10 Obscure Old-School Thrash Albums You Need To Hear! (Part 8)

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Chris Jennings in Features

Sentinel Beast – Depths Of Death (1986) [USA]

Sentinel Beast – Depths Of Death (1986, Vinyl) - Discogs

Californian power / thrashers Sentinel Beast hit the ground running with their rough and ready debut, Depths Of Death.

Full of bite (particularly in the feral vocals of frontwoman Debbie Gunn), Sentinel Beast were a rabid blast of high energy, no-nonsense, thrashing rage. Catchy and yet suitably caustic, Depths of Death‘s 9 tracks were over in a flash, but when you’ve got the likes of “Dogs Of War” in your arsenal, speed is ultimately of the essence!

Kerry King apparently ‘discovered’ and subsequently championed Sentinel Beast.…and who are we to disagree with the great man himself? Depths of Death was fuckin’ killer. And that’s the truth.

Silence – Vision (1991) [USA]

Featuring guitarist Sonny Mayo (ex-Amen, ex-Hed PE, ex-Sevendust, ex-Snot), who went on to be a major player in the 90’s nu metal scene, Silence were actually a formidable thrash force who sadly only released one album, in the shape of 1991’s Vision.

Accomplished, technical and brutal (bordering on death/thrash at times), Silence were as adept at thrashing hard, fast and with as much precision as the majority of their peers and surely deserved far more than their all but ‘forgotten’ status.

With tempos that shifted on a whim, the likes of the intricate “Echoes of Damnation” were as adept at getting that head bangin’ as they were at mesmerising you with their labyrinthine peculiarities; none more so than on the progressive epic that is album closer “Necromantic”, a 10 and a half minute magnum opus which subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, traversed the thrash metal spectrum for inspiration.

Target – Master Project Genesis (1988) [Belgium]

Target – Master Project Genesis (2017, CD) - Discogs

Target‘s sophomore release, Master Project Genesis, was the greatest Belgian thrash album of the 80s, bar none! Light years ahead of their contemporaries, Target’s technical thrash prowess was writ large over Master Project Genesis‘ 8 scintillating tracks, with the band improving on their already impressive debut, Mission Executed (1987) and delivering a succession of tracks that sounded like the next gen of thrash bands had arrived.

Once you’ve picked your jaw up from the floor upon hearing the stop-start riff-a-rama of the surprisingly melodic “Ultimate Unity”, the sheer brilliance of “Digital Regency” smacks you around the chops are you’re left reeling from the sheer scope and breadth of it all! The quality never lets up either.

As important a cult item as Deathrow‘s Deception Ignored and Realm‘s Suiciety, Target‘s Master Project Genesis deserves far more than the mere footnote in thrash history placing it currently holds. After all, this truly is some of the best technical thrash you’ll ever hear!

Vulcano – Bloody Vengeance (1986) [Brazil]

Vulcano – Bloody Vengeance (2018, + DVD, CD) - Discogs

Vulcano‘s standing as Brazilian thrash legends is well known in the underground and it all started here.

Woeful production aside, Vulcano‘s Bloody Venegeance was an all-out assault of charred fury. In 1986, this was extreme metal and Vulcano – such was the force of their conviction and evil intent – shared a sonic kinship with the likes of Hellhammer and Bathory. With tracks such as “Holocaust” straddling the fine line between black metal’s nihilistic fervour and the head banging groove and accessibility of Bay Area thrash, Vulcano‘s influence on a young Sepultura (who were clearly paying attention) becomes clear to hear.

Bloody Vengeance was 23 minutes of hellish blackened death/thrash and the true sound of bestial devastation!

Wargasm – Why Play Around? (1988) [USA]

Fusing the sonic onslaught of all-out thrash with the melodic nous of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and the classic sounds of old-school heavy metal, Wargasm’s Why Play Around? is ignored by the majority but beloved by thrash connoisseurs.

“Bullets & Blades” took the speed and aggression of Motorhead and Tank and thrashed the shit out of ’em, while “Revenge” harnessed a mid-paced crunch to drive home some truly catchy riffing and it’s “knee deep in blood” refrain.

So much potential, so much talent. Why Play Around? may have failed to stand out in a crowded scene of quality releases in 1988 (Metallica’s …And Justice For All, Anthrax’s State Of Euphoria, Exodus’ Fabulous Disaster, Flotsam’s No Place For Disgrace, Testament’s The New Order…) but that’s no reason for ignoring it now!