is true that thrash metal was at its most prominent in the 1980's, but many of today's metal acts incorporate thrash into their music, such is its importance. Of course many thrash bands from the 80's are still going strong and touring frequently.
So if Megadeath or Motorhead should pop into your town, why not pay them a visit? After all, for the true metal experience, seeing such bands live is the only way to fully appreciate them, it certainly won't be an experience you will ever likely to forget.
Thrash Metal created itself
Thrash metal created a name for itself in the 1980's. The music was supposed to be louder and faster than anything ever played before. Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeath are some of the best known thrash bands. However, there is another band which while less known had a much bigger impact on thrash than those three bands.Stormtroopers of Death is that band. S.O.D as the band is known to its fans were very influential in thrash. They released one album during the 1980's by the name of "Speak English or Die." The album contains songs that are harder and faster than anything that had been played prior to it. The band consists of four members Billy Milano, Scott Ian, Dan Lilker and Charlie Benante. They were the true founders of thrash and their politcally incorrect lyrics helped define their place in metal history.
The band eventually split and the individuals in the band went on to form another four great thrash metal bands. Billy Milano formed Method of Destruction, Dan Lilker formed Nuclear Assault while Scott Ian and Charlie Benante formed Anthrax. All four of the bands had a good run during the second half of the 1980's with only Anthrax maintaining a huge fan base up until today. The band has re-united in the 1990's and released a second album in 1999 with a third one to be released sometime in the 2000's.
Stormtroopers of Death was in truth one of the founding fathers of thrash metal. They played louder, faster and with their politically incorrect lyrics became a true legend of metal. The fact that after they split into four separate bands all which achieved success only goes to show that had it not been for S.O.D thrash metal may have never become as popular as it did.
Casual Music Listener
The casual music listener today, surrounded by the mainstream rock and pop present on today's radio, is usually unaware of the metal sub-genre, thrash. Sure, everyone has heard of Metallica as they have been one of the most influential rock bands in history, but most people don't associate thrash with the band unless they are educated about its history.Thrash can be traced back to the late seventies and early eighties with the emergence of hardcore punk and proto-punk bands such as The Misfits and Black Flag. They had taken a step up from their predecessors and sped up the rhythmic chord progressions into speeds which were very fast when compared to pieces from other artists at the time. Also during this period, the NWOBHM(New Wave of British Heavy Metal) swept across the music scene. Bands such as Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden gained immense popularity for revolutionizing speedy guitar riffs and solos using distorted guitar effects. The earliest thrash bands combined the fast rhythmic chords of the hardcore punk scene and the solos and guitar approach from the NWOBHM to create the thrash genre. Bass riffs are generally fast and support the guitar playing. Drum beats tend to show heavy punk influences and/or speed metal drumming techniques such as double bass and quick cymbal rhythms. Guitar solos from the thrash style tend to be fast and in minor keys with lots of tapping, string skipping and sweep picking. Vocals vary extremely from band to band: the majority use raspy or harsh singing and chanting, some use pop and punk oriented vocal ranges, and still others used deep vocals that could be considered screams. Notable early thrash bands include Venom and Overkill.
Eager musicians rapidly embraced this newly formed style of music and a surge of thrash bands formed, mainly in the San Francisco bay area (Bay Area Thrash). Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Testament are all famous examples of bands from the area. The East coast as well had thrash developments, though not as significant as the Bay Area. Bands from the East coast include Anthrax and Overkill among many others. Europe too had a thrash development, though not as prevalent as in the United States. Growing reputations established the big four of thrash, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax as the most popular in the genre.
Metallica's Kill Em' All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets, Slayer's Show No Mercy, Hell Awaits, and Rein in Blood, Megadeth's Killing is my Business... And Business is Good!, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, and So Far, So Good... So What!, and Anthrax's Fistful of Metal, Spreading the Disease, Among the Living, and State of Euphoria are the thrash albums from the big four. Of course, the bands have many more albums, though they changed their musical approach and no longer followed the punk oriented approaches they had previously used. The speed metal themes in their music began to dominate their songwriting and the thrashy influences present in their songs began to disappear. This, however, does not mean that further releases from the bands were of poor quality, they just weren't true thrash albums. Generally speaking, similar approaches were taken by the majority of the thrash bands as music began to evolve once again. As grunge became the prevalent form of music, metal began to fade from the limelight it had previously had and the thrash bands saw it was time for a change. Thrash metal, obscure to begin with, lost what little presence it had in the ear of the general public. In essence, grunge was responsible for the death of the thrash explosion.
New thrash bands did and still continue to pop up such as Anacrusis in the mid nineties and Evile, a relatively modern band. Aside from the big four, countless bands existed which played and influenced the playing of other thrash bands. (To Name a Few: Testament, Sepultura, Voivod, Death Angel, Exodus, Sadus, Onslaught, Dark Angel, Celtic Frost, D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies) Thrash metal truly never achieved much airplay or mainstream acceptance, but never the less, it is a significant part of music history and development. Many genres today are based on thrash influences such as black and death metal. All of the big four in thrash continue on producing albums and touring to this day along with a good majority of the lesser known bands from the thrash era. While records and albums from these groups may not be commonplace at the local music retailer, they definitely are worth checking out for their technicality and significance, and should be a part of any metal aficionado's collection.
Sub-genre of
Heavy metal has several sub-genres, one of which is thrash metal. Thrash metal is characterized by it's high speed, aggression, and violent lyrics.Thrash metal originated in the late 1970's to early 1980's, when a number of bands began using the sound of the New Wave British Heavy Metal with their own.
Lead guitarists normally use fast tempos, low-register, fast complex guitar riffs, and high-register solos. The solos are played at high speed and often use shredding. Rhythm guitarists in thrash metal is known for its use of palm muting and staccato used with heavy distortion. Bassists often use a pick to keep up due to the high speed. There are some, none the less who use their fingers. A few use a distorted bass tone.
With it's speed and pacing, drums are what best defines thrash metal. With the use of the snare on 1/2 beat and two bass drums, some thrash drummers are known as the "best drummers in rock music" according to some people.
Like many of the other sub-genres of metal, thrash metal lyrics center around society, life, death and gore. What sets it apart though is the view that there is no higher power. Unlike many of the other sub-genres though, thrash metal often focuses on positive social issues.
Since its beginning in the late 70's, thrash metal has continued to grow. With its fast paced sound and its aggressive, often angry lyrics, which are easier to understand than the lyrics of some of the other genres, thrash metal has and will continue to give a release for its fans.
Heavy Metal on Steroids
Thrash Metal is what I like to call - Heavy Metal on Steroids.To put that im simpler terms, Heavy Metal was reigning supreme as the loudest music on the planet in the late 60's to the mid 70's, then out of the blue, Thrash metal arrived on the scene in both Great Britain and the U.S.A. This music was similar in style to the powerful Heavy Metal genre, but was labeled as a sub genre. Heavy Metal became famous for its heavy riffs, powerful vocals and long guitar based tracks, heavy on solo's, heavy on powerful rhymes.
Thrash Metal? The same, but LOUDER. Thrash arrived on the scene and quickly became a favorite of the younger generation who liked to make noise. However, Thrash metal was and still is much more than loud music. Thrash is something that gained acclaim criticism, success and a hugely popular cult following all over the world, every state known to man, every entertainment based Country in the world.
Thrash combines the classic Heavy Metal sound with an immensely POWERFUL high-speed atmosphere based on Guitars and Vocals as well as drums, while combining a new-age of post-punk, often labeled Hardcore punk, in with the style combining a unique, heavy, powerful and LOUD sound for the world to either love or loathe. As with the Heavy Metal genre, the younger generations loved it and it was the parents that loathed it. The late nights, the drinking and the women that were associated with the Metal scene came to new heights with the more passionate and cult-like following of the thrash metal scene, although in more modern times, while Thrash still has a cult-like following, the temptations have seemingly grown out of the genre.
Thrash Metal is one of the best sub-genre's of metal ever created, and a must have for fans of HEAVY, HEAVY, VERY HEAVY metal. If you like it fast, if you like it powerful, then Thrash Metal is the music for you. Not for the faint of hearted or those who are easily frightened by loud music, or the neighbors knocking the door telling you to turn it down!
