Metal Reviews

Ok.

I really like Exumer.

I really really like Megadeth.

I really really really like Overkill.

good enough?

Never got into Megadeth, somehow, though Rattlehead is a good tune.

Ze Germans are badass, no doubt, but the BA has Forbidden, Exodus, (early) Slayer (Los, BA, close enough) and Possesed... quintessential bands.
But the point of German thrash being more consistent is well taken, though the quality of the seminal BA bands is arguably in a league of their own.
It really is almost too close to call.

So it comes down to quantity vs. quality, kinda.

Do you guys see "Bay Area" or "German/European Thrash" as a matter of region or a matter of style?

For me, Slayer were never really a "Bay Area Thrash" Band. Only on Show No Mercy and South of Heaven it shines through, but on most of the albums, they were always more brutal and faster than e.g. Metallica, Exodus, Anthrax or Testament. Same goes for Dark Angel.

I would put Slayer and Dark Angel musically wise on the same page as Kreator, Sodom and Destruction.

On the other side, have Tankard more bay area sound like other german thrash bands.

And finally, I like both, and wouldn't say that one style is better. You just can't compare them, because they are so different.

Fuck i forgot about Forbidden and Sadus, what's my problem? :S
Hmmm.

I think that Paradox is better than Exodus. Bonded By Blood was Exodus' only good album. Both of Paradox's two albums are good, and for that reason they are better than Exodus...for me. Plus I like Paradox's style better.

I voted German. The German bands (in general) have a longevity that the Bay Area bands don't (to me personally). Like, I can listen to Sodom forever, but the only Bay Area band I can listen to album after album is... actually I don't know if there are any.

Like others have said, American vs. Euro thrash bands would possibly (probably) lead to a different result. I know I'm biased in favor of my home state, but New Jersey thrash > Bay Area thrash.

Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned Deathrow. I've only heard Satan's Gift but that album alone makes them at least worth mentioning. It's one of my personal favorites, German or in general, especially the song Hell's Ascent.

And I have to agree with Holy_Terror. Paradox kicks ass. Heresy just doesn't get old to me. Though it's not as aggressive as most other thrash albums from that era (the production probably has a lot to do with this, as well as the singer's voice) its generally more powerful songwriting makes it stand out.

I think Paradox vs. Heathen is a better comparison than Paradox vs. Exodus. Maybe Exodus vs. Tankard, and I would certainly choose Tankard, despite Bonded by Blood being one of my favorite albums of all time.

[edit] Oh, and Tankard is in an entirely different league than Death Angel. The Ultra-Violence was good, but not great. Granted, I haven't heard Act III or their new one, but Frolic Through the Park sucks, and The Art of Dying has a few gems on it but generally is pretty weak. Tankard is, if nothing else, one of the most consistent bands in thrash.

I do enjoy some good ole fashioned Tankard.

My list of comparisons is kinda bad, it was late and not entirely fair for some bands.

I didn't really think it through and just wrote stuff down as it came into my head, hence why I put Paradox vs Exodus and Tankard vs Death Angel. What was I thinking? Clearly nothing.

Heh, I meant you no offense, I knew what you meant by the list. But it was still an interesting idea so I chose to give a little of my take on it.

Non taken.

My comment was merely directed at everybody, not just you.

LA thrash= Bay Area Thrash. Even so, German thrash wins, due to bands like Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Mekong Delta, Exumer, Tankard, and Assassin, though to be fair, Bay Area thrash does have some of my favorites, like Heathen, Dark Angel, Holy Terror, Exodus and Megadeth. A more interesting question, methinks, would be 80s thrash in the Americas (including the Brazil thrash scene) vs. European thrash in general, which would allow us to include bands like Sepultura, Overkill and Nuclear Assault on the one hand and bands like Sabbat and Artillery on the other hand, still evening the playing field a bit.

Edit: Actually, now that I think on it a bit more, both rule. Its like choosing between a hairless cock and a hairy one: Both have their advantages.

Bay Area. German thrash is about as boring as NASCAR racing. It's fast, but that's about it.

NASCAR sucks more than anything.

Indeed.

Tool.

Behave, kids.

SO it all makes sense now. Just give the "handsome" guy a Kreator t-shirt, and it all makes sense.