Thrash Metal Instrumentals
Just listening to Overkill's 1991 album Horrorscope and was intrigued by the cover of Edgar Winter's Frankenstein and just how well it lends itself to a thrash metal re-interpretation. Anyway, I got to thinking how much I really enjoy a number of thrash instrumentals: Metallica's Call of Ktulu and Orion for example, but also Death Angel's The Ultraviolence from the album of the same name and Blood Tsunami's Horsehead Nebula from One Step Closer to the Grave. Unfortunately I'm having trouble bringing more to mind (one of the curses of aging) so can any of you suggest any I may have forgotten or any I may not have heard yet?
Maybe I'll knock up a playlist on Spotify and post it here if I get enough suggestions.
Here's one from the most recent thrash-related release I've been revisiting this week. I'd suggest that this particular track is more like traditional heavy metal than thrash though to be fair. In fact it sounds a hell of a lot like Rush at times.
Can definitely hear what you mean about the Rush sound - that bass is just so Geddy Lee! As a massive (early) Rush fan, I gotta say I like it. I've not listened to Carnivore prior to this, so I'll check out their albums as part of my current endeavour to fill in any holes in my 80s/90s thrash experience!
Probably more speed metal than thrash & has a significant Iron Maiden presence too but hey... it's Anthrax so I don't think anyone will complain too much.
Definitely a classic example.
Here's a complete list of instrumentals from tech-death/thrashers Revocation (including their time as Cryptic Warning) for you to consider which ONE or a FEW to include in your possible Spotify playlist:
1. Thrashterpiece Theatre
2. Man in the Dark
3. Alliance and Tyranny
4. Stillness
5. Enter the Hall
6. Across Forests and Fjords
7. Fractal Entity
8. Spastic
9. Apex
10. The Exaltation
11. Ex Nihilo
Many of these instrumentals are thrashy to fit in with the other instrumentals here! Not only that, if I can make my own Spotify playlist, I might include this list as an unofficial compilation of all Revocation instrumentals, or I can write my own lyrics based on them to test my lyric-writing skills (evident in this project: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/509). But since this is your playlist, Sonny, please feel free to choose just ONE or a FEW from my list. Enjoy!
Definitely a classic example.
Absolutely - I can't believe I forgot that one!
A bit more neoclassical/speed metal leaning than pure thrash, but still brilliant
This one's very solid indeed & is regarded as one of most popular inclusions on Sepultura's 1987 album "Schizophrenia".
Thanks for the suggestions, I really should get to work on this soon!!!
This one's more Black Sabbath inspired than it is thrashy.
It's a cover of an Edgar Winter track from 1973, so not really thrash metal at all. Still a good track, though.
These two come from a crossover thrash album but aren't thrash tracks specifically:
This one's my favourite track from the "Force Fed" album which is perhaps an indication of how much I struggle with Tommy Victor's vocal performance. The band's New York hardcore roots are particularly obvious here.
This one's a little sludgier & isn't as effective.