SATCHMO

I can definitely see them being at the bottom of anyone's list for the sake of there lackluster career. I actually think that Spreading the Disease was actually a great album as well, but to call them gimmicky is too much. Their crossover, heavily punk-influenced style definitely reflected their influences (they're the only band out of the four not from California, and their sound is definitely very reflective of the New York punk sound that preceded them). But what was their gimmick, the fact that they actually had a distinct sound and didn't wear out the same tired metal cliches that everyone else did? To call them the forerunners of nu-metal is a pretty heinous statement, although I can see where you arrived at that. I mean they did cover the Public Enemy songBring the Noise, but they also covered Joe Jackson's Got the Time. How Brilliant is that?

Anthrax was a band that wasn't afraid to wear their unconventional influences on their sleeves. I think a song about a comic book character trumps ten songs about death and every other evil, morbid cliche made available on a slayer album. I honestly believe that Scotty Ian was the greatest heavy metal guitar player, simply because he devoted himself to churning out riffs that were just amazing in their off kilter timing and pure 'beefiness'. They certainly defied the conventional 'chugging' that everyone else was doing at the time, and is still doing in a much more extreme manner.

To throw them at the bottom of the list is understandable.The other bands on the list definitely have had more consistent and higher quality output over the span of their careers, or in the case with Metallica the first half of their career, but to call them gimmicky and the forerunners of new metal. That's crazy.

Oh, and I think John Bush era Anthrax was terrible. I got a chance to see him with Armored Saint and it was one of the the best metal shows I've ever seen.

Guybrush

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Unknown Soldier

Spreading the disease was a good album but not an album to call essential thrash. They may have brought New York influences into their sound which made them kind of unique but the clothing, comic book heroes and a Joey Belladonna as a singer were all gimmicky: The first two display the groups personal tastes, whereas Belladonna who was a great vocalist certainly sounded like a fish out of water with Anthrax.

As for forerunners to the Nu-Metal movement, I think it holds as much credibility as saying Iggy and the Stooges were forerunners to the punk movement.

Superhast

I'm not into trash metal, but if I have to choose one I'd say Metallica.

fritter

ok maybe I should have said metal anthem instead of thrash metal anthem. "A Tout le Monde" isn't really thrash but it's still a metal anthem and not the kind of softer stuff Metallica does really well in "Nothing Else Matters" and parts of "One," "The Unforgiven," and "Fade to Black." Metallica has more versatility than the other bands because of this and I think that makes them better. However, Metallica are way bigger sell-outs than any of the other three bands, and the softer, more radio-friendly songs are a part of that.

But I'm pretty biased when it comes to judging these bands because I'm not actually into thrash metal. I went to the Big Four broadcast with a friend who was really into Megadeth and that was the only time I listened to thrash metal for more than 30 minutes at a time.

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Guybrush

^Well, Megadeth have a lot of slower and more listener friendly songs besides the "regular" thrash metal sonic attacks. Tout Le Monde was just an example, Foreclosure of a Dream could be another.



To think less of them because they don't slow down quite as much as Metallica seems more than a bit ridiculous to me. And, by the way, Metallica's ballads is not really my beef with them. Slower songs on Black album like The Unforgiven are brilliant imo. It's when they do stuff like St. Anger that I start to lose a little respect. Anyways, I think Megadeth's thrash metal songs are more interesting than Metallica's, but if that's not a part of the music that you listen to and appreciate with any of the big four, then your opinion may not have much relevance to anyone else partaking in this discussion.

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Unknown Soldier

Just because a band puts out softer stuff, it doesn`t make them more versatile and as said it just makes them more radio friendly and appeal to a wider audience. Hair metal acts got in on this idea before Metallica started doing it. Metallica were more versatile due to prog dabblings on "...And Justice For All" blues rock on "Load" and "Reload" and Nu-Metal on "St.Anger"

When Megadeth started getting more versatile they came out with songs like "Use the Man" from "Cryptic Writings" which featured a sampling of an old Searchers songs and it was just plain embarrasing. The "Risk" album as the name suggested, was probably the groups attempt at being really versatile and again the whole thing was a shambles.

Slayer no such nonsense, no compromise or very little, which is why I love them so much.

fritter

on a side note, isn't yelling "SLAAAYYYERRR!!" fun

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Some songs I made: Yo Mama Tom-Toms

Unknown Soldier

Especially when Tom Araya does it.

duga

If I were to rank these bands according to my personal preference for each band's music it would be:

Megadeth > Slayer > Metallica > Anthrax

If I was doing this based on who I think better defines what it means to be a thrash band it would be:

Slayer >> Megadeth > Anthrax > Metallica

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