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thrash metal

what it is

Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. [4] The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead guitar work. The genre emerged in the early 1980s as musicians began fusing the double bass drumming and complex guitar stylings of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) with the speed and aggression of hardcore punk and the technicality of progressive music.

✦ meet the girls making thrash metal →
women, non-binary artists, and bands with women, level by level

✦ start here: albums

Ride the Lightning by Metallica
Ride the Lightning
Metallica
open this album: apple music · spotify
Far Beyond Driven by Pantera
Far Beyond Driven
Pantera
open this album: apple music · spotify
Among the Living by Anthrax
Among the Living
Anthrax
open this album: apple music · spotify
Point Blank by Nailbomb
Point Blank
Nailbomb
open this album: apple music · spotify
Burn My Eyes by Machine Head
Burn My Eyes
Machine Head
open this album: apple music · spotify
The World Needs a Hero by Megadeth
The World Needs a Hero
Megadeth
open this album: apple music · spotify

✦ who's making it, level by level

level 3 · one step out

cult favorites and indie darlings

Sodom
416k listeners
Arcane
884k listeners
Bathory
457k listeners
Chimaira
557k listeners

level 4 · further

art pop, hyperpop, and the underground

Nailbomb
215k listeners
Power Trip
181k listeners
Heathen
123k listeners
Abandoned
48k listeners
The Crown
93k listeners
Black Breath
82k listeners
Ekhymosis
49k listeners
Helstar
56k listeners

level 5 · all the way

deep experimental

Metallica
5.3m listeners
Megadeth
2.4m listeners
Slayer
2.4m listeners
Pantera
2.7m listeners
Sepultura
1.4m listeners
Anthrax
1.3m listeners
Testament
1.1m listeners
Kreator
672k listeners
Exodus
587k listeners
Trivium
1.4m listeners
Machine Head
1.2m listeners
Annihilator
480k listeners

✦ make thrash metal a playlist

turn these 24 artists into something you can press play on.

each artist's most played song, easing from level 1 out to 5

✦ nearby genres

metalheavy metalthrashspeed metalgroove metalhardcoredeath metalmetalcorerockpower metal

questions

What is thrash metal?

Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. [4] The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead guitar work. The genre emerged in the early 1980s as musicians began fusing the double bass drumming and complex guitar stylings of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) with the speed and aggression of hardcore punk and the technicality of progressive music.

What are good thrash metal albums to start with?

Try Ride the Lightning by Metallica, Far Beyond Driven by Pantera, Among the Living by Anthrax, and Point Blank by Nailbomb.

Who are some women making thrash metal?

musicisforgirls.com/genres/thrash-metal/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making thrash metal, from mainstream to underground.

genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20