Top Favorite Thrash Metal Albums ... rank them

[introclaus]

Judging by the last few lists, it seems like people don't care much about rules, so let's make it simple and stick to just two basic rules:

1) List only your top 15 albums ... no "bubblers" or "honorary mentions"
2) List only one (1) album per band.

Now, whether you think a band is thrash or not is totally up to you - it might be that something I post is considered a completely different genre in your opinion, but it is a personal opinion and that's all that matters here.

Also, I've divided my thrash lists into 3 distinct divisions:

• European Thrash Metal

• US Thrash Metal

• Technical/Prog Thrash Metal (is this thrash or prog? Guess that can be discussed at a later time)

You do NOT have to divide it into categories - if thrash is all the same to you, irregardless of where it's from or whether it's simple or techy - well, go ahead and show us your top 15 overall then.

As always, I've chosen these releases as how much I value them, and where they fit into the way I listen to a specific genre. Not paying attention to "is this the most famous of their releases" or not (in some cases it is, in some it's definitely not). Alright, here we go;


US THRASH METAL
1. Slayer - Reign in Blood
2. Metallica - Master of Puppets
3. Flotsam and Jetsam - Cuatro
4. Overkill - The Years of Decay
5. Testament - The Legacy
6. Megadeth - Rust in Piece
7. Death Angel - Act III
8. Exodus - Fabulous Disaster
9. Suicidal Tendencies - Lights Camera Revolution
10. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal
11. Anthrax - Persistence of Time
12. Mordred - In This Life
13. Whiplash - Insult to Injury
14. Nuclear Assault - Game Over
15. Vio-lence - Oppressing the Masses

EUROPEAN THRASH METAL
1. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium
2. Destruction - Release from Agony
3. Kreator - Gods of Violence (yes, their 2017 album!)
4. Sabbat - Dreamweaver
5. Artillery - By Inheritance
6. Sodom - Agent Orange
7. Tankard - Chemical Invasion
8. Vendetta - Brain Damage
9. Paradox - Heresy
10. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity
11. Warrant - The Enforcer
12. Living Death - World Neurosis
13. Holy Moses - New Machine of Liechtenstein
14. Angel Dust - Into the Dark Past
15. Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire

TECHNICAL/PROG THRASH METAL
1. Voivod - Nothingface
2. Sieges Even - A Sense of Change
3. Watchtower - Control & Resistance
4. Mekong Delta - Dances of Death and Other Walking Shadows
5. Depressive Age - Symbols for the Blue Times
6. Deathrow - Deception Ignored
7. Coroner - No More Color
8. The Last Things - Circles & Butterflies
9. Target - Master Project Genesis
10. Toxik - Think This
11. Nasty Savage - Indulgence
12. Fear of God - Within the Veil
13. Sadus - Swallowed in Black
14. Hexenhaus - Dejavoodoo
15. Unleashed Power - Quintet of Spheres

[LarryD]

1) Sanctuary / Into the Mirror Black
2) Metallica / Ride the Lightning

[John Frank]

I tried to play by your rules this time.

US THRASH METAL

1. Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)
2. Mordred - In This Life (1991)
3. Death Angel - Act III (1990)
4. Holy Terror - Terror and Submission (1987)
5. Testament - The Legacy (1987)
6. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)
7. Forbidden - Twisted into Form (1990)
8. Heathen - Victims of Deception (1991)
9. Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare (1988)
10. Megadeth - Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good (1985)
11. Anthrax - Among the Living (1987)
12. Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (1989)
13. Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986)
14. Overkill - Under the Influence (1988)
15. Nuclear Assault - Handle with Care (1989)

EUROPEAN THRASH METAL

1. Sabbat - Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989)
2. Destruction - Release from Agony (1988)
3. Artillery - Terror Squad (1987)
4. Kreator - Terrible Certainty (1987)
5. Skyclad - A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol (1992)
6. Xentrix - Shattered Existence (1989)
7. Pariah - Blaze of Obscurity (1989)
8. Paradox - Heresy (1989)
9. The Haunted - s/t (1998)
10. Accuser - Who Dominates Who? (1989)
11. Despair - Beyond All Reason (1992)
12. Tankard - Chemical Invasion (1987)
13. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity (1989)
14. Hexenhaus - A Tribute to Insanity (1988)
15. Re-animator - Condemned to Eternity (1990)

TECHNICAL/PROG THRASH METAL

1. Coroner - No More Color (1989)
2. Watchtower - Control and Resistance (1989)
3. Deathrow - Deception Ignored (1989)
4. Toxik - Think This (1989)
5. Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers (1993)
6. Voivod - Killing Technology (1987)
7. Believer - Sanity Obscure (1991)
8. Sieges Even - Lifecycle (1988)
9. Aydra - Icon of Sin (2001)
10. Extol - Synergy (2003)
11. Dyoxen - First among Equals (1989)
12. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (1991)
13. Realm - Suiciety (1990)
14. Vektor - Outer Isolation (2011)
15. Target - Master Project Genesis (1988)

[introclaus]

1) Sanctuary / Into the Mirror Black
2) Metallica / Ride the Lightning

I am at a loss for words ...

[introclaus]

I knew we were gonna have a lot of bands in common

US THRASH METAL

1. Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)
2. Mordred - In This Life (1991)
3. Death Angel - Act III (1990)
4. Holy Terror - Terror and Submission (1987)
5. Testament - The Legacy (1987)
6. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)
7. Forbidden - Twisted into Form (1990)
8. Heathen - Victims of Deception (1991)
9. Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare (1988)
10. Megadeth - Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good (1985)
11. Anthrax - Among the Living (1987)
12. Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (1989)
13. Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986)
14. Overkill - Under the Influence (1988)
15. Nuclear Assault - Handle with Care (1989)

Almost identical lists - at least band wise.
Holy Terror and Heathen would be just below top 15 for me, but would both make top 20 for sure.

EUROPEAN THRASH METAL

1. Sabbat - Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989)
2. Destruction - Release from Agony (1988)
3. Artillery - Terror Squad (1987)
4. Kreator - Terrible Certainty (1987)
5. Skyclad - A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol (1992)
6. Xentrix - Shattered Existence (1989)
7. Pariah - Blaze of Obscurity (1989)
8. Paradox - Heresy (1989)
9. The Haunted - s/t (1998)
10. Accuser - Who Dominates Who? (1989)
11. Despair - Beyond All Reason (1992)
12. Tankard - Chemical Invasion (1987)
13. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity (1989)
14. Hexenhaus - A Tribute to Insanity (1988)
15. Re-animator - Condemned to Eternity (1990)

You double-dibbed on Pariah by listing it here as well, lol It's okay, you get a third chance when we get to the NWOBHM list later haha.

I never liked Xentrix, but I can see why you'd put it on here.
Re-animator were good, but just outside top 15 for me.
The Haunted ... hmmm ... yeah I didn't think about including any of the modern ones, but if I had, I'd probably pick Hatesphere over this.
Despair and Accuser I honestly never got into - that said, there were a bunch of wonderful German thrash bands I almost included such as Grinder and Exumer.

TECHNICAL/PROG THRASH METAL

1. Coroner - No More Color (1989)
2. Watchtower - Control and Resistance (1989)
3. Deathrow - Deception Ignored (1989)
4. Toxik - Think This (1989)
5. Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers (1993)
6. Voivod - Killing Technology (1987)
7. Believer - Sanity Obscure (1991)
8. Sieges Even - Lifecycle (1988)
9. Aydra - Icon of Sin (2001)
10. Extol - Synergy (2003)
11. Dyoxen - First among Equals (1989)
12. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (1991)
13. Realm - Suiciety (1990)
14. Vektor - Outer Isolation (2011)
15. Target - Master Project Genesis (1988)

Yup, this one is pretty damn close to mine.

Believer and Realm are two bands I should like from the old guarde, but they just always seemed to slip me by.
Anacrusis is great, but just outside top 15 for me.
Dyoxen - I haven't listened to that in years. Will have to give it a spin.
Vektor is a band that I wish I could get into, but ... I mean, it's Voivod worship, but somehow it's missing something.
Aydra? I'll have to check them out.

[John Frank]

Yeah, we were pretty close except on the Euro list. You have a bunch of albums on your list that I do not care for at all.

1. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium
6. Sodom - Agent Orange
11. Warrant - The Enforcer
12. Living Death - World Neurosis
13. Holy Moses - New Machine of Liechtenstein
14. Angel Dust - Into the Dark Past
15. Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire

At least we agree on Sabbat and Destruction.

[Locust0311]

I'm too lazy to make a list so I'll just say Cyclone Temple's I Hate Therefore I Am is the best Thrash album and leave it at that.

[Random Axe]

Well, if I thought I was mostly useless on power metal, I'm absolutely zero value here. Like none.

There's only two I even like, and I'm not even sure I could define the genre.

Cyclone Temple/I Hate Therefore I Am

Testament/Practice What You Preach

Just not my thing. I've never, ever owned a Metallica, megadeth, slayer, anthrax, Forbidden, Overkill, Exodus, Grim Reaper, Wrathchild America album.

I'd like to play along but damn, so far on these Claus lists I just effin suck lol!

[introclaus]

Well, if I thought I was mostly useless on power metal, I'm absolutely zero value here. Like none.

There's only two I even like, and I'm not even sure I could define the genre.

Cyclone Temple/I Hate Therefore I Am

Testament/Practice What You Preach

Just not my thing. I've never, ever owned a Metallica, megadeth, slayer, anthrax, Forbidden, Overkill, Exodus, Grim Reaper, Wrathchild America album.

I'd like to play along but damn, so far on these Claus lists I just effin suck lol!

LOL it’s all good … I am a big metal head, always been - grew up on Purple, Lizzy, Sabbath and Rainbow - loved the first waves of heavy metal - got into thrash early on, immediately hooked onto death metal, and was one of the first journalists in Scandinavia to cover the black metal scene. I think my biggest loves has always been prog and power, but it’s difficult to say because doom and thrash are really high on my list as well, and regular prog/power stuff has become watered down and boring in later years, so now
I find inspiration in “modern” prog/death/black /post-hardcore stuff. I don’t expect anyone (except perhaps John haha) to have an opinion on all of it - it’s a big ask - and while some people know and master the fine art of finding one thing they love and sticking to it, I just keep branching out. We all have our ways to listen to music, and I would never claim mine is the only way.

[LarryD]

1) Sanctuary / Into the Mirror Black
2) Metallica / Ride the Lightning

I am at a loss for words ...

***I live for these moments ........

[gazinwales]

13. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity (1989)

Sad that one time Onslaught singer Steve Grimmett passed away yesterday.

[introclaus]

13. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity (1989)

Sad that one time Onslaught singer Steve Grimmett passed away yesterday.

Super sad - he was awesome in both Grim Reaper, Lionsheart and Onslaught ... heck, I even have the Grimmstine CD in my collection

[prog_powermetal99]

10. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity

I listened to some samples of this. This seems so much different compared to Generation AntiChrist and VI.
While not crazy about all their songs, VI was the first Onslaught I heard and there are some tasty riffs on that CD, especially on songs like Chaos is King

[introclaus]

10. Onslaught - In Search of Sanity

I listened to some samples of this. This seems so much different compared to Generation AntiChrist and VI.
While not crazy about all their songs, VI was the first Onslaught I heard and there are some tasty riffs on that CD, especially on songs like Chaos is King

Yes, ISoS is very different from the rest of their catalogue … it’s a one-off thanks to Steve’s incredible vocal performance and it just seems like the band really found themselves on that one. Unfortunately it was all they did for a long while, and when they returned from their hiatus it was with a new vocalist and stylistically back to the more raw and heavy sound from the first couple of albums.

[GaetanL]

US THRASH METAL
1. Metallica - ...And Justice For All

TECHNICAL/PROG THRASH METAL
1. Voïvod - Dimension Hatröss
2. DBC - Universe
3. Mekong Delta - Dances Of Death (And Other Walking Shadows)