**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 ››

A lot of bands have great debut albums. Obviously this list is just a fraction of all the great debut albums out there, but it's a start. I'll keep expanding this list continuously, so all suggestions are welcome (granted they are featured on MS). All the albums here are ranked according to genre and then alphabetically. If a certain album belongs to the (in your opinion) wrong genre, then definitely let me know.

1.

2.Aarni - Bathos

3.Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia

4.Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher's Ballroom

5.Sadness - Ames De Marbre

      View entire list ››

Thrash Metal is, and will always be my favorite type of music. No matter how many sub-genres or idiotic names some bands give to their music style, they'll never reach the complex "simplicity" of Thrash metal. It's raw, heavy, fast, aggressive, and has a historical impact that probably no other type of heavy metal style will ever reach.

1.Venom - Welcome To Hell

2.Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing

3.Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies

4.Metal Church - Metal Church

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

      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 ››

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

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RANKING CRITERIA :

1. Originality

2. Songwriting

3. Vigorous performance

1.Anacrusis - Screams And Whispers

2.Overkill - Feel The Fire

3.Nuclear Assault - Game Over

4.Wrathchild America - 3-D

5.Toxik - World Circus

      View entire list ››

This alphabetical list presents bands that took the inspiration for their name from literature (novels, poems, plays, comics). The list shows the debut album cover along with the information of the corresponding source of inspiration.

Please feel free to suggest more examples of metal/hard rock band names that are inspired by literature.


AUTHORS

1st Place (52 bands):
J.R.R.Tolkien

2nd Place (21 bands):
H.P.Lovecraft

3rd Place (10 bands):
W.Shakespeare

4th Place (7 bands):
E.A.Poe

5th Place (3 bands):
F.Herbert, R.E.Howard, C.A.Smith

6th Place (2 bands):
A.Huxley, J.W.v.Goethe, B.Kane, S.King, C.S.Lewis, H.Melville, K.Miura, M.Moorcock, J.K.Rowling, H.Van Alkmer, O.Wilde

7th Place (1 band):
R.Adams, J.P.Ahonen, D.Alighieri, L.F.Baum, E.C.Bertin, R.Bloch, E.Bronte, L.Carroll, L.Carter, L.Chase, C.Dickens, A.Diggle, M.Ende, S.Erikson, W.Faulkner, J.&W.Grimm, Homer, A.Jodorowsky, Kakifly, U.KLeGuin, H.W.Longfellow, G.R.R.Martin, A.Miller, P.Mills, J.Milton, D.Quinn, S.Rohmer, P.Rothfuss, Y.Sadamato, M.Sandemo, W.Scott, H.Sienkiewicz, D.Simmons, W.Smith, J.Steinbeck, B.Stoker, Suetonius, L.Uris, L.Weisberger, H.G.Wells, Q.Yuan


CATEGORY

1.) Novels (93 bands)
2.) Short Stories/Novellas (34 bands)
3.) Drama (11 bands),
Poems (11 bands),
Comics/Mangas (11 bands)
4.) Religious Texts (4 bands)
5.) Author Names (3 bands)
6.) Magazines (2 bands)
7.) Biographies (1 band), Essays (1 band), Reports (1 band),

1.A Dream Of Poe - The Mirror Of Deliverance

2.Abhoth - Abhoth

3.Abigail Williams - In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns

4.Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea

5.Alice In Chains - Facelift

      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 ››

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

4.Exodus - Bonded By Blood

5.Overkill - The Years Of Decay

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This is my top 50 favorite albums. If I were to ever go on a really long road trip, I would take these 50 and blare them on the trip and extra loud while driving through a city .

1.Symphony X - The Odyssey

2.Symphony X - Paradise Lost

3.Judas Priest - Painkiller

4.Ayreon - The Human Equation

5.Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy

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Updated 10/23/18

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

3.Flotsam And Jetsam - Doomsday For The Deceiver

4.Dark Angel - Darkness Descends

5.Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

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These are the 211 essential hard rock/metal albums of the 80's, as were selected by the Greek Magazine "Metal Hammer" (August 2001 issue).

The albums followed by a star are the "must have", whereas the rest albums are the "could have".

1.Angel Witch - Angel Witch

2.AC/DC - Back In Black

3.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

4.Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations

5.Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

      View entire list ››

The greatest albums of all time aka albums that nobody needs to listen to unless they want to aka only 9/10 and 10/10 albums here aka no memes, sorry. No particular order either. Will add more albums in the future. Because I can't add new albums in the past, can I?

1.Lurker Of Chalice - Lurker Of Chalice

2.!T.O.O.H.! - Order And Punishment (Řád A Trest)

3.Evoken - Quietus

4.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

5.Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

      View entire list ››

1.Estatic Fear - Somnium Obmutum

2.Theatre Of Tragedy - Theatre Of Tragedy

3.My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

4.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5.Anathema - The Silent Enigma

      View entire list ››

These are just what I consider to be the 25 BEST thrash metal albums ever produced. These are all studio albums. In no particular order

1.Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!

2.Metal Church - The Dark

3.Anthrax - Among The Living

4.Evildead - Annihilation Of Civilization

5.Sacred Reich - Ignorance

      View entire list ››