Porcupine Tree lost me right after Anesthetize. They had been hit or miss for several years, but really went off the cliff after that. The early 90's stuff, especially The Sky Moves Sideways and Voyage 34 are good psychedelic prog. Pretentious, oh yeah, but pretty good regardless and not nearly as bad as the later stuff or his solo work.
The Sky Moves Sideways
Voyage 34
Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape
Dig that Poison Blood EP. Hopefully they will do more.
Ihsahn's solo stuff isn't bad at all, just not all that memorable after AngL. I find bits and pieces of each album I like, but I think they would be better as EPs.
While they never fall into the underappreciated category at Casa de Navy, I agree with everything you said. They were intelligent black metal for the musician if you will. As a bass player and music geek, I really liked what they were doing from the first time I heard them (probably '96 or so). Ihsahn was an excellent composer in those days. His solo work....meh. The first few were good, but the later stuff is forgettable.
And that Krieg album is great shit. One of the better examples of early USBM. Might throw some on myself.
Rise of the Imperial Hordes
Since the boys got bumped from Psycho Las Vegas this year due to Rona restrictions, might as well indulge myself in a little Emperor worship this morning.
Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Emperor - IX Equilibrium
Emperor - Emperor
Man I knew I was leaving out something important. That Suicidal album is top 10 worthy. I wore out several copies over the years.
I thought about Bathory, but I just have them in their own category the same as Hellhammer/CF. They just don't fit neatly in a single category.
I have a love/hate relationship with thrash metal. I shouldn't say hate, that's way too strong, let's just say I kinda lost interest in thrash once I got heavily into black and death. But lemme tell you I was all about thrash metal in the 80's, never would it have occurred to me then when I was in my 20's that I wouldn't be an OG headbanging thrash metal maniac for life. But shit happens. I don't listen to nearly as much thrash as some of you guys, but I do still dial up most of these old classics every now and then. I don't have hundreds of thrash metal albums to choose from like my buddy BAN claims to have, but I have hung onto a few dozen choice selections over the years and having lived through the 80's I do feel supremely qualified to make a list. In the spirit of this thread maker's intentions I won't include any black/thrash on my list, or any post turn of the century re-thrash, and no speed metal, I'll stick with the old school "first wave" 80's and early 90's thrash. I'll also keep to my typical one album per band just cuz. There might be a couple of albums on my list that some people might try to tell you are death metal, but they'd be wrong these are all strictly 100% thrash. The top 10 I have numbered and then the rest are all runners up in no particular order whatsoever because how can you really rank these, they're all such great records?
1. Slayer - Reign In Blood 1986 #1 Slayer album, #1 thrash album, possibly the most iconic #1 metal album of all time period.
2. Metallica - Ride the Lightning 1984 a close second. I'm well past the point of caring about Metallica abandoning thrash, I honestly don't really think or care about them much at all anymore. But I'm not gonna pretend like this wasn't a monumental life-changing album for me or that in 1984/85 I didn't spin this incessantly.
3. Overkill - Taking Over 1987 could've easily gone with 1991's Horrorscope here, they're pretty damn close. Overall this is by far my favorite thrash band and I still play most of their records, not just one or two. This is really the only thrash band I can think of that I'd be tempted to put more than one of their albums on my list.
4. Necronomicon - Necronomicon 1986 Not very well known by many I guess, but I've always loved this raw German thrash album. Just a random blind grab at the record store one day in '86, I was drawn to the cool cover and got lucky.
5. Incubus - Serpent Temptation 1988 They've long since changed their name to Opprobrium but in 1988, indeed up until 1999 they were Incubus. Killer album every thrash fan should own.
6. Onslaught - Power From Hell 1985 I'm only down to #6 and already I'm thinking fuck this should probably have been a bit higher. Killer record, I get Discharge vibes from their tone on this. I believe every thrash fan should own this one too.
7. Coroner - No More Color 1989 Stoked to finally see these guys next May at MDF. Great band that should need no introduction, this one narrowly edges out R.I.P. as my favorite from the Swiss trio.
8. Devastation - Idolatry 1991 Little known band from Corpus Christi Texas, this was their third and final album. Record fucking slays, check it out.
9. Dark Angel - Darkness Descends 1986 Much has been said about this album, suffice it to say it kills, I believe it has a lot more going for it than just the insane speed.
10. Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence 1991 I deffo prefer this one to Epidemic of Violence. Killer band, saw them live 6 or 7 years back and they killed it.
Kreator - Pleasure to Kill 1986 I loved this record in the 80's and then I haven't liked anything else they've ever done since then. That fact has unavoidably tarnished their legacy in my mind and is probably why PtK just missed making my top 10. So I don't consider myself a Kreator fan generally or a Mille fan specifically but this album is the lone exception, it kills. Funny I found out recently that my favorite track on here Riot of Violence was sung by the drummer apparently.
Whiplash - Power and Pain 1986 Guess this one is fairly unknown as well, killer thrash album from right here in New Jersey, and yes I liked it before I found that out.
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains 1989 Thought when I started that this might make my top 10 but the competition was as stiff as rigor mortis. Unquestionably their best album, it perplexes me when some people pick Arise over this one.
Possessed - 7 Churches 1985 I've had extensive arguments with people over the years on whether this record is thrash or death metal. Clearly it's thrash metal, not significantly different than what other thrash bands were doing around the same time. I think people get confused because they had the last track entitled Death Metal.
Slaughter - Strappado 1987 This one's a bit slower paced than most of these other albums, these Canadians had kind of a unique sound and I loved it.
Sacrifice - Forward to Termination 1987 Discovered these Canadians when they played a set at MDF some years back. One of my buddies was all psyched up to see Sacrifice. I wasn't as smitten with them as he was but I can say this is a really good record.
Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death 1990 raw and fast this is fucking great although I couldn't see my way to putting it in the top 10.
Sodom - Obsessed By Cruelty 1986 my favorite of their older stuff, deffo like this one better than Agent Orange.
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh 1987 Most people go with Bonded for their fave Eggs at Us but I liked their riffage better here on the sophomore. And I like a nice salad.
Evildead - Annihilation of Civilization Bad cover, great album. Go figure I'm not a Repka fan either.
Razor - Violent Restitution 1988 Your MIA former moderator BAN informed me several years ago that this was Razor's finest hour and after some comparitive listening sessions I do believe he's right.
Destruction - Infernal Overkill 1985 I believe the early Destruction albums were severely marred by poor thin production but this one still bears mention.
Sacred Reich - Independent 1993 I realize this wouldn't be most people's choice for best Sacred Reich album but it is mine. I do like most of their stuff though. Released in 1993 this is the most recent album on my list.
Exhorder - Slaughter In the Vatican 1990 Formed in '85 these good ole boys from N'awlinz didn't get their debut album out til 1990 when thrash was beginning its decline, but better late than never.
Rigor Mortis - Rigor Mortis 1988 Little known underrated band from Texas.
Sadus - Illusions (Chemical Exposure) 1988 Don't listen to this one a ton and it wasn't in contention for my top 10 but it deserves honorable mention.
DBC - Dead Brain Cells 1987 Ditto DBC, discovered this band about 10 years ago through a friend, again this wouldn't be top 10 material but it warrants mention.
Anthrax - Fistful of Metal 1984 For many years Spreading the Disease was my favorite Anthrax record by a mile but somehow this underrated debut has overtaken it somewhere along the line over the last decade or so. Those first two are really the only two I would ever dream of listening to nowadays.
There's some fairly obvious stuff missing here:
Testament's Legacy had good songs but is ruined by the piss poor production, and I mean ruined to the extent that I can't see my way clear to putting it on even as honorable mention. None of their other albums are good enough to make the grade even though by and large I do consider myself a Testament fan.
Infernal Majesty's None Shall Defy gets mentioned a lot in thrash circles but I've never been a huge fan.
Nuclear Assault I kinda liked back in the day but the records haven't held up very well for me over the years.
Megadeth, while I liked them pretty well in the 80's they just haven't held up well for me at all, I can barely stand to listen to them at this point. If anyone cares my only choice would have been Peace Sells, was never much of a Rust fan not even back in the 80's.
Forbidden and Vio-lence both made what I would consider to be great thrash albums musically, but both have been completely ruined for me beyond all redemption with downright insufferable vocals. Can't separate the music from the vocals it is what it is.
Love a good mandolin. Ricky is definitely one of the best.
Yonder Mountain String Band - Kentucky Mandolin
YMSB - Crazy Train cover
YMSB - Ruby > Robots
YMSB - Jolene cover
YMSB - Jesus on the Mainline
Sierra Ferrell - Jeremiah
Sierra Ferrell - Rosemary
Sierra Ferrell - Bells on Every Chapel
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