(Continued from: The Story of Heavy Metal in 100 Songs – Part 2: The Eighties and Europe )
While the Europeans were defining their own style, across the Atlantic , the Thrash Metal genre was being defined by the Four Horsemen – Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax – backed by loyal armies of fans, defining new ground in live performances, with high energy and adrenaline-packed shows that filled entire stadiums. Phenomena such as mosh pits erupted spontaneously as masses of humanity thrashed their heads in sync with the fast and machine-gun reminiscent rhythms of the double-bass led style. This was pure angst, bottled up emotion, pent up rage, frustration at the systemic bondage that gave vent in musical solidarity. There are no divisions among the ranks of Headbangers.
Metallica led the thrash revolution from the front, uncompromising in its heavy and fast sound. One represents the band’s pioneering eighties thrash sound – lyrically inspired by a soldier’s take on war – and combining all the elements of a thrash metal classic with some epic musical arrangement.
Enter Sandman was recorded at the height of Metallica’s commercial success in the early Nineties and shows many more shades of technical precision in its overall recording. This song won a Heavy Metal Grammy and made Metallica a household name worldwide, carried with the MTV tidal wave. Metal received global exposure simply through the visual medium and headbanging moved out of stadiums and into living rooms.
The subsequent decade was one of exploration as Metallica tried softer sound variations; finally, the band has come full circle and heeding the public opinion of its loyal fan army, has rediscovered their original Thrash roots. Broken, Beat and Scarred & My Apocalypse from their comeback in 2008 sums it up – what don’t kill ya make ya more strong!
Anthrax defined the standard of the thrash metal movement on the East coast of the USA
Slayer represents the brutal edge to thrash metal that can only be heard to be understood. Often targeted by the press and numerous societal watchdog groups, Slayer has continued to churn out the fastest thrash metal in the genre, lyrically dripping with blood – the most negative sides of the human condition laid bare in a terrifically fast and brutal sonic assault. Even the guitars scream for vengeance, as the Slayer juggernaut rolls on. Raining Blood from the Eighties is possibly the fastest cut recorded, clocking in at a mind-blowing 250 beats per minute!
Slayer has always been very clear about not promoting the themes depicted in its art form. The essence is depiction – without moralizing. War Ensemble recorded in the early Nineties and Jihad from the recent material, are testament to this uncompromising devotion to depicting the darker sides of human existence, with no dilution of the form and feel of the Slayer sound.
Megadeth was formed by Dave Mustaine, after he was ejected from Metallica by the other band members – supposedly due to substance abuse which affected his performance as the lead guitarist, an event some feel he never truly left behind. The shock seems to have worked wonders, as Dave proceeded to develop Megadeth into a true Metal juggernaut, still actively recording and performing live after nearly three decades.
The ‘Deth sound is defined by speeded-up melodic guitar leads (Megadeth being one of the foremost proponents of the Speed Metal genre), technical precision, powerful and catchy riffs – buzzing with palpable electricity – and Thrash Rhythms. Much like Judas Priest, Megadeth too experimented and evolved with various styles, always taking Heavy Metal forward to greater levels of musical achievement.
- Holy Wars…. The Punishment Due – the opening track off the 1990 album Rust in Peace; excellent introduction to Speed Metal and ‘Deth – don’t miss the Mid-Eastern touch to the bridge halfway through the song.
- Hangar 18 – probably Megadeth’s most famous song, played by countless wannabe college bands keen to show off their Metal prowess – based on the Area 51 UFO legend.
- Symphony of Destruction – noted for its legendary heaviness and chugging rhythms
- Countdown to Extinction – title track for the album, notice how the feel changes and the issue of environmental preservation is represented above all. Megadeth has always been extremely committed to forwarding Green causes and attacking political malaise.
- Insomnia – representative of an experimental phase, when Mustaine took ‘Deth into Electronica / Industrial soundscapes. This phase was never fully accepted by mainstream fan legions who could not digest the apparently synthesized sounds replacing the speedy, thrashing sound of the good o’l days of ‘Deth.
- A Secret Place
- Kick the Chair – Megadeth in its comeback post-Millenium, many line-up changes but Mustaine managed to de-discover the original sound that made his band legend.
- United Abominations – title track to the 2007 album that heralded the return of Megadeth to the forefront of the Speed/Thrash arena, post Millennium; moving with the times, thematically representative of the contemporary world political scenario, this song displays the maturity of a band come full circle in the life cycle of the genre it spawned – reborn into its next phase of creativity.
- Burnt Ice – a last reminder that Dave Mustaine can still play those shredders he became famous for in the Eighties – from the ‘United Abominations’ album of 2007.
Many Metal bands are actually masters of the form, although not as commercially successful as others. All the same, commercialism isn’t loved in Metal, attitude and ability to develop a unique sound are. We shall now examine some of the less commercial and musically true-to-form Metal acts of the thrash era.
Overkill is an important band from the perspective of the East Coast speed/thrash sound. While these ‘Jersey boys were not as successful as Anthrax in the Eighties, they definitely managed to keep their act together with almost no changes to lineup or form for over two decades. The Years of Decay shows off the depth of lyrical and musical ability in this band; EVIL Never Dies and Fast Junkie respectively represent the thrash and speed sides of Overkill.
Testament defined its own niche in the San Francisco Bay Area Thrash scene – alongside the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth; First Strike is Deadly and Hail Mary are good samples of the Testament sound, along with Return to Serenity - to end with a ballad.
Both Overkill and Testament are marked by unique vocal styles of Bobby Ellsworth and Chuck Billy respectively, apart from their musical qualities. This is often the defining element in Thrash Metal bands, Anthrax having never really recovered from the glory days it enjoyed with original vocalist Joe Belladonna.
While exploring the US Metal Scene, it’s also important not to neglect Southern Metal. A quick sampling can be had from the music of Pantera - their song Cemetery
A quick mention on American Metal is reserved for W.A.S.P. with their defining spirit of rebellion. I Wanna Be Somebody says it all, from their first album. The epic concept album The Crimson Idol is all of W.A.S.P. at its best – Chainsaw Charlie gives one the feel of old-school arena-style stadium concerts, Hold on to my Heart is a nice ballad that belies an otherwise heavy sound from the band. One last essential song from W.A.S.P is Wasted White Boys – fully loaded with all the energy and adrenaline that the Heavy Metal spirit brings to life- with a wild guitar jam at the end.
To conclude the American Thrash Metal section, we will look south at Brazil
Their early sound can be sampled on Beneath the Remains from 1987 – raw and powerful with fast double-bass drumming and Max Cavelera’s legendary throat.
From later years, War (cover of Bob Marley’s song about racial equality) and Ratamahatta (incorporating native South American tribal percussion) let the listener experience the diverse musical ground a thrash metal sound can expand into, without losing any sense of angst or resistance. Not too many bands can experiment within a genre and expand it stylistically – least of all in a genre like Thrash Metal. Sepultura is legend. Period!
(Continued in: The Story of Heavy Metal in 100 Songs – Part 4: Progressive, Industrial and More)
You can't talk about Bay Area or thrash without mentioning Exodus
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