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20 MORE Obscure Old-School Thrash Albums You Need To Hear (If You Haven’t Already)

Source // mediaboom.org

The classics are all well and good but there’s a shit ton of obscure thrash out there that demands to be heard!

To that end, Worship Metal has selected 20 MORE obscure old-school thrash albums you NEED to hear. And there’s plenty more to come!

Allegiance – D.E.S.T.I.T.U.T.I.O.N (1994) [Australia]

Allegiance - D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n | Releases | Discogs

What a concrete slab of hard-hitting thrash Allegiance‘s debut album was! Overall, this was a relatively familiar release to those already accustomed to Machine Head‘s Burn My Eyes etc but that shouldn’t distract from what is a gruff, rough, street-ready run through some decidedly above average thrash.

With D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n. ringing the same bells as Sacred Reich‘s Ignorance and Atrophy‘s Violent By Nature – with a fair amount of solid groove and mid-tempo stomp supporting Allegiance‘s chug-happy musings – it was the likes of the fast and frenetic “Path of Lies” (with its death metal leanings), and the insanely catchy title track, which marked Allegiance out as potential contenders.

Just one more album followed – 1996’s sub-par Skinman – but D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n is where it’s at!


Carrion – Evil Is There! (1986) [Switzerland] 

Carrion – Evil Is There! (2005, CD) - Discogs

The perfect encapsulation of underground thrash in 1986, Swiss thrashers Carrion – you might know them better as Poltergeist(!) – released just one album before changing their name to the titular spectral house-wrecker. 

Noticably less technical than the output of PoltergeistEvil Is There! is a bare bones thrash release with any ‘frash-fat’ picked clean to leave a pure, straightforward and relentless experience. 

Brutally simplistic and simply brutal, Carrion could still showcase a little melody from time to time – check out the intro to “The Avenger” – but it’s the lightning-quick riffing found on the likes of “Demon’s Child” that retains its caustic edge.


Crash – Unreal Dreams (1993) [Bulgaria]

Crash – Unreal Dreams (1993, Cassette) - Discogs

Bulgaria’s Crash may have been a one and done kinda band but their debut, Unreal Dreams, was an intriguing mix of rabid German ferocity and progressive/technical nous. Never heard of ‘em? That’s a crying shame as this is some classic early 90’s thrash right here! 

With more than a little Destruction circa Release From Agony informing their sound, Unreal Dreams is a bewildering experience; one that delivers an endless stream of fully formed ideas amidst a slew of quality songs. While “The Day of…” goes for all out ferocity and speed and “The Law” chugs at your exposed heart strings, it’s left to “Wishes” to provide Unreal Dreams with its standout moment. Mid-tempo, catchy  and accessible…. if Crash had been blessed with a ‘hit’, “Wishes” would have been it.  

They may have crashed and burned after just this one full length release but, for a short while, Crash were going toe to toe with many of their European counterparts. 


D.A.M – Inside Out (1991) [UK]

<br />D.A.M. - Inside • Out

D.A.M may have only released two albums during their initial stab at this thing we call thrash but they were damn (pun completely intended) fine albums and 1991’s Inside Out was their greatest achievement.

Led by Jason McLoughlin’s fierce yet highly melodic vocals – sitting somewhere between Anthrax‘s Joey Belladonna, Flotsam and Jetsam‘s Erik A.K. and Overkill‘s Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth – D.A.M pedalled a classic metal styled thrashing, intrinsically tied to the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal’s humble beginnings.

Mid-paced, nuanced and blessed with a confident sense of control that steered them away from the fiendishly frantic metallic onslaught of contemporaries Anihilated and VirusD.A.M‘s sense of eerie harmony replete with the necessary crunch instead nestled them nicely next to the likes of Xentrix and Slammer. With an almost indescribably sinister edge – check out the shiver-inducing “House Of Cards” – D.A.M were unafraid to turn the screw while embracing the suitably epic.


Destructor – Maximum Destruction (1985) [USA]

Destructor – Maximum Destruction (2019, Vinyl) - Discogs

With band members christening themselves Matt Flammable, Pat Rabid, Dave Overkill and Dave Holocaust, you’re not looking for subtlety when you blast Destructor’s 1985 debut Maximum Destruction….. you’re looking for unadulterated THRASH with a side order of POWER! 

And guess what? That’s exactly what you get!

Maximum Destruction’s riotously rudimentary nature may sound antiquated to modern ears but these guys were at the forefront of extremity in 1985, matching Slayer in the ferocity stakes and unleashing all manner of merry thrashin’ hell in the name youthful abandonment. An often overlooked release, Maximum Destruction was every inch the equal of Slayer’s Show No Mercy and Anthrax’s Fistful Of Metal and Destructor fully deserved to reach a wider audience with their reprehensibly raw and raucous racket.

DESTROY!

About Chris Jennings (1957 Articles)
I love metal. Always have. Always will. As editor of Worship Metal - a site dedicated to being as positive about metal and its myriad of sub-genres as possible - my aim is to 'worship' metal through honest reviews, current news and a wide variety of features; offering the same exposure to underground bands as we do to mainstream/well known acts. Our mantra; the bands are partners and we exist to serve the bands \m/

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