What are you listening to now? : The Pit Edition

Savage Grace - "Master Of Disguise" (1985)

Helloween - "Helloween" E.P. (1985)

Vektor - "Black Future" (2009)

Progressive thrash metal from Arizona, USA. It's very interesting although I can't say I've ever felt it deserving of the classic status that so many critics seem to label it. I'd describe it as a cross between the technical thrash metal of Coroner & Sadus & the progressive metal of Voivod with little bits of the more melodic Swedish black/death metal bands like Dissection or At The Gates tossed in here & there. I think you'd probably dig this more than I do Ben.

3.5/5

Exciter - "Long Live The Loud" (1985)

Agent Steel - "Skeptics Apocalypse" (1985)

Iron Angel - "Hellish Crossfire" (1985)

Thrashy German speed metal.

Helloween - "Walls Of Jericho" (1985)

German speed/power metal.

Coroner - "Mental Vortex" (1991)

Stunning progressive thrash metal. My favourite Coroner release.

4.5/5

Demolatra - "Mayo 54" (2018)

Honduran Neothrash (Thrash-Metal revival), spanish lyrics.

4.0/5

Coroner - "Mental Vortex" (1991)

Stunning progressive thrash metal. My favourite Coroner release.

4.5/5

Great album!!!!

Exodus - "Another Lesson In Violence" (1997)

A classic thrash metal live album featuring the return of original front man Paul Baloff & drummer Tom Hunting.

4.5/5

Metallica - "Through The Never" (2013)

A very decent double live album that makes up for James' weaker post-Black album vocal performance with a particularly strong tracklisting full of classic material.

4/5

Overkill - "Feel The Fire" (1985)

The debut album from these New Jersey thrash metal heavy-weights.

Celtic Frost - "Tragic Serenades" E.P. (1986)

4/5

Kreator - "Flag Of Hate" E.P. (1986)

One of the biggest records of my teenage years. A true classic of the Teutonic thrash metal movement.

4.5/5

Holy Moses - "Queen Of Siam" (1986)

The debut album from these female-fronted German thrashers. Well in truth this record is more of a hybrid of Acid style speed metal & Iron Maiden style heavy metal than it is thrash. The vocals are pretty terrible but there are a few tracks that float my boat.

3/5 

Coroner - No More Colour

At War - "Ordered To Kill" (1986)

Raw speed metal-infused thrash which brings to mind Slayer, Sodom, Razor & a little bit of Motorhead. Not bad at all.

3.5/5

Necronomicon - "Necronomicon" (1986)

German thrash metal ala Destruction & Sodom with a bit of a hardcore punk streak down the middle. Very average musicianship but a nice raw production & a dark atmosphere manage to overcome the obvious flaws i.e. the God-awful guitar solos, sloppy drumming & lack of structure in the song-writing.

3.5/5

Bulldozer - "The Final Separation" (1986)

I didn't think much of these Italian thrashers 1985 debut album "The Day Of Wrath" & I struggle with this one for largely the same reasons although I favour it just slightly.

3/5

Dorsal Atlântica - "Antes do fim" (1986)

Raw & intense underground thrash metal from Brazil in the vein of Slayer, Dark Angel & Violence with a little crossover stuff similar to early Slaughter. Makes up for some poor musicianship & production with unbridled enthusiasm & energy. I really dig it.

4/5

Hirax - "Hate, Fear & Power" (1986)

The raw & intense second album from these Californian thrash metallers & it was a huge step up from their "Raging Violence" debut of the previous year. Eight tracks over just sixteen minutes with a strong thrashcore element that even includes the use of blast beats. This is a massively underrated release that should appeal to fans of Anthrax, Vio-lence & Steve Souza-era Exodus.

4/5

Voivod - "Rrröööaaarrr" (1986)

Thrashy Canadian speed metal that should appeal to fans of Exciter, Venom & Motorhead. I think it's an underrated release even though I definitely prefer Voivod's "debut album "War & Pain & their "To The Death" demo tape over this one. The filthy production is the main problem but there can be no denying the quality of the song-writing & musicianship you'll find if you polish off the dirt a bit.

3.5/5

Sodom - "Obsessed By Cruelty" (1986)

I have to admit that I've never quite understood the appeal of Sodom's early works. I've always been down with the more evil, bestial form of European thrash metal but I'm afraid the inadequacies in the performances, composition & production are all just a little too much for me to overcome with this record.

3/5