Continuing the History of Metal through short (trivia packed) chapters and accompanying playlists.
Thanks for all the support of Part 1 of these ongoing series! You asked me for more, here it is :)
Work in progress, will be posting irregularly (but...
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In the second half of the 80's, Thrash Metal had matured into the Metal mainstream, thanks to the success of the Big 4 and other acts. The U.S. and German scenes provided a much-needed gritty counterweight for the poppy Hair Metal that was ruling MTV's airplay.
At the start of the 90's, Grunge and Alternative took over the billboards however, and the spandex wearing, hair spraying, and ballad singing bands of the Los Angeles Sunset Strip fell from grace. As they tumbled, Thrash was going down a similar path.
Thrash, was quickly getting out of fashion as new Black and Death Metal bands provided a more extreme sound. At the same time, the ruling elite of 80's Thrash experimented with new styles of heavy music. Although some stayed true to their Thrash roots, while evolving to a more extreme sound, like Sodom and Testament, many bands changed towards more mainstream oriented music. Best example of this evolution, needless to say, is Metallica's eponymous chart breaking 1991 Heavy Metal album, followed by the two Alternative 'Load' albums.
Papa Het and Co. were definitely not the only ones to depart from their roots: with amazing albums 'Rust In Peace' and 'Act III' Megadeth and Death Angels leaned towards a more polished Speed Metal sound. The latter soon disbanded and Mustaine and his troop then ventured into Heavy Metal and Alternative Rock (anti-climaxing with the horrible 'Risk' in 1999). Even the almighty Slayer eventually released an experimental album (1998's 'Diabolus In Musica'). The same thing happened in the Teutonic scene, where kings Kreator - after releasing 3 stunning 90's Thrash albums - eventually released full-blown Gothic Rock/Industrial albums.
Long story short, the leaders of the Thrash scene clearly got stuck in a horrible identity crisis.
Obviously, a lot of the songs on the playlist come from the early 90's, before many bands drastically changed their sound to remain relevant in the new decade. Luckily, there were also those bands who never gave in, and produced some of the best Thrash anthems in Metal history. The aforementioned Sodom, fellow Germans Destruction, Bay Area legends Testament, and New Yorkers OverKill, are but a few examples of bands that kept Thrash alive during the difficult 90's decade.
By the end of the decade, new Thrash bands started to pop up, like the Swedes from Raise Hell, who gave the world a clear statement: Thrash Metal is not fucking dead yet! When, in the wake of the Thrash Of The Titans festival, many legendary bands reunited, the 2000's Thrash revival would soon be unleashed!
Playlist:
01. Kreator: When The Sun Burns Red (1990)
02. Annihilator: Phantasmagoria (1990)
03. Death Angel: Seemingly Endless Time (1990)
04. Megadeth: Tornado Of Souls (1990)
05. Seventh Angel: Tormented Forever (1990)
06. Sodom: Back To War (1992)
07. Dark Angel: Sensory Deprivation (1991)
08. Laaz Rockit: In The Name Of The Father And The Gun (1991)
