Best album by the BIG FOUR of THRASH

I guess it'll be Puppets, but I think I'll have to choose between Justice, Rust in Peace and Reign in Blood to be right honest. Could have easily gone for Decade of Aggression if I'd allowed it.

had to go Reign in Blood. Curious how many (if any) votes Anthrax will pull.

14-year-old me really, really wants to vote for Peace Sells....
16-year-old me swears it's ...And Justice For All.
Adult me is leaning toward Reign In Blood but wants to give Persistence Of Time another listen before voting.

Persistence is the Anthrax record I'd vote for if any and I have a soft spot for Among the Living but...

Imagine how much better Persistence would be if all the six- to seven-minute songs weren't stacked up 1-2-3-4 at the beginning. (Or if they were cut down to four or five minutes each.)

Bump.

Current thinking: Justice, Rust in Peace or Seasons in the Abyss.

Imagine how much better Persistence would be if all the six- to seven-minute songs weren't stacked up 1-2-3-4 at the beginning. (Or if they were cut down to four or five minutes each.)

― but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, September 23, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

That’s what I like best about it! The majority of the album is an unrelenting endurance test. That 1-2-3 track run is basically them saying they are not fucking around on this one.

By coincidence I’ve revisited nearly all of these albums over the last few months, which I haven’t done since I was a teenager. So, my two cents on all four:

Anthrax - Persistence of Time still totally rules. Among the Living pretty great too but has some corny moments. Don’t much care for the earliest stuff and I just can’t connect with the Bush-era.

Megadeth - Of all these bands these guys probably aged the worst, to me. Mustaine’s creepy spoken/snarled vocals are usually just too dumb, like a metalhead Vincent Price. Certain songs are classic but even Rust in Peace (which I adored at the time) is marred by Mustaine’s persona. Even if Holy Wars rips. Half of Countdown is OK and it’s all trash after that.

Metallica - I was such a fan in the 80s until I felt so betrayed by the Black album that I binned all of them. After going back to the 80s albums for the first time in 30 years, I was a little surprised that Kill Em All held up well while Ride the Lightning didn’t. And Master of Puppets is still a pretty undeniable monster. Justice is great/interesting. I still couldn’t bring myself to listen to anything after that.

Slayer - The most consistently awesome of the bunch. Reign in Blood deserves its reputation and the whole run from Hell Awaits to Seasons is pretty astounding. I stopped listening to metal after Seasons so never heard their later stuff, and ignored all critical assessments, until the last few weeks. I still haven’t gotten to second Lombardo era but so far all these albums remain pretty great. Not nearly the falloff that the other three groups had. Maybe Diabolus in Musica not quite as good but still worthwhile.

Anyway all that said, for me it comes down to Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets and Persistence of Time. I might throw my vote to Anthrax just because it doesn’t deserve to get shut out.

voted “rust in peace”. it was that or “countdown to extinction”

voted “rust in peace”. it was that or “countdown to extinction”

oops

anthrax might get some votes and they definitely had their moments, but imo they stack up against the other three about as well as pantera does

sorry for boring but… MoP

A corresponding poll for the BIG FOUR of GERMAN THRASH would be interesting

He'll fucking Awaits

Hell

It was thrash, it was proto death, it was evil, and it was 1984.

RTL second

Reign is great but I've played it too much

Rust In Peace for me

Lulu

Instinct told me to go with Kill Em All

Went with ...And Justice For All.

A corresponding poll for the BIG FOUR of GERMAN THRASH would be interesting

This wouldn't get more than a half dozen responses, sadly. But bringing it up allows me to tell you that you really shouldn't be sleeping on 21st century Kreator and Destruction. They've both delivered some really, really strong albums in the last few years.

Big four of German Thrash would have a looooooot of vote splitting, which actually could be kind of interesting.

You could poll 50 Kreator fans and get 10 different albums with massive vote counts for best album, for instance.

the boring ones will just say Pleasure to Kill. I think Extreme Aggression is mine.

Sodom otoh I figure you'll get some who vote Agent Orange, some Execution Mania, some who vote the old EPs, and everything else gets a single vote at most.

Yeah, see, I wouldn't automatically vote for something from the 80s for Kreator — I might really vote for Phantom Antichrist or Gods of Violence.

I also had to vote for AJFA, the music of my heart.

Reign over Ride.

Reign In Blood

Anthrax: Persistence of Time
Metallica: ...And Justice For All
Megadeth: Rust in Peace
Slayer: Sorry, I really don't like Slayer

Sorry Ma, I Forgot to Take Out the Thrash

had to go MoP, but it got hard competition from Reign, Rust, and the other early Metallica albums

i wish i had a hipper pick than master of puppets but i don't

Reign is the most important Slayer (if not thrash album), but South of Heaven is what I always reach for when in a Slayer mood. Still... I voted for Master of Puppets. I guess I'd go Master of Puppets, South of Heaven, Persistence of Time and Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

Justice is their least best 80s album imo

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

A corresponding poll for the BIG FOUR of GERMAN THRASH would be interesting

― brimstead

kreator, destruction, tankard, and sodom? interesting. the only album out of those four bands i've heard is... uh... _obsessed by cruelty_, which isn't exactly their most acclaimed work. no, wait, i think i've heard _cracked brain_. i've also heard angel dust and poison's _into the abyss_, though...

voted Lightning. actual answer is probably Puppets. Reign and Rust are both in contention.

I could go to the island with Justice, Rust, and Seasons in the Abyss.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Metallica - 22 votes

Slayer - 20 votes

Megadeth - 8 votes

Anthrax - 2 votes

Anthrax have always been a number 2.

Forgot to vote in my own damn poll. I'd have gone Justice in the end I think so add another vote for Metallica. Interesting vs not surprising that the Black album got nothing, while Lulu got 2 votes.

St Anger wuz robbed!!!

this has to be one of the most aesthetically unappealing genres of music ever I just don't get it

no love for thrash metal but excited to see how this plays out

it played out with Reign in Blood in a clear first place with 14 votes.

Partly agreed, I've always avoided thrash as cringy and in bad taste. I guess Slayer should appeal to me most by being the nearest to early death metal, and I really dig the guitar work and songwriting. I will eventually get used to Tom Araya's raspy voice, and I just need to focus on the songs that aren't too punkish. Metallica is tolerable at best, I'm fine with a history of metal without them (and Megadeth, can't remember what Anthrax sounds like). I should relisten to Overkill and Testament though.

I reeaaaly loved Sound of White Noise aged 15, listened to it all the time. So much so that I'd be a bit nervous to revisit. Never got too deep into any other Anthrax.

thrash metal is awesome, nerds

also i’m with chap on sound of white noise lol

i meant to vote for peace sells :(

i meant to vote for peace sells :(

I don't know why but I'm surprised you weren't one of the two votes for Lulu.

i would vote for lulu under normal circumstances but this is a poll about thrash metal

If Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax don't do it for you, Testament and Overkill are not going to be a revelation.

thrash metal is awesome, nerds

Yeah this.

this has to be one of the most aesthetically unappealing genres of music ever I just don't get it

― your original display name is still visible (Left), Friday, October 7, 2022 6:26 AM bookmarkflaglink

great contribution

aesthetically, the sound of distorted power chords is beautiful