I’m late to this because I needed to give a new listen to Megadeth’s debut
And just getting the usual complaining out of the way, Megadeth’s debut was summer ‘85. A full year and a half after Anthrqx’s and slayers debut and nearly 2 years after Metallica’s. If the world was right and fair, it would be a Big 5-6 with Exodus and Overkill right there. Adds another New York crew and also with exodus you get that whole Metallica/Megadeth/Exodus family tree nicely represented.
I think that's a fair critique! I'll also throw in the debuts from Destruction and Kreator as well which dropped in 1985 as well!
If Feel The Fire (April 85) by Overkill was here it would be number 4, behind exodus and slayer and Metallica but not as big a gap as between them and anthrax and Megadeth. But I haven’t heard Overkill’s debut in a while and only listened once and was impressed. Maybe my opinion would change or will change.
I think Feel The Fire is a really interesting listen. More than any of the other thrash debuts, you can really hear and feel the transition from that NWOBHM sound to Speed/Thrash. Lots of Priest/Maiden inspired riffs!
Last edited by Repo on 04/09/2023 02:39; edited 2 times in total
Show No Mercy and Kill 'Em All are both 4.5 / 5.0 records for me. The A Tier, right beneath S Tier ingenuity and perfection/near-perfection.
How do they stack up for me? Well, let's see how MY math puts it to the test...
- Both are 10 track records
- Both are quintessential in developing thrash and speed metal going forward
- One has more intensity than the other, but the other is equally as dynamic
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Kill 'Em All by my preferences has two perfect songs. Show No Mercy has one.
However, Show No Mercy has three *near perfect* songs. Kill 'Em All? One.
Looking at my comprehensive personal ranking of these songs head to head and they sit at these rankings...
#33. "The Antichrist" SLAYER
#51. "The Four Horsemen" METALLICA
#143. "Whiplash" METALLICA
If I also accommodate stat averages:
Show No Mercy NET RATING: 42.5
Kill 'Em All NET RATING: 42.0
By these [nonsensical] personal statlines, Slayer wins. But not by much.
I personally love both of these records. I think the Slayer record has production/mixing that is slightly more palatable to me + the songwriting is just better. Overkill's demos, Motorhead/Discharge, and Metallica obviously all influenced Slayer so I can understand if someone wants to dock them points (or grant Metallica points) due to innovation (or lack thereof), but personally that's not how I'll lean. The Antichrist is a better song than anything on Kill 'Em All and I'll probably fight anyone on that.
Originally Carsten Nielsen before creating the band Artillery was asked to be the drummer of Another band, This band was just coming off a wave of THREE Classic Albums and was just about to release what would be a Classic Album in it's own right.
The Name of this band?
BATHORY!
Another band to consider (Who is just off the mid 80's whose debut was in 1987 so I still kinda count it.)
Was probably one of the most important bands in Brazil, One of the zaniest thrash metal acts, and Probably one of the THREE Early progenitors of First Wave Black Metal.
And sadly the reason we have to stomach Sepultura. (Who jokes aside were not a bad band at their start.)
Ranking the best Thrash albums from 1985 is pretty much impossible!
Slayer, Exodus, Megadeth, Celtic Frost, Destruction, Kreator, Overkill, Anthrax, and Possessed all released CLASSICS. Then you have cult faves such as Agent Steel, S.O.D, Sacrilege, Onslaught, Watchtower & Whiplash. That's FIFTEEN right there! And I didn't even mention Canadian thrash gods Razor yet. Who released TWO!
At least half of those above were not just influential, but MONUMENTALLY influential on the the bands to follow.
And then there's Bathory. Should The Return... be included as well? 🧱
1985 for Thrash is kind of like 1977 for Punk. Endless treasures for crate digging. You could get "stuck" 😈 >just focusing on this one year.
S-Tier
=========================================
1. Slayer - Hell Awaits
2. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
A-Tier
=======================================
1. Exodus - Bonded By Blood
2. Megadeth - Killing Is My Business
3. Possessed - Seven Churches
C-Tier
====================================================
1. Overkill - Feel The Fire
D-Tier
=======================================
1. Anthrax - Spreading The Disease
E-Tier
==================================
1. Death Angel - We Have Arrived
2. Hirax - Raging Violence
note: this is grade DIS-inflation. I'd give Overkill's Feel The Fire an A any fucking day. No. This is all about separation. There are tiers, but in the scheme of things C-Tier in 1985 is a bloody A.
edit: I'd love to see how YOU would solve this puzzle!!! Rank YOUR Thrash Faves from 1985!!! 😈
Last edited by Repo on 05/01/2023 23:02; edited 3 times in total
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
I agree with you that 1985 is quite the year for thrash. That was the year it really started taking over. 1986 is the year it was mastered more broadly with arguably just as many solid albums as well as all the 10/10 masterpieces. 85/86/87 thrash scenes were nuts!
1991 was similar for Death Metal. The sheer number of groundbreaking and seminal DM albums that year is mind-boggling.
Anyway, as for my ranking of 1985 thrash albums, obviously i haven't yet gotten this far into my own chronological diary, but i've heard a good amount of thrash from '85 and I will include 1 EP where warranted. here's how i'd rank em (many of these i haven't heard in ages and only vaguely remember my gneral take or vibe i got from 'em)
Mighty 12! (* aserisk means I haven't heard in forever and really need to listen newly/not sure of my take)
1. Bonded By Blood by Exodus
2. Hell Awaits by Slayer
3. Behind the Realms of Madness by Sacrilege
4. Seven Churches by Possessed
5. To Mega Therion by Celtic Frost
6. In The Sign of Evil EP by Sodom
*7. Speak English or Die by S.O.D.
*8. Infernal Overkill by Destruction
*9. The Return... by Bathory
*10. Feel The Fire by Overkill
*11. Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good by Megadeth
*12. Spreading The Disease by Anthrax
-------
the ones that really get me interested - but that I have never heard are many. Namely:
Energetic Disassembly by Watchtower
Razor's 2 LPs
Surrender or Die EP by Slaughter
Fear of Tomorrow by Artillery
Carnivore by Carnivore
The Day of Wrath by Bulldozer
Power From Hell by Onslaught
Dealing With It! by D.R.I.
Endless Pain by Kreator
Metal Inquisition by Piledriver
We Have Arrived by Dark Angel
...I will get to these eventually. _________________ -Ryan
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Repo
mickilennial
Mercury
