Skip to content

Essential Thrash Metal Albums: 1985 – Now

From the pioneers to the present, this list of essential thrash albums features notable releases from Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, and Power Trip.

By Davey Ferchow

Metallica Master Of Puppets artwork

Since rising to prominence in the mid-1980s, thrash has become one of heavy metal’s most enduring subgenres. With complex guitar riffs and double bass drumming inspired by the new wave of British heavy metal and the lightning-fast ferocity of hardcore punk, thrash stood in contrast to the pop accessibility of glam metal, carving out an underground style that potently blended melody and aggression. 

Bands like Metallica redefined what mainstream metal could be, but long before becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world, they helped elevate thrash metal from a small scene of independent labels and DIY bands to an extreme subgenre celebrated around the globe. 

Explore this list of essential thrash metal records spanning everything from classic “Big Four” bands to modern acts keeping the thrash spirit alive.


Exodus

Bonded By Blood (1985)


Metallica

Master Of Puppets (1986)


Megadeth

Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986)


Slayer

Reign In Blood (1986)


Kreator

Pleasure To Kill (1986)


Sodom

Persecution Mania (1987)


Anthrax

Among The Living (1987)


Sepultura

Beneath The Remains (1989)


Municipal Waste

Hazardous Mutation (2005)


Power Trip

Nightmare Logic (2017)

You might also like

KEEP DIGGING

×