Thrash metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead guitar work. The lyrical subject matter often includes criticism of The Establishment, opposition to armed conflicts, and at times shares a disdain for the Christian religion with that of black metal. The language is typically direct and denunciatory, an approach borrowed from hardcore punk.
Artillery are 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 reunited seven years later, only to disband once again in 2000. However, they reformed again in 2007 and are still together today.
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Their current lineup consists of guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson, drummer Tom Hunting, and lead vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza. There are no original members left in Exodus other than Hunting, who has departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Exodus is also notable for including a then-unknown Kirk Hammett, who was the band's lead guitarist from its inception to his departure in 1983, when he left to join fellow Bay Area thrash metal band Metallica as Dave Mustaine's replacement. Holt has been most consistent member throughout various lineup changes and breakups, and is the only member to appear on all of Exodus' recordings. Much of the band's career has also been affected by feuds between both band members and record companies, two extended hiatuses, deaths of former band members and drug addictions.
Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. They have been credited as one of the "Big Four" of the German thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator, Sodom and Tankard. In addition to helping pioneer black metal, Destruction was part of the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late 1980s, along with American bands Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and was forced to self-produce their albums until they signed a contract with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s.
Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced by thrash metal, groove metal features raspy singing and screaming, down-tuned guitars, heavy guitar riffs, and syncopated rhythms. Groove metal is usually slower than thrash. Pantera are often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and the genre expanded in the 1990s with bands including White Zombie, Machine Head, and Sepultura. Successful groove metal acts of the 2000s include Lamb of God, DevilDriver, and Five Finger Death Punch.
Alice in Hell is the debut studio album by Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator, released on April 17, 1989 through Roadrunner Records. This was the only Annihilator album for ten years to feature Randy Rampage on vocals, until he returned for their seventh studio album Criteria for a Black Widow (1999).
Xentrix are an English thrash metal band from Preston, Lancashire. The band were formed in 1984 under the name Sweet Vengeance. They changed their name to Xentrix in 1988, and released four albums – Shattered Existence (1989), For Whose Advantage? (1990), Kin (1992) and Scourge (1996) – before splitting up in 1997. After briefly reuniting in 2005–2006, Xentrix reunited once again in 2013, and they have since released two more albums: Bury the Pain (2019) and Seven Words (2022). As part of the underground metal scene of the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s, Xentrix have been referred to as one of the "big four" of English thrash metal, along with Acid Reign, Onslaught and Sabbat.
Razamanaz is the third studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in May 1973. It was the band's first LP record to break the charts and was produced by Roger Glover of Deep Purple, who the band was on tour with at the time. "Woke Up This Morning" was re-recorded for this album.
Hobbs' Angel of Death was an Australian thrash metal band that began in 1987 in Melbourne, and are one of the first Australian groups to perform in that genre. They released two studio albums, Hobbs' Angel of Death (1988) and Inheritance (1995) before disbanding in 1996. They reformed in 2002 and released a compilation album, Hobbs' Satan's Crusade (2003), and a third album Heaven Bled (2016).
B.A.C.K. is the fourth studio album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery. It was released in 1999 via Die Hard Music, and is the band's first full-length studio album since By Inheritance, which came out nine years earlier. After the release of B.A.C.K., Artillery would break up again, but eventually reformed for a second time in 2007.
Terror Squad is the second album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery. It was originally released in 1987 via Neat Records.
Fear of Tomorrow is the debut album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery. It was released in 1985 via Neat Records.
Through the Years is a compilation album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery, released on 10 September 2007 through Metal Mind Records. It is a four-CD collector's box set containing all four of Artillery's studio releases prior to their 2007 reunion. It also has a 32-page booklet, all the lyrics printed, and the songs are remastered using a 24-bit process on gold discs. Each disc has multiple bonus tracks.
Teutonic thrash metal is a regional scene of thrash metal music that originated within German-speaking countries during the 1980s, and its title is a reference to the Germanic tribe. Along with Bay Area thrash metal, East Coast thrash metal, and Brazilian thrash metal, this was one of the major scenes of thrash metal in the 1980s, and it was developed and popularized by four German bands – Destruction, Kreator, Sodom and Tankard – that have been referred to as "The Big Four of Teutonic Thrash".
When Death Comes is the fifth studio album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery. It was released in 2009 via Metal Mind Productions. It is their first recording since their second breakup from 2000 to 2007, and their first full-length studio album since B.A.C.K., which was released ten years earlier.
Vektor is an American technical thrash metal band from Tempe, Arizona. Their music is heavily themed around scientific, philosophical, futuristic and astronomical topics.
My Blood is the sixth studio album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery. It was released in 2011 via Metal Mind Productions. It is the last Artillery album recorded with drummer Carsten Nielsen, who announced his departure from the band in April 2012.
Black Future is the first full-length album recorded by technical thrash metal band Vektor, released in 2009 on Heavy Artillery records with a special edition double vinyl LP release in 2010. Earache Records reissued the album in 2013.
Legions is the seventh studio album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery, released on 26 November 2013 on Metal Blade Records. It is the first Artillery album to feature vocalist Michael Bastholm Dahl and drummer Josua Madsen.
Penalty by Perception is the eighth studio album by Danish thrash metal band Artillery, released on 25 March 2016 on Metal Blade Records. It was recorded throughout 2015 in Medley Studios, Copenhagen. The band also re-recorded the 1991 demo “Welcome to the Mindfactory” on this album.
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