**WARNING: Mega-list ahead**

So you're seeking some good ol' (or new) Thrash Metal and you don't know where to look? Recommendations are running low and you're tired of wandering forums aimlessly, only to find one or two albums that you've probably already heard of?...If so, my friend, then stop searching and welcome to my little sanctuary. Nowadays, most would say that I'm a complete Thrash addict, always in need of his fix, and they would be right. In order to keep my addiction under control and share it with all of you Thrash Metal maniacs, I've created this monstrous list. You may use my precious creation as an ''Encyclopedia'' of sort, in which I stored what I consider to be the best Thrash releases of all time. From the acclaimed classics like *Exodus - Bonded By Blood* and *Kreator - Pleasure To Kill* to the more hidden jewels like *Believers - Extraction From Mortality* and *Anacrusis - Suffering Hour* or even more recent gems like *Exmortus - Necrophony* and *Vektor - Terminal Redux*, I've got it all. I know it might look exhausting & exhaustive but that's the best way to keep the addiction under control.

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- Browsing My List - A How To Guide -

1. First of all, albums are ordered by years of release so if you don't like modern thrash metal, keep to the 80's and 90's, there's more than enough stuff to satisfy your needs.

2. Also, I've added every single album's thrash style. So if you like Death, Crossover, Prog, Melodic, Tech, Power, Black, Grind and even Groove Thrash.. it's all there suit yourself.

3. Lastly, albums with a ''★'' after the genre's description represents albums that I.. Myself.. Moi consider as being classics of the genre or something you shouldn't miss, no I am not the all mighty reference guru in Thrash Metal, yes I do know a lot and yes it is possible for you to disagree with me on that matter. So please don't go writing stuff like "Whaa.. Dude.. No star on X or Y album?". Also 🇨🇦 = From Canada, My Country!!!

I do hope that this little guide did help you and if not, press Alt + F4, in order to gtfo. Have fun.

Edit: Now adding my favourites of each year using the mention -> (best of xxxx)
Also removed all mentions of ''Traditional'' or ''Resurgence''. It isn't needed.

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: Guib's Best Thrash Release of 2023:
Exmortus - Necrophony

Honorable Mention For 2023:
Terminalist - The Crisis As Condition

: Guib's Best Thrash Release Of 2024 So Far:
Messiah - Christus Hypercubus

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P.S. Feel free to recommend me new thrash please.
I do accept PMS but you can suggest here aswell

Also check Daggon's List here -- A Quick Guide For Thrash Metal, Sex and Tacos!
And ChapuLviz's List here -- Top 35 German Thrash Albums
And Vasil de Shumen's List over there -- Best of US THRASH

Last Updated: April 15th, 2024

1.Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing

2.Metallica - Kill 'Em All

3.Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies

4.Slayer - Show No Mercy

5.Dr. Know - Plug-In Jesus

      View entire list ››

RANKING CRITERIA :

- Originality
- Songwriting
- Performance

Neither the popularity among the fans nor the commercial success (or unsuccess) of the albums were taken into account in the selection.

1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

5.Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind

      View entire list ››

*** READ ME *** This list is about the greatest metal albums of all-time, from all sub-genres and all countries. You won't see bands like Deep Purple, Rush, BOC, Zeppelin, etc., nor will you see bands like Tool, Rage ATM, Melvins and Soundgarden. While I love many of those bands, my definition of metal does not include them.

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Death - Symbolic

5.Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath

      View entire list ››

So, these are basically my favourite albums of all time, including non-metal/rock acts, compilations and live albums. Needless to say, I would need a couple of days to go through all of these.

1.Dream Theater - Awake

2.Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

3.Riverside - Out Of Myself

4.Rotting Christ - Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers

5.Anathema - Alternative 4

      View entire list ››

1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

3.Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power

4.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

5.Testament - Demonic

      View entire list ››

I've been listening to Metal since 2005 and it has become my biggest passion in life.

Rarely a day goes by where I don't listen to it in one form or another. The bands I listened to in my teens inspired me to pick up the guitar (and later drums) and start making music of my own.

So here are the albums that have stood out and made the largest impact on me. To be as transparent as possible, I've labelled albums as 'nostalgia bias' where my memories of the album give it an advantage over others.

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here. There are a ton of albums that I've rated 9/10 in the 'TBR' tab that may never make it to this list, be sure to check those out.)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of metal, be sure to give this list a thumbs-up and leave a comment so more people can find these amazing bands!

My other lists:
Top 25 EPs (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
Top 200 Overrated Albums (trigger warning)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)

Genre-Specific:
Top 50 Black Metal Albums
Top 50 Melodic Death Metal Albums
Top 45 Thrash Metal Albums
Top 40 Power Metal Albums
Top 30 Doom Metal Albums
Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Opeth - Still Life

      View entire list ››

Alphabetical order.
Limited to 2 albums per band

Top 5 of non-metal:
Pink Floyd-The Wall
King Crimson-In The Court Of The Crimson King
Godspeed You! Black Emperor-Yanqui U.X.O
Comus-First Utterance
Explosions In The Sky-The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow

4.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

5.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

      View entire list ››

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Amon Amarth - Once Sent From The Golden Hall

3.Amorphis - Queen Of Time

4.Angizia - Das Schachbrett Des Trommelbuben Zacharias

5.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

      View entire list ››

An entirely subjective list of my all-time favourite metal albums, well lets better say albums/genres featured on MS, since not all here is precisely metal.
Objective quality is not a criteria here, just how much I like the album. Ordered by preference, top down.

1.Anathema - The Silent Enigma

2.Opeth - Morningrise

3.Estatic Fear - Somnium Obmutum

4.My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

5.Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss

      View entire list ››

Almost all album titles fall in one of two categories: The album shares the title with one of its songs (the title track) or, alternatively, the album title is independent from the songs (no title track).

However, there are examples of songs that have a central link to the album title without sharing the same name. In these cases, certain lyrics from the song were chosen as the album title.

This (alphabetical) list shows the names of these “hidden title tracks” and the central lyrics that gave the name to the corresponding album.

Please feel free to suggest more of your favorite metal/hard rock examples of these “hidden title tracks”.

1.40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

2.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agalloch - The Mantle

5.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

      View entire list ››

All my favourite songs ranked in order best down.

1.Rush - 2112

2.Deep Purple - In Rock

3.Jethro Tull - Aqualung

4.Rainbow - Rising

5.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

      View entire list ››

This list is the best album of every year that is represented in my current collection. Some years were really hard to choose as there were many deserving albums, others I had one or very few to choose from. The quality of albums drops off pretty severely after 1992 in my opinion. Its a shame the list isn't more diverse, but hey, I likes what I likes. I am however always buying music from many different years so expect this list to change. **Last Update 09/03/11**

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

3.Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs

4.Septicflesh - Communion

5.Symphony X - Paradise Lost

      View entire list ››

Wanna know what I headbang to on the regular? The releases that have seen countless re-spins... Well, this is a very simple list and something you've probably seen a lot of other MS users do in the past. Basically, I'm just going to list what are essential metal albums for me, my all time gems & masterpieces (very subjective and some are also in there due to nostalgia and sentimental value).

There's no particular ''Genre'' that I'll be covering and I will also try to limit myself to two albums per band and a few of my favorite tracks or highlights per album. Of course everything in this list is just my opinion, meaning that I'm not saying these albums are all masterpieces or whatnot, it's just my personal favorites. I hope most of you will agree with me and those few who don't, well... it's okay to be wrong, the next step is acceptance

🇨🇦 = From Canada, My Country!

Last Updated: April 15th, 2024

1.Absu - The Third Storm Of Cythrául

2.AC/DC - High Voltage

3.Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight

4.Alien Weaponry - Tū

5.Amon Amarth - Fate Of Norns

      View entire list ››

Here is a revamped list of my favorite metal songs!
It was hard to limit it to 50 albums, and even harder to rank them, but I believe it’s a good insight into my current taste in metal!

The old version of my “300+ Greatest Metal Songs of All Time” is archived and can be found through this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a8UTyLlQ5ReSjfJM1ww70oCVHuvtZq_-rcVtIylP9sk/edit?usp=sharing

1.Kypck - Черно

2.Vektor - Terminal Redux

3.Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Electric Wizard - Dopethrone

      View entire list ››

The Best album of Thrash Metal Old School (1980-1991)
Visit!!...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thrash-Metal-Old-School/162763587111641

1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Slayer - Reign In Blood

3.Sodom - Agent Orange

4.Exodus - Bonded By Blood

5.Anthrax - Fistful Of Metal

      View entire list ››