Thrashology 101: The Joy of Thrash

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Holy Moses

Country of origin: Germany
Location: Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1980-1994, 2000-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal

Formed by Ramon Brüssler and Jochen Fünders.

There were only three official early demos, the first one was "Black Metal Masters", followed by "The Bitch" and "Walpurgis Night". The other ones are rehearsal tapes which include tracks recorded by the band as well as live tracks.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Holy Moses is a German thrash metal band. They are well noted for being fronted by Sabina Classen (it is rare for a woman to be a singer in thrash metal) and for being one of the very first German thrash metal bands.

Holy Moses were formed in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, on 1980. The band's first line-up was formed by bassist Ramon Brüssler, drummer Peter Vonderstein and guitarist Jochen Fünders during high school, the latter of whom also handled the band's vocals. This line-up played its first live show only four days after its formation, and released a demo titled Black Metal Masters in the same year. Vonderstein and Fünders left the group in 1981, and were replaced by drummer Paul Linzenich, vocalist Iggy, and guitarist Andy Classen from the local group Desaster. In December 1981, Iggy left the group and was replaced by ex-Desaster bassist and girlfriend of Andy, Sabina Classen (née Hirtz). The band performed their first live show with the new stable line-up in November 1982 and released a string of demo tapes, including Walpurgis Night in 1985, and The Bitch in 1986, and also appeared on the split-album compilation Metallic Bunnys.

In 1986, Holy Moses released their debut album Queen of Siam through independent label Aaarrg, with Herbert Dreger on the drums (Linzenich left shortly before the recording to focus on his university studies). After the release of the record, Dreger was sacked for not showing up to a support show with Agent Steel, and Brüssler (the only original member of Holy Moses remaining), left the band. Both members were replaced by nineteen-year-old Uli Kusch and Andre Chapelier respectively. The following year, Holy Moses released their sophomore effort Finished With the Dogs, which was a much heavier and cleaner-sounding album than its predecessor. The album is a critical success around the world, earning the band a distribution deal through Warner Music Group (WEA) and tours of Europe with Angel Dust, Rage, Steeler, Paganini, D.R.I. and Holy Terror, finishing with a headlining show in Hamburg.

In 1988, Sabina Classen became the host of a German heavy metal TV show called Mosh alongside journalist Götz Kühnemund. Meanwhile, Holy Moses begins work on their third studio effort. Released in 1989, The New Machine of Liechtenstein
is another successful record from the group, with the band playing more heavier and more technical thrash metal than the previous two albums. The band toured with Sacred Reich and Forbidden, and performed at the Dynamo Open Air Festival, with second guitarist Rainer Laws added to the line-up. Around this time, Holy Moses severed their ties with Warner Music Group as a result of the record company's new staff trying to coerce the band into departing from their thrash metal influences and write more commercial music.

In 1990, Laws quits Holy Moses due to illness and retires to focus his skills as a graphic artist, leaving the band as a four-piece. The band then records World Chaos, released through West Virginia Records, an independent label owned by new band manager Uli Wiehagen. Kusch soon quits the band to join Gamma Ray, to be replaced by Atomic Steif. This line-up would remain stable for the next two records, Terminal Terror (1991), and Reborn Dogs (1992).

Soon after the release of Reborn Dogs, Sabina Classen left Holy Moses and the band subsequently dissolved. Classen went to form Temple of the Absurd with Warpath members Schrödey and Ozzy Frese, and drummer Mike Rech.

Two years after the split of Holy Moses, Andy Classen releases a new record under the Holy Moses name titled No Matter What's the Cause. The line-up featured on the album included Classen on guitar and vocals, S.O.D.'s Dan Lilker on bass, and hardcore drummer Meff. The album was more hardcore/death metal influenced than the band's previous thrash-oriented efforts, and was not met with substantial success.

In 1999, during touring for the second Temple of the Absurd album, Sabina Classen collapsed on stage and was hospitalised. The singer fell into a serious illness and suffered a motorcycle crash in 2000. Following this, Temple of the Absurd disband and Sabina begins to work with Andy again with what would eventually become new Holy Moses material. The band is reformed in early 2001 with Franky Brotz and Joern Schubert on guitar, Jochen Fünders on bass and Julien Schmidt on the drums. The band performs several comeback shows throughout Europe and South Korea, and releases an EP titled Master of Disaster through Century Media. Andy Classen stayed with the band as songwriter.

In 2002, Holy Moses released Disorder of the Order, their first album with the new line-up. Michael Hankel, guitarist of Erosion and friend of Andy's, replaced Schubert soon after the album's release, and becomes a main songwriter of the band. The band performed at Wacken Open Air festival in 2004, and after fan demand for another Holy Moses album, the group released Strength Power Will Passion in May the following year. It is the first album without input from Andy Classen. After securing a deal through Wacken Records and a subsequent re-release of the band's material, Fünders and Schmidt leave Holy Moses to be replaced by Thomas Neitsch and a returning Atomic Steif.

The band recorded and released their tenth album Agony of Death in 2008. They will release their eleventh album Redefined Mayhem on April 28, 2014

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Indestroy

Country of origin: United States
Location: Rockville, Maryland
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1983-1986 (as Fatal Sin), 1986-1990

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Wikipedia.de Excerpts (Translated):

The band was founded in 1983, with the name of the group a song by The Obsessed was borrowed. In 1986, the first demo of the group followed. After the band signed a contract with New Renaissance Records reached, the self-titled debut album was released the following year, taking care singer and guitarist Mark Strassburg, bassist Jeff Parsons, guitarist and drummer Drew Adrian Gus Basilica were heard. For the next release Adrian was replaced by Shawn Williams and a new drummer Rob came "Cougin" Brannigan joined the band. The EP Senseless Theories appeared in 1989. Shortly after the release, the band broke up again.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Named for a song by The Obsessed, Indestroy's style was harsh, heavy thrash, occasionally bordering on death metal. Their debut album suffered a bit from the typical low-budget indie-label production, but by the time of Senseless Theories the sound had tightened up, with a razor-sharp guitar sound greatly benefiting the songs. A demo was recorded after Theories, but no record deal was secured and the band broke up soon afterward. Drummer Cougin, along with late addition guitarist Danny Kenyon, were later seen in Vortex Of Insanity.

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Watchtower

Country of origin: United States
Location: Austin, Texas
Formed: 1982
Years active: 1982-1990, 1999-?

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Progressive/Technical Thrash Metal

Disbanded in 1990 following a hand injury to Ron Jarzombek and the departure of Alan Tecchio. Then in 1999 the 1987 Watchtower lineup reunited and recorded the Accept song "Run If You Can" for A Tribute to Accept, on Nuclear Blast Records.

Whether or not Watchtower still exists is unknown at this time. The band has been semi-inactive since parting ways with Alan Tecchio again in 2010. They were said to be looking for a new singer, but as of 2014, no official replacement for Tecchio has been announced.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

WatchTower is an American progressive metal band based in Austin, Texas. The band was influenced by late 1970s progressive rock and acts such as Rush and UK, as well as the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While Watchtower never reached mainstream access, they have been cited as an influence by many other progressive metal bands, such as Dream Theater, Death, Atheist, Sieges Even and Spiral Architect.

WatchTower was formed in May 1982 in Austin, Texas. The quartet made its recording debut in 1983 with an early version of the song "Meltdown", which was included on the Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death - A Texas Hardcore Compilation LP. It was followed by the debut album, Energetic Disassembly, issued in 1985 on the band's own DIY label, Zombo Records. An earlier version of the album was scrapped after the group's label, Rainforest Records, closed its doors. Energetic Disassembly is notable for its heavy use of time changes and is considered to be a landmark in progressive metal.

In the fall of 1986, guitarist and founding member, Billy White, quit the band in order to pursue different styles of music. He formed the short-lived Khymera with Juggernaut drummer Bobby Jarzombek and former Karion bassist Pete Perez before joining vocalist Don Dokken for the Up from the Ashes album in 1990. With WatchTower's future briefly in doubt, Doug Keyser auditioned for Metallica following the death of bassist Cliff Burton. Similarly, Jason McMaster was approached by fellow Texans Pantera in search of a new vocalist. McMaster eventually exited in 1988 after getting signed to a major label deal with his side project Onyxx, later renamed Dangerous Toys, whose self-titled CBS debut scored the MTV hits "Teas N' Pleas N" and "Scared" and reached near gold status.

White's replacement was Ron Jarzombek, formerly with S.A.Slayer, while fellow Austinite Mike Soliz (ex-Militia, Assalant) was recruited in place of McMaster, but eventually replaced by former Hades vocalist Alan Tecchio. Newly signed to Noise Records, WatchTower flew to Berlin, Germany in the summer of 1989 where the band recorded their second album, Control and Resistance, at Sky Trak Studios.

In the spring of 1990, WatchTower undertook their first and only European tour with Noise Records label mates, Coroner. Back in the States, the band played a few East Coast shows but lost vocalist Alan Tecchio soon thereafter. The search for a suitable replacement proved difficult although several candidates, including Scott Jeffries (Confessor), were at least considered. Adding to the band's woes, guitarist Ron Jarzombek developed severe hand problems which required multiple surgeries, effectively putting WatchTower on ice indefinitely and with it a proposed third album, which was to be titled Mathematics.

Bassist Doug Keyser and drummer Rick Colaluca joined colorful local rock/funk/rap outfit Retarted Elf who released the album Trick Quigger on Pony Canyon in Japan. Guitarist Ron Jarzombek returned with Spastic Ink, akin to an all-instrumental version of WatchTower, who issued their debut album, Ink Complete in 1997, while original frontman Jason McMaster's kept going with Dangerous Toys before making Broken Teeth his main band in the late '90s.

In 1999, original WatchTower members McMaster, Keyser and Colaluca reunited, along with Jarzombek, to record a cover of Accept's "Run If You Can" for A Tribute to Accept - Vol. 1 on Nuclear Blast Records. In 2000, WatchTower played the prestigious Bang Your Head!!! festival in Germany and later that summer supported Dream Theater in Houston and Dallas. The band also began work on the long dormant Mathematics album, but progress stalled once again.

In 2002, Monster Records issued Demonstrations in Chaos, an archives release consisting of early recordings, demos, and unreleased tracks, including almost the complete original Energetic Disassembly recordings and the 1987 demos with Ron Jarzombek that got the band signed to Noise Records.

WatchTower returned to Europe once more in 2004 to headline the Headway Festival in Amstelveen, Holland. That same year Ron Jarzombek released the second Spastic Ink album, Ink Compatible, with guest contributions by WatchTower band mates Doug Keyser and Jason McMaster who contributed lead vocals on five songs. In the fall of 2004, Monster Records, now Monster Underground, re-issued Energetic Disassembly on CD for the first time ever in the United States. The original CD re-issue came 1993, courtesy of Germany's Institute of Art label.

In the spring of 2009, WatchTower were confirmed as co-headliners of the 13th edition of Germany's Keep It True Festival, set to take place in April 2010. The band also re-commenced work on Mathematics with a view toward a 2010 release.

On April 9, 2010, WatchTower released a preliminary mix of "The Size of Matter" from their forthcoming album Mathematics as a digital-only single. It marks the band's first new piece of music since their seminal 1989 album, Control and Resistance, and features core members Ron Jarzombek, Doug Keyser, and Rick Colaluca along with a returning Alan Tecchio on vocals. Tecchio replaces original frontman Jason McMaster for the second time in the band's history. In May 2010, Alan Tecchio left WatchTower once again. Since the announcement of Tecchio's departure, Watchtower has not made any public appearances, and as of May 2015, they have not announced a new singer.

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Hades

Country of origin: United States
Location: Paramus, New Jersey
Formed: 1978
Years active: 1978-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Heavy/Power Metal (early), Thrash Metal (later)

Dan Lorenzo formed the band in January of 1978 and named it after a pseudonym he ascribed to himself in 9th grade, "Dan from Hades", while taking a mythology class. Hades is the Greek underworld.

Librarius Metallicus Notes:

Hades are a thrash/power metal band. They disbanded in the late 80's and reformed in the late 90's. While the music is good, sounding much like a combination of Sanctuary and Testament, it suffers from sounding the same. Vocalist Alan Tecchio has been involved with a few other bands during his career, but he seems most at home here, giving us more range and depth.

Drummer Ron Lipnicki was battling cancer, but seems to have pulled through. According to the website, he replaced Tim Mallare in Overkill. With him gone and Tecchio fronting Seven Witches, it seems that the future of Hades is likely bleak. I guess we'll have to see.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Hades, one of the standout speed/thrash bands of the eighties, was formed by guitarist Dan Lorenzo in 1978. Following a few singles and compilation appearances (including a Metal Massacre VI track in 1985), they released Resisting Success in 1987 and If At First You Don't Succeed in 1988, both highly regarded as classics in the speed metal field. Following a tour in 1989, though, the band fell apart and broke up. The members scattered to several bands, such as Non-Fiction, Watchtower, Power, and System Addict, though they occasionally played reunion shows throughout the early to mid nineties. After releasing a live album and a leftovers album (Exist To Resist), the band properly reformed in 1998 and have since released three more fine albums, picking up right from where they had left off with If At First.

The band rather quietly broke up shortly after the release of DamNation in 2001, though they may reunite again someday. Lorenzo has since released a solo album, with the title Cassius King, of which more info can be found at his web site below. Ed Furhmann has a new band in the works, Ten Ton Truck, and have just recorded a demo. Also on the Hades front is the announcement of a CD to be released by Monster Records in the summer, featuring old demo and live material.

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Armoros

Country of origin: Canada
Location: Victoria, British Columbia
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1989, 1992-1994

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

This was Jed Simon's band before he joined Strapping Young Lad.

Last.fm Notes:

ARMOROS was formed in 1985 shortly after Mike Sudar & Terry Groom met in Vancouver, BC at a Metallica concert on the Ride the Lightning tour with Armored Saint. Terry moved back to his hometown of Victoria where Mike resided. They soon recruited Todd Verch on bass, Jed Simon as 2nd guitarist and Kevin Wright on Vocals. As the band progressed they became more inspired by bands such as Slayer, Exodus and Dark Angel and geared towards the Speed Metal vein. This eventually brought about a reformation as they were recording their first demo “ Debut Assault”.

Todd was replaced by Rick Lee for bass, and eventually he also took over vocals as well. This final formation of four would then go on to record their next recording ”Ressurecdead” which better represented their thrash metal style.

In ’87, they gained a growing local fan base and decided to send their demo to the top underground Metal magazines at that time, Metal Forces, & Kerrang. Resurrecdead received positive reviews by both and soon requests for the demo came from all over the world. By 1988, they recorded their next demo thrasher, Remember Michelle which again received international underground praise. This brought about many opportunities to open for such metal legends as: Vancouvers’ Witches Hammer & Karrion, Seattle’s Forced Entry & the Accused, and metal greats Kick Axe, Anvil, Sacrifice, and Dark Angel! After placing 2nd place in a battle of the bands in Vancouver, they were awarded some recording time at Profile studios. It was there that they recorded their full length album, “Pieces”, which was to be released by Seattle’s Ever Rat records in 1989, but for unknown reasons to the band, the contract was cancelled and eventually the band disbanded. They reformed in 1992, and recorded another demo that never got completed nor ever ended up being released. By 1994 members went their separate ways & sought other opportunities.

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Metallica

Country of origin: United States
Location: Los Angeles/San Francisco, California
Formed: 1981
Years active: 1981-present

Side Note: if you aren't familiar with Metallica, the following self-titled album, "Metallica" (also known as the black album), released in 1991 marked a subtle change in the bands sound and a major shift in the band's history. While the black album became Metallica's most popular album, continuing to receive massive amounts of radio play, most fans of the original Metallica sound rank the album as their 5th (or even 6th) best effort, after all four of their earlier full-length releases (Kill em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and And Justice For All). The change in sound can be summed up as a shift to a less aggressive, more simplistic approach, which jived well with radio. Unfortunately for long-time fans, many in the non-metal community cite that most of their "hits" came from this time period since some songs (i.e. Enter Sandman) became exceedingly popular.

After the black album, Metallica released the albums "Load" (1996) and "Reload" (1997), which saw an even more drastic change in their sound, focusing on a more straight-forward heavy metal/hard rock vibe. Eventually, the band attempted to rekindle a heavier sound with the album, "St. Anger" (2003), which was negatively received.

These shifts in sound, along with the immense popularity that the band has achieved are some of the reasons why the band has become such a polarizing topic within the metal community.

The release of "Death Magnetic" in 2008, was hailed by many as the rebirth of a "thrash metal" sound for the band, generally receiving a welcomed reception from long-time fans. However, for many, none of their work since And Justice For All has lived up to their original cult thrash status.

Despite their movement away from a true thrash sound, I am including the following albums in this thread in order to represent their full catalog of works. While their sound changed, there are still some great pieces of music contained within these recordings. They are just a bit harder to find.

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal (early), Hard Rock/Heavy/Thrash Metal (later)

Metallica was formed by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield in the fall of 1981. Ulrich (who originally went to the US to play tennis) had, during that summer, met Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records and had secured an appearance on an upcoming compilation called Metal Massacre but had no band. He quickly found Hetfield, who was playing in Leather Charm at the time, and one day in December of 1981, they recorded the rhythm tracks to a remake of a Leather Charm song, "Hit the Lights." Hetfield tracked all guitars and bass on this recording, except for one of the solos which was performed by guitarist Lloyd Grant in January 1982, and the song appeared on Metal Massacre in February.

Permanent guitarist Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) was brought in in February of 1982, and a bassist, Ron McGovney was found. Ron (who also designed the famous Metallica logo) was James's roommate, and James taught him to play bass, so that the band could play live. This line-up re-recorded "Hit the Lights" for the second pressing of Metal Massacre. The first live show was on March 14th, at Radio City Music Hall in Anaheim. James did only vocals, and Dave was the single guitarist. The band at this point had several rehearsal tapes floating about, but then in response to one of those being pressed to vinyl by Bongus Loadus Records, decided to record their first demo, with the Grant version of Hit the Lights and two covers. This demo was first given out at the March 27th, 1982 gig at the Whisky, when they opened for Saxon. A vocalist named Sammy Dijon, of the band Ruthless, was in for a few rehearsals but no actual gigs (so do not add him to the former members section!).

Two more studio demos were recorded in 1982, one in April and one in July. On April 23rd, 1982, guitarist "Damien Phillips" (real name: Brad Parker) played one gig, before quitting, because Dave wouldn't let him do duelling leads. James took over as second guitarist live from then on. Extensive live gigging occured, including one show at Lars's high school on May 25th at which the final attendance was zero. On May 28th, Jef Warner was on vocals, but this show seems to have been a glorified rehearsal. He sang only that one gig. Also, Tygers of Pan Tang vocalist Jess Cox was considered, but he did not accept.

A live demo was recorded on November 29th, 1982, on a road trip to San Francisco. This road trip would prove useful, as the opener for Metallica on November 29th was a band called Exodus with Kirk Hammett on guitar. Also, Metallica attended a Trauma gig, with Cliff Burton on bass, and immediately tried to convince Cliff to join Metallica.

Cliff was convinced to join, on the condition that Metallica move to San Francisco. Cliff's first gig was March 5th, 1983. Ron McGovney was later seen in Phantasm. Problems between Dave Mustaine and the rest of the band arose in late March on a road trip to the east coast. Dave was given a bus ticket back home and unceremoniously released, while Kirk Hammett flew in and the band did not miss a gig. At this time, the band stayed with Anthrax and from what the band has said, it was very tough living, as all their little money went towards the band.

The first album, "Kill 'em All," was recorded for Megaforce Records in the summer of 1983, and after some touring, they cut a four song demo in October. James Hetfield became the vocalist out of necessity and had considered finding a replacement so he could be a full time rhythm guitar player. They contemplated asking vocalist John Bush, vocalist of Armored Saint and later to be vocalist of Anthrax, to join but he declined, deciding to stay with "his buddies band." In the end Hetfield decided to take over vocals once and for all. The second album, "Ride The Lightning," came out in the spring of 1984, featuring riffs from Dave Mustaine and also Tom Hunting via Kirk Hammett.

Work on a third album began in the summer of 1985, and the album, "Master Of Puppets," was released in the spring of 1986. When James Hetfield broke his arm in a skateboarding accident in July, 1986, six weeks of gigs featured roadie John Marshall on rhythm guitar (he would later join Metal Church). On September 25th, James was back. One more gig was played on the 26th, and then on the morning of the 27th, their tour bus hit a patch of black ice and flipped over, killing bassist Cliff Burton. (Morbid aside: he and Kirk had switched bunks just a few hours before.)

The band decided to continue, and began searching for a new bassist. Among those that tried out was Kirk Hammett's friend, bass freak Les Claypool (Blind Illusion, Primus), who was rejected because he played too well. In the end, Flotsam & Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted was brought in in November, being officially sworn in at a restaurant in Phoenix called Tommy's Joint. The "...And Justice for All" album was recorded in 1988, with a serious lack of bass presence, and then a world tour followed in 1989.

In 1989, Metallica was nominated to a grammy in "Best Heavy Metal Performance of the Year" alongside AC/DC, Iggy Pop and Jethro Tull. Everybody was expecting for Metallica to take the award, but surprisingly, the award went to classic rockers Jethro Tull. If you look closely, you can tell from the look on Alice Cooper's face (Alice presented the award along with Lita Ford) that he finds it VERY surprising.

In 1991, the fifth Metallica album was released and this time they had a new producer. Flemming Rasmussen (producer of Pretty Maids and Blind Guardian among others), who had produced the previous 3 albums was out, and the new producer was Bob Rock. The new album was self-titled and had a much more commercial feel to it and sold 20 million copies worldwide.

And this time, justice took place as Metallica received a Grammy award for "Best Heavy Metal Performance of the Year." When they received it, Lars Ulrich said: "We wanna thank Jethro Tull for not putting out an album this year."

After extensive touring over the next four years, Metallica returned to the studio in May 1995, and recorded the album "Load." The album was less metal-orientated and more laid back, and it still divides fans to this day. The follow up to "Load," "Reload," was released in 1997, and consisted of outtakes from "Load."

The next album was released only a year later. "Garage Inc." was a collection of B-Sides and the long out of print "Garage Days Re-Revisited" EP, along with a second disc consisting of brand new covers of songs from bands such as Mercyful Fate, The Misfits, Nick Cave and Lynyrd Skynyrd among others.

After a year of touring, the next Metallica project was entitled "S&M," a collaboration of sorts with the San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra. This consisted of two live shows, with Metallica playing some of their songs with a full Orchestral Backing. "S&M" was released in CD, video and DVD format in November 1999. Metallica then won a grammy for "Rock Instrumental Performance" with "The Call of the Ktulu" taken from the "S&M" album.

The next few years would see a lot of upheaval within Metallica. In 2000 Metallica sued the file-sharing service Napster, with the claim that Napster "encourages and enables visitors to its website to unlawfully exchange with others copyrighted songs and sound recordings without the knowledge or permission of Metallica"` This move, while ultimately successful, alienated a significant portion of Metallica's fans. Next, in January 2001, Jason Newstead, who had been Metallica's bassist for 14 years, quit "due to private and personal reasons, and the physical damage that [he had] done to [him]self over the years." This was followed by James going to rehab in July 2001.

Over the next few years Metallica were quite close to splitting up, as was documented in their DVD "Some Kind of Monster." However, they managed to overcome their differences, and by July 2003 they had Rob Trujillo as their new bassist and had released their eighth studio album, "St. Anger."

On April 4, 2009 Metallica was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

On November 30th, 2012, Metallica launched their own label, Blackened Recordings and took ownership of all of their master recordings from the Warner Music Group.

In late 2013, the band won a Guinness world record for playing in all continents (Antarctica included) in less than one year.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Metallica has become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, and is credited as one of the "big four" of thrash metal, along with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 110 million records worldwide, including an RIAA-certified 66 million and Nielsen SoundScan-reported 53,642,000 in the U.S., making Metallica one of the most commercially successful bands of all time. The writers of The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll said Metallica gave heavy metal "a much-needed charge". Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Greg Prato of Allmusic said Metallica "expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions", and called the band "easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s, responsible for bringing the music back to Earth".

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Grinder

Country of origin: Germany
Location: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-1991

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Grinder was a late 1980s/early 1990s speed metal/thrash metal band from Germany. They released three full length albums and one EP before disbanding. Grinder was the first international heavy metal act to play in Turkey, on May 12, 1990, at the Open Air Theater in Istanbul.

BNR Metal Pages Notes:

Grinder played pretty standard speed/thrash metal -- though German, they often sounded more like American thrash bands of that time. Possibly a victim of underexposure, as Noise Records had a crowded roster of quality bands at the time and they didn't seem to be well promoted. Another case of a decent, but not terribly unique, band. Some members later carried on in a similar band called Capricorn, releasing at least two albums in the early/mid-nineties.

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Hirax

Country of origin: United States
Location: Buena Park, California
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1981-1983 (as L.A. Kaos), 1983-1984 (as K.G.B.), 1984-1989, 2000-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal (early), Hard Rock/Heavy/Thrash Metal (later)

Late into the year of 1983, Katon noticed the term "Hirax" on the antique newspaper styled wallpaper in the bathroom of Brian Keith's house. Katon thought Hirax would be a great band name and the rest of the members agreed. Known as K.G.B. at the time (L.A. Kaos before that and Kaos even still), they instantly transformed into Hirax.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena (Bobby Johnson) (the band's only original member of the current line-up), the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer. The band was an early example of thrash metal, speed metal and crossover thrash.

After releasing some demos, Hirax signed with Metal Blade and debuted with their first full-length, Raging Violence in 1985. The band was composed of Katon W. De Pena (vocals), Scott Owen (guitar), Gary Monardo (bass) and John Tabares (drums).

In 1986, John Tabares left the band and Eric Brecht (brother of D.R.I.'s vocalist Kurt Brecht) joined. After the change, they released their second album, called Hate, Fear and Power under pressure of the label (only having 16 minutes of length for 8 songs). After this release, the band quit the label and independently released a demo called Blasted In Bangkok in 1987.

But with tensions and disillusions in the band, De Pena decided to leave and form a new band with Gene Hoglan (former Dark Angel drummer), and Ron McGovney (former Metallica bassist). They called themselves Phantasm and released a six tracks demo in 1988 (re-issued in 2002 as a CD with the demo and live tracks). After a brief tour with Nuclear Assault, they broke up. In 1989, after De Pena left, the replacement was Paul Baloff (former Exodus frontman). But soon after the band broke up.

De Pena stayed involved in the regional underground music scene and took a job working at a local music store. In 1997, he featured one of his old songs on a split 7" with Spazz, the band of one of his friends. By 1998 De Pena had received enough fan mail and interest which encouraged him to reunite Hirax in 2000. De Pena reunited the band with the original lineup of Scott Owen, Gary Monardo, and John Tabares, releasing the El Diablo Negro EP in 2000. In 2002, the band played in Abrasive Rock Fest. In 2003, the band played in Bang Your Head Festival, in Germany. The lineup completely changed, and Hirax released the album Barrage of Noise in 2001 with James Joseph Hubler, Justin Lent (Clusterfux), and Nick Sellinger. This line-up was brief as well.

In 2003, De Pena recruited an entirely new lineup again, and released the album The New Age of Terror in 2004 with guitarists Dave Watson and Glenn Rogers (Deliverance former), bassist Angelo Espino, and drummer Jorge Iacobellis. That line-up, due to irreconcilable differences, followed in the trend of the other line-ups and broke up. The band released their fourth studio album El Rostro de la Muerte in the spring of 2009.[6] On July 20, 2013 Hirax performed at the International Festival Convivencia Rock 2013 that took place in Pereira, Risaralda. 36 bands played in the 3 days festival and 10.000 people gathered each day of the event.[7] On February 24, 2014, the band released their newest album titled Immortal Legacy, courtesy of Steamhammer Records.

March 2015 will see the band play in the UK for the first time in their history, beginning with an appearance at Hammerfest in Gwynedd, Wales.

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Megadeth

Country of origin: United States
Location: Los Angeles, California
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1983 (as Fallen Angels), 1983-2002, 2004-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal/Rock (1990s)

Megadeth was formed in late 1983 when Dave Mustaine (formerly of Metallica) threw a potted plant through the window of David Ellefson's apartment because Ellefson was practicing his bass too loud. When the band was formed Dijion Carruthers was their drummer and Greg Handevidt on guitars. They quickly replaced Carruthers with drummer Lee Rausch, recorded a demo and secured a few gigs in the San Francisco Bay area in February, 1984. Handevidt was fired for incompetence (he later formed Kublai Khan) They quickly found second guitarist Kerry King (Slayer), who played Megadeth's first three gigs: February 15th, 18th, and 19th, of 1984.

The band name was selected from a term referring to a million casualties, as a result of Nuclear Fallout. It was coined in 1953 by RAND military strategist Herman Kahn. The extra "a" was dropped by the band. The name Fallen Angel was considered, as it was the name of a short-lived Dave Mustaine/Matt Kisselstein (bass) project in 1983.

King left later that month when Mustaine wanted him to choose between Megadeth and Slayer. Then, Chris Poland was brought in, and more gigs were played, starting on April 15th, 1984. A demo was recorded with this lineup, and then Lee Rausch left (he would later that year show up in Dark Angel), and was replaced by Gar Samuelson. This lineup recorded the first two albums.

There were troubles with Chris Poland. He was replaced with Mike Albert for part of the 1985 tour, and was finally fired in 1987, for stealing Mustaine's guitars and other transgressions (read the lyrics to "Liar" for a somewhat biased but not entirely untrue account), and Gar Samuelson left as well (his parting wasn't entirely amicable either). Chuck Behler came in immediately, and several guitarists were tried out, including Jay Reynolds of Malice, who played a few gigs on the 1987 tour, before giving way to Jeff Young. This lineup recorded So Far, So Good... So What, but after a subsequent tour, both Young and Behler were fired.

Nick Menza, Chuck's drum tech, went behind the kit himself in 1989, and the band recorded, as a trio, "No More Mister Nice Guy", an Alice Cooper cover for the Shocker soundtrack. After tryouts that included Criss Oliva (Savatage), Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Eric Meyer (Dark Angel), Dimebag Darrell (Pantera and Damageplan), a 15 year old Darrell Roberts (W.A.S.P.), a 16 year old Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Lee Altus (Heathen) and even Slash (Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver), Marty Friedman of Cacophony was hired in February of 1990, and this lineup lasted for about 8 years and produced four albums and most of the songs on an EP, before Nick Menza left due to a knee injury.

Jimmy DeGrasso (of Y&T and White Lion) was brought in, and Risk was recorded. Then, Marty Friedman left, citing a desire to play Japanese pop music, while Mustaine wanted to return to heavy metal. Thus, Al Pitrelli of Savatage, as well as Trans-Siberian Orchestra and CPR joined the band. A new album, The World Needs A Hero, was recorded and a tour with Iced Earth launched afterwards.

Dave Mustaine, citing an arm injury that left him unable to play guitar effectively, dissolved Megadeth in April 2002. On January 13, 2004, Mustaine, following his alleged "religious awakening," announced his plans to re-form Megadeth with former guitarist Chris Poland. David Ellefson, Al Pitrelli and Jimmy DeGrasso did not want to rejoin and went back to working on their other projects. They initially formed a band of their own which never got off the ground. Dave Ellefson went on to join Soulfly.

In August of 2004, the new album, The System Has Failed, was completed with the help of session drummer and bassist Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Sloas. Former guitarist Chris Poland was also brought back to record lead parts.

New guitarist Glen Drover and bassist James MacDonough were recruited for the tour, which would begin in September. Nick Menza briefly returned, but was dismissed after being deemed unfit to perform such a lengthy tour. Glen Drover's brother and Eidolon bandmate Shawn was brought in. This was confirmed as the permanent line-up by Dave Mustaine in 2005. Typically, though, this was not to last and MacDonough left at the beginning of 2006 to be replaced by James Lomenzo.

It was confirmed in mid-January 2008 - after considerable rumour - that Glen Drover had left Megadeth due to their heavy touring schedule conflicting with his family interests. Chris Broderick was immediately brought in to replace him.

James LoMenzo left Megadeth in February 2010, heralding the return of original bassist David Ellefson.

Megadeth have confirmed Chris Adler from Lamb of God as the man who’ll play drums on their 15th album.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Traditional heavy metal bands such as UFO and Black Sabbath, New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) bands such as Motörhead, Iron Maiden, and Diamond Head, and punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols and Ramones had a significant influence on Megadeth's sound. Hard rock bands such as AC/DC and Led Zeppelin were also influential on the group's guitar style. Although the music has roots in punk, university professor Jason Bivins wrote that Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Motörhead and Iron Maiden. He described the style as a mix of "the instrumental virtuosity of the NWOBHM with the speed and aggression of hardcore punk", while also drawing lyrical inspiration from the horror-obsessed punk band Misfits. Mustaine has also listed albums by the Beatles as recordings that influenced him.

Having sold over 50 million units worldwide as of 2014, Megadeth is one of the few bands from the 1980s American underground metal scene to have achieved mass commercial success. Along with contemporaries Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, Megadeth is regarded as one of the core founding groups of thrash metal. These bands are often referred to as the "big four" of thrash metal, responsible for the genre's development and popularization.

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Meliah Rage

Country of origin: United States
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Formed: 1987
Years active: 1987-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Power/Thrash Metal

The band name was inspired by the 'Meliah' Indian tribe's practice of taking opium before going into battle.

The band also recorded a song titled "These Scars", which was released on the "Compendium of Metal Vol. 6" compilation CD, in April 2013, by Metal on Metal Records. The music was recorded in 2011 ("Dead to the World" sessions) and the vocals in 2013. This is the first song featuring the new vocalist Marc Lopes.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Meliah Rage are an American power/thrash metalband from Boston, formed in 1987 by guitarist/songwriter Anthony Nichols. They are characterized primarily as thrash metal with more classical metal melodies. The band has released seven albums. Its current members includes Anthony Nichols, Jim Koury, Darren Lourie, Marc Lopes and Stu Dowie. They at one time featured Godsmack front man Sully Erna on drums, who appeared on the Unfinished Business LP.

BNR Metal Pages Notes:

Meliah Rage was formed in Boston in 1985 and attracted the attention of Epic Records, who released their first two albums along with a live EP. Though their music was strong (a powerful thrashy metal style in the vein of prime Metal Church), they didn't seem to get the push one might have expected given their major label status, and following their last CBS release in 1990 they faded from view. Two years later an album/demo was recorded with a new rhythm section featuring none other than Godsmack frontman Sully Erna on drums, but it went unreleased, and it was not until 1996 that, with another new rhythm section, Death Valley Dream was released. After another period of inactivity, the aforementioned 1992 recordings were unearthed and released under the title Unfinished Business in 2003, and shortly afterward the band reformed and have prospered since, sticking to the power/thrash style of their earlier albums.

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Awesome request from @Growling_Behemoth

Invocator

Country of origin: Denmark
Location: Esbjerg
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-1987 (as Black Creed), 1987-1995, 2000-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Thrash Metal

In 1988 Jacob Hansen recorded by himself an unoffical 6 track demo in the vein of Massacre.

The band split up in 1995 after the release of 'Dying to Live' and reformed around 2000. Invocator then released 'Through the Flesh to the Soul' through Scarlet Records in 2003 and did some touring. Since then the band has been semi-active, doing few concerts every once in a while, but are currently unsigned.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Invocator are a Danish technical thrash metal band featuring Esbjerg-based guitarist/singer Jacob Hansen, founder of the band. They are considered influential on the European thrash metal/heavy metal scene, and known for incorporating elements from death metal, thrash metal, groove metal and progressive metal into their style.

Invocator's first demo proper Genetic Confusion was released in 1988 (the band had released a live demo in 1987). The band played numerous shows in support of the demo, supporting the Danish thrash metal act Artillery, among others. The following demo, Alterations, which sold nearly 2000 copies, was released in 1989. Following up on the demo, the band played successful shows with major acts such as Entombed, Edge Of Sanity, Psychotic Walts, Gorefest, and Incubus (now Opprobrium).

Having signed with Swedish/German label Black Mark Productions, Invocator released their debut album, Excursion Demise which was recorded at Montezuma Studios in 1991, Stockholm where the likes of Memento Mori and Edge Of Sanity had also recorded albums. The album received a nomination for the Danish Grammy for "best heavy metal album of the year". In support of the album, Invocator played numerous shows with the likes of (Evil Dead, Lääz Rockit, Atheist, Suffocation, Asphyx, Immolation, Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Massacre, Pungent Stench, Atrocity etc.) and toured with legendary US metal act Dark Angel throughout Europe in 1992. The tour was followed by Invocator supporting Sepultura at their Danish "Arise" show in Saga in Copenhagen and then at the Roskilde Festival, playing in front of 5,000 people.

Musically, the album and the early demos fall under the genre rubric of death-thrash metal, containing several extremely fast and aggressive parts, including original lead guitarist' Jakob Schulz' fast Slayer-inspired solos. The average song of that era typically consisting of several different parts and numerous tempo changes, Invocator's early style displays some of the emphasis on technicality and progressivity that would characterize their later releases.

Invocator went through both musical and line-up changes in the time between their first and second albums. The original line-up, which included Jacob Hansen, Jakob Schulz, Jesper M. Jensen and Per M. Jensen, was abandoned as Perle Hansen took up the duty as new lead guitarist, and Per Jakobsen took over the bass duties. The band's new style, which was previewed on a promo tape in 1992, retained the complexity of the debut album, but emphasis on speed had been abandoned an even higher focus on technicality and progressivity taking its place. Not only were Perle Hansen's lead guitar more complex and nuanced than the lead guitar on the debut album, Per M. Jensen's drumming had also become very complex and progressive compared to the high speed pounding of Excursion Demise.

The recordings of 2nd album Weave The Apocalypse began in 1993 with engineer/producer Eric Greif, uncredited) Death co-producer (Spiritual Healing) and manager, at Elsound Studio in Copenhagen. The release was well received and garnered positive reviews. Weave the Apocalypse is remembered by fans and critics alike as perhaps the strongest Invocator record in terms of songs, musicianship and production.

The band toured with Paradise Lost on their "Icon" Denmark tour, and Invocator recorded two cover songs for a CD, entitled Early Years, featuring their old demo tapes in a remastered version - namely, "The Promise Of Agony" by Dark Angel and "The Eternal War" by Artillery. Early Years marked a label change from Black Mark to Progress/Die Hard Music.

Dying To Live, the band's third album, which musically combines groove metal with the technicality of the predecessor, was recorded and released in 1995, with another line-up change preceding it, as bassist Per Jakobsen being replaced by Carsten Mikkelsen. During a Denmark tour to support the album, the chemistry within the band suffered from different musical directions desired by its different members and the band decided to split the same year. While Per M. Jensen subsequently performed and recorded with Artillery, Konkhra, and Geronimo and would ultimately join The Haunted, Jacob Hansen pursued a successful career as a producer, working with death metallers Pestilence, neo-rockers The Storm, hardrockers Pretty Maids, Volbeat, and progressive metallers Cryoshell and Anubis Gate among others; Hansen eventually joined the latter as their lead
vocalist (Anubis Gate also features former Invocator bassist Jesper Jensen, who had also had a stint with Geronimo) and also took up guitar duties in progressive metal band Beyond Twilight.

In the early 2000s, Jacob Hansen started to write new songs together with guitarist Flemming C. Lund, known for his work with Autumn Leaves and The Arcane Order, and a temporary drummer was found in Brian Rasmussen from Behind The Curtain and Mnemic, and in 2002 a demo was released.

Through the Flesh to the Soul was released in 2003 with Hasen on vocals and guitars, Lund on guitars, Mikkelsen, who had rejoined the band, on bass, and Jakob Gundel, also known for his work with Danish melodic death metal act Withering Surface and American progressive metal act Lord Bane, on drums. Through the Flesh to the Soul is more melodic and modern in sound than the preceding albums and also more straightforward with more fast parts. The music is still technical and somewhat complex with some polyrhythmic sections.

After another hiatus, the band went on tour in Denmark with Raunchy and The Burning in 2010 in the Danish leg of the Headbangers Ball Tour with Perle Hansen having rejoined the band. Most of their set consisted of tracks from Weave the Apocalypse and Dying to Live with the title track of Through the Flesh to the Soul and the title track of Excursion Demise being the only tracks from the two other albums. Invocator were joined onstage by guests Flemming G. Lund, who is now in Raunchy, and Jacob Schulz, who had played in now defunct death metal act Maceration along with Jacob Hansen and Dan Swanö, which performed under the pseudonym of Day Disyraah, after Schulz had left Invocator.

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Nuclear Assault

Country of origin: United States
Location: New York City, New York
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-1995, 1997-1998, 2001-2008, 2011-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

The band has broken up and reformed three times: they split up in 1995, briefly reunited in 1997-1998 before parting ways once again, and then reformed a second time in 2001 only to be broken up again by 2008. However, they had yet another reunion in 2011 and will embark on what will be their final tour (dubbed the "Final Assault" tour) in 2015.

Dan Lilker played in an early Anthrax line-up and went on to form Brutal Truth, Hemlock and The Ravenous after leaving Nuclear Assault in 1992. He was also the bassist for thrash/crossover super group, Stormtroopers of Death, and had a stint in Holy Moses. He also filled in for a few Dark Angel gigs in 1989 when DFA bassist Mike Gonzalez was arrested.

Dan Lilker collaborated with the Brooklyn, New York rapper Necro (once a part of death metal band Injustice) on his album The Prefix of Death.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Nuclear Assault is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed after bassist Dan Lilker left Anthrax in 1984. After releasing five full-length albums and touring relentlessly throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Nuclear Assault split up in 1995. They briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2002, and are still active today.

Nuclear Assault has released six studio albums to date, the latest being Third World Genocide (2005). Their most successful records are Survive (1988) and Handle with Care (1989), which peaked at #145 and #126 on the Billboard 200 chart respectively.

After the release of Anthrax's debut album Fistful of Metal, bass player Dan Lilker, a founding member of the group, was fired by the band. He decided to pursue a more aggressive style of music and formed Nuclear Assault with guitarist/vocalist John Connelly, who had been involved in an early version of Anthrax. They were joined by guitarist Mike Bogush and drummer Scott Duboys (later of Cities, Cycle Sluts From Hell and Warrior Soul). They then recorded the first of two demos, which included the songs "Stranded in Hell", "The Plague", and "Hang the Pope".

The group's first live performance was at the Union Jack in South River, New Jersey in late 1984. Guitarist Mike Bogush was later replaced by Anthony Bramante. Bramante's first live performance with the group was at L'Amour in Brooklyn, New York in April 1985. Shortly after the performance, Duboys left the band and was replaced by powerhouse drummer Glenn Evans formerly of New Jersey based band T.T. Quick.

The second demo Live Suffer Die was recorded and the band began touring the United States consistently. The band signed a multi-album contract with Combat Records and after recording the Game Over album in April 1986, the band secured a European tour with Agent Steel and Atomkraft. Later, feeling constrained by their contract with Combat, the band signed with I.R.S. Records and recorded Survive in 1988. The album reached number 145 on the US Billboard 200 chart and Nuclear Assault set off on a 180-day world tour in the United States and Europe; first as an opening for Slayer and later headlining with British group Acid Reign as a support act. The next album, 1989's Handle with Care, would see the band at their commercial peak, hitting the US chart at number 126, and peaking in the UK Albums Chart at No. 60, with more touring, including a trip to Japan and a U.S. tour opening for Testament and Savatage.[citation needed] The band released their first live album, Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, in 1990, but internal troubles were causing problems for the band.

Constant touring and recording was taking its toll on the band, and there was a rumor that the band might split. The recording of Out of Order was problematic. Lead songwriter John Connelly was conspicuously absent from the recording process. He only sang on five of the songs and played the guitar on one (Quocustodiat his only full writing credit), leaving Evans and Lilker to do most of the recording alone. After the release of Out of Order bassist Lilker left to start the band Brutal Truth in 1990. The band enlisted Scott Metaxas on bass and toured across the United States and Europe before longstanding guitarist Anthony Bramante left the band. In 1993, the band released one more album, entitled Something Wicked doing one last European tour with guitarist Dave DiPietro before breaking up in 1995.

Nuclear Assault later reunited for one concert in 1997 (put on by Eric Paone of 'Candy Striper Death Orgy' in New Hampshire) before parting ways a second time. Then, two more shows the following year with Eric Paone on bass guitar in New England. They reformed once again in 2002 to record a live album entitled Alive Again followed by several European tours, first with Testament and Death Angel, then with Exodus and Agent Steel. A new studio album entitled Third World Genocide followed in 2005, with yet more touring, including a South American tour with Death Angel.

They made a guest appearance at the Maryland Deathfest on May 25, 2008.

Nuclear Assault are still active and appeared at the Metal Merchants Festival in Oslo, Norway, in January 2011.

On November 5, 2013, it was announced that Nuclear Assault was working on a new album, which was due for release in 2015. They released an EP on June 1, 2015, titled Pounder, which featured "four killer old-school thrash" songs written by Dan Lilker and John Connelly. The band will embark on the "Final Assault" tour to support the EP.

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Deliverance

Country of origin: United States
Location: Los Angeles, California
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-2002, 2007-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal, Industrial

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Deliverance is an American Christian thrash metal band which later shifted more towards heavy metal and progressive metal. Founded by Jimmy P. Brown II in 1985, many members have either stayed in the lineup for a number of years, or left and returned to the lineup. Jimmy P. Brown II has been the only persistent member of Deliverance.

Deliverance formed in 1985 as a speed metal outfit, where the Christian metal community first encountered them on the compilation album California Metal. They put forth their self-titled debut album Deliverance in 1989 with Jimmy P Brown II (guitars and lead vocals), Glenn Rogers (lead guitar), Brian Khairullah (bass), and Chris Hyde (drums). In 1989, Deliverance's track "If You Will" from their self-titled album appeared on Hot Metal Summer II along with a recorded interview.

Deliverance garnered significant attention in the Christian metal community with their 1990 release Weapons of Our Warfare. During this time, the band replaced guitarist Glenn Rogers with George Ochoa. Deliverance released a video on MTV for the title track of Weapons. The track was also included on Intense Records compilation album Hot Metal Summer III Hot Licks - Cold Facts.

During the production of their third album, What A Joke, Brian Khairullah and Chris Hyde were replaced with Mike Grato and Kevin Lee respectively. The album did not perform as well, and tensions within the band resulted in the departure of George Ochoa.

Their fourth album was a major change in direction for the band musically. Stay of Execution went in a more progressive metal direction, complete with new guitarist Mike Phillips.

While this move did anger fans at the time, others feel that Stay represents Deliverance's best work. Their fifth album, Learn, continued in a progressive direction with new bassist Manny Morales and lead guitarist Jonathan Maddux. From this time on, the other positions in the band changed with increasing frequency, but the core of the band remained Jimmy Brown and Manny Morales.

Deliverance released River Disturbance in 1994 and Camelot in Smithereens in 1995. Camelot was the poorest seller in the Deliverance catalog at the time.

After a four-year hiatus, Deliverance resurfaced in 2000 and began recording their next studio album, Assimilation, which was released in the following year. Assimilation represented another change in style with a shift towards a more electronic/industrial sound. Deliverance again retreated until 2006.

In 2006, Deliverance reformed with a lineup of Jimmy P. Brown II, Mike Phillips, Corin Jae Scott, Tim Kronyak, and Mike Reed. The bands next album As Above - So Below was released on April 24, 2007. Full length songs from the album can currently be heard on the band's official MySpace page. The album featured a mix of all their past material (musically) with some more modern metal elements.

Deliverance announced they would be releasing a new album sometime in 2010 called The Annals of Subterfuge. This would mark Deliverance's 25th Anniversary. Though rumors persist of reuniting with past members, it became apparent that Jimmy would be recording the upcoming album with Mike Phillips.

On May 20, 2011 Mike Phillips announced that Deliverance was finally coming to end and would be performing their final show in August 2011. However, by July 2012, Deliverance had resurfaced again and been working on their tenth studio album Hear What I Say!, which is due for release on September 3, 2013 on Roxx Records and will be their final album.

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Death Angel

Country of origin: United States
Location: San Francisco, California
Formed: 1982
Years active: 1982-1991, 2001-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

The Filipino act, originally comprising teen cousins guitarist Rob Cavestany, Dennis Pepa on bass, Andy Galeon on drums, marked their individuality with a good degree of technicality and soon carved out a niche fan base on the San Francisco Metal scene. Although the band came together in 1982, very briefly being billed as Dark Theory prior to adopting the Death Angel title from a book cover, it would be five years before their first album the widely admired "The Ultra-Violence".

During his time in the band, original vocalist Dennis still performed the vocals on the song "Thrashers", which has been a set list staple since 1983, before Mark Osegueda joined the band.

Andy Galeon was ten years old when he joined the band in 1982.

All of Death Angel's members from the 80s-90s lineup are related by blood.

Ted Aguilar is known as "the world's smallest Samoan".

Mark Osegueda left Death Angel after a final gig in Omiya, Japan in April 1991. Following that split the remaining members performed a few shows in the Bay Area as "The Past" doing acoustic sets. In the summer of 1991 they changed their name to The Organization.

In 2001, Death Angel had reunited after 10 years of silence when they did a "one-time reunion" gig at the Thrash of the Titans festival which was held for Testament's Chuck Billy. This festival was held in order to raise money for Chuck's on going battle with his chest cancer. Death Angel were to reunite only for that one time, but they decided to just stay reunited because according to them, they miss the feeling of entertaining and love making music.

Their '85 demo "Kill As One" was produced by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released seven studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums.

Two independent releases, The Ultra-Violence (1987) and Frolic Through the Park (1988), attracted the attention of Geffen Records, which signed the quintet in 1989 and released their next album, Act III, one year later. While Death Angel was touring in support of Act III, drummer Andy Galeon was injured in a tour bus accident and needed more than a year to fully recover. This resulted in the band's break up in 1991. However, Death Angel reformed in 2001 (without original guitarist Gus Pepa) at the Thrash of the Titans benefit concert for Testament singer Chuck Billy. The band continues to record and perform today. Death Angel is currently working on a new album, which is due for release in April 2016.

In a May 2015 interview on Groovey.TV, guitarist Ted Aguilar revealed that Death Angel has been writing new material for their follow-up to The Dream Calls for Blood. The band will enter the studio on October 1, 2015 to begin recording the album, which is due for release in April 2016.

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Merciless Death

Country of origin: United States
Location: Canyon Country, California
Formed: 2003
Years active: 2003-?, 2014-present

Side Note: Merciless Death released their third full-length album, "Taken Beyond", on February 15th, 2015, but I was unable to find any of it on youtube.

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Originally founded by Dan Holder and Andy Torres in March, 2003. The first lineup of Merciless Death consisted of Andy Torres on vocals and bass, Dan Holder on guitar, Mike Griego on guitar, and Cesar Torres on drums. Mike soon left the band due to personal differences.

Before Dan met Cesar and Andy, he wrote music and lyrics and saved them because he knew that one day he would meet someone who shared the same desire he had and that happened when he met them in high school.

Merciless Death recorded a self-released demo in 2004 called Annihilate The Masses and recorded a self-released album called Evil In The Night. After signing to Heavy Artillery Records, they re-released their debut album with a different cover artwork designed by Ed Repka (Evildead, Megadeth,Nuclear Assault, Massacre, etc).

Some have said that their band name was inspired by Dark Angel's song Merciless Death. In a 2007 interview, however, Andy Torres stated that they were originally going to call themselves Merciless Onslaught, but decided to replace the word "Onslaught" with "Death."

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Cro-Mags

Country of origin: United States
Location: New York City, New York
Formed: 1980
Years active: 1980-1991, 1991-1995, 1996-1999, 1999-2003, 2008-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Crossover Thrash Metal/Hardcore Punk

Cro-Mags are a classic example of a band which played the popular NYHC sound of the 80's during the American hardcore movement.

At various times in the 90s and 00s both Harley and John Joseph simultaneously led 2 separate versions of the Cro-Mags with completely different line-ups. These groups billed themselves as "Cro-Mag Jam", "Cro-Mags-NYC", "Age of Quarrel", "Street Justice" or "Cro-Mags" (whether or not the name was owned legally by the certain version of the band in question). Sometimes only one original member would be present, sometimes two or three, and sometimes even both John Joseph and Harley together.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, has released five studio albums, their first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal and were associated with the birth of a tougher attitude within the hardcore scene in the late 1980s, related to the world of martial arts. John Joseph McGowan and Harley Flanagan are practitioners of boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu respectively. According to AllMusic, "before the Cro-Mags, the idea of combining heavy metal and hardcore together was unheard of. But with the release of their classic debut, The Age of Quarrel, hardcore-metal was born, and in its wake came a legion of similarly styled offspring (Biohazard, Vision of Disorder, etc.)."

The band's early years were spent "living in burnt out buildings, squats and on the streets". They first released a demo with songs that would eventually find themselves on their debut album The Age Of Quarrel (1986). Singer John Joseph subsequently parted ways with the band, leaving bass player Harley Flanagan to sing on the following Cro-Mags release, Best Wishes (1989), which had a more heavy metal-influenced sound. The next record Alpha Omega (1992) saw the return of Joseph. According to guitarist and songwriter Parris Mitchell Mayhew, another guitarist - Rob Buckley wrote most of the album along with him, though neither of them are featured on it as the group broke up but reformed with previous members.

his was followed by Near Death Experience (1993), after which the group finally disbanded. However, the band had since reformed and continued touring some years later, and then in 2000, they released Revenge, which marked a return to their early hardcore roots, featuring songs that were comparable to those on their first release, as well as some songs with a more melodic/punk rock feel. After the release of Revenge the band broke up once again, and the internal hostility amongst band members (mainly between Mayhew and Flanagan) has never been resolved. The Cro-Mags eventually reformed again and had since continued playing live sporadically.

In 2008 John Joseph started playing shows, including one at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, using the name Cro-Mags (jam). The band included drummer Mackie Jayson, Craig Setari of Sick of It All on bass, and AJ Novello of Leeway on guitar. In an October 2010 interview, John Joseph revealed that the Cro-Mags were planning to release a new album in 2011. However, as of July 2012, the album has not been released.

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Meltdown / Mantic Ritual

Country of origin: United States
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Formed: 2005
Years active: 2005-2008, 2008-2012 (as Mantic Ritual), 2013 (as Mantic Ritual)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Crossover Thrash Metal/Hardcore Punk

The band relocated from their native Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California in the fall of 2007 then returned to Pittsburgh in 2008.

The band changed name to Mantic Ritual in September 2008 to avoid confusion with other bands called Meltdown.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Mantic Ritual (formerly Meltdown) was a thrash metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band released their debut album through Nuclear Blast Records.

Under the name Meltdown, Mantic Ritual began writing and recording music in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania around 2004. After the addition of guitarist Jeff Potts, the band moved to Hollywood, California in 2007 and quickly signed with metal giants Nuclear Blast.

Citing legal reasons, the band chose to abandon the name Meltdown. This was also done to avoid confusion with other bands currently using the name. The band renamed themselves Mantic Ritual and moved back to their hometown of Pittsburgh, participating in national tours with bands including Rotting Christ and Destruction.

The band then recorded their debut album, Executioner, with famed metal producer Andy Classen (Dew-Scented, Rotting Christ) at Stage-one Studios in Borgentreich, Germany. It was released in Europe on February 27, 2009, and the US on March 10, 2009.

On September 15, 2009, six months after the US release of Executioner, Mantic Ritual announced through their MySpace that Dan Wetmore, the guitarist/vocalist, was leaving the band to pursue photography. Wetmore said that although he enjoyed playing with the band and writing music, he could not see himself spending life on the road. In the same announcement, Mantic Ritual also stated that Grave Desire frontman Dave Watson, a good friend of the band, was to fill in for Dan as a temporary replacement for the September/October 2009 shows. Within a few weeks, Watson was asked to be the permanent guitarist/vocalist for Mantic Ritual, and is now playing full time with the band.

Mantic Ritual announced in August of 2010 that drummer Adam Haritan had left the band. The news was released on the band's Facebook page, and on metalunderground's website. The reason for Haritan's departure was described as mutual, due to Haritan's loss of interest in playing music full time. After more than a year of silence from the band, Guitarist Jeff Potts was asked by the website Metalsucks.net for an update on Mantic Ritual's status. He said during the interview that he and bassist Ben Mottsman had relocated to Los Angeles, while vocalist Dave Watson had not.

In 2013 the band reformed for a one-off show at Thrash de Mayo, with Warbringer's Carlos Cruz filling in on drums. The band remains over with no plans in the future.

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Alkoholizer

Country of origin: Italy
Location: Sassari, Sardinia (early), Barcelona, Spain (now)
Formed: 2006
Years active: 2006-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Crossover Thrash Metal/Hardcore Punk

The band went on hold in 2010 after that Alessandro Lucariello and Gabriele Tanda left; in 2013 the band restarted the activity.

Relocated to Barcelona in 2015.

Wikipedia.de Excerpts (Translated):

Alkoholizer is an Italian thrash metal band from Sassari , which was founded in 2006.

The band was formed in 2006 by guitarist Marco Lai and singer Alessandro Lucariello. After a first four-song demo was released under the name demo-izer in Spring 2007, followed by Gabriele Tanda could be heard as a drummer Fabrizio Fele as bassist and, followed by performances throughout Italy. After that was published in 2009 via Punishment 18 Records debut album Drunk or Dead .... For personal reasons, the band from 2011 to 2013. After that paused the band was back with a changed cast: Fele now assumed in addition to singing, while Lögan Heads came as a new guitarist and Paul "Darken" Marcelo as the new drummer for the band. Lai was also still a guitarist in the band. Within two months, the band released the EP Sardinian Boars Are Back !!!, and a music video for the song Faceless, who came from the EP. This was followed by more performances. For the end of 2014 the release of a second album with Punishment 18 Records is planned.

According to Jonathan Smith of metal-observer.com the band plays on Drunk or Dead ... retro thrash metal, which is based on the 1980s thrash metal. Smith described the band as Italy's answer to Tankard . The riffs are played mostly fast and would of bands like Motörhead and Venom remember and the lyrics are usually humorous and often had alcohol as a theme. The band is a slightly modernized version of Sodom in the late 1980s. In addition, the band was Slayer comparable, with the largest parallels are to be found in the song, which made medium high Shouts and very high Screams exists. However Lucariellos singing sword compared to that of Tom Araya less threatening. The album resembles terms of speed Persecution Mania and would also have a punk -Attitüde as The Morning After.

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Slaughter / Strappado

Country of origin: Canada
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-1989, 1994-1995

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

The Canadian band Slaughter is credited for influencing death metal. They eventually broke up because of their annoyance for the music industry. Dave Hewson formed a new band under the name Strappado.

In December 1994, Bobby Sadzak, Dave Hewson and Brian Lourie had a short reunion and recorded a cover version of Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor", which is only available on the tribute compilation CD "In Memory of... Celtic Frost", released by Dwell Records in 1996.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Slaughter was a Canadian death/thrash band. They formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1984 playing thrash metal and briefly featured Chuck Schuldiner on guitar in 1986. Originally, they released two demos and two full albums. Slaughter was disbanded from 1989-1995 but returned in 1996 to record a cover of Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor" for a tribute album called In Memory of Celtic Frost. In 2001, they re-released "Strappado" under the Nuclear Blast label.

Slaughter also released a compilation of demos and live tracks under the Nuclear Blast label called Not Dead Yet/Paranormal. The band has been inactive again since 2001. Slaughter are currently working on a new release featuring rare, demo, live and rehearsal material.

On October 2, 2008 singer Dave Hewson announced that drummer Brian Lourie had died of a heart attack.

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Another great entry from @Growling_Behemoth

Hatesphere

Country of origin: Denmark
Location: Aarhus
Formed: 2001
Years active: ? (as Cauterized), 1993-2001 (as Necrosis), 2001-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Death/Thrash/Groove Metal

BNR Metal Pages notes:

Hatesphere is one of several Scandinavian bands playing modern thrash, meaning that their style is a bit more intense (particularly in the death/hardcore vocals) than the old thrash of the late 80's (others in this new arena would be The Haunted, The Crown, Arch Enemy, to name but three). The band began life as Necrosis, releasing a few demos under that name before signing to Scarlet Records in 2001. Bloodred Hatred, their second full-length album, is a ferocious thrashfest, with not a lot of variation or subtlety but with plenty of hardened, crunchy riffs, complemented with Jacob Bredahl's hardcore-influenced vocals. They don't sound directly like any of the three previously mentioned bands, though it might be better to say they sound a bit like a combination of the three.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Hatesphere is a Danish death and thrash metal band from Aarhus. The band was formed in 1998 by guitarist Peter "Pepe" Hansen. As of 2010, the band consists of vocalist Esben "Esse" Hansen, guitarists Peter "Pepe" Hansen, and Jakob Nyholm, bass player Jimmy Nedergaard and drummer Mike Park. The band has released seven albums and two EPs to date.

Formed in Aarhus, Denmark, by guitarist Peter "Pepe" Hansen in 1998, HateSphere quickly overpowered the Danish metal scene, while concurrently setting an immeasurable new standard for thrash metal domestically and abroad. HateSphere’s first three albums, Hatesphere, Bloodred Hatred and Ballet of the Brute, upgraded the band’s status from local sensation to Europe’s hottest up and coming thrash quintet. Under the leadership of Scarlet Records, HateSphere toured Europe with The Haunted in 2003 and again with Exodus in 2004, while also turning heads at Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, and Hellfest Festivals.

In 2005, HateSphere inked a deal with SPV Records and assembled a production team of established Danish producers; including Tommy Hansen, Jacob Hansen, and Tue Madsen. The Sickness Within was released in September of that same year receiving rave reviews from the worldwide metal media. The pure ferocity, complexity, and brutal grooves enshrined in the album, landed HateSphere on multiple tours of Europe with Kreator, Morbid Angel, Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, and Chimaira. In addition to headlining shows in support of The Sickness Within, the band made appearances at Wacken Open Air, Metal Camp, and Roskilde Festival.

HateSphere continued to raise its profile on an international level by touring Japan, co-headlining the UK with Gojira, and headlining the first edition of The Danish Dynamite tour with Raunchy and Volbeat. HateSphere again made history by being the first Danish band to tour China. Following the 2007 release of Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes, HateSphere yet again hit the road headlining Europe with Aborted and Dagoba, which was followed by successful performances at Wacken Open Air and Roskilde Festivals and a support tour of Poland with Behemoth in September.

Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes also shot up to position 26 on the Danish National Music Charts. Soon thereafter, HateSphere amicably parted ways with then vocalist Jacob Bredahl, who chose to concentrate on other musical endeavors. Without missing a beat, HateSphere assembled its strongest, and present lineup, showcasing its intensity, bottomless drive, and ravenous new frontman Joller Albrechtsen at the 2007 Danish Metal Awards (DMeA). All doubt cast over the band’s lineup instantly shattered as the band hit the ground running with a month long co-headlining tour of Europe with Swedish legends Dismember. HateSphere was indeed back in business.

HateSphere entered Antfarm Studios in November 2008 to record the next album entitled To the Nines. To the Nines was recorded, mixed and mastered in less than a month under the leadership of longtime friend and producer Tue Madsen (Earth Crisis, The Haunted, Heaven Shall Burn) at AntFarm Studios in Aarhus and was released by Napalm Records.

In February 2010 vocalist Jonathan "Joller" Albrechtsen left Hatesphere, and the band announced that Mevadio singer Morten "Kruge" Madsen would replace Albrechtsen on the February–March North American tour with The Black Dahlia Murder, Obscura, and Augury.

In July 2010 the band announced that a permanent replacement for Jonathan "Joller" Albrechtsen had been found in Esben "Esse" Hansen, also known from Danish metal band As We Fight. At the same point it became known that bass player Mixen Lindberg had left the band and that he would be temporarily replaced by the band's former bass player and founding member Mikael Ehlert until the end of 2010. The band toured the US and Canada September–November 2010 supporting Nevermore. In May 2011 the band announced that Gob Squad bass player Jimmy Nedergaard had joined the band.