In the late ’80s, thrash metal began its transition towards more musical approaches. Though still predominantly technical in its approach, bands began exploring musical elements within this genre.
Testament released their album Among the Living in 1987 while Kreator experimented with industrial metal on Renewal. Death metal also developed, with Florida-based band Death adopting an extreme approach on their debut Scream Bloody Death album.
Definition
Thrash metal is an aggressive subgenre of heavy metal music that draws inspiration from speed metal, new wave of British heavy metal, biker metal and hardcore punk to form an aggressive genre with fast guitar riffs that feature blisteringly fast tempos and heavy vocals with lyrics focused on violence, the bodily destruction of humans and distortion and tremolo picking as signature features.
Thrash Metal began its evolution in the early 1980s with Slayer and Kreator pushing the limits of extreme metal music. While still using blast beats and galloping riffs, their music increasingly introduced harsh death growls as well as dark themes such as violent lyrics lyrically. This shift eventually gave birth to death metal as a genre which explored life’s most violent aspects.
Thrash metal has seen increasing popularity over time, giving rise to multiple subgenres that can sometimes be difficult to discern from each other. Celtic Frost and Possessed, for instance, sit firmly within both genres with some growling vocals balanced out with clean ones; their overall sound leans more toward thrash than death metal. Other bands like Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death took the genre even further with harsh vocals and brutal, slam-style drumming; these trends led to Grindcore which combined both elements with death metal’s incredible guttural vocals and blood-soaked lyrics – creating Grindcore.
Carcass and The Haunted were two bands who combined elements of thrash metal with heavier styles such as doom or power metal, while others, such as In Flames and Soilwork, experimented to the point where their music no longer seemed metal at all. Finally, some bands embraced progressive death metal’s concept by merging chaotic song structures and odd time signatures from progressive music with the aggressive aggression found in thrash music.
Though the distinctions between thrash and death metal may seem fuzzy at first, it is clear that thrash metal is more violent and focused more heavily on bodily aspects than death metal; its songs typically depict violent or sexual themes and are typically focused more towards body-centric songs than death metal songs. They have often been likened to horror movie and professional wrestling films respectively – each offering different insights into human existence than others can. Thrash metal offers more realistic portrayals of everyday suffering than sensationalized or fantasy-based films or shows do.
Origins
Possessed, Morbid Angel and Venom were pioneering Death Metal bands who mixed the speed and aggression of thrash with occult themes and Satanism to form Death Metal bands such as these three. Additionally they introduced harsh death growls and fast tremolo picking to give birth to Extreme Metal genre. These three bands would later go on to influence its development into what we now refer to as Extreme Metal genre.
Metallica, Exodus, Slayer and Megadeth all pioneered distinct forms of thrash metal in the late ’80s that featured more complex time signatures and guitar solos to define it as its own genre of heavy metal music.
Death Metal bands tend to focus on dark, disturbing and violent themes like death, torture, war, sexual perversions, gore, serial killings in ancient Egypt, zombies and horror movies as lyrical themes in their music. Other genres that influence Death Metal include doom, prog, industrial and Middle Eastern music as well as doom itself. Death Metal can often be identified with its signature mix of growled vocals, tremolo picking and palm mutes; considered the ultimate form of metal that appeals most intensely when listening.
Thrash metal has had a lasting influence on other subgenres of metal music such as Power Metal and Black Metal, with bands such as Judas Priest, Ironsword, Demolition Hammer, Crucified Remains all employing elements of thrash into their sound. Thrash is also popular with groove metal fans due to its mosh pit friendly sound.
Some bands have combined thrash metal with other styles of music such as Doom Metal. Based on punk rock, thrash metal features an extreme and technical style which many fans enjoy. While its dark subject matter might evoke violent imagery, its intention isn’t art or protest but loud and aggressive playing; listeningers or bands themselves decide which genre is preferred when listening or choosing their genre of choice. The lines between thrash and other metal genres may become blurry depending on who decides.
Influences
Thrash metal bands frequently straddle the line between death metal and thrash metal genres. Early acts like Slayer, Anthrax, Overkill, Kreator and Megadeth’s Kill ‘Em All had elements of both genres in their sound. By the mid ’80s however, with bands such as Death, Possessed and Morbid Angel introducing fast drumming styles with harsh death growls and shocking lyrics further blurring those lines between genres.
Death metal’s lyrics also explored unsettling themes, often glorifying violence or depicting details of horrific acts such as murder, dissection, rape and necrophilia. Many critics contend that death metal music promotes violence among young adolescents leading to increased rates of suicide, drug abuse and criminal behavior among listeners; other critics assert that its violent lyrics simply represent symptoms of social issues and artists are trying to find meaning within chaotic lives by channeling this energy through art.
Early ’90s saw the development of progressive death metal bands that fused traditional death metal music with progressive rock. Finland’s Amorphis is an example of this genre; their songs feature long, complex guitar solos with classical-influenced psychedelic guitar solos reminiscent of Amorphis’ music style. Other groups who performed this style included Cynic, Opeth and Testament.
Melodeath takes the fast and heavy style of thrash metal and adds more melodies for an alternative take on it, drawing inspiration from heavy/power metal (Iron Maiden, Testament), doom metal, progressive rock and some doom bands like The Haunted or In Flames which still resemble it but feature more traditional melodies with cleaner vocals.
Styles
Metal’s many subgenres can often overlap, with bands like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Nile covering various styles. That’s part of its beauty – musicians create myriad riffs and rhythms that defy categorisation in terms of genre; these distinctive sounds help give metal its distinctive sound while keeping fans intrigued with each new genre they encounter.
Thrash metal emerged in the early 1980s as an amalgamation of classic heavy metal’s power and speed combined with punk music’s aggression. Bands such as Metallica, Anthrax, Overkill and Slayer began releasing albums featuring this type of musical violence; their albums combined heavy metal guitar riffs with fast drumming styles of punk music to form its new style of musical violence.
In the 1980s, other bands such as Death and Possessed would further define thrash metal’s distinctive characteristics. These groups employed more Satanic imagery for their lyrics about occult subjects and human suffering; Exodus and Megadeth also employed such themes within their works while combining both riff-heavy thrash music and intricate solo styles of speed metal in one.
Technical death metal emerged during this era as an emerging subgenre. Combining elements from progressive metal, jazz and classical music with thrash metal is technically death metal; only experienced musicians can master its delicate composition. Technical death metal has since gained recognition by metal purists; examples of its popularity are Sweden’s At the Gates; American bands Sepultura and Watchtower as well as South Carolina Nile and Kreator from Germany.
Black metal bands that combine elements of both thrash and death metal are generally classified as black metal acts. With their often-dark tone, these groups utilize distorted guitars and screaming or growling vocals to express themes of darkness and depravity through this style of metal music. Considered the most extreme form of music creation, those creating this genre tend to adhere fervently to its philosophy behind creation of their music.