Metal Reviews

Ok, So I picked up this special edition of Metal Hammer that's devoted entirely to thrash.

It's called "Metal Hammer Presents: Metallica and the Story of Thrash".

There's lots of pretty cool stuff in there, but I just wanted to post this list they included, and see what you all thought.

I personally reckon the list is kinda okay, but also kinda bullshit. They include a lot of classics, but there's a bunch of albums in there I wouldn't even call Thrash, and there are a few glaring omissions. In some cases, I also feel like they've chosen the right band, but not their best album (Artillery for example).

Each album is given a write-up, but I obviously can't be bothered transcribing all that shit, so it's just the list:

#50: Vicious Rumors - "Digital Dictator"

#49: Destruction - "Eternal Devastation"

#48: Municipal Waste - "The Art of Partying"

#47: Heathen - "Victims of Deception"

#46: Vio-Lence - "Eternal Nightmare"

#45: Deliverance - "Deliverance"

#44: Hobbs' Angel of Death - "Hobb's Angel of Death"

#43: Sanctity - "Road to Bloodshed"

#42: Anvil - "Metal on Metal"

#41: Onslaught - "The Force"

#40: Exciter - "Heavy Metal Maniac"

#39: Artillery - "Terror Squad"

#38: Exodus - "Fabulous Disaster"

#37: Anthrax - "Fistful of Metal"

#36: Exhorder - "Slaughter in the Vatican"

#35: Flotsam and Jetsam - "Doomsday for the Deceiver"

#34: Nuclear Assault - "Handle With Care"

#33: Overkill - "The Years of Decay"

#32: Dark Angel - "Darkness Descends"

#31: Metal Church - "The Dark"

#30: Sabbat - "History of a Time to Come"

#29: Razor - "Executioner's Song"

#28: Annihilator - "Alice in Hell"

#27: Celtic Frost - "To Mega Therion"

#26: Pestilence - "Malleus Maleficarum"

#25: Slayer - "South of Heaven"

#24: Armored Saint - "March of the Saint"

#23: Watchtower - "Energetic Disassembly"

#22: SOD - "Speak English or Die"

#21: Anthrax - "Spreading the Disease"

#20: Metallica - "Kill 'Em All"

#19: Voivod - "Dimension Hatross"

#18: Possessed - "Seven Churches"

#17: Machine Head - "Burn My Eyes"

#16: Suicidal Tendencies - "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow...."

#15: Sepultura - "Beneath the Remains"

#14: Testament - "The Formation of Damnation"

#13: Megadeth - "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?"

#12: Sacred Reich - "The American Way"

#11: Slayer - "Hell Awaits"

#10: Forbidden - "Forbidden Evil"

#9: Anthrax - "Among the Living"

#8: Kreator - "Pleasure to Kill"

#7: Death Angel - "Frolic Through the Park" (#7... wtf??)

#6: Metallica - "Ride the Lightning"

#5: Exodus - Bonded By Blood

#4: Testament - "The Legacy"

#3: Megadeth - "Rust in Peace"

#2: Metallica - "Master of Puppets"

#1: Slayer - "Reign in Blood"

Yeah, as i said, some good choices, some weird choices. I did a quick count and I only own 29 out of these.

Anybody own all 50?

Machine Head and Pestilence are Thrash? News to me. Thrash-influenced, maybe. Still, it is Metal Hammer, surprised Trivium aren't on there.

Yeah, I know.

And those aren't the only 2 wtf entries.

Armored saint, anvil, vicious rumors.....not exactly thrash bands.

Overkill should be high on the list and im glad that voivod made the list, and thrash or not the majority of the albums listened here kicks ass, the list could actually be very helpful to a newbie.

Dark Angel needs to be so much higher. Is this an older issue because I think I've seen this before?

I dunno. As I said, it's a special edition all about Thrash.

So where it would normally have the date and issue number on the front cover, it just says "Thrash 2008".

But as far as i know, its pretty recent.

There's a huge emphasis on Metallica throughout the issue, so I can only assume it came out when Death Magnetic did.

Machine Head - Burn My Eyes? meh lol.

And Possessed should be way higher.

What's the deal about Sacred Reich? Such an avarage thrash band...
Ehmm. No Sadus and No Coroner.

Reign In Blood is so not the best Thrash album ever. I'd be happy with Beneef Der Reemaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains being there, actually.

Yeah, the Hammer loves to call Machine Head thrash, just like it used to love calling Slipknot death metal, until it jumped off that sinking ship and starting covering all this real metal instead.

Seriously, they've got a damn cheek referring to themselves as "defenders of the faith" when a few years back they would have been mercilessly ridiculing most of the bands on this list for being out of touch.

Although, I haven't heard Malleus Maleficarum, but apparently it is far more thrash than their other three? Can anybody confirm or deny this?

It is quite Thrashy, but I'd still call it Death Metal.

Def more death metal than thrash.

Even if by some weird chance that Machine Head were Thrash, there's no way in burn My Eyes should be in the top 20. It's a rather bland album that starts sounding the same after awhile.

And Frolic through the Park? This shouldn't be on the list at all, and it's #7. Geez, what the hell are these people smoking?

Of course, it ends with MoP and RiB on the top slots. Yawn. Further proof that those 2 albums are the most overrated albums in history. They aren't even the best efforts from eitheir band.

To be honest, for a mainstream metal magazine, this is much better than expected. I mean, Reign in Blood and Master of Puppets will obviously be the bestest thrash albums ever for them, and Machine Head will obviously be included for whatever retarded reason, but hey, at least they included Heathen, Dark Angel, Sabbat and Artillery, which will hopefully get some kids into some good thrash.

Okay, but seriously, Sacred Reich's The American Way at #12 and Frolic Through the Park at #7? And no Sodom anywhere? What the fuck?

Honestly can't blame them for Reign In Blood. Fuckin' love that one, and is probably my numero uno too.. Metallica is obviously ranked highly on every single one of these lists, which is rather lame. There's a lot of better thrashers out there including Sodom and Heathen.

WHERE THE FUCK IS AGENT ORANGE????

I expect the high rankings for Metallica, Slayer, and I'm not shocked at Megadeth being up there. But it should really be Ride the Lightning in MoP's place, and Hell Awaits in RiB's spot.

And still, Frolic Through the Park?!?!?!?!?!?!? I hate to say it, but I've realized that aside from the Ultra-Violence, Death Angel are pretty much crap.

How is Municipal Waste ranked so close to Heathen??? That is mind boggling.

Is Municipal Waste there and not Evile?

+1, Metal Hammer is a retarded magazine. In 2006 they made a list of the 100 (I think) best albums of the past 20 years and RiB came in at number one, ffs. No way in hell.

Also, I'm no thrash expert, but how is Municipal Waste on the list? I'm sure the thrashheads here can think of loads more albums worthy of that spot, considering also when TAOP came out.