Lemmy Kilmister may have created metal, but thrash is where it all began. Inspired heavily by speed metal bands like Overkill, Heathen, Coroner and Sepultura took it further with their fast tempos, gritty vocals and aggressive lyrics for what later became known as ‘let-the-world-burn mentality.
Possessed are widely credited with pioneering death metal music; however, their early material has more of a thrash-metal feel to it. Their songs typically featured gory themes with fast and heavy rhythms.
Sound
Thrash metal evolved from NWOBHM, becoming heavier, faster and more extreme. Riffs typically played at high speeds with double bass drums and aggressive yet understandable vocals are characteristic of this genre. Metallica made it popular by releasing their 1984 debut Ride the Lightning album along with other bands like Anthrax, Overkill, Slayer and Exodus; later Megadeth formed by Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine released Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good which deviated significantly from Metallica’s prior work featuring more complex riffs with shorter song structures and shorter song structures.
Teutonic thrash metal bands like Kreator, Sodom and Tankard quickly gained in popularity during this era of metal music history. These German and Swiss bands employed harsh vocals that focused on violence, death and destruction in their lyrics; their musicianship often included faster tempos with increased distortion levels.
Death metal emerged as an extreme version of thrash metal, as musicians sought to push its boundaries even further. Death metal music tends to be faster and heavier than its counterpart, often featuring more distortion and harsh vocals than usual. Lyrical themes tend to reflect an irreverent view of society such as war or conflict between nations, dealing with hidden feelings in human unconsciousness, or visions of an imminent collapse of civilization – although some thrash bands such as Testament also began playing more melodic death metal music as well.
Brutal death metal emerged during the mid-1980s from within thrash metal, spearheaded by bands such as Venom, Mayhem and Nihilist. It embodies less technical proficiency than other forms of death metal with an aggressive tone characterized by grinding sounds focused on creating a sense of menace rather than melodies; songs often feature no traditional melodies to accommodate for new listeners who might find these challenging songs hard to digest at first listen. They tend to use gory lyrics ranging from lost limbs to prophetic predictions about future destruction while using graphic album artwork – such as Vio-Lence which became renowned thrash metal bands during this era as they changed into brutal death metal acts themselves during this period.
Lyrics
Thrash metal’s lyrics tend to focus on dark, violent themes with its lyrics often bordering on brutality. Thrash bands usually employ an aggressive vocal style alternating between screaming and deep growling for vocals; its drumming style often features chokes or stops on cymbals along with sudden changes in tempo or rhythm; guitar playing often uses palm-muted techniques; while its songs typically focus on bass drums instead of traditional rock music’s song structures which tend to be shorter.
At its inception in the ’80s, extreme metal was revolutionized by bands like Slayer and Kreator who pioneered this style of music. Later in the decade however, Death, Possessed, and Autopsy upped the intensity by writing lyrics encompassing violence, death, disease, atrocity, etc. In some instances this can make for very disturbing content that some listeners find hard to decipher; rendering their music truly frightening for listeners who do understand its message.
Thrash metal music stands out from its peers with its harsh vocals and signature guitar leads/licks built upon distorted chords. Riffs often played in drop D tuning make songs bassier while adding another level of complexity to their overall sound.
Thrash metal music typically features fast tempos, an aggressive guitar picking style and an emphasis on double bass drums. Drummers may employ various techniques including snare drum and cymbal swells.
Thrash metal’s riffs tend to be highly intricate, featuring multiple changes in time signature and harmonic structure. At times, lead guitarists will play unaccompanied parts, with rhythm provided by bassist. Furthermore, drummers frequently incorporate fills and solos to add texture and drama into each song.
Metallica made headlines when they released their fifth studio album eponymously entitled Metallica in 1991 and were widely criticized for it – often called “The Black Album.” It marked a stylistic shift away from thrash metal towards more conventional heavy metal with hard rock elements; starting a trend of other bands abandoning thrash for albums that featured less garage-oriented, traditional sounding albums instead.
Musicians
Thrash metal musicians typically possess an aggressive, hard-edged attitude and tend to be highly talented at their instruments. Many thrash bands feature fast drumming and complex guitar riffs with distortion; guitarists may employ finger picking, palm muting, staccato playing techniques or tapping techniques for an added grooviness.
Thrash metal bands typically utilize double bass drums with complex beat patterns and frequent fills to keep the music fast and intense. Vocalists in thrash bands typically possess harsh or growled voices while singing at high pitches; many thrash musicians also dabble in other genres of metal music which gives them a distinct perspective to incorporate ideas from various styles into their own.
Some thrash metal musicians have created subgenres of their style, such as melodic death metal and progressive thrash. Others have found ways to combine elements of thrash with other genres like speed metal; Motorhead was an outstanding example of this when they combined the fast-paced energy of thrash with 1970s hard rock and heavy metal influences.
Early 1980s saw a major shift in thrash metal when it took on more of a musical approach and darker tones. Testament’s 1985 album The Legacy featured songs about Satanic themes which would later influence death metal lyrics; Carcass, Napalm Death and Morbid Angel all later developed distinct styles of extreme metal which eventually came to be known as death metal.
More recently, traditional thrash metal bands have begun reuniting and some have issued new albums. Some of the great classic bands like Slayer, Megadeth and Testament still perform today and are considered some of the top thrash metal acts worldwide. Furthermore, there have been many young thrash metal acts inspired by classic artists and developing their own distinct brand of the genre.
Styles
Thrash metal and death metal share certain musical traits; both genres utilize fast guitars, pounding drums, and growled vocals. Thrash metal tends to be more musical and less harsh than its death metal counterpart; death metal’s harsher sound is meant to convey strong feelings of horror and hatred and its extreme nature reflects society’s need to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means risking their lives in doing so.
Through the 1980s, thrash metal experienced a radical transformation. Many bands from the Bay Area thrash scene experimented with different sounds such as melodic riffs and faster tempos; one such band was Anthrax who released their album Among the Living in 1987 which featured more heavy metal influences compared to their earlier work as well as featuring intricate musical structures not previously featured on Fistful of Metal records.
At this time, another subgenre of thrash metal called Teutonic thrash metal emerged. Based on NWOBHM and power metal styles but featuring more aggressive musicality than its counterparts, notable bands of this subgenre included Kreator, Destruction, Sodom Tankard and Celtic Frost; most often featuring highly controversial lyrics with more aggressive musicianship than traditional thrash metal bands.
Death metal emerged as a more extreme side of thrash metal during the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of the earliest examples was Venom’s 1981 album Welcome to Hell and their 1982 Black Metal releases as pioneering examples of this genre; many bands, such as Slayer, Metallica Megadeth and Testament have cited Venom as an influence.
Vio-lence and Annihilator released critically-acclaimed albums in 1988 that combined elements of thrash with death metal’s aggression and brutality. Later, bands like Flotsam and Jetsam would create even more intense technical death metal music by featuring morbid lyrics with complex musical passages from guitarists and drummers showcasing their skills on complex guitar solos and drum beats.