6 Under-Appreciated Classics Of German Thrash Metal (Part 4)

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Continuing in the vein of our under-appreciated UK & U.S. thrash features, Worship Metal casts its critical eye over 6 MORE under-appreciated classics of German thrash, the only country to truly rival the U.S in the thrash stakes!

Parts 1, 2 & 3 of our under-appreciated classics of German thrash series has already done the rounds. So, here’s Part 4….chock fuckin’ full of more German thrash classics that deserve way more attention!

Accuser – Who Dominates Who (1989)

Approaching their brand of thrash metal with an eye for experimentation and a flurry of time-changes, Accuser‘s Who Dominates Who may have arrived at the tail end of the 80’s but it still had something new to say.

Each track on Who Dominates Who slams hard with colossal choruses, hardcore shouts and a grinding sound that relentlessly pummels its way into your brain. It’s pretty safe to say that Metallica’s stop-start chug and elaborate song-structures were Accuser’s main inspiration and that’s no surprise considering the year it was recorded.

On an album spilling over with epic thrash tracks it’s “Symbol Of Hate” and the title-track that pack the biggest one-two punch; each song meandering through endlessly inventive machine-gun riffs and full-force battery.

Accuser may never have been spoken off in the same breath as the genre’s greats but Who Dominates Who is the one album in their back catalogue that rises high above the status of also-rans.

Archaic Torse – Sneak Attack (1992)

They don’t get much more obscure than this!

Devilishly dark and devastatingly heavy, Archaic Torse may be an unknown quantity to all but the most ardent death/thrash fan, but the likes of the lightning-speed and groove-heavy “Beyond The Great Divide” and the blistering title track should endear then to the Archaic Torse novice instantaneously.

Treading a similar path to fellow countrymen Protector, Archaic Torse erred on the side of death metal but also ripped up a thrashing storm when desired, pummelling the listener with brutal vocals and a penchant for channeling the ferocity of early Pestilence.

Overall, Sneak Attack was a very strong debut from a band who sadly never released a follow-up and death/thrash fans unfamiliar with its charms should seek it out…..immediately!