In a musical realm where scale of influence has little to do with commercial success, few originators of the extreme metal arts evoke as deep a sense of mystery, or incite such hushed, reverential tones of admiration, as Sweden's Bathory. Essentially a one-man operation helmed by the mysterious Quorthon, Bathory's development from the rawest... [+] Read More

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One of the first punk/metal fusion bands, Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C. for short) were formed in North Carolina by guitarist Woody Weatherman during the early '80s. In their early years, C.O.C. became known for their aggressive sound, intelligent political lyrics, and willingness to break away from both hardcore and metal conventions. In the... [+] Read More

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San Francisco's Death Angel was a product of the bustling Bay Area thrash metal scene of the 1980s. Combining serious guitar crunch and speed with a fair amount of technical expertise, they created complex thrash metal filled with time changes and tricky arrangements that, although generally loved by critics, usually failed to translate beyond a... [+] Read More

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Together with their countrymen Kreator and Sodom, Germany's Destruction constituted the dominating triumvirate of Teutonic thrash metal during the 1980's. Although they ultimately failed to match these peers' in terms of commercial success and longevity, at least two of their albums still qualify among the crème de la crème of the decade's speed... [+] Read More

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Enslaved was formed in 1991, by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson. Joined by drummer Trym Torsson, they did their first demo in the summer of 1992. While working with the first full length, there came a call from England, resulting in the two 1993 legendary mini albums; Enslaved-“Hordanes Land” and Emperor-“s/t”. Due to tragic... [+] Read More

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Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany's Kreator is also by far the most enduring. Like many of their European speed metal brethren.Kreator fused Metallica's thrash innovations with Venom's proto-black metal imagery, sparked it with Motörhead's balls-out velocity, and capped it off with the... [+] Read More

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After he left Metallica in 1983, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine formed the thrash metal quartet Megadeth. Though Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Metallica's relentless attack, Mustaine's group distinguished themselves from his earlier band by lessening the progressive rock influences, adding an emphasis on instrumental skills,... [+] Read More

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The definition of extreme can be interpreted in many ways,
VITAL REMAINS, however, takes its meaning to a whole new level,
be it through using their instruments as weapons for mass annihilation
or through unrelenting, blasphemous lyrics that display their hatred
of religion and all that it stands for. Add death metal... [+] Read More

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Denmark's Artillery were one of the many quality European thrash metal bands which never seemed to catch a break. Formed in 1982 in the Copenhagen suburb of Taastrup by brothers Michael (guitar) and Morten Stytzer (bass), Artillery's demos quickly became a hot item on the heavy metal underground tape trading circuit thanks to their frenzied,... [+] Read More

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From their modest beginnings as roadies for avant-garde Swiss metal legends Celtic Frost, the members of Coroner carved out one of the most unique careers in the European thrash metal scene. The trio was originally pegged as a conventional thrash band, but their jaw-dropping musicianship and increasingly complex, almost prog rock compositions... [+] Read More

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From their modest beginnings as roadies for avant-garde Swiss metal legends Celtic Frost, the members of Coroner carved out one of the most unique careers in the European thrash metal scene. The trio was originally pegged as a conventional thrash band, but their jaw-dropping musicianship and increasingly complex, almost prog rock compositions... [+] Read More

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The original Speedcore merchants, Cryptic Slaughter dealt a West Coast hand into the late ‘80's Crossover movement, a movement that saw the normally warring armies of punk rock and thrash metal finally come together into a unified front bent on exposing social injustice and political hypocrisy. Powered by a previously unimagined sense of... [+] Read More

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Formed in the mid-'80s in San Francisco, Heathen gained a lot of attention through their cover version of Sweet's "Set Them Free." The band debuted with 1987's Breaking the Silence on Combat, and remained popular among bands from the Bay Area for years afterward. A second record, Victims of Deception, appeared on Roadrunner in 1991. ~ John Book,... [+] Read More

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Improving upon the foundation of technical, neck-snapping death metal they helped build beginning in the late 1980s, IMMOLATION lumber forth with the seventh chapter in their legendary career, Shadows in the Light. The group recorded their latest collection of deathly dirges within the hallowed halls of Millbrook Sound Studios, once home to such... [+] Read More

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Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany's Kreator is also by far the most enduring. Like many of their European speed metal brethren.Kreator fused Metallica's thrash innovations with Venom's proto-black metal imagery, sparked it with Motörhead's balls-out velocity, and capped it off with the... [+] Read More

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New York hardcore/speed metal band formed in the '80s. Ludichrist's music was quite competent but generic, distinguished by the occasional clever lyric line. After their second proper album, lead singer Tommy Christ and guitarists Glenn Cummings and Paul Nieder broke up the band and reformed with a new rhythm section as the more humor-oriented,... [+] Read More

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After he left Metallica in 1983, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine formed the thrash metal quartet Megadeth. Though Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Metallica's relentless attack, Mustaine's group distinguished themselves from his earlier band by lessening the progressive rock influences, adding an emphasis on instrumental skills,... [+] Read More

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Like the extreme music they created, San Francisco's Possessed seemed cursed by dark and evil forces throughout their troubled career. Formed by guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus in 1983, the group would lose first singer Barry Fisk to suicide before even graduating out of their garage band status. They persisted though, and after... [+] Read More

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Sore Throat were a power-pop punk band on a 1979 album. ~ Scott Bultman, All Music Guide

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