8 Testament
The Legacy (1987)
If there was a Big Five,
Testament would be in
there, and The Legacy
is more than enough of
an argument as to why.
Originally named
Legacy until they learned of a jazz
outfit of the same name, as children
of the scene that birthed three of
those four bands, Testament were
the first of the second wave of Bay
Area thrash. Taking the groundwork
laid out by their mates in Metallica,
Slayer and Anthrax and distilling it into
an even sharper, more deadly point,
the band absolutely exploded on this
debut, taking what had gone before
and crystallising it into a flawless
sonic dagger. The twin guitars of Eric
Peterson and Alex Skolnick perfectly
blended the former’s brute force
with the latter’s devastating technical
ability, while man-mountain singer
Chuck Billy’s vocals on opener Over
The Wall and Do Or Die are boiling
screams of fierce anger.
While the Big Five isn’t a thing,
Testament still win as one of the
most important bands in the genre’s
history. One with a violent legacy
that remains unimpeachable.12 Sepultura
Beneath The Remains (1989)
It was with Beneath The
Remains that Sepultura
went from being a very good
thrash band to an excellent,
destructive metal force.
Having stormed out of Brazil
and into the most respected parts of the
metal underground in the mid ‘80s, it was as
if Max Cavalera’s troops of doom were
engaged in all-out warfare here. From the
rage of the title-track and Inner Self, it was
almost pre-ordained that Sepultura’s future
would include becoming one of the most
important metal bands on Earth.15 Dark Angel
Darkness Descends (1986)
It’s often been debated which
of California quintet Dark
Angel’s first two albums is
best, but the correct answer is
this one, their second. As
intense as they were blindingly
complex, there’s an energy here usually
associated with sticking a fork in a plug
socket. It’s also where legendary drummer
Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Fear
Factory, Death) learned his craft. Not a bad
place to learn, really.14 Sodom
Agent Orange (1989)
Sodom’s importance to
both thrash and black metal
cannot be understated. The
German trio’s run of early
releases were possessed of
a genuinely dark, murderous
aura, and by the time of this war-obsessed
third album (the title came from the
chemical weapon used during the Vietnam
War), their reputation was such that it
charted in Germany and sold a cool
100,000 copies in their homeland. Which,
for a record with a song called Incest which
takes grim delight in its subject matter, is
pretty good going.13 Death Angel
The Ultra-Violence (1987)
In 1982, the members of Death
Angel were so young that they
still had to sneak their way into
shows around the Bay Area.
Age, or a distinct lack thereof,
however, did not stop them
being so accomplished that a certain Kirk
Hammett produced their Kill As One demo.
When it became a viral sensation within
tape-trading circles, they made the aptly-
named The Ultra-Violence and announced
themselves as contenders. Heavy, ultra-tight
and exploding with youthful energy, it was a
reminder to their mentors in Metallica and
Slayer not to get complacent.11 Megadeth
Peace Sells... But Who’s
Buying? (1986)
Kicked out of Metallica for
enjoying being “a bad-ass
on guitar who liked to
fight and drink” too much,
Dave Mustaine started
Megadeth partly out of spite
and vengeance. And if their Killing Is My
Business... debut announced his return, then
1986’s Peace Sells... is where thrash’s angriest
man truly laid down the gauntlet. So taut
and tense that it sounds pissed-off about it,
songs like Wake Up Dead and the venomous,
sarcastic Peace Sells are thrash at both its
most state-of-the-art, and its snottiest.10 Metallica
Kill ’Em All (1983)
Metallica’s pre-debut rise
was better than some bands’
entire careers, playing 3,000-
cap rooms before the album
was even out. When it came,
it hit like a train. Originally
titled Metal Up Your Ass before label
objections put paid to that, the news
prompted bassist Cliff Burton to declare
“Kill ’em all!” in response. Like Motörhead
at 78 RPM, it was a defiant blur of an
opening statement from a band who
would, unbeknownst to anyone at the time,
change the face of metal forever.9 Slayer
Hell Awaits (1985)
Slayer made a name for
themselves with the furious
speed and unapologetic
satanic imagery of their
Haunting The Chapel EP
and Show No Mercy debut.
But this was only a warm-up for the satanic
speed metal of Hell Awaits. The title-track
upped the aggression, while Necrophiliac’s
lyrics (‘I feel the urge / The growing need /
To fuck this sinful corpse’) showed that they
were only just opening the door to how
near the knuckle they could be.48 KERRANG!