Metal playlists from the underground
You would think that even a pioneering thrash metal band would evolve and head in a different direction at some point during a career that spans nearly 30 years. Not Slayer. On World Painted Blood, Slayer is just as devastating, fast, and angry as they were in 1986. This is a band that has consistently […]
It has been almost two and a half years since the release of United Abominations, a brutal allegory of destructive world events equipped with plenty of finger pointing to rattle your mama’s nerves. Needless to say, Dave Mustaine and company are back with an even thrashier and, once again, unapologetic lyrical effort on Endgame. The […]
Are you ready for another face pummeling courtesy of Megadeth? You damn well better be—the brand new track “Head Crusher” from the upcoming album Endgame is devastating. From the band’s opening assault, you immediately feel like you are hearing legitimate old school Mustaine and company that would make Vic Rattlehead proud. After all, the new […]
Newbie UK metal mavens Sylosis employ a myriad of modern touches to their latest offering, a disc heavily steeped in thrash metal’s golden era of double-barrel ambushes. CONCLUSION OF AN AGE blends the musicality of Trivium, Strapping Young Lad, Shadows Fall, and Megadeth with a bevy of blistering Exodus-esque solos (“Stained Humanity”), volatile vocals (“Withered”) […]
After viewing countless promotions for Anvil: The Story of Anvil on VH1’s That Metal Show and reading many rave reviews, I finally had the opportunity to watch the documentary for myself. The film follows the two original members of Anvil, an 80’s thrash metal band that is still trying to find fame and fortune as […]
If the story of Pittsburgh, PA thrash metal neophytes Mantic Ritual’s heading out west, scoring a record deal and recording their debut in Germany (but not before touring the world with the likes of heroes Destruction and Exodus) sounds too good to be true, then you need to get a little less jaded, as this […]
Just by perusing the booklet defunct Las Vegas thrash band Papsmear accompanies their retrospective MUSIC TO KILL BY with, you can tell these guys were at the forefront of their scene, as homemade flyers touting shared bills with the likes of COC, Pestilence, and Hirax can attest to. Armed with a feral thrash metal attack […]
Fresh off previous effort ENEMY OF GOD, German thrash titans Kreator return sharper and more focused with another batch of devastating thrash metal goodness titled HORDES OF CHAOS. Showing no signs of slowing down, Mille Petrozza and company blast through the gates whether you like it or not with all guns blazing (“Warcurse”), giving contemporaries […]
Back in 1987, a fourth grader that lived down the block from me snuck a taped copy of I’m The Man EP into my room. That was the first moment that the thrash door officially opened for me. We must have listened to the explicit version of the Rap Metal crossover parody “I’m The Man” […]
In the age of crack cocaine, Tiananmen Square, and Rodney King one thrash metal band carried the music scene of Rockland County, New York with powerful live performances and songs chock-full of social commentary. Riphouse 151: Could’ve Been’s and Wanna Be’s, directed by newcomer Peter O’Brien, chronicles the rise and collapse of Riphouse, an unsigned […]