25 Albums That Made 1989 One Of The Greatest Years In Thrash Metal History!

Tweet

1986 has gone down in history as arguably the greatest year in thrash metal but we’ve always held a soft spot for those albums released in 1989; a year in which thrash was still developing at a rate of knots and knocking out an obscene amount of exceptional albums from bands across the globe. 

Here’s our pick of the 25 albums that made 1989 one of the greatest years in thrash metal history (listed in alphabetical order as opposed to any kind of ranking)…..

Accuser – Who Dominates Who [Germany]

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.

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. 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.

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.

---

Acid Reign – The Fear [UK]

As first impressions go, opening with the silly but entertaining, nibbles-obsessed, “You Never Know (WTNWS)” may have initially pegged these self-proclaimed masters of UK Apple-Core as a bunch of ne’er-do-well pranksters….but be sure about one thing, Acid Reign‘s debut full length album, The Fear, was anything but a joke!

“Insane Ecstasy”, “Humanoia” and the title track are three of the greatest tracks the UK thrash scene has to offer – and the rest of the album is no slouch either – and ably showcased Acid Reign‘s penchant for often elaborate song structures and the ability to unleash a shit-ton of riffs (seriously, so many riffs!) on an unsuspecting UK public.

If The Fear proved anything, it’s that Acid Reign weren’t considered one of the “Big 4” of British thrash for nuthin’!

---

Anihilated – The Ultimate Desecration [UK]

Anihilated‘s second album is a British thrash milestone, incorporating Exodus‘ brash brutality and Slayer‘s knack for intimidating menace and groove to form an album worthy of serious attention.

The grisly grooves of instrumental “Desolation” set the scene as Anihilated‘s malevolent, sickle-sharp riffing crunches straight into high gear on “Into The Flames Of Armageddon”. The album never lets up from here on in; quality track follows quality track with raspy, sandpaper vocals, wall-of-sound drums and Hell Awaits era Slayer riffs combining furiously to thrash your face clean off. The Slayer comparisons can be a little too familiar at times but if you’re gonna be inspired, be inspired by one of the best and if being the British Slayer is a bad thing, then we’ll be damned!

Of all the bands to arise during thrash’s recent re-birth, Anihilated truly showcased the breadth of talent the UK have to offer, culminating in Anti Social Engineering, one of the finest UK thrash albums ever recorded….and we ain’t fuckin’ kidding….this album absolutely slayed the competition in 2015!

Related Content:

---

Annihilator – Alice In Hell [Canada]

A simple and often stated fact: Jeff Waters is one of the finest metal guitarists of all time. You can’t argue with such a statement and his prodigious, precocious talent first came to the world’s attention on Annihilator‘s stunning debut.

In 1989, Alice In Hell represented technical thrash of the highest order, an album overflowing with ideas and executed with more sheen, and more panache and ability than virtually anyone outside of the mighty Megadeth. The unforgettably monikered Randy Rampage (R.I.P) led the charge – delivering one of the dirtiest, unrefined and downright unpredictable vocal performances in thrash metal history – and when welded to Waters’ exquisite riffs, thrash metal magic was inevitable.

Check out the blistering speed of “Human Insecticide” and the incredible interplay and sheer bravado of “Alison Hell”, for ample proof that an on-fire Jeff Waters and an-on fire Randy Rampage were a formidable partnership forged in the bowels of hell!

---

Coroner – No More Color [Switzerland]

Coroner’s brand of pure riff nirvana has gone down in history as a byname for technical thrash perfection and their innate ability to write astoundingly aggressive, ever-surprising songs, in such a succinct manner made them leaders of their field…..and No More Color was the pinnacle of their achievements.

These pioneering Swiss tech thrashers didn’t give two-fucks about genre convention – such was the intensity in which they carved their own path – and No More Color confirmed, once and for all, that we were dealing with three individuals of unfathomable skill.

The most consistently impressive technical thrash band of the 80’s.

Fact.

---

Dark Angel – Leave Scars [USA]

Sitting in between 2 monstrous, all-time classic thrash albums such as Darkness Descends and Time Does Not Heal is no easy task but then Dark Angel‘s Leave Scars is no easy album in the first place!

An album that’s as claustrophobic as it is brutal, Dark Angel were clearly beginning to embrace a more progressive aesthetic (particularly on the labyrinthine “The Promise of Agony) while maintaining the ferocity that marked out their debut as one of the all-time great thrash albums (get a load of “Never to Rise Again”).

The result was an uncomfortable experience (not least due to its muddied production) that was extreme in every sense of the word. In fact, for the time, Leave Scars was one of the most overwhelmingly aggressive thrash albums on the market and its impact has not diminished in the intervening years.

Overall, Leave Scars isn’t in the same league as Darkness Descends and Time Does Not Heal….but it’s damn close!

---

Deathrow – Deception Ignored [Germany]

After the relatively no-thrills thrash found on Deathrow’s Riders Of Doom aka Satan’s Gift and Raging Steel, there was virtually no indication that Deathrow would break boundaries with their 3rd full length release!

Complex and rhythmically confounding – but never at the cost of a satisfying sense of structure – the likes of “Narcotic” were insane blasts of technical thrash wizardry and should have marked Deathrow out as pioneers of prog metal/tech thrash very early in the game.

Instead, obscurity beckoned with Deception Ignored initially receiving a lukewarm response and ironically ignored by a legion of confused fans. Fortunately, this outstanding album has gone on to be revered as a work of almost labyrinthian art, misunderstood by many but now beloved by those in the know.

A technical thrash masterpiece from a band way ahead of the curve….this is one album that truly has to be heard to be believed!

---

Dyoxen – First Among Equals [Canada]

Taking the Voivod path to obscure-town, Canada’s Dyoxen were a surprisingly melodic yet highly skilled set of technical thrashers.

While the Voivod comparisons are semi-apt, Dyoxen actually had more in common with Peace Sells-era Megadeth; such was their penchant for unveiling skilful and sickle-sharp, complex and caustic blasts of sophisticated thrash, replete with umpteen tempo changes and a shed-load of killer riffs.

These guys sure had the chops, but they just didn’t have the clout to shift them into the big leagues. Which is a crying shame, as First Among Equals was the equal of anything Annihilator, Megadeth, Forbidden etc. were serving up in the late 80’s!

---

Evildead – Annihilation Of Civilisation [USA]

These L.A. thrashers were just as capable as Anthrax and Slayer etc at penning some seriously shred-heavy crossover thrash and Annihilation Of Civilisation is a second-tier, stone-cold classic!

“Annihilation Of Civilisation”, “Future Shock” and “Living Good” indicate the high level of thrashin’ prowess this band held in abundance and serve as accomplished aural evidence that for a short while Evildead stood toe to toe with the greats of thrash metal’s second wave; Sacred Reich, Forbidden and Vio-Lence.

Although in 1989 Annihilation Of Civilisation practically broke Evildead into the thrash mainstream, its obvious qualities seem to have been largely forgotten in the preceding years. Evildead’s direct approach to the fundamentals of thrash and consistently varied, and consistently catchy, song structures conspired to create a high calibre thrash album that still sounds formidable today.

---

Exodus – Fabulous Disaster [USA]

Opening with the caustic “The Last Act Of Defiance” – a scathing attack on the prison system – Exodus were clearly in a bullish mood during Fabulous Disaster‘s creation and their third album would go down in thrash history as a bona fide classic of the genre!

The H-bomb of Holt and Hunolt were explosive throughout as the likes of the title track, “Like Father, Like Son” and pit-inducing classic “The Toxic Waltz” unleashed combative riffs like they were going out of style.

At this stage, ‘new’ vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza was well bedded in and his deliciously diabolical diatribes hit so much harder than on 1987’s middling Pleasures Of The Flesh. You certainly couldn’t imagine Paul Baloff singing the lyrics on the frog-ribbiting, harmonica-introducing “Cajun Hell” and, love him or hate him, Zetro was now the singer of Exodus.

A rabble-rousing, crowd-pleasing effort, Fabulous Disaster is the pinnacle of Exodus‘ 80’s and 90’s output and remained their gratest achievement until proved that thrash was more than just merely alive and well in 1989!

---

Forced Entry – Uncertain Future

Forced Entry‘s debut album arrived in 1989 and their full throttle thrash – belying the fact they were a three piece – ironically should have predicted a certain future, one that would have seen them rise to the upper echelons of the thrash hierarchy!

Opening track “Bludgeon” did exactly that, hammering home Forced Entry’s way around a steamroller riff and a penchant for turning on a sixpence. Undeniably progressive in nature, this trio could out-muscle Testament (and Tony Benjamin’s vocals were straight from the Chuck Billy rulebook!) while throwing in as many tempo changes as humanly possible.

The results were generally fantastic, with the likes of the hideously violent “Anaconda” and the twisting and turning “Kaleidoscope Of Pain” providing enough technically complex thrills to endear them to both the Exodus/Vio-Lence/Dark Angel and the Coroner/Voivod/Watchtower crowd.

A towering achievement from a band who deserved way more than their ‘cult’ status.

Gammacide – Victims Of Science

Gammacide – Victims Of Science [USA]

Gammacide‘s only album, Victims Of Science, may not be well known (except to the thrash die-hards, of course) but it’s a late 80’s release far more deserving of simply also ran status!

Fans of Vio-lence and Exodus will appreciate Gammacide’s technically skilled but aggressively direct approach and their no nonsense attitude elevates Victims Of Science to a level which far surpasses the majority of their peers.

Built around that age-old thrash chestnut of nuclear war and falling victim to mankind’s technological ‘progress’, Gammacide were the thrash equivalent of armageddon and their ripping, snarling vocals, high-speed riffs, outstanding solos and whip-crack tempos were refreshingly direct and as remorseless as a nuclear winter.

Mankind has always been doomed…..and Gammacide’s Victims Of Science will always provide the soundtrack!

---

Infected – Dark Century [Switzerland]

As late 80s death/thrash goes, Infected‘s only album, Dark Century, is not only one of the best…. it’s a goddamn revelation!

These guys were dishing out the kind of pain that bands such as Malevolent Creation were two years away from creating and, alongside the likes of Num Skull and Incubus (the original Incubus, not those nu-metal, didgeridoo-playing wombats), Infected were pushing thrash into ever-heavier realms before the 80s had even finished. 

Resolutely thrash in the musicianship stakes, it was the throaty vocals of Amos Gersmann that pushed Dark Century into death/thrash territory, all underpinned by the drumming powerhouse that was Steve Karrer (Messiah).

As extreme as thrash could get in the late 80s, this little known cult classic still packs a punch and when the likes of “Media Control” and “State Oppression” (there’s a theme here) come out swinging, you’ll be left ruing the day you let this little beauty pass you by!

Kreator – Extreme Aggression

With their 4th record, Germany’s thrash giants Kreator finally coupled their frenzied attack with hooks and choruses catchy enough to make even your Great Gran nod furiously along!

With each track on Extreme Aggression maintaining a ridiculously high tempo, the Kreator boys ripped through 9 tracks of Teutonic fury featuring vicious, stabbing riffs and Mille Petrozza’s sandpaper vocals. They even scored an MTV hit with their video for “Betrayer”, gaining them valuable exposure in America; a considerable achievement for music as harsh and unrelenting as this.

Kreator‘s second album, Pleasure to Kill, may be revered as a death / thrash colossus but Extreme Aggression was the sound of a band working at their absolute peak…..and is arguably Kreator‘s finest moment!

Metal Church – Blessing In Disguise

With vocalist Mike Howe bravely stepping into original Metal Church singer David Wayne’s considerable shoes, expectations for Metal Church’s 3rd album were tentative at best.

Fans needed hadn’t worried though, Metal Church were still well worth worshipping!

“Fake Healer”, “Rest In Pieces (April 15, 1952)”, “Anthem To The Estranged” (one of the finest thrash metal ballads ever conceived), “Badlands” and “The Spell Can’t Be Broken” were all incredible. Intelligent, powerful, heavy and home to a monumental vocal performance – the perfect balance of melodic muscle – from Mike Howe contributed to setting Metal Church apart from their peers and Blessing In Disguise is the album that solidified their reputation for consistently delivering the goods.

It may have been 1989 but Metal Church still had time to squeeze in one of the most vital 80’s American heavy metal / thrash albums of the decade!

---

Mortal Sin – Face Of Despair [Australia]

The greatest Australian thrash band to ever have thrashed ™ fully deserve a inclusion here and, with their second album Face Of Despair, Mortal Sin fair gave us a second wave classic!

Opening with an absolute all-time thrash monster is always a good thing and “I Am Immortal” is a thrash fuckin’ behemoth! Rammed with hooks, tempo changes and all manner of thrashy goodness, Mortal Sin would have gone down in history as one of the greats by virtue of this one track alone.

However, Face Of Despair is no one-trick pony, with the crunch of “The Infantry Corps” (very …and Justice For All in construct) and the more experimental rhythms of “Martyrs Of Eternity” (with its strong Sacred Reich vibe) proving equally as incendiary. 

It’s fair to say that Face Of Despair is the greatest old-school Aussie thrash album in existence and Mortal Sin were Australia’s premier thrash act. Arguments against this opinion gladly received. Good luck!

---

Nuclear Assault – Handle With Care [USA]

After being ousted by Anthrax back in ’86, bassist Dan Lilker formed the explosive Nuclear Assault and they arguably peaked with their third album, Handle With Care.

Leaving Anthrax quaking in their boots, Nuclear Assault had always thrashed harder, faster and with more conviction than Scott Ian and co. and they didn’t fuck with a winning formula on the likes of “Critical Mass”, “Surgery” and “When Freedom Dies”.

One of East Coast thrash’s greatest achievements and Nuclear Assault‘s most successful and best-selling album for a damn good reason!

---

Onslaught – In Search Of Sanity [UK]

Onslaught‘s In Search Of Sanity may be a UK thrash anomaly – in that it’s unrecognisable in comparison to the material that preceded it – but despite the fact that the satanic slayer-isms of 1986’s brutal The Force had been jettisoned entirely, In Search Of Sanity still stands proud as a cult item well deserving of high praise for its performances and ambition!

While In Search Of Sanity was more Metal Church than Slayer – and cleaner than a Nun’s saintly undercarriage in the process – its go-for-broke mentality should have been applauded; thrash was huge in ’89 and Onslaught shouldn’t apologise for wanting their own large slice of the thrash pie. The introduction of Grim Reaper’s Steve Grimmett on vocals may have upset the purists (and let’s be honest here, Onslaught aren’t really Onslaught without a gravelly-throated ‘screamer’ behind the mic) but the man lent a polished sheen to proceedings which few thrash bands (UK or otherwise) could match!

Quite possibly the finest commercial thrash album ever produced by a UK band, Onslaught were aiming for worldwide recognition when they released this melodic thrash masterclass at the tail end of the 80’s and ut should have led to greater things!

---

Overkill – The Years Of Decay

Overkill‘s last album of the decade – and the last Overkill album to feature guitarist Bobby Gustafson (he would be missed) – has gone down in thrash history as one of their finest and with the likes of “Time to Kill’, “Elimination” and “Birth Of Tension” in its arsenal, it’s not hard to see why!

With technical prowess and raw energy colliding head-long, Overkill were arguably at their peak on The Years Of Decay, with the “”the Motörhead of thrash metal” fully realising their punk meets speed metal sound via 9 exceptional tracks that oozed supreme confidence and stunning variety.

Unique and compelling, this was East Coast thrash at its best…..delivered by a band whose unbelievable longevity can be attributed to releasing classics such as this!

Paradox – Heresy

Now here’s a band with more talent in one finger than most band’s hold in their entire body parts combined and Heresy was the album to bring Paradox to the attention of thrashers on a global scale!

A fully paid up concept album, Heresy re-told the tale of the Albigensian Crusade of the 13th century and in the process redefined the limits of thrash, ironically marching forth on their own crusade to combine elegance with destruction.

Approaching thrash with far less malice than the likes of Sodom, Kreator etc, Paradox instead embraced a power metal aesthetic, aligning themselves more with the likes of Metal Church, Anthrax (minus any silliness) and Onslaught circa In Search Of Sanity than with their Germanic brethren. It paid off too, helping Paradox to stand out from the pack and offering an accessibility that their teutonic peers simply didn’t offer at this point in time.

Featuring soaring twin harmonies, mind-frazzling solos and a rhythm section that could rival the tightest thrash acts around, Paradox were anything but their namesake, delivering instead a concise and melodic attack on the senses that was unrelenting in its clinical efficiency.

Pariah – Blaze of Obscurity

A classic sounding thrash band before the term could even be applied, there was something inviting about Pariah’s thrashed up New Wave Of British Heavy Metal based output; of which Blaze Of Obscurity was their finest hour.

Formed from the ashes of NWOBHM heroes Satan, Pariah would go on to donate Graeme English and Steve Ramsey to Skyclad but first came this magnificent slice of technical thrash excellence. The perfect companion piece to Onslaught’s equally ambitious In Search Of Sanity, Pariah’s astonishing array of complex riffs and expansive songwriting should have found them beloved the world over.

As it transpired, Pariah were treated in a manner befitting their name and split after just two short years.

However, Blaze Of Obscurity is so ridiculously accomplished that it deserves nothing less than total reappraisal and should be considered a benchmark for 80’s speed metal and thrash metal guitar work.

Powermad – Absolute Power

With a sound that marries well with that of Metal Church, Flotsam & Jetsam and Forbidden – particularly in Joel Dubay’s powerful vocals – Powermad‘s debut full length remains a strangely alluring hybrid of thrash, speed metal, power metal and core traditional metal values that sucks you in with humungous hooks, unforgettable melodies and a clear, concise sound that’s impressively executed.

“Slaughterhouse” may be a title that conjures images of a typical horror-show bloodbath but – just like the majority of Absolute Power – there’s a refreshing ‘light’ touch and upbeat, bouncy feel to this storming opener that defied the standard unbridled aggression of the day.

That’s not to say that these guys didn’t know how to thrash!

The high tempo and satisfyingly crunchy staccato palm-muted riff-fest of “Test The Steel (Powermad)” stands as testament to their thrash credentials. Ample moments of speed metal frenzy are ably balanced throughout with the kind of controlled yet expansive dynamism that Queensrÿche excelled at in the late 80’s.

Sabbat – Dreamweaver (Reflections Of Our Yesterdays) [UK]

The second full-length album from British pagan thrashers Sabbat swiftly followed their outstanding debut, History of a Time to Come, and this all-time classic follow-up ventured ever further into singer / lyricist Martin Walkyier’s strong interest in Wyrdism, Celtic mysticism, Anglo-Saxon spirituality and paganism.

Dreamweaver –  a concept album based on the 1983 book The Way of Wyrd: Tales of an Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer by British psychologist Brian Bates – ably demonstrated the sheer poetry conjured by this most unique of thrash bands. Not least in Walkyier’s expansive lyricism but in Andy Sneap’s ability to conjure magic from his epic and progressively technical compositions.

Exceptional doesn’t quite do this album justice.

---

Sepultura – Beneath The Remains [Brazil]

An all-time death/thrash classic, Beneath The Remains fully marked the emergence of one of metal’s most enduring talent’s and laid down the gauntlet to thrash metal bands the world over. According to vocalist Max Cavalera, Sepultura had “really found [their] style” on this album and you’d be a fool to argue with that particular sentiment.

The epitome of all killer, no filler, a de riguer acoustic intro gave way to Beneath The Remains’ incendiary title track and the ‘Seps’ were off and running; thrashing with more aggression, and more intensity than the majority of their peers could ever hope to muster. “Inner Self” and “Stronger Than Hate” then offered the ‘hits’ before the riff-fest of “Mass Hypnosis” garnered Sepultura ultimate technical bragging rights!

Produced by renowned death metal producer Scott Burns (Obituary, Death, Morbid Angel) it was evident, when compared to their previous releases, that a monumental leap forward in Sepultura’s musicianship and composition skills had occurred. A brutal indictment of growing up in the favelas of Brazil, Sepultura harnessed their experiences and produced a visceral, primitive sound, bringing world music to the thrash scene and setting themselves up as one of extreme metal’s finest ever bands.

---

Slammer – The Work Of Idle Hands [UK]

Slammer‘s debut, The Work Of Idle Hands, has aged considerably well, with it’s professional production and solid foundations belying it’s semi-forgotten status. With a street-smart atmosphere pervading throughout, and Paul Tunnicliffe’s convincing raspy vocals giving each track an urbanised edge, the likes of “Tenement Zone” and the expansive “Hellbound” stand-out from the pack….but the entire album is worthy of your time.

Slammer‘s sound may not be original, but they were damn good at what they did and if consistently impressive and aggressive guitar work is your bag, you’d do well to hunt down a copy. But beware, this really is a lost classic and hard to track down at a reasonable price!

Highly reminiscent of Testament at their most accessible, Slammer had a sound that was tailor-made for the American market and should have lead to significant album sales and worldwide recognition. As it turned out, Slammer were just another British thrash band who should have made a big splash on both sides of the pond but failed to make more than a ripple; only with hindsight can we see they had much more to offer.

---

Sodom – Agent Orange [Germany]

Bidding a fond farewell to the knuckle-dragging sound of their Obsessed By Cruelty debut and harnessing the considerable progress made on Persecution Mania, Sodom tickled the fancy of the mainstream with their 3rd album, Agent Orange, and the world stood up and took notice.

Think of a superlative and it applies to this album; originality, quality, intensity, variety and technicality all ring true. Still capable of thrashing up a storm it was on the mid-paced chug of “Remember The Fallen” and “Magic Dragon” where Sodom‘s monumental progress took form. Revelling in a confidence that allowed Agent Orange‘s compositions to breathe, their less is more approach reaped endless rewards with thrillingly expansive dynamics well and truly achieved.

As deadly effective as the title would suggest, Agent Orange stood out in what was (obviously) a banner year for thrash. After all, to hold your own against the might of the already mentioned Beneath The Remains and Kreator’s Extreme Aggression takes some doing….but Sodom proved more than worthy of the challenge!

---

Testament – Practice What You Preach [USA]

Practice What You Preach, the third studio album from American thrash metal royalty Testament, took these Californians to the next level as Chuck Billy and the boys attempted to crack the stranglehold The Big 4 held on late 80’s thrash!

This was the album that should have done it as well, with the likes of the title track, “Greenhouse Effect” and “The Ballad” showcasing a more mature band; one who were turning their attention away from occult themes and to socio / political / environmental concerns instead.

Mediative they may have been but this hardly dampened the fiery thrash spirit that burned inside, and with a flurry of thrash anthems that bristled with raw energy and aggression, it’s unsurprising that Practice What You Preach has gone down in thrash history as one of Testament‘s greatest ever achievements (and there’s been a few)!

Toxik – Think This [USA]

Viking – Man Of Straw

A classic slice of technical thrash, Viking‘s Man Of Straw had all the necessary ingredients to propel them into the upper echelons of thrash’s hierarchy but would prove to be their last album before regrouping with Dark Angel’s Mike Gonzalez and Gene Hoglan and Vindicator’s Justin Zych to record 2015’s excellent No Child Left Behind.

A massive improvement on their Do Or Die debut, the incendiary guitar work of Brett Eriksen (Dark Angel) and the improved songwriting and performances across the board marked out Viking as a thrash metal band to be reckoned with.

From the barely in control thrash attack of “They Raped The Land” to the riff-fests of “White Death” and “Man Of Straw”, and the truly epic Sodom-esque “Winter”, Viking rarely faltered on an unsung classic custom built for fans of Vio-lence and Dark Angel.

It speaks volumes that Brett Eriksen went on to ply his trade with Dark Angel – and contribute massively to their classic album Time Does Not Heal – as Man Of Straw is the perfect precursor to the exhausting number of riffs and vocal patterns found on Dark Angel’s seminal 4th album.

Virus – Lunacy [UK]

Forming in 1986, Virus would go on to release an album a year over the next 3 years culminating in 1989’s Lunacy, their greatest achievement and an album that deserved far wider acclaim.

If you’re a fan of frenzied riffs, killer gang-vocals and hooks that’ll snag you square in the chops, then Virus are your band and Lunacy could become your new favourite album. Capable of matching any of the 2nd tier American thrash bands, their bass-heavy, gritty and hyper-fast thrash should have reached a wider audience; a case of British thrash being overlooked in favour of the American contingent.

Virus were a band with a fearsome live reputation and had the clout to make some serious noise within the thrash metal scene. They called it a day in 1990 but since their reformation in 2008, Virus have gone from strength to strength and a new album is imminent!

As infectious as ever, Virus are very much active and fans of Vio-lence and Defiance will find much to love, check ’em out!

---

Voivod – Nothingface

Nothingface is not only Voivod‘s most successful album, it’s also a critically worshipped progressive thrash classic.

Home to Voivod’s universally adored cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Divine”, these unconventional Canadians wore their prog influences proudly on their sleeves and its testament to the quality of the album that the bulk of Nothingface maintains the credibility of Floyd’s classic composition.

Voivod arguably never bettered Nothingface‘s distinct brand of progressive thrash and tracks such as the confusingly obtuse “Pre–Ignition” and “Into My Hypercube” are as mesmerisingly alien as ever; obscure riffs and vocal lines somehow melding perfectly!

Voivod have returned to the complex rhythms of Nothingface in the preceding years – check out 2014’s exceptional Target Earth – but this is the album that still resonates with both the fans and the band alike!

Watchtower – Control And Resistance

Bands in the late 80’s, thrash or otherwise, seemed to tap into an inexhaustible well of experimentation and progressive attitudes and Watchtower were no exception.

Twisting thrash into to ever more contorted forms, Control And Resistance was the bastard son of Bay Area thrash and jazz-fusion (“The Eldritch” perfectly encapsulates their approach in just 3 concise minutes) and remains a confounding and technically astonishing slice of futuristic progressive thrash metal.

Kudos to the astonishingly gifted Ron Jarzombek (Spastic Ink, Blotted Science) whose incendiary guitar work is simply mind-blowing and whose split-second time changes and elaborate solos were undoubtedly a massive influence on the technical djent scene that thrives today.

So ahead of it’s time, Control And Resistance still maintains the power to shock and surprise….imagine how it sounded 34 years ago!

---

Xentrix – Shattered Existence [UK]

Xentrix arrived with an almighty bang when Shattered Existence exploded onto the UK thrash scene back in 1989. Here was a band that could go toe-to-toe with the 2nd wave thrash bands from the United States and they were our’s (if you’re British, of course) to savour! 

Home to some serious big-thrash-hitters – “No Compromise”, “Crimes”, “Balance of Power” and “Dark Enemy” – Shattered Existence was a winner from the get-go. With Chris Astley’s dry, Chuck Billy-esque bellow, a strong ear for melody and some killer riffs in their arsenal, Xentrix were capable of thrashing as fast as any of their peers while incorporating groove, technicality and a sense of urbanised menace. 

For a short while there, Xentrix appeared to be the one British band who would infiltrate the big leagues. 

Should. Have. Been. Huge.  

That was our pick of just 25 albums that made 1989 one of the greatest years in thrash….there were, of course, many more that could have ben included here. Pop your suggestions in the comments below!