The 10 Greatest UK Thrash Albums Of The Last 10 Years!

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5. Reign Of Fury – Death Be Thy Shepherd (2015)

The UK’s burgeoning thrash renaissance continued with the release of Reign Of Fury’s sophomore album and those looking for a dose of originality, in an otherwise overcrowded and plagiaristic scene, will have found Reign of Fury’s brand of medicine slid down very well indeed.

Reigning in the fury somewhat, the band had written a melodic thrash record for the ages, replete with the choppy riffs, gang vocals and varied tempo changes that thrashers inevitably demand.

With each track clocking in at approx 6mins+, this was an album to gorge on rather than take quick bites but 2 songs in particular warrant special mention. “Gates Of Sanity” and “Death Be Thy Shepherd” thrashed hard and truly took flight when Chuck Billy-esque death growls and deep-throated screams took things to another level.

This was fearless and epic thrash, one no doubt for the purists. Highly reminiscent of the all-out-riff-fests and lengthy compositions found on Metallica’s …And Justice For All, Onslaught’s In Search Of Sanity and Dark Angel’s Time Does Not Heal, there was no doubting the sense of unwavering confidence on display; as evidenced by the bravura move of bookending this mammoth effort with 2 tracks that clocked in at an almighty 20 minutes between them.

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4. Xentrix – Seven Words (2022)

2019’s Bury The Pain was one helluva comeback…. but would Xentrix be able to follow it with an album that proved they were back for the long haul? The answer was simple – of course they fuckin’ could! 

While not exactly giving us ‘more of the same’, Seven Words was still instantly recognisable as a Xentrix record…. which is a wonderful thing. At their best, Xentrix have always been a band who deliver muscular yet melodic thrash, blessed by great production and kickass artwork – Seven Words was no exception. This beast had the lot. It barked, it bit, it hit you with indignant fury (“Kill and Protect”), lodged ear-worms in your brain (the title track) and delivered some truly satisfying Bay Area chug (“Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead”).

So far, so familiar, so Xentrix. And yet, there was something about the quality of the songwriting, and the immediacy of the hooks, that had us rating Seven Words so highly. This was Xentrix sounding absurdly confident and 100% comfortable in their own skin; ultimately resulting in an album that rightfully found itself at the top of many a ‘best of 2022 thrash’ list.

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3. Acid Reign – The Age Of Entitlement (2019)

When Acid Reign announced that a brand new album was finally in the offing, it’s fair to say that thrashers in the UK (and beyond) were trippin’ their tits off at the thought of a new release from these cult legends.

Hopes were uniformly high after the quality of the 2 singles that preceded the release of The Age Of Entitlement – “Plan Of The Damned” and The Man Who Became Himself”, if you didn’t already know – but, in actuality, The Age Of Entitlement went on to exceed any and all expectations by a huge margin!

It was interesting to see that neither “Plan Of The Damned” or “The Man Who Became Himself” featured on the album and, in our humble opinion, this decision made the singles even more ‘special’ and the album even better.

New tracks, no filler!

And those tracks were all, and we do mean all, outstanding. “The New Low” was heavy, angry, pacy and home to a catchy as fuck chorus (it’s a modern thrash classic in the making) while “Sense Of Independence” began with a little Marc Jackson wizardry on the drums before launching into just under 4 minutes of thrashy mayhem. Pace was played with, convention was toyed with and Acid Reignsimply delivered the best thrash metal album of 2019.

Ladies and gentleman, this is how you write a comeback album!

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2. Onslaught – Generation Antichrist (2020)

Short, sharp and savage opener “Rise to Power” was as crushing as you’d expect, with these dogs of war seeking to re-build their army and march on to modern metal glory with thrash ringing in their ears.  It worked. Perfectly. Segueing effortlessly into “Strike Fast Strike Hard”, whose opening riff recalls Sepultura’s “Arise” (in a good way), we’re already heading into pure thrash nirvana. This was blatantly an updated, modern Onslaught but it’s still unmistakably the band who gave us 1986’s The Force and 2004’s Killing Peace (our favourite Onslaught albums if you’re wondering why we’ve picked them)

Dave Garnett (Bull-Riff Stampede – the band that just keeps on giving) equips himself remarkably well, honouring the tones of the departed Sy Keeler while avoiding mere mimicry. This could have been a thankless task but much in the same way as Xentrix’s Jay Walsh (thanks again Bull-Riff Stampede) has ably filled the shoes of Chris Astley, so Dave rises admirably to the occasion. In this aspect, the relief is tangible because it meant we could concentrate less on a new band member and more on the actual music; music which, we are more than thrilled to say, was as caustic and as nihilistically thrilling as ever.

Generation Antichrist contained 9 tracks of blistering old-school thrash, with a modern sheen, delivered in the manner we have continued to adore and respect ever since ‘comeback’ album Killing Peace floored us in 2007. “Bow Down to The Clowns” ripped and tore its way through your earholes, while the scathing title track – in all its blasphemous beauty – threw stones at organised religion, and the seething “All Seeing Eye” and the self-explanatory “Strike Hard Strike Fast” all stung with their anti-establishment rhetoric.

Perhaps surprisingly, Generation Antichrist was back-ended with its best tracks with “Empires Fall” reaching a new level of righteous indignation, the impious “Religiousuicide” acting as the perfect companion piece to Killing Peace’s title track and “A Perfect Day To Die” bringing the curtain down as the finest song on the album. As closing salvos go, these 3 songs are unbeatable and offer up exactly what you crave from these seasoned professionals.

Sy Keeler may be gone but with Generation Antichrist, Onslaught lived on!

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1. Anihilated – Anti Social Engineering (2015)

After the unequivocal highs of 2010’s Scorched Earth Policy and 2013’s iDeviant, expectations for Anihilated’s 3rd album in 5 years were stratospheric. And, UK thrash fans could lay their fears to rest, the boys delivered and Anti Social Engineering was ample proof that thrash was still the most thrilling sub-genre in metal history, 35+ years after it first conquered the globe.

Anihilated’s punk origins still rang true in both Si Cobb’s snarling vocal delivery and barborous social commentary but this was blistering modern thrash through and through. “They Lie, We Die” and “Seas Of Red” were an opening combo of devastating thrash, with Anihilated’s rhythm section locked into colossal grooves while pure thrash riffs were peeled off at a dizzying rate; speed and technique ruthlessly executed.

“The Slaughter Continues” recalled Seasons Of The Abyss-era Slayer with its ominious grooves and mid-tempo stomp while the title track, featuring the guttural delights of Anton Reisenegger (Criminal / Pentagram [Chile] / Lock Up) on dual vocals, was a Testament style death-thrash face-pounder which took just two and a half minutes to leave indelible scars.

Stripped back and bloodily raw, “Zombie 13”, “A Vile Congregation” and “Torn By The Tooth” were then mid-album killers – all continuing the savage thrash attack and avoiding the dreaded status of ‘filler’ – but it was on “Thrashing Crew” where Anti Social Engineering reached its zenith. “Thrashing Crew” could officially be added to the list of ultimate thrash anthems; a call to arms to rival Megadeth’s “Rattlehead”, Testament’s “Into The Pit” and Exodus’ “Bonded By Blood“. Featuring guest vo-kills from Sy Keeler (Onslaught), Coke Finlay (Virus) and Jason McLoughlin (D.A.M.), UK thrash could not have been better represented and “Thrashing Crew” was a pit-inducing whirlwind of lacerating riffs and larynx-ripping vocals.

“Vultures” was another carcass-shredder, built around some incredible kick-drum work, while “I Am The Beholder” was the kind of epic closer thrash used to deliver so well in the 80’s and early 90’s. A suffocatingly crushing blast which builds and builds in intensity, as the speed increases and Si Cobb’s vocals become ever more feral, this immense track was the perfect way to close an old-school thrash album that fearlessly embraced a modern audience’s desire for face-melting riffs and 100% committed performances. And, if you need a frighteningly accurate snapshot of modern life in the UK (and beyond) – set to a backdrop of blistering, seething thrash, of course – then look no further than Anti Social Engineering. It’s as accurate as ever!

Despite an incredible 34 years in the business, you’d have been a fool to consider Anihilated as a band on the comeback trail, as this was a band operating at the top of their game and nostalgia meant shit. Anti Social Engineering was a modern thrash record that slammed you into the canvas and stood toe-to-toe with absolutely anything released under the banner of thrash in 2015 – and that included Slayer‘s Repentless.

Have we forgotten your favourite UK thrash album of the last 10 years? If we have, pop it in the comments below and we’ll pop the kettle on, have a nice cup of tea and have a good ol’ chinwag about it….