CD-Charts Position 31
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Dark [Us Import]

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Metal Church

Release Date December 23, 1999
This was the first album of there's i purchased and it's not been surpassed yet by them.
It was recorded back in 1986 the real prime time for thrash bands as i was growing up.A band that's never been as big as the 'Big 4',namely Metallica,Anthrax,Slayer and last butt not least Megadeth,but in the early days these guys were bigger than Metallica and had Metallica support them for a while.So why didn't they make it? Who knows but if you are wondering about Metal Church this is the album to buy.
It starts off with the thundering'Ton Of Bricks'(strangely there is a synthetic drum sound to kick things off which was quite outstanding for it's time) it's heavy and groovy thrashy and very well produced,a great crisp sound,the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 32
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The Very Best of Testament

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Testament

Release Date September 10, 2001
I know that sometimes the word underrated can be overused but if you have never heard of Testament, then trust me when I say that they really are one of the most underrated metal bands of all time.

Out of all the thrash bands, if I was forced to say which one they sound like most I would probably say Metallica but only a little, apart from this they have a very original style of sound that is hard to explain. I know that there is always a band that will always be a bigger mainstream success in whatever type of music it is and thrash is no different, I really don't know why Testament weren't bigger than they were not that it bothers me personally as they are right up alongside my favourite metal bands of all time, this is a huge ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 33
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Practice What You Preach

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Testament

Release Date August 09, 2004
A typical end-of-80s thrash album in that, as with many bands (Slayer, Megadeth, etc) Testament realised they had to take their foot off the gas to progress, as the competition for speed had already been won by a Slayer landslide in '86.
Of the tracks on the album only Nightmare really earns the 'thrash' label; the rest being largely upper-mid-tempo steamhammers, living by heaviness, and (dare I say it,) melody, rather than speed.
The production lacks the clarity and momentum of the first release, but the songs can more than hold their own.
Better by miles than the subsequent Souls in Black album,, and for my money on a par with the faster fore-runner The New Order, but newcomers would be better directed to either the debut ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 34
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Sound of Perseverance

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Death

Release Date September 21, 1998
With the "Sound of Perseverance" Death have penned the ultimate metal album, and when i say metal i mean it...i do not mean the best death metal or black metal or...I mean quite simply the ultimate METAL album. From the crushing heaviness and density of opener "Scavenger of Human Sorrow" it only gets better. The best tracks being the monumentally vicious The Flesh And The Power It Holds, the instrumental number Voice of the Soul (which proves once and for all that all the idiots who say metal bands can't play their instruments, are in fact, well, idiots) and the Judas Priest cover Painkiller. Death are as tight as any band and play with a precision and aggression that quite simply no other band can match. Everything from Chuck Schuldiner's ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 35
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Demanufacture

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Fear Factory

Release Date March 03, 1995
if you were to look up industrial metal in the dictionary you should see a picture of this album as it easily the most appropriate band to fit the name as most other industrial acts seen to emphasise the electronic elements it is used here to sharpen a very heavy metal sound.
in effect what we have here is a death metal album with electronics and as such there was nothing like it at the time of release and there still isn't much that can match it to this day.
the thing is that it excells everywhere! from the glorious stabbing riffs that litter the whole album or the superhuman drumming ............. but probably the best part is the mesmerising performance that comes out of burtons mouth!
this guy has a voice that most vocalists would ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 36
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Obsolete

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Fear Factory

Release Date April 21, 2003
After Fear Factorys best album 'demanufacture', it would be hard for the band to release an album as classic as 'demanufacture. This album is not as good although it is only slightly worse which in turn makes this a great album. The album has a consistently good songs. The guitars sound awesomely menacing and driving and the drumming is rapid fire and precise. The vocals are good with Burton C.Bell screaming and growling along with some excellent melodic choruses. The melodic choruses fit in perfectly in track three 'smasher/devourer' and also in 'shock' 'descent' and 'freedom of fire' A good element to Fear Factory is the keyboard which adds a great dark atmosphere to the songs. It gives them an extra edge and it works really well. The turntable usage is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 37
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Archetype

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Fear Factory

Release Date April 19, 2004
a new lineup and a new label did it make any difference?
i would say most definitely yes!
the band have streamlined their sound and reduced the electronics and removed the nu metal sound and tightened up the sound and brought an extremely larger chunk of aggression to the table
this is much more straightforward and direct
and because of this its a joy to hear them tear your face off the second the album erupts from the speakers
for me the two standouts are the two more melodic numbers in the form of the title track and the mighty brooding beast of a song that is bite the hand that bleeds that prove that there is still life and variety/creativity still in the band
nice to see them banish the memory of digimortal well and truely ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 38
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Spreading the Disease

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Anthrax

Release Date August 01, 1991
After their slightly patchy debut album and a change in personel, Anthrax's secnd album is undeniably a classic of the thrash genre. Most fans will point to 'Among the Living' as the band's defining moment, but it's really hard to find any fault with this 1985 offering, as from the opening moments of 'A.I.R.' the album spews out a seemingly endless collection of killer riffs, while new vocalist Joe Bellandonna's melodic vocals provide numerous catchy choruses. 'Spreading the Disease' ranges from such relatively melodic songs as the insanely catchy 'Medusa' and 'Lone Justice', which at times sounds almost Iron Maiden-ish, to the full on thrash of tracks like 'Gung-Ho' and 'Aftershock'. The band themselves have at times stated a despair at being unable to escape 'Madhouse', ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 39
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Welcome To Hell (Remastered / Expanded)

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Venom

Release Date February 26, 2008
After sampling 'In Legue with Satan' off the great lightnin' to the nations compliaton CD I imediatly bout the first 3 Venom albums and I have to say their debut is the best of the 3 and an absolute classic slab of metal!

Now everyone says Venom are notorious for bad production and they are right, but I have a feeling it was semi-diliberate to try and achieve the heaviest sound they could muster and it pays off, this is a brutal album and must of sounded like pure noise back in 1981(!).

The album opens up on a surprisingly weak song 'Sons of Satan' but dont let that put you off, the title track is a stonecold classic, so much that Iron Maiden completly ripped off the main riff for one of their best songs '2 minutes to midnight', compare it, theres only ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 40
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Act III

CD-Charts > Music > Speed Metal and Thrash
by: Death Angel

Release Date December 20, 2004
Before we start, I am generally pretty open-minded about music. I like everything from pink floyd to bob marley to jack johnson to boards of canada to mogwai to gorgoroth. But my favourite genre is thrash, and I'm afraid I am a bit closed minded about that, in that, I tend to just like the really stereotypical thrash stuff like slayer, megadeth, metallica, exodus, vio-lence, anthrax, nuclear assault etc.

I bought the Art of Dying a while back and quite enjoyed it, but I thought I might be hearing death angel at a lull. I assumed all of their best ideas would have been present in their earlier albums. After some asking around, this is the one which was most recommended to me.

Now, perhaps if I'd come at this with an open mind I would have enjoyed it more. ... Read More: