The 20 Greatest UK Thrash Albums Of The Last 5 Years! ***UPDATED***

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Detritus – Myths (2021)

The return of cult old-school UK progressive thrashers Detritus was one none of us were expecting but return they did….and with their first album in 28 years!

Detritus dwell in experimental doom/thrash territory (apt considering their Seventh Angel connections) with Mark Broomhead’s harsh baritone bellow adding to the overall feel of overwhelming, crushing, mid-paced thrash brutality.

Myths was not perfect by any means (“Tale Of Sadness” was somewhat of a misfire) but overall this was a hugely welcome return from a cult UK band whose early 90’s output – Perpetual Defiance (1990) and If But For One (1993) – also deserve to be lauded for their fearless and experimental nature!

Detritus; it was good to have you back!

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Divine Chaos – The Way To Oblivion (2020)

A righteous blast of melodic deathly thrashing, Divine Chaos’ The Way To Oblivion shook the rafters with its fist-pumping array of ultra-moshable anthems.

Masters of crafting catchy as fuck ditties that never once skimp on a good ol’ fashioned bludgeoning riff, Divine Chaos’ skill at giving us groove, heaviness and melody in each and every song on The Way To Oblivion is plainly something to admire – and admire it we did!

Whether its opening up with the 6mins+ ferocity and groove of “Suicide Salvation”, the satisfying chug of the savage “Upon The Shrine” or the high-tempo bounce of “Murder For Sale”, Divine Chaos had all bases covered.  

Pure filth!

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Solitary – The Truth Behind the Lies (2020)

Preston’s Solitary should now be considered vanguards of the UK thrash scene, having plied their trade since 1994 and releasing some incendiary material during thrash metal’s more fallen periods. Gaps in between albums had been relatively long in the past but it was a delight to see them back in 2020 with a follow-up to 2017’s The Diseased Heart Of Society and hopes of a ball-crushing exercise in UK thrash brutality were high, such was the quality of previous releases.

With plenty of variety and a true sense of purpose and focus the likes of the title track delivered a pummelling experience, and one which gets better with each spin. That being said, The Truth Behind The Lies could hardly be labelled a ‘grower’, it’s an immediate thrash fix which speaks volumes for Solitary’s song writing and performances across the board.

Together with producer Simon Efemey (Amorphis, Napalm Death, Paradise Lost etc), Solitary pushed themselves to the limit and released the most consistent, most convincing album of their career to date. A bold statement considering how damn good The Diseased Heart Of Society was but it’s clear that The Truth Behind The Lies is Solitary’s magnum opus; an undiluted thrash album with plenty to say and the songs to back it up!

Also recommended: The Diseased Heart of Society (2017)

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Trapped In Purgatory – Damned Nation (2021)

A not-so-new thrash band from the UK, Trapped In Purgatory described themselves as not a “reformation, but a rebirth”….which makes sense when you consider that 3/5ths of the band were members of UK thrashers Purgatory, who issued a series of demos in the late 1980’s.

Fast forward approx 30 years and Trapped In Purgatory released their debut album, Damned Nation – about bloody time lads!

But was it worth the wait? Abso-frickin’-lutely!

Full of mid-era Overkill groove and Xentrix-esque stomp, Damned Nation found these old dogs snapping at the heels of history with a satisfying blend of nostalgic, mid-tempo thrash.

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The Bleeding – Morbid Prophecy (2019)

The Bleeding’s old school approach to prime death/thrash was as rabid as they come. Coming at you like the ravenous dead with their sights set on snacking on your nether regions, this was one experience that should have come with a warning (a morbid prophecy, perhaps?), such was its ability to shred skin from bone.

Ugly and unadulterated thrashin’ was the order of the day as The Bleeding went about honouring the pioneering sounds of Possessed and early-Death – with a little Skeletonwitch thrown in for good measure – amidst a blitzkrieg of hyper-speed riffs and ungodly shrieks.

Brutal old school death/thrash – just as we like it!