Thrashology 101: The Joy of Thrash

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Thrashology 101: The Joy of Thrash

The purpose of this thread is to archive the music of thrash metal bands as well as facilitate the discovery of new bands by delving further into the sub-genre as a whole. For those new to thrash metal, let's start with a basic high-level description of what thrash metal is and a condensed history of the sub-genre.

[What is Thrash Metal?]:

Thrash metal is a sub-genre of the umbrella musical genre known as heavy metal. Thrash is synonymous with an aggressive tone, mostly "clean" vocals, and fast tempo. Some of the most well-known metal bands in history are credited as the pioneers of the sub-genre, including the "big four" metal bands, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.

[Brief History]:

Although some of the first full-length thrash albums were released in the early 1980s (i.e. Metallica's Kill 'Em All from 1983), demo tapes and underground rehearsals began earlier (likely as early as 1979). The sound was created by the rebellious teenage youths who sought to meld the fast, aggressive playing and controversial lyrical themes of the hardcore punk scene with the heavily distorted instrumentation and dark atmosphere of the early heavy metal pioneers and bands from the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). The marriage of lyrical themes focusing on political corruption, war, death, violence, and religion, along with never-before-seen levels of aggressive playing struck a chord with members of various subcultures and folks who loathed the ever-popular glam metal scene of the time. Thrash metal quickly became the anti-glam metal movement, and spread like wildfire. Countless thrash bands entered the fray and the sub-genre continued to grow throughout the 1980s.

The 90s brought some change and evolution to the genre. Bands like Pantera, Exhorder, and Devastation, released major albums as many bands shifted to a still heavier, but slower, more groove-oriented sound. Thrash metal continued to be a popular sub-genre throughout the 90s, with new bands joining the ranks and the originators like the big four continuing to release popular content.

The popularity of the sub-genre began to steadily decline towards the 2000's, with the unfortunate rise of Nu metal, pseudo-metal rap, and what can only be described as doucherock/metal. These were dark times, when watered-down, talentless, but highly marketable bands drowned the radio waves and took over the pop-culture image of all things "metal". Continuing to weather the storm and survive amid the fallout of the unforgivable nu-metal era, thrash metal steadily lives on today, with newer bands like Municipal Waste, Violator, Meltdown, and Evile continuing in the footsteps of thrashers before them.

[Conclusion]:

Now that we’ve covered the background of the music in very little detail, we can begin studying (in no logical order) the
plethora of bands that capture the very essence of what it means to thrash . . .

p.s. - feel free to PM me if you'd like to see your favorite thrash metal band added to the archive :D

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Sepultura

Country of origin: Brazil
Location: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (originally) / São Paulo, São Paulo (now)
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-present


Morbid Visions (Full-length) (1986)

Schizophrenia (Full-length) (1987)

Beneath the Remains (Full-length) (1987)

Bestial Devastation (EP) (1990)

Arise (Full-length) (1991)

Third World Posse (EP) (1992)

Chaos A.D. (Full-length) (1993)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal (early), Groove/Thrash Metal, Nu-metal (later)

The band name comes from a Portuguese translation of Motörhead's song "Dancing on Your Grave" which is "Dançando Na Sua Sepultura". Sepultura means "grave" in Portuguese (and in some other Latin-based languages). Originally, they wanted to call the band Tropa de Choque (Shock Troops), but found that the name had been used before.

The first Sepultura show was on December 4th, 1984. The band played two songs that never were re-recorded or released.

Sepultura played the Donington Monsters of Rock festival in England in 1996 as a three piece with Andreas Kisser on lead vocals after Max Cavalera learned about the murder of his stepson Dana Wells.

Max left Sepultura in December 1996 after the rest of the band had clashes with his wife (Dana Wells' mother) and band manager Gloria Bujnowski. He went on to form the alternative/nu metal band Soulfly.

Derrick Green, originally from Cleveland, Ohio relocated to Brazil to replace Max as vocalist. Sepultura have largely played as a single guitar band since then, though Green has occasionally played rhythm onstage.

Roy Mayorga filled-in for Igor Cavalera during the European tour with In Flames in 2006. Igor quit Sepultura permanently later the same year. The Cavalera brothers then reunited in the Cavalera Conspiracy project.

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Wargasm

Country of origin: United States
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-2000, 2004, 2008-unknown


Why Play Around? (Full-length) (1988)

Ugly (Full-length) (1993)

Little Drummer Boy / Jingle Hell (Single) (2000)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Wargasm first formed in 1982 under the name Overkill. In 1985, they changed their name to Maniac, releasing a five-song demo, called "Rainbows, Kittens, Flowers and Puppies". By 1986, they had again changed their name to Wargasm.

In 2004, the band reunited for one more show, a benefit which was recorded for an upcoming CD / DVD release.

In 2008 the band reunited once again to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their album "Why Play Around?" and to release the long awaited DVD "Knee Deep in the Middle East: Live in Boston" with 2 shows: in Cambridge MA at the Middle East club and in Providence RI at Club Hell. The band played "Why Play Around?" in its entirety and in order, along with other material. Both shows sold out.

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I love thrash. but i'm not going to post a massive description on the band. i'd be here for like 10 minutes. for each band,

I'll post my personal thrash / (Pre-Death Metal) favorites. for those who want a recommendation

Swordmaster - Doom at Motordome (This band is Disbanded, Now Exists as Deathstars)

Dark Angel - Merciless Death (Band is Still Active)

Testament - So Many Lies (This band is Still Active)

(Obviously) Slayer - Bloodlines

GWAR - Womb With a View (Active) - R.I.P to Former Vocalist Oderus)

Venom - Countess Bathory (Band is still Active)

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Devastation

Country of origin: United States
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-1991, 2008-2009


Destined to Death (Demo) (1986) + Contaminated (Demo) (1988)

Violent Termination (Full-length) (1987)

Signs of Life (Full-length) (1989)

Idolatry (Full-length) (1991)

Wikipedia.de notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

The band was founded in 1986. That same year, the band released their first demo Destined to Death. As a result, the band reached a deal with Zombo Records and with this label released their debut album Violent Termination in 1987. In 1988 followed the second demo Contaminated. In the same year the band also gave performances, including with Dark Angel. The second album Signs of Life appeared in 1988 in Under One Flag. In 1989, followed by further performances with groups such Lääz Rockit, Dead Brain Cells and Sepultura. In 1990, the group played with lower other Death. In 1991 followed the last album Idolatry. The album was recorded by Scott Burns at Morrisound Studio. After a series of performances in the summer together with bands like Malevolent Creation and Demolition Hammer, the band broke up after Combat Records had terminated the contract with the band. In In 2008, the band was back together.

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EvilDead

Country of origin: United States
Location: Los Angeles, California
Formed: 1987
Years active: 1987-1995, 2008-2012


The Awakening (Demo) (1987)

Rise Above (EP) (1989)

Annihilation of Civilization (Full-length) (1989)

The Underworld (Full-length) (1991)

Blasphemy Divine (Single) (2011)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

The band was formed by Juan Garcia upon the breakup of his previous band, Agent Steel. Upon the reformation of Agent Steel, Juan brought Karlos Medina with him. After the demise of Evildead in 1995, Juan Garcia, Karlos Medina and Dan Flores formed the Band Terror that would follow the same vein of Evildead, but with lyrics in Spanish.

The band took their name from the Sam Raimi horror film "The Evil Dead".

Recently reunited, the band played and headlined its first show in over 20 years at a small thrash festival named "Thrasho De Mayo" in Los Angeles.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Evildead was an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1987. The band was originally composed of members of two former bands, Agent Steel and Abattoir, including guitarist Juan Garcia, who is their only permanent member. During their initial eight-year run, Evildead made two studio albums (Annihilation of Civilization and The Underworld), and a live album titled Live ....From The Depths of The Underworld and an EP. Although their commercial success was limited, their music is still highly regarded amongst metal fans. Evildead had been plagued by extended inactivity due to lineup changes and problems with making a follow-up to The Underworld. This resulted in their official breakup in 1996. They reunited in 2008, but eventually broke up four years later.

Evildead was formed in 1987, after guitarist Juan Garcia and bassist Mel Sanchez left Agent Steel and Abattoir; with the intention to write heavy music with more hardcore and thrash metal elements; more so than their previous bands. Evildead paved new ground with their ferocious approach to songwriting, but also followed a Vio-lence/Sacred Reich style, with lyrics exploring political and social themes mixed with horror and nuclear war topics. Their band name was inspired from the Sam Raimi horror film The Evil Dead.

In 1988, the band signed a recording contract with the European label Steamhammer Records and released RiseAbove (a 3-track EP featuring the songs "Sloe-Death", "Run Again" and the title track which is a cover version of Black Flag) in the same year. They followed it up with their debut full-length album Annihilation of Civilization in 1989 to rave reviews. A promotional videoclip was launched for the title track, and it received airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball.

In 1990, the band returned to the studio to record their second album with producer Warren Croyle, The Underworld, which was released in the following year. The album was not as successful as Annihilation of Civilization. They released a live album taken from the tour, Live ....From The Depths of The Underworld, in 1992, but was their last release due to the grunge movement that was emerging at that time, which was displacing many forms of 1980s heavy metal and hard rock in America.

Following the The Underworld tour, Evildead went on an extended hiatus. The band headed back into the studio in 1993 to begin work on a third album, and wrote several new songs including "Humano", "Immortal" and "Dia de los Muertos", which also appear on the band's 1994 demo tape Terror and would be recorded again for the only Terror album Hijos de los Cometas (1997). However, the album was left unfinished and Evildead soon broke up.

After the split, Karlos Medina, and Juan Garcia reformed Agent Steel, but still play together with Evildead members Danny Flores, and Eddie Livingston, (who played on their live release) in a band called Terror, which has
one full-length album; with all songs in Spanish that was released on BMG in Mexico; which is not out of print. Former drummer Joe Montelongo was in Evildead for a short stay during their final years also went on to play with MX Machine.

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Nasty Savage

Country of origin: United States
Location: Brandon, Florida
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1983-1989, 2002-2012


Wage of Mayhem (Demo) (1984)

Nasty Savage (Full-length) (1985)

Indulgence (Full-length) (1987)

Abstract Reality (EP) (1988)

Penetration Point (Full-length) (1989)

Psycho Psycho (Full-length) (2004)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Power/Speed/Thrash Metal

Split up in 1989. After playing some reunion shows in 1998 they officially reformed in late 2002. Nasty Savage played their last concert early May 2012 in Ybor City.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Nasty Savage was a thrash metal band originating from Brandon, Florida, USA. The band rose to popularity primarily due to lead vocalist "Nasty" Ronnie Galetti's over-the-top stage show performances (in early shows Ronnie would smash television sets over his head) and the band's relentless efforts to keep its music as uncommon as possible. The second album featuring the hit single "XXX" was recorded at Progressive Music in Tampa. These recordings helped get the band signed with heavy metal label Metal Blade Records. After releasing four albums between 1985 and 1989 they broke up. After there had been speculation about a reunion for some time, an album of new material was released in the spring of 2004. Since then, the band has played an occasional live show but has not recorded.

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Atrophy

Country of origin: United States
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1987-1991


Chemical Dependency (Demo) (1987) + Advanced Promo (Demo) (1988)

Socialized Hate (Full-length) (1988)

Violent by Nature (Full-length) (1990)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

After breaking up in 1991, Rick Skowron, Tim Kelly, and James Gulotta resurrected Atrophy with a new vocalist and did some reunion shows in their home state of Arizona in 1999. They have changed the name of the band to Head Circus and have been writing and recording material that has been described by the band as "Still Heavy Metal and aggressive as always."

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Atrophy, originally named Heresy, was formed in 1986 by Chris Lykins, James Gulotta, and Brian Zimmerman. Tim Kelly and Rick Skowron later joined the band. In 1987, the band produced two cassette demos and were subsequently picked up by thrash metal label, Roadrunner Records. They recorded two albums: Socialized Hate in 1988 and Violent By Nature in 1990. They toured the U.S. and Europe with bands like Sacred Reich, Forced Entry and Coroner. Following the European tour, Lykins left the band. Atrophy was subsequently dropped by their record label.

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Vendetta

Country of origin: Germany
Location: Schweinfurt, Bavaria
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-1990, 2002-present


System of Death (Demo) (1985)

Suicidal Lunacy (Demo) (1986)

Go and Live . . . Stay and Die (Full-length) (1987)

Brain Damage (Full-length) (1988)

Hate (Full-length) (2007)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Discography:
System of Death (Demo) - 1985
Suicidal Lunacy (Demo) - 1986
Go and Live ... Stay and Die (Full-length) - 1987
A Cautionary Tale / And the Brave Man Fails (Split) - 1988
Brain Damage (Full-length) - 1988
Demo 2003 (Demo) - 2003
Hate (Compilation) - 2007
Hate (Full-length) - 2007
Feed the Extermination (Full-length) - 2011

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Heathen

Country of origin: United States
Location: Sonora, San Francisco (Bay Area), California
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-1993, 2001-present


Pray for Death (Demo) (1986)

Breaking the Silence (Full-length) (1987)

Demo with Paul Baloff (Demo) (1988)

Victims of Deception (Full-length) (1991)

2005 Demo (Demo) (2005)

The Evolution of Chaos (Full-length) (2010)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Speed/Thrash Metal

Heathen were formed in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco. Even without a bassist, this lineup played a single gig, on April 21st, 1985. Then, Jim Sanguinetti left to form Mordred and was replaced by Doug Pierce on guitars. Sam Kress, who was a better songwriter than vocalist, was kicked out in late 1985 and David Godfrey of Blind Illusion was asked to join. Bassist Eric Wong was added in early 1986, and the "new" Heathen's first gig was on February 6th.

They recorded the "Pray for Death" demo in April, 1986, and then Eric Wong was replaced by Mike "Yaz" Jastremski from Griffin in mid-1986. This lineup recorded the first album. Carl Sacco was replaced by Darren Minter on drums before the beginning of the US tour in 1988, sometime in January.

After the US tour, all Hell let loose, and David Godfrey left, to be replaced by none other than Paul Baloff (Exodus). They recorded a demo in October, 1988, and then Yaz left and the band broke up, before being reformed with Manny Bravo on bass and none other than David Wayne (Metal Church) on vocals. Wayne was in for only a few days before David Godfrey (now known as David White) returned. A demo was recorded in March 1989, and an album, "Fear of the Unknown", was planned for 1990 release. It was partly recorded, but then scrapped due to monetary problems. Most of the songs made it onto the 1991 Victims of Deception album, with the notable exception of "Nothing You Can See".

That album was recorded in 1991, with Blind Illusion bassist Marc Biedermann helping out but not being officially a member of the band. Randy Laire joined for the following tour. Randy was killed in a car accident in June, 1991, and Ira Black was quickly summoned to replace him for a planned tribute EP of cover songs, which was never released, as Doug Piercy left and Ira Black. After a brief interval with Jason Vie Brooks on bass and Thaen Rasmussen on guitar, Heathen broke up in 1992. (According to Dave White, this era of the band was "forgettable".)

Doug Piercy, Lee Altus and Darren Minter all moved to Germany. Doug began a career racing cars, while the other two joined the band Die Krupps.

Heathen reformed for one show, Thrash of the Titans, on August 11th, 2001, with the lineup of David White (no longer Godfrey), Lee Altus, Ira Black, Mike "Yaz" Jastremski, and Darren Minter. The reunion stuck, and the tribute EP was re-recorded and released as a full-length with several demos from the Victims of Deception sessions. The band has since decided to continue working on and releasing new material, as well as tour.

The David White/Godfrey story: David was born a White after his biological father, but used his stepfather's surname, Godfrey, in school for issues of convenience. Upon reaching adulthood, he began using the White name, but his bandmates convinced him to use Godfrey on the Breaking the Silence album so nobody thought Heathen had switched singers. On Victims of Deception he was listed as David Godfrey-White, and has since officially become David White in professional and personal life.

Terry Lauderdale filled in the vacancy left by Ira Black for Heathen as a favor on tour from 2005 to 2007.

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Exodus

Country of origin: United States
Location: San Francisco (Bay Area), California
Formed: 1979
Years active: 1979-1994, 1991-1998, 2001-present


1982 Demo (Demo) (1982)

1983 Rehearsal (Demo) (1983)

Bonded by Blood (Full-length) (1985)

Pleasures of the Flesh (Demo) (1986)

Pleasures of the Flesh (Full-length) (1987)

Fabulous Disaster (Full-length) (1989)

Impact is Imminent (Full-length) (1990)

Force of Habit (Full-length) (1992)

Tempo of the Damned (Full-length) (2004)

Shovel Headed Kill Machine (Full-length) (2005)

The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A (Full-length) (2007)

Let There Be Blood

Exhibit B: The Human Condition (Full-length) (2010)

Blood In Blood Out (Full-length) (2014)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Exodus was founded by Tom Hunting and Kirk Hammett (later departed to Metallica, having written only some material for the debut album). The band did not release any Hammett-era albums, just two demos (1982 and 1983).

Tom Hunting also did vocals in the very beginning. According to Carlton Melson the first line up was: Hunting, Melson, Hammett and Agnello.

Steve "Zetro" Souza had left the band after about six years with them (1986-1992) due to lack of commitment. Exodus continued playing shows without him until they broke up around 1994 due to behind the scenes issues and changes in musical tastes.

A late 90s comeback with Paul Baloff back in the fold proved to be short-lived, producing only the "Another Lesson in Violence" live album, before a more permanent reformation came about in 2001. After Baloff's tragic death in early 2002, Zetro returned to Exodus and performed on the comeback album, "Tempo of the Damned", before unexpectedly leaving again on the eve of a South American tour in September 2004. Matt Harvey and Steev Esquivel performed as guest vocalists until Rob Dukes was recruited as the new frontman.

Interestingly, Les Claypool of Blind Illusion and Primus, who was a schoolmate and friend of Kirk Hammett's, was asked to join the band as a bass player in 1980, but declined, citing a taste for free-form jazz at the time.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Spanning a career of 35 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Steve Souza, guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson and drummer Tom Hunting. Hunting is one of the original members, and departed from Exodus twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Holt joined the band shortly after its formation, and is the only member of Exodus to appear on all their releases.

Since its formation, Exodus has released ten studio albums, two live albums and two compilations. Along with Testament, Death Angel, Vio-Lence, Forbidden and Metallica, whose longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett was an original member of Exodus, they are often credited as pioneers of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, and have sold over 5 million albums worldwide as of 2013. Exodus had particular success in the mid-to-late 1980s with their first three studio albums―Bonded by Blood, Pleasures of the Flesh and Fabulous Disaster. The critical praise given to Fabulous Disaster garnered attention from major labels, including Capitol Records, with whom Exodus would eventually sign in 1989. Exodus released two more studio albums (Impact Is Imminent and Force of Habit) before disbanding in 1993. After a temporary reunion in 1997-1998, Exodus reformed once again in 2001, and since then, they have released five more studio albums, the most recent being 2014's Blood In, Blood Out.

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Great job, hopping for Slayer soon.

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Slayer

Country of origin: United States
Location: Huntington Park, Los Angeles County, California
Formed: 1981
Years active: 1981-present


Show No Mercy (Full-length) (1983)

Haunting the Chapel (EP) (1984)

Hell Awaits (Full-length) (1985)

Reign in Blood (Full-length) (1986)

South of Heaven (Full-length) (1988)

Seasons in the Abyss (Full-length) (1990)

Divine Intervention (Full-length) (1994)

Undisputed Attitude (Full-length) (1996)

Diabolus in Musica (Full-length) (1998)

God Hates Us All (Full-length) (2001)

Christ Illusion (Full-length) (2006)

World Painted Blood (Full-length) (2009)

Repentless (Full-length) (2015 - coming soon)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Slayer was formed in 1981, by Los Angeles schoolmates and guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Tom Araya soon joined on bass and vocals, and drummer Dave Lombardo joined last in 1982. They played in a style reminiscent of early Exodus, influenced heavily by Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, before their attendance at a mid-1982 Metallica concert convinced them to play faster and heavier.

"Black Magic" was written in February 1983 and marked Slayer's definite venture into thrash metal. They secured a spot on the compilation appearance "Metal Massacre III" in 1983, contributing the speed metal song "Aggressive Perfector". They also recorded two demos in 1983, and became a popular live act in the Los Angeles area. (In 1983, Bob Gourley filled in for Dave for one gig. He later appeared in Dark Angel.) Their debut LP, Show no Mercy, was recorded in November, 1983.

"Show No Mercy" was released after Slayer appeared on Brian Slagel's "Metal Massacre III" compilation. Then came two EPs: "Haunting the Chapel" and "Live Undead" which was actually recorded in the studio in front of 50 of their closest friends.

After 1985's "Hell Awaits", Slayer were signed to Rick Rubin's Def Jam record label, better known for acts like Run DMC. This led to three studio albums, including the brutal "Reign in Blood", as well as a 1991 live double CD, "Decade of Aggression".

Dave Lombardo left the band in 1987 for several weeks, and was replaced for a few live gigs by Tony Scaglione (Whiplash), and then again left in 1992. Finally, in 1994, Paul Bostaph from Forbidden was brought in, and three more albums were recorded. Drummer Jon Dette was an official member of Slayer briefly in 1996.

Then, in 2001, Bostaph left to join Systematic, and Lombardo, who had been in Grip Inc. and Fantômas rejoined the band.

Interesting facts:
It's official that Slayer is the most covered metal band in the world aside from Metallica.

Kerry King played lead guitar on the Beastie Boys songs "Fight For Your Right" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", and appeared in the music video for the latter.

Tom Araya's brother John (Bloodcum) worked as an sound engineer for Slayer in their early days.

Gene Hoglan, the legendary drummer who has played in bands such as Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, and Death, used to be a Slayer lights man and roadie on the Show No Mercy tour, and was asked to be Dave Lombardo's drum tech on the Haunting North America tour ('84), but knocked it back to pursue his own music career. He even did backup vocals on the album Show No Mercy (the song Evil Has No Boundaries).

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Since its debut album in 1983, the band has released ten studio albums, two live albums, a box set, six music videos, two extended plays and a cover album. Four of the band's studio albums have received gold certification in the United States. The band has received five Grammy nominations, winning one in 2007 for the song Eyes of the Insane, and one in 2008 for the song "Final Six" (both from 2006's Christ Illusion). Slayer has also played at several music festivals worldwide, including Unholy Alliance, Download and Ozzfest.

In February 2013, Dave Lombardo was fired just before Slayer was to play at Australia's Soundwave festival due to an argument with band members over a pay dispute. John Dette returned to fill in for Lombardo for the Soundwave tour. It was confirmed that Lombardo was officially out of Slayer for the third time when in May, drummer Paul Bostaph rejoined the band.

On May 2, 2013, guitarist Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure in a local hospital near his home in Southern California's Inland Empire; the cause of death was later determined to be alcohol-related cirrhosis. Kerry King confirmed the band will continue, saying "Jeff is going to be in everybody's thoughts for a long time. It's unfortunate you can't keep unfortunate things from happening. But we're going to carry on – and he'll be there in spirit." However, Araya has been more uncertain about the band's future, expressing his belief that "After 30 years [with Hanneman active in the band], it would literally be like starting over", and doubting that Slayer's fanbase would approve such a change. Despite the uncertainty regarding the band's future, work is still ongoing on a followup to World Painted Blood. Additionally, it has been reported that the new album may feature material written by Hanneman before his death.

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14

Coroner

Country of origin: Switzerland
Location: Zurich
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1983-1985, 1985-1996, 2010-present


Death Cult (Demo) (1986)

R.I.P. (Full-length) (1987)

Punishment for Decadence (Full-length) (1988)

No More Color (Full-length) (1989)

Mental Vortex (Full-length) (1991)

Grin (Full-length) (1993)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Thrash Metal

There was already an earlier incarnation of Coroner formed between 1983-1985 with Marky and Oliver Amberg, playing some sort of Mötley Crüe styled music. According to Oliver Amberg the band played several gigs and recorded one Demo in 1983 with Amberg on vocals, bass, guitar and Marky on drums. In early 1985 the band split up and was reformed by Marky few months later in a new line up as thrash metal band, known as Coroner again and with the same logo as the old band.

The band reunited in June 2010 as they announced that they would play Hellfest Summer Open Air 2011. Later on they announced more dates in Europe as well as in North America. As of 2014, Coroner is still together.

Tommy and Marky were roadies for Celtic Frost on the "Tragic Serenades" tour.

Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost, Apollyon Sun, Hellhammer, Triptykon) was never a member of Coroner, he only did guest vocals on the "Death Cult" demo.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Musically, Coroner evolved from a speed metal band with gothic and classical overtones like Celtic Frost and Bathory into a technical-based band. Coroner's first album, R.I.P., was based on neo-classical lines and was technical and classically influenced.

The second album, Punishment for Decadence, saw a progression into a more complex sound with a unison of bass and guitar. Tempo changes interspersed mid-paced sections and the odd slow passage between the faster passages started to emerge. Lyrically, Coroner began to write about themes such as politics and personal introspection.

No More Color was produced by Pete Hinton and the band. Coroner's music became more technical on No More Color as the guitar work was characterized by intricate modes and arpeggios, solo work that was chromatically colorful, as well as the de rigueur crunchy chords and speed runs; the drumming went beyond the 4/4 time of Coroner's two previous albums to incorporate unusual time signatures which became their trademark. Ron Royce's bass playing is also worth a mention as having an advanced three-finger technique which enables him to double the rhythm line as well as perform more intricate riffs. Prime examples of this are the opener "Die By My Hand" with its vicious riffing and the harmonic minor inspired riff in the middle of "Mistress of Deception". There is an altogether dark mood on this album that could be classified as death metal yet spans many influences from other metal genres. The closer "Last Entertainment" is a prescient take on TV. The opening track "Die By My Hand" is a classic piece of prog come death metal. It is technical but also brutal.

Mental Vortex continued the evolution over No More Color. Continuing with the previous album's technical formula, the speed metal formula was re-integrated into Coroner's sound on this album but with a tone that made it sound not at all like R.I.P. or Punishment for Decadence. There were slower songs but none of the songs on Mental Vortex stayed the same speed for very long. The songs on Mental Vortex ranged from four to eight minutes. Overall, the tone was a shift from the thrash/technical of No More Color which showed them gravitating towards their opus Grin. The last track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a cover of The Beatles song, and a video was shot of it.

Grin saw a much more industrial sound and was a natural progression from Mental Vortex but was different from most of their previous material. It involved a much more reflective guitar riff and underlying bass line. It was slower and more refined in its metal sensibility. Brooding guitar over Royce's bass produced an almost hypnotic trance-like sound on some tracks. The lead guitar still shone on all tracks. Their eponymous album, Coroner, was a compilation which contained unreleased material and a selection of hits from previous albums. The band appears on Brütal Legend with the song "Skeleton On Your Shoulder".

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Exhorder

Country of origin: United States
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1992, 1998, 2003, 2008 - ? (status unknown)


Get Rude (Demo) (1986) + Slaughter in the Vatican (Demo) (1987)

Slaughter in the Vatican (Full-length) (1990)

The Law (Full-length) (1992)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash/Groove Metal

Exhorder are often credited with having created the groove-oriented thrash metal sound that was popularized by Pantera. The band is more or less indifferent to such sentiment as they were friends with Pantera, however, they do not deny the possibility of them having influenced Pantera's sound, even though Kyle Thomas has stated Pantera deserves the praise they receive as he feels they always worked much harder than Exhorder ever did at being successful.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Exhorder was formed in 1985 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After releasing several demos in the vein of pure thrash metal, they started to adapt more of a groove metal-oriented sound with their debut studio album, Slaughter in the Vatican, released in 1990. This sound was further developed by their second (and to date last) album, The Law, released in 1992. The band dissolved two years later.

On May 9, 2008, it was announced that the band had reunited and had begun writing new material. As of that day, the band's official Myspace page contains the reunited group's lineup as well as the headline "writing new material for the return of Exhorder". They played their first reunion show on November 14, 2009 at Southport Hall in Jefferson, LA followed by another less than a month later on December 12, 2009 at City Club in Houma, LA. A reunion show with Crowbar at the Hangar in New Orleans on February 12 was their most recent performance to date. The lineup for all of these shows was the same as that of The Law album.

Drummer Seth Davis was on a clinic tour in 2010 when he was approached by the New Orleans metallers. Davis filled in for original drummer Chris Nail, and toured with Exhorder from early 2010 to late 2011, performing classic songs from the band's two albums - The Law and Slaughter in the Vatican.

On March 22, 2011 bassist Frankie Sparcello died. The cause of death is not yet certain. In the interim and in order to fulfill 3 show dates already booked, the band recruited local bass virtuoso Jorge Caicedo to fill in at the last minute. The band also played Maryland Deathfest on May 28.

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16

Wolf Spider (Wilczy Pajak)

Country of origin: Poland
Location: Poznań / Międzychód / Łódź
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1991, 2011-present


Wilczy pająk (Full-length) (1987)

Barwy zła (Full-length) (1988) - later released as "Hue of Evil" in 1991

Kingdom of Paranoia (Full-length) (1990)

Drifting in the Sullen Sea (Full-length) (1991)

It's Your Time (EP) (2013)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Thrash Metal

Formerly known as Wilczy Pająk, the band was formed in Poznań in 1985, featuring Leszek "Leo" Szpigiel on vocals, guitar combo Piotr Mańkowski-Maciej Matuszak, Mariusz Przybylski on bass and Tomasz Goehs on drums. They played several festivals in their home country the following year, sharing stage with Turbo, Polish Jaguar and Dragon.

They recorded in 1987 their self-titled album, touring again all across Poland, opening for Running Wild and Rage, changing their name in 1988 to Wolf Spider and recording Barwy Zła. Shortly afterwards, both Przybylski and Szpigiel decided to leave the group, replaced by Dariusz Popowicz and Tomasz Zwierzchowski respectively. This line-up would record an English version of the second album, finally released in 1991 - though the Polish version with Leo didn't see the light of day.

Zwierzchowski left that same year - vocal duties were handled by Jacek "Jacky" Piotrowski. Wolf Spider then followed a more technical/progressive direction on both Kingdom Of Paranoia and Drifting In The Sullen Sea albums. The band eventually broke-up due to lack of commercial success, playing their last gig as support to Deep Purple in 1991.

Reactivated in March 2011 by members of the last known line-up, with the exception of Tomasz Goehs and Popcorn - introducing new drummer Beata Polak, with Matuszak taking guitar duties again with Mankover. Jacky left the band in 2012, replaced by Maciej "Rocker" Wróblewski.

17

Artillery

Country of origin: Denmark
Location: Taastrup
Formed: 1982
Years active: 1982-1991, 1998-2000, 2007-present


We are the Dead (Demo) (1982)

Shellshock (Demo) (1984)

Deeds of Darkness (Demo) (1984)

Fear of Tomorrow (Full-length) (1985)

Terror Squad (Full-length) (1987)

Khomaniac (Demo) (1989)

By Inheritance (Full-length) (1990)

Mind Factory (Demo) (1991)

B.A.C.K. (Full-length) (1999)

When Death Comes (Full-length) (2009)

My Blood (Full-length) (2011)

Legions (Full-length) (2013)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Artillery was named after the track 'Heavy Artillery' by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Tank.

The band also was featured on the Speed Metal Hell compilation album in 1985 with the song "Hey Woman" and on the Satan's Revenge compilation the same year with the song "Deeds of Darkness", both from New Renaissance Records.

Morten Stützer played in Furious Trauma for a short period.

Quorthon (of Bathory) wrote drummer Carsten Nielsen in the summer of 1986, asking him if he'd be interested in joining Bathory. Herr Nielsen replied that he figured his band Artillery would be ten times bigger than Bathory, and thus kindly but firmly turned the offer down.

The band has broken and reformed twice: they first broke up in 1991, reformed in 1998, split up again in 2000 and reformed again in 2007.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Artillery is a Danish thrash metal band. They participated in the early development of the genre, and their highly energetic, riff-centric and often fast-paced music is similar in style to that of Voivod, Coroner, Megadeth and Sabbat from the same era. After releasing three full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Artillery disbanded in 1991, but decided to reform seven years later, only to disband once again in 2000. However, they reformed again in 2007 and are still together today.

The band formed in 1981 in Taastrup, a suburb to Copenhagen by drummer Carsten Nielsen and guitarist Jørgen Sandau while they were visiting Mercyful Fate at their rehearsal room. Later on they agreed to name the band Artillery from the track "Heavy Artillery" from Tank's album "Filth Hounds Of Hades". After trying several musicians, the line up became: guitarists Jørgen Sandau and Michael Stützer, bassist Morten Stützer, drummer Carsten Nielsen and singer Per Onink. The group recorded the demos "We Are the Dead" (1982), 'Shellshock and Deeds of Darkness in 1984.

Artillery's first commercial debut came in early 1985 with the inclusion of the song "Hey Woman," on Volume One of the Speed Metal Hell compilation series which was released on New Renaissance Records. Later that year, Carsten Lohmann left and was replaced by Flemming Rönsdorf. Later the same year, Artillery recorded a third demo, Fear of Tomorrow, signed with Neat Records, and released their first album, also titled Fear of Tomorrow. Their second album, Terror Squad, was released in 1987.

Guitarist Jørgen Sandau Putza left the band in 1989. Bassist Morten Stützer took over his position, lending the bass to recruit Peter Thorslund. Their third album, By Inheritance, was released in 1990 on both LP and CD, by Roadrunner Records. Artillery disbanded in 1991, some of the members pursuing musical projects of their own during the rest of the 1990s.

Following the 1998 release of an Artillery compilation CD, Deadly Relics by Mighty Music, featuring a mix of old demo recordings and two songs from the 1989 promotional tape, the band reformed to record a fourth album, B.A.C.K, which was released in 1999 by Die Hard Music. Then in 2000, Artillery decided to split up again. In 2007, the band released a limited edition 4-CD boxset entitled Through the Years, which contains the band's four studio albums and all their demo material.

On November 6, 2007, Michael Stützer confirmed on the official Artillery website that they were once again active. However, longtime Artillery singer Flemming Rönsdorf did not participate. On November 27 the same year, it was confirmed that singer Søren Adamsen would be the new frontman. This line-up recorded two albums - namely, When Death Comes from 2009 and My Blood from 2011.

On April 12, 2012, drummer Carsten Nielsen announced that he was leaving the band after a U.S.A./South America tour in May that year. On September 26 the same year, it was also announced that Søren Adamsen has left the band and was replaced by Michael Bastholm Dahl. The new Artillery lineup is currently working on a new album entitled Legions, which they began recording in February 2013, and which is to be released on Metal Blade. On October 7, 2013, Metal Blade released the first video single from Legions in the form of the track "Chill My Bones (Burn My Flesh)".

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18

Demolition Hammer

Country of origin: United States
Location: New York City, New York
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-1994


Skull Fracturing Nightmare (Demo) (1988)

Necrology (Demo) (1989)

Tortured Existence (Full-length) (1990)

Epidemic of Violence (Full-length) (1992)

Time Bomb (Full-length) (1994)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal (early), Groove Metal (later)

Complete Lineup:
Steve Reynolds - Bass, Vocals (1986-1994)
Derek Sykes - Guitars (1989-1994)
Alex Marquez - Drums (1994)
James Reilly - Guitars, Vocals (1986-1993)
Dennis Munoz - Guitars (1987)
John Salerno - Drums (1988)
Vinny Daze - Drums (1989-1993)
Mike Usifer - Guitars (lead) (1992-1994)

Vinny and James left the band and went on to form a short lived band called Deviate NY. There is also an unreleased demo from 1993 containing songs that were never re-recorded.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Demolition Hammer arrived on the East Coast thrash metal scene circa 1986. The original line-up consisted of Steve Reynolds as the vocalist and on bass, James Reilly on guitar, and John Salerno on drums. Their first demo tape, Skull Fracturing Nightmare, was released in 1988. It gained notice from fans of the genre and independent record labels. Derek Sykes was brought in as a second guitarist and Vincent Civitano (a.k.a. Vinny Daze) replaced Salerno. Their second demo, Necrology, secured the group a recording contract with Century Media Records.

Their first album, Tortured Existence, was produced by Scott Burns with a small budget. The songs were composed with fast riffs, chunky breakdowns, and expressive guitar solos. In 1992, the band released their critically acclaimed album Epidemic of Violence. The production was clearer and included faster and leaner songs. The covers of these first two releases featured horror based artwork and a logo designed by Daze.

Fast paced thrash metal became less popular in the '90s. Daze and Reilly left the band to form the group Deviate NY. Former Malevolent Creation drummer Alex Marquez joined Reynolds and Sykes to write material for another project. The label wished to release the songs with the band's original name. The result was the 1994 album Time Bomb with a new Demolition Hammer logo on the cover. It was slower and lacked guitar solos. The style was similar to that of groups like Pantera and Machine Head.

Marquez and Reynolds were offered new gigs with Solstice. Daze died of globefish poisoning while traveling in Africa on March 11, 1996. With Demolition Hammer's music becoming increasingly hard to come by, Century Media released Necrology: A Complete Anthology in 2008. It included every title from their first three albums, two pre-production demos from Time Bomb, and one video clip.

19

Infernal Majesty

Country of origin: Canada
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-present


Infernäl Mäjesty (Demo) (1986)

None Shall Defy (Full-length) (1987)

Nigresent Dissolution (Demo) (1988)

Creation of Chaos (Demo) (1991)

Unholier than Thou (Full-length) (1998)

One Who Points to Death (Full-length) (2004)

Demon God (EP) (2007)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Infernäl Mäjesty is a Canadian thrash metal band, formed in Toronto in 1986. They are best known for their debut album None Shall Defy, released in 1987. However, the 1998 re-issue by Displeased Records inspired the band to get back together and recorded a new album, followed by a European tour. They are still active.

Last known lineup:
Brian Langley - vocals (Tyrants Blood)
Kenny Hallman - guitars
Steve Terror - guitars
Eric Dubreuil - bass
Kiel Wilson - drums

Former members:
Chris Bailey - vocals
Bob Quelch - bass
Kevin Harrison - drums
Psycopath - bass
Chay McMullen - bass
Rick Nemes - drums
Kris DeBoer - drums
Greg Cavanagh - vocals
Don "Vince" Kuntz (RIP) - vocals
Kiel Wilson - Bass

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20

Mortal Sin

Country of origin: Australia
Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1992, 1996-1998, 2004-2012


Mayhemic Destruction (Full-length) (1987)

Face of Despair (Full-length) (1989)

Every Dog Has It's Day (Full-length) (1991)

Revolution of the Mind (EP) (1997)

An Absence of Faith (Full-length) (2007)

Psychology of Death (Full-length) (2011)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

One of Australia's earliest and most well-known thrash bands, Mortal Sin was tabbed by the British metal magazine Kerrang! as a Next Big Thing, and their debut album, the raw, early Metallica-inspired "Mayhemic Destruction", drew critical praise and a worldwide fan base. After a capable follow-up in "Face Of Despair", internal strife led to an initial break-up in 1992. Bassist Andy Eftichiou recruited an all-new line-up that eventually produced "Rebellious Youth". This drew the ire of the other original members who eventually initiated legal action, and this version of the band also folded. Finally, four of the five original members came back together in 1996, and one member change later released a mini-LP of reworked and re-recorded songs along with a few new tracks. But the personal differences amongst the members arose once again, and by late 1998 the band was once again done. By 2004 the band was back in business. They called it quits in 2012.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Early history [Mayhemic Destruction and Face of Despair (1985-1990)]
The group formed around singer Mat Maurer and drummer Wayne Campbell in Sydney. At first Campbell had attempted to get Maurer into another band called Wizzard but the rest of that band was reluctant to support the idea so the pair struck out on their own, quickly recruiting Wizzard's guitar Keith Krstin, bass player Andy Eftichiou from a band called Judge and a second guitarist Neville Reynolds. Reynolds was fired for not being available to play at the band's very first show and was replaced by Paul Carwana.

Mortal Sin quickly developed a solid following and only seven months after their first live show the band recorded an album-length demo in a mere three days in July 1986. The eight track recording was eventually released in late 1986 as Mayhemic Destruction and released as an album on the band's own label Mega Metal Productions. Reaction to the album was immediate and the band was snapped up for an international album deal by Phonogram Records UK, who then re-released Mayhemic Destruction worldwide in 1987. In the meantime, Krstin was replaced by Mick Burke from fellow Sydney thrash act Slaughter Lord. Mortal Sin spent much of 1988 recording a second album with producer Randy Burns, who had previously worked with Kreator & Megadeth. The release of Face of Despair was held over until early 1989; shortly afterward the band gained further prominence with an Australian tour with Metallica in May but Campbell was sacked shortly after. Another former Slaughter Lord member in Steve Hughes replaced him. In January 1990, Mortal Sin toured Europe and the UK then played some shows in the US but after their final show there Maurer quit the band.