The 10 Greatest Thrash Albums Of 2016
2015 was a good year for thrash....2016 was arguably even better!
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While the underground coughed up some damn fine adventures in thrash this year, 2016 was primarily the year that the legends of the scene re-cemented their credentials and restored reputations, blowing off the cobwebs of apathy and showing the young thrash pups that the big dogs still had plenty of bite!
It really was one hell of a year for thrash; classic bands returned, 3 of The Big 4 loomed large and Germany proved once again how thrash is an integral part of their DNA.
Here’s Worship Metal’s Top 10 thrash albums for 2016….let the countdown begin:
10. Darkness – The Gasoline Solution
Cult German thrashers Darkness finally came back with a brand new album – the band’s first full-length-album since 1989! – and preceded to shit-kick thrash fans in the face with a relentless barrage of meat ‘n’ potatoes old-skool thrashin’.
This is obviously no flash-in-the-pan reformation, these guys sound like they’re making up for lost time in a big way; youthful, recharged and ready to split skulls in the name of classic thrash! Experiments in intricate progressive thrash are all well and good but sometimes you need bands like Darkness, thrashing hard with a back to basics approach that leaves you bruised and breathless. A welcome return!
You need to hear: “Tinkerbell Must Die” finds Darkness sounding plenty pissed and full of blood-curdling rage (despite the bonkers song title)!
9. Metallica – Hardwired…to Self Destruct
Source // Hardwired….To Self Destruct
Surprise, sur-fucking-prise! The mighty Metallica not only finally delivered their new album but it turned out to be a right bobby dazzler too (meaning quite excellent, non-UK readers)!
Hardwired…to Self Destruct will undoubtedly delight as many thrash fans as it turns others cold but there’s no denying that Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett & Trujillo are back in a big way and armed with their most coherent and crushing album in over 25 years.
We’ve already answered all your questions in our Metallica’s Hardwired….To Self Destruct: All Your Questions Answered! feature, so why not give it the once over!
You need to hear: “Hardwired“. Why? Because it’s a proper fucking Metallica thrash song, that’s why!
8. Metal Church – XI
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With XI, the classic Metal Church sound was back, fronted once again by the leather-lunged Mike Howe and powered by those instantly recognisable power/thrash riffs of Kurdt Vanderhoof.
Harnessing the blue-collar mentality that prevailed through their finer works, XI proved to be a worthy companion to The Human Factor and Hanging In The Balance and looks to have reset the Metal Church clock back to year dot.
This beloved band has a real future again and if Mike Howe’s timeless vocals remain at the helm, there may very well be a lot more to come from these thrash pioneers!
You need to hear: “Killing Your Time”, a chugging riff-fest of melody and muscle; Metal Church delivering the goods the old fashioned way!
No Hobbs Angel of Death?
Afraid not….good but not great. Thanks for reading and commenting! \m/
No Vektor? Really?
Vektor are going to pop up in our prog metal best of 2016…haven’t forgotten them, honest! \m/
Ever listen to any band formed in the last 20 years?
How is it possible to overlook Vektor’s “Terminal Redux”?! Hands down one of the, if not *the*, best Thrash releases of 2016.
It seems to me some people like to pretend nothing new is being done.
Yes, just look at our reviews section….all new material from outstanding bands. See above re. Vektor. Not forgotten, just falls into a different sub-genre for us \m/
I have all these albums love em to! Not bad for a 40 yr old metal head! \m/
You have fine taste sir!
Nice list. I like new Metal Church, Exumer and Death Angel. Testament and Anthrax also put a solid albums. As for Metallica i am not a fan but few songs are pretty catchy. As for album that i miss in the list is Decision Day from Sodom. To me the best thrash album in 2016.
Sodom were included in the honourable mentions at the bottom…just couldn’t squeeze it in! Thanks for the kind words and for reading and commenting \m/
I think Suicidal Angels – Division Of Blood deserves a mention too… Solid trash!
Cracking suggestion! A great album…may crop up in a future feature \m/
Helstar deserves mention as power/thrash, shit if more power metal albums released gems as dark and vicious as this, I might be more of a fan!! Still, when you mention Megadeth’s new one is no “Rust In Peace,” you’re right, but I hear more ideas that were lifted directly from their best of all time “Peace Sells…” All you have to do is listen to some of those songs and if you know Peace Sells front to back, those similarities are hard to miss… Everything from the title track’s (“Peace Sells”‘ title track that is) crunchy lead riffs on ‘Post American World’ to the speedy, blazing wordplay lifted RIGHT from ‘Black Friday’ incorporated on the cut ‘Fatal Illusion.’ Yes, this record borrows HEAVILY from “Peace Sells,” complete with kick ass punk cover (‘Foreign Policy’ is a FEAR cover), like Megadeth always does… YET, this record still retains some individuality as well… Megadeth: always able to create REAL metal better than Metallica has in the last, oh, 25 or so years???
first off if you listen real close any band that has been around for 20 or more years,will from time to time have different music,megadeth imo have all of the music from all albums and like to see what they can do in different music.And,sometimes its not DAVE”S fault that some people dont like it,after all how would we like to eat dry toast and water for 35 years ,variety is it.Im sayin its all great .Its like painting would you paint with just one color or use all the color’s you can find.I cant wait to see how much better the next album with dirk will sound too,variety rock on.
Megadeth and Metal Church have not ever been thrash. Listen to Kreator, Razor, Sodom, etc, those are thrash bands.
Megadeth have never been thrash??? Dave Mustaine invented thrash! I do listen to Kreator, Razor, Sodom etc but 2 of those 3 didn’t release an album in 2016 so their inclusion would be weird, don’t you think?