Thrash Metal

Take a look at these song titles for a second . . . "Metal Militia", "Slaves of Pain", "Shellshock". They embody the balls-to-the-wall bent of thrash metal, the worldwide underground movement of extreme rock that broke new ground during the '80s and early '90s. While thrash acts took some creative cues from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal they mostly existed on another plane entirely — one marked by palm-muted guitar leads (Megadeth's "Wake Up Dead"), inhuman rhythms ("Bodily Dismemberment"), and labyrinthine song passages ("Thrown to the Wolves"). Get to know your Megadeth, and brace yourself for an ale injection from Tankard, in Next Steps.

You probably know the band names — especially the Ms and Ss of metal: Metallica and Megadeth, Slayer and Sepultura — but do you know the defining songs of thrash metal's most popular acts? As in the fan favourites that came before everyone's mainstream moment, like the dizzying mid-tempo melodies of Megadeth's "Hangar 18". When it comes to niche outfits, don't forget to raise a flagon to Germany's Tankard, who willingly sold their souls to Gambrinus, patron saint of beer, and gave us bier-keller stormers like "Die With a Beer in Your Hand" from 2004's Beasts of Bourbon. The roots of thrash extend to English soil, in Deep Cuts.

Many fans thought Jason Newsted was crazy for quitting Metallica in 2001. The bassist knew exactly what he was doing, however — coming full circle in his career by joining Voivod, a childhood favourite that (unlike the modern rock-leaning Metallica) was still playing venom-infused thrash metal. In other words, Newsted still wanted to play songs with real speed, like "Warriors of Ice". Here, you'll also find throwback killers by the likes of Sodom (the Slayer-calibre "I Am the War"), and for a keen blast of English proto-thrash, cue up the total metal of Atomkraft ("Rich Bitch").

The thrash metal scene was off to the races from the moment Metallica released its frantic debut, Kill 'Em All. A heavy metal classic of the highest order, it was also Dave Mustaine's indirect inspiration for forming Megadeth, thrash metal's other major act outside of Slayer. (Metallica booted Mustaine just before recording their breakthrough, which prompted him to announce he'd form a band that was "bigger than Metallica"). Outside of all that Metallica/Mustaine drama, thrash metal was a worldwide phenomenon, united by the pursuit of all things heavy, hard and fast, from the Bay Area (Metallica, Exodus, Testament) to Germany, where the "Teutonic thrash" of bands like Kreator and Sodom was upping the brutality factor and inadvertently inventing death metal.