The Crossover Thrash Thread

Prong - "Primitive Origins" (1987)

Prong's debut would have to be one of the shortest "albums" I've ever heard with its eight tracks amounting to a whopping 19 minutes in duration. Fans of the bands later material may not even recognize them at this point with the trio pushing a New York hardcore-heavy crossover thrash sound here. I can't say that it sits all that comfortably with me early on but the back end of the album sees things picking up substantially enough to justify giving "Primitive Origins" a few listens.

3.5/5

Aggression - "The Full Treatment" (1987)

Raw & aggressive crossover thrash from Montreal, Canada. Fans of early Slaughter, "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel & Cryptic Slaughter should find this interesting.

3.5/5

The Accused - 'More Fun Than An Open-Casket Funeral" (1987)

The sophomore album from these Seattle-based crossover thrashers. Not as strong as their debut from the previous year.

3/5

Wehrmacht - "Shark Attack" (1987)

The debut album from this high velocity crossover thrashcore band from Portland, USA & it may well be the fastest record I've ever heard!! For fans of Cryptic Slaughter, DRI & "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel.

3.5/5

I just wanted to inform all of you thrashers that are a partial to a bit of crossover thrash that I've just posted my "Daniel's Top Ten Early Crossover Thrash Releases (1985-1986)" in the METAL ACADEMY LISTS section. If you've never really explored where this niche subgenre comes from or don't have much experience with it & are interested to know what it's all about then this would be a great place to start. I'll be interested to get your feedback & would love to see your own top tens if you'd care to share them.

https://metal.academy/lists/single/66 

M.O.D. - "U.S.A. For M.O.D." (1987)

The debut album from Billy Milano's new outfit following the breakup of his previous band S.O.D. It's an energetic hardcore-driven crossover thrash record that doesn't offer much originality but makes up for it in enthusiasm. Fans of S.O.D., D.R.I. & Anthrax should enjoy it as long as they can overlook the disgustingly un-politically correct attempts at humour in the lyrical content.

3.5/5

Suicidal Tendencies - "Join The Army" (1987)

Suicidal's sophomore effort is more of a transition album than a genuine crossover thrash release in my opinion. It sits more on the hardcore side of the equation than the metal one. The thin guitar sound, dodgy vocal performance from Mike Muir & consistent use of hardcore-style gang vocals make it a pretty hard slog for me personally but fans of DRI, Cro-Mags & “Animosity”-period Corrosion Of Conformity might disagree.

3/5

Cryptic Slaughter - "Money Talks" (1987)

The sophomore album from these Californian thrashcore exponents. I've never warmed to it as much as most crossover fans seem to & comfortably prefer the more consistently fast debut "Convicted". The production & performances are subpar & the addition of mid-tempo breakdowns isn't as effective as the light-speed blast-fests. The aggressive vocals are good though. For fans of DRI, Attitude Adjustment & Wehrmacht.

3/5

Ratos de Porão - "Cada dia mais sujo e agressivo" (1987)

Ratos de Porão's third album would see them transforming themselves from a traditional hardcore/crust punk outfit into a genuine crossover thrash band; the first of any note to come out of Brazil. Some good aggressive up-tempo thrash on offer here despite a raw & muddy production. Fans of DRI, SOD & Suicidal Tendencies should find enjoyment here.

3.5/5

D.R.I. - "Crossover" (1987)

This was where my interest in San Francisco crossover thrash godfathers D.R.I. began after I didn't find their debut album "Dealing With It" to be terribly appealing. Perhaps it's simply the stubborn old metalhead in me but I seem to prefer the longer track durations, more controlled tempos & more structured song-writing on offer on their sophomore effort. There are still a few flat numbers here but they're comfortably out-weighed by pure hardcore adrenaline & thrashy riff-tastic head-bangers. You're unlikely to find anything life-changing here but this was the record that the crossover thrash movement took its name from for a reason & fans of Municipal Waste, Suicidal Tendencies & S.O.D. will  more than likely have a good ol' time with it.

3.5/5

Excel - "Split Image" (1987)

The debut album from this Venice Beach crossover thrash outfit which was released through Suicidal Tendencies front man Mike Muir's Suicidal label. The production isn't perfect as the rhythm guitars are a bit weak for thrash but the energetic tempos, shredding guitar solos & occasional downtempo Black Sabbath doom riff more than make up for it. The vocals can be a little pitchy at times but they're still much better than Muir was capable of at the time & possess a suitable level of enthusiasm. It's actually a pretty consistent record that represents a genuine crossover between thrash & hardcore so it's a little unfortunate that they've chosen to close the album with its only weak track in "Spare The Pain". I think the tracklisting could definitely have done with a couple more highlight tracks too but fans of Suicidal Tendencies, DRI & The Accused should really dig "Split Image". In fact, I'd suggest that it's a better record than any of those bands 1987 albums.

3.5/5

Carnivore - "Retaliation" (1987)

The second & final album from this New York crossover thrash outfit is generally regarded as one of the pinnacles of the subgenre but I have to admit that I've always struggled to find much appeal in Carnivore's music. It's certainly true that I've never been one to be particularly interested in the concept of humour being integrated into my metal (particularly when it borders of being racist at times for pure shock value) but (with the obvious exception of an intro track that's essentially the sound of someone vomiting) that's not the reason I don't dig a record like "Retaliation". It's more around the constant changing of styles even throughout the individual tracks which sees the album lacking in cohesion. I'm also not such a big fan of future Type O Negative front man Peter Steel's angry yet spasmatic vocal delivery here. He sounds like he's trying too hard to sound unhinged & psychotic to me.

Musically, it's quite hard to pin down Carnivore's sound. For example, I never regarded their self-titled debut as a crossover release as it actually included very little that I'd actually class as crossover. "Retaliation", on the other hand, has much stronger credentials as it's much faster & thrashier with a significantly stronger hardcore component so I'm comfortable that it's the senior subgenre here with New York hardcore, traditional heavy metal & stoner metal (think Black Sabbath's "Vol 4") all playing a strong role at various points. The instrumental track "Five Billion Dead" even seems to draw on Rush! There are some decent tracks included & you can hear the obvious influence that the album had on a diverse array of bands from Crowbar to Morbid Angel but it's the lack of consistency that gets to me in the end & this is the deciding factor in me never really feeling the urge to pull out a Carnivore record when I feel like thrashing around my car or loungeroom. I agree that "Retaliation" is Carnivore's best work but unfortunately it's still not really for me. For fans of S.O.D., Cro-Mags & D.R.I.

3/5

Cremator - "Home Style Surgery" (1988)

I think the sole release from this unheralded crossover thrash outfit from Perth in Western Australia may be the worst metal record I've heard in years. The production & performances are nothing short of disgusting. It kinda sounds like Destruction trying to play Suicidal Tendencies & English Dogs cover versions with only their feet.

1.5/5

Cryptic Slaughter - "Stream Of Consciousness" (1988)

1988's third album from Californian thrashcore outfit Cryptic Slaughter would be the last with their original lineup & is generally a pretty disappointing release. I quite liked their 1986 debut album "Convicted" but their sophomore effort "Money Talks" was a bit lacking & "Stream Of Consciousness" sees the quality level descending even further with a very poor production job & some sloppy performances being amongst the main contributors. Despite the common consensus, there's actually very little metal to be found on this record with Cryptic Slaughter's sound now sitting somewhere between thrashcore & hardcore punk. I'd also hazard to suggest that this material is not quite as fast as Cryptic Slaughter's earlier albums either so I'd advise you to give this one a miss.

For fans of D.R.I., Wehrmacht & The Accüsed.

2.5/5

Prong - "Force Fed" (1988)

New York trio Prong's sophomore release saw them returning with a more metal-heavy brand of crossover thrash to their 1987 debut "Primitive Origins" which sat a little further over to the hardcore end of the spectrum. "Force Fed" kicks off in an obviously crossover direction before taking a few detours through more traditional thrash metal territory (see early Voivod & "Reign In Blood"-era Slayer), straight-up New York hardcore & even some slower material that borders on sludge metal. In fact, there are a couple of tracks included that sound remarkably like UK industrial metallers Godflesh only without the electronic component. It's so pronounced that I'd actually be very surprised if this record wasn't an influence on a young Justin Broadrick with the generally inadequate vocal performance of front man Tommy Victor regularly coming across like a drunken version of Justin. And while we're on that topic, Victor's vocal performance often borders on incompetence to tell you the truth & this is one of my main issues with this release.  The other is the production which is very flat & inconsistent & unfortunately these two flaws combine to limit the appeal that "Force Fed" has to offer. There's a plethora of quality riffs scattered across the tracklisting but I don't feel that they manage to overcome Prong's failings & this results in "Force Fed" sounding a touch flatter than the debut which did just enough to keep me interested. Thankfully Southern Records' English CD release of the album includes two strong bonus tracks which give it the extra oomph required to make it an enjoyable listen so I'd recommend you look out for that one if you feel the urge to be "force fed" some early Prong. Why those two tracks weren't included on the album in the first place is anyone's guess, particularly the very strong sludgy eight minute cover version of Chrome's "Third From The Sun" which is very solid indeed.

For fans of 1985-87 period Corrosion Of Conformity, Suicidal Tendencies & the first couple of Voivod records.

3/5

I was bored this morning so I decided to double up for the weekend by collating my Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases Of All Time list. It's entirely situated in the mid-to-late 80's of course but that's hardly surprising given the subgenre's clear hey day. It is worth noting that my absolute favourite crossover release wasn't eligible for the list as it's a demo that isn't available on the Metal Academy database (i.e. Slaughter's "Surrender Or Die" demo from 1985) & I have included a release that I regard more as thrashcore than it is crossover thrash (i.e. Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted") but I've once again stuck to the MA database tags. See what you think & feel free to post your own list.

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Suicidal Tendences – “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” (1988)

04. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

05. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

06. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

07. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justic For…” (1987)

08. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

09. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

10. Corrosion Of Conformity – “Animosity” (1985)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Crossover thrash is the only one of the 3 thrash metal subgenres (the other two, of course, being conventional and technical) that I've never really gotten a grip on. However, the first two Neurosis albums (before they created post-sludge) have some crossover thrash tendencies while primarily regarded as thrashy hardcore.

The Exploited - "Fuck The System" (2003)

Having noticed during my "Top Releases By Year" post in whatever that thread is called that I had a huge gap in my thrash listening between 2001 and 2003, I set about using the release section on the site to handpick some well-known names in the first instance to see what came out in that three year period that could be off any merit.  In terms of crossover I only got two hits, Municipal Waste's debut full-length and this.  But I accept that there will be more releases out there in this sub-genre but in terms of the headlines those were the options.

I do not mind a bit of punk every now and again; notwithstanding that I really do have to be the mood for it but even by that standard I found this album to be an absolute chore to listen to.  I get that it is supposed to be edgy and angsty but literally every song on here follows the same format and the boil, rinse and repeat methodology wears thin really quickly.  I found myself zoning out after 4 tracks as I literally could not tell if tracks had finished or not such was the level of repetition on display.

The album starts with someone shouting (literally roaring) out of the speakers and to be honest they may have been reacting to the playback of this frankly pointless release.  I hope 2001-2003 has better to offer than this as I look to plug this huge gap in my library with some quality releases.  Needless to say "Fuck The System" has not made the cut.

2/5

Municipal Waste - "Waste 'Em All" (2003)

In some ears, Municipal Waste's debut full-length may play as a dumb-as-shit fuck about record that lacks much in the way of thought.  For me it is a great representation of their political and social agitation that did not require any polish or predictable form.  Put simply the band just offload on this album.  They use a grind mentality to the delivery of the fifteen tracks here whilst deploying the requisite catchy chops and riffs to add variety.  With some tracks clocking in at under a minute (Death Prank is a mere eleven seconds) and the longest track being one minute and thirty seconds it is a blinding experience to behold and I have no problem with this.  Fifteen tracks in fifteen minutes seems like a perfect album for a thrash head like me and serves purpose as both a great "tea-break blast" record as well as a scathing social commentary at the same time.

Based on what I have heard to date of MW, I prefer this release to their beer-guzzling shenanigans on The Art of Partying.  Despite its length the debut seems to have a lot more to say and feels more important in developing an understanding of the roots of the band.  The album also picks up momentum nicely as it rolls along with the middle section being by far the strongest.  It does tend to fade away towards the end but not in a way that ruins the overall experience.  Whilst not the most mature sounding record on the face of it, Waste 'Em All does have depth to it if you care to delve into it and tracks like Drunk As Shit really are not representative of the whole in terms of the more sarcastic and dark undertones to the record.

Looks like my 2001-2003 quest just took an upward curve.

Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

I picked up a dubbed cassette copy of this very extremely underground vinyl release through one of my Aussie tape traders back in the day & remember quite liking it. I'm not usually the biggest fan of crossover thrash but something about this Melbourne band's debut album connects with me. Their sound nicely balances the punk & metal sounds with the vocals belonging more in the hardcore space & the thrashier songs like opener "Warcry" & album highlight "Victim of Misery" being my preferred inclusions. Perhaps I'm falling victim to nostalgia here but I'm actually inclined to sneak it into my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list.

3.5/5

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Suicidal Tendences – “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” (1988)

04. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

05. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

06. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

07. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justic For…” (1987)

08. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

09. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

10. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Here's my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list after discovering that Suicidal Tendencies' "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today" a) isn't really a crossover release & b) isn't nearly as good as I remembered it being during this weekend's revisit:

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

04. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

05. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

06. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justice For…” (1987)

07. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

08. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

09. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

10. Excel - "Split Image" (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Ratos de Porão - "Brasil" (1989)

As with most obsessive thrash metal fanatics at the time, I was completely oblivious to the existence of Brazilian legends Ratos de Porão until their countrymen Sepultura blew up with their classic 1989 third album “Beneath The Remains”. Max, Igor & co. were very proud of their homeland & subsequently highlighted to interviewers all of the fantastic metal talent they were surrounded by back home which resulted in me seeking out a few of the more underground bands they mentioned with Ratos de Porão being one of them. The São Paulo crossover kings had been a part of the local crust/hardcore punk scene for almost a decade by that stage so they’d already built somewhat of a legacy in their country by the time Sepultura began pushing their cause internationally but their 1989 “Brasil” fourth album would be my introduction to them in the very early 1990’s.

Their newly found fame saw Ratos de Porão following in Sepultura’s footsteps by graduating from the safety of local Brazilian label Cogumelo Records & joining them at Roadracer where “Beneath The Remains” had just reached stratospheric levels of popularity. Roadracer would engage a serious producer too in German Harris Johns whose resume already included a long string of classic metal records such as Helloween’s self-titled E.P. & “Walls of Jericho” debut album, Kreator’s “Pleasure to Kill”, Voivod’s “Killing Technology” & “Dimension Hatross” & Sodom’s “Agent Orange” so one would think that the Brazilians would have been freaking the fuck out & wondering what they’d done to deserve such luck. Roadracer even sent them over to Germany for the recording sessions which must have seemed so out of line with their experiences to the time. Johns did a great job at harnessing the raw energy of Ratos de Porão’s hardcore roots while also instilling their sound with an all-new clarity & professionalism.

Ratos de Porão’s 1987 “Cada dia mais sujo e agressivo” third album had seen them taking their first steps into thrash territory after 1984’s “Crucificados pelo sistema” & 1986’s “Descanse em paz” had apparently been predominantly hardcore based. I’ve not explored those early releases before but I do quite like “Cada dia mais sujo e agressivo” which presented the band’s intensity quite nicely. “Brasil” saw Ratos de Porão returning with the same four-piece lineup & laying down seventeen tracks of short, sharp metallic hardcore which doesn’t pretend to reinvent the wheel in any way, instead opting to engage the listeners limbs for the purpose of violent thrashing & open aggression. At just 29 minutes in duration, “Brasil” doesn’t overstay its welcome & serves its purpose very well indeed for those with a penchant for this sort of thing. It can get a little samey if you're not entirely onboard with the band's default sound though so you'll likely know very early on whether this record will appeal to you or not.

The tracklisting opens beautifully with two of its finest inclusions in “Amazonia Never More” (my personal favourite) & “Backwards” before settling into a consistently engaging yet slightly less impressive sound that often sees them toying with silly hardcore calling cards without allowing them to outstay their welcome. The back end of the record sees Ratos de Porão finishing in style with songs like “Military Machine” & closer “Will I Receive My Heritage” being of a similar quality to those first couple of tracks so you definitely come out of the record on somewhat of a high. Novelty track “Drink Til You Die” is the only genuine failure in my opinion as it simply sounds a bit dumb compared to the rest of the tracklisting. The musicianship is excellent throughout the album (particularly the solid drumming) & we even get a few well executed & exciting guitar solos which isn’t something I can say for all that many hardcore bands. The more up-tempo parts are clearly my comfort zone with the groovier hardcore moments offering me significantly less appeal but the occasional use of half-time Dave Lombardo-style ride cymbal work is always welcome. The fact that Ratos de Porão never stay in one place for all that long is a definite positive because even when they start to drift away from my taste profile they’ll inevitably start to head back within seconds.

Crossover thrash has never been a subgenre that sees me reaching the highest peaks of the extreme metal world so my scoring is generally capped around the four star region & “Brasil” does nothing to change that but is certainly one of the stronger examples of the style you’ll find. I particularly enjoy the gruff, masculine vocals of front man João Gordo which are undeniably Brazilian in nature & will no doubt remind many of a young Max Cavalera. Ratos de Porão would be consistent producer of this sort of record for the many decades since but “Brasil” may well be their finest work & fans of bands like The Exploited, D.R.I. & Soziedad Alkoholika should definitely give it a few spins.

3.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list which has seen Excel's "Split Image" dropping out:

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

04. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

05. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

06. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justice For…” (1987)

07. Ratos de Porão - "Brasil" (1989)

08. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

09. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

10. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Here's my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list which has seen Suicidal Tendencies' "Lights Camera Revolution" dropping out after this week's revisit:

01. Slaughter - "Surrender Or Die" demo (1985)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

04. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

05. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

06. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justice For…” (1987)

07. Ratos de Porão - "Brasil" (1989)

08. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

09. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

10. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)