THRASH METAL – Back to the old school

I'm having a bit of trouble coming to terms with this whole new thrash movement. Y'see, when the first thrash movement had taken the metal world by storm, I was coming up to be the same age as many fans of the new wave of thrash are now. I guess what I'm saying is, you're making me feel old, you young gits. Mind you, I'm only 30. I missed out on enjoying the first wave of thrash as, by the time I was old enough to really get into it, the world had become obsessed with grunge and metal was very difficult to come by. It never died, it just vanished into the underground until the tides turned once again, which they obviously have done now.

Hacks (including myself) have always said that fashions in music are cyclic (Christ, does that mean in 20 years there'll be today's emo/scene kids complaining that their kids are getting the posing wrong? Yikes), and thus we have been vindicated with the whole 80s retro movement that has been boring the arse off of many people for a while now. Pretty much the only bit of this movement has been the resurgence in interest in old school thrash metal. While the denim and patches may be new facsimiles of the originals, the enthusiasm is the same as it ever was.

Here was a movement that eschewed image in favour of riffs and an atmosphere of excitement, and while many thrash bands just wanted to party, there were even more that had a genuine message, be it social, political or otherwise. It was a movement in which musicians were pushed to the limits of their skills, or conversely, just having as much fun as possible through making a GREAT BIG NOISE. Thrash was exciting. That's the thing. It was EXCITING. Remembering classic albums by Forbidden, Kreator, Exodus, Onslaught, Over Kill, Testament and all the others fills many metalheads with nostalgia, while those same albums are inspiring a brand new generation of synchronised headbangers to come up with the ultimate pit anthems.

Thanks to bands like Municipal Waste, Evile, Gama Bomb and their peers the excitement is back, the spirit of those early years is back and they are also pointing new fans at the classic masters of the genre.

Welcome back, Thrash Metal. Right, nostaligia done with. 1,2,3,4...

Incidentally, if you'e into new thrsh, check out some of the bands that started it all: ANTHRAX, SODOM, KREATOR, VIOLENCE, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN, CORONER, DESTRUCTION, TESTAMENT, OVER KILL, ARMOURED SAINT, MERCYFUL FATE, DARK ANGEL, DEATH ANGEL, SEPULTURA, POSSESSED, SACRED REICH, EXCITER, SLAYER, MEGADETH, HEATHEN, ANNIHILATOR, SWORD, ONSLAUGHT...