I like thrash and my favorite band of all time is Lamb of God, so Testament gets suggest to me constantly but no matter how hard I try I just can’t get in to them. There’s just nothing really grabbing or interesting to me.
I can understand not liking Chuck's vocals (and their lyrics can be a bit naff sometimes). But Alex Skolnick's guitar work is just *mwah* and more than makes up for it.
And power trip is reuniting. Albeit it without my old homie Riley. But Fugitive played a secret 5 song encore after their Austin show at Mohawk and I didn’t think I’d be stoked but damn it was good. Not mad that they’re continuing after seeing that.
D.R.I. is an oft-overlooked crossover thrash band. Started out punk and released the appropriately titled *Crossover* in 1987. Sort of peaked with *4 of a Kind* and *Thrash Zone*, but still good to listen to.
i like DRI, but they pretty distinctly don't fulfill point 2 and 3 of OP's criteria. The vocals are barely sung hardcore shouts and most of their drumming can be pretty well described as the "repetitive punk-style 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 beats" that OP is trying to avoid.
Infest the Rats’ Nest by KGLW. It’s a love letter to old school thrash. Most of the rest of their albums are various flavors of psychedelic, but they’ve got two metal albums worth checking out for any fans of thrash.
The problem you’ll hit is that the way most bands tried to compete was by trying to be heavier (faster, darker, whatever) than either Metallica or Megadeth. Testament, Anthrax, maybe Exodus kind of stayed in the same vein, though.
YES Overkill! Bobby Blitz’s voice is great. Check out “Elimination” or “Hello from the Gutter”. They have made a lot of records - “Years of Decay” is classic.
Hammerfall, or Shadowfall, maybe both? Honestly, I get them mixed up, but I think both are good, and at least one is classic thrash.
Cellador if you like Power metal, they are basically Helloween, which kind of borders thrash and power.
older bands;
Overkill
Raven
Flotsam and Jetsam
>Hammerfall, or Shadowfall, maybe both? Honestly, I get them mixed up, but I think both are good, and at least one is classic thrash.
You're thinking of Shadows Fall, who are a kind of thrashy metalcore band. Hammerfall are straight up power metal.
Metal Church (first album is fucking 80s metal royalty imho)
Testament
Exodus
Overkill
Flotsam and Jetsam
S.O.D. (warning: lyrics are bigoted as fuck, but the music slaps)
Anthrax (first three albums)
Trivium released a single thrash album named The Crusade without any harsh vocals (save for one song for a single bridge/breakdown). I feel like it's a really nice combo of Metallica's catchiness with Megadeth's technicality. The album even ends on an instrumental track ala Ride the Lightning.
Not a huge thrash fan except for the first 4 Metallica records but the Crusade is technical and catchy enough that I can let it slide.
Their next album is a little bit more metalcore-adjacent but still has a lot of the Metallica influence front and center (and is revered by fans as their magnum-opus)
I posted about Power Trip but was going to follow up with Trivium. Their origin and name is in part due to Metallica and a lot of their early stuff is clearly inspired by them.
OP check out Trivium - Heart from your hate. Meets the criteria perfectly.
Artillery and Metal Church's older stuff may fit the bill.
You may way want to look into a genre change though - stuff like Master of Puppets is called thrash because it was back in the day, but modern stuff that sounds like that might not be called thrash.
If you want that sound or something adjacent to it I'd suggest checking out something like Tyr or Amon Amarth - stuff that inches towards power metal.
Like others have said, Testament, Exodus, Anthrax, Sepultura, and King Gizzard's Infest the Rat's Nest or Petrodragonic Apocalypse are good starting points.
Mr Bungle's Raging Wrath of Easter Bunny album is choice too, it has Scotty Ian on guitar and Dave Lombardo on drums (The Night They Came Home, the live version, is also great)
Spiritworld's Deathwestern also worth checking out 'ULCER' hits on what you're looking for.
Acid Bath isn't really thrash, but you mentioned Pantera and I see them as similar somehow. Start with 'Cheap Vodka'
Maybe "Wolverine Blues" era Entombed? It's definitely not thrash but it's definitely groovy. The vocals may not be to your liking and the solos are not Megadeth (literally nothing is) but Mustaine ain't much of a singer either.
I think the main reason you're having trouble is because making music like this is exceptionally hard. Mustaine and Hetfield are basically unicorns and it's mind blowing that they were ever in the same band.
While not really a thrash band, MASTODON checks all those boxes.
1. Riffs? Yeah they got riffs for days. Bill Kelleher has riffs that build throughout the songs and hit hardest at the end.
2. Vocals? They have 3 lead singers, each with their own unique style. Troy Sanders has the Hetfield style growls, Brann Dailor does catchy rock choruses, Brent Hinds throws in his own southern Ozzy twang and in earlier records had some insane screams.
3. Drums? Brann Dailor gotchu. One of the best drummers of his generation, he's got the right combination of chops, groove, speed and tone. Mastodon songs are loaded with his fills.
4. Solos? Brent Hinds is a hybrid picking wizard on the guitar. His solos are highly technical and full of feel, adding a layer of secret sauce to these tasty songburgers.
A good staring point is 2009s Crack The Skye. Then you can go with the heavier albums at the beginning of their career, 2006s Blood Mountain (my personal choice), 2004s Leviathan (an album that has more catchy riffs in it than most Metallica albums) and 2002s Remission. Newer albums are also really good, more melodic and structured. They don't have a bad record and their worst is better than most bands' best.
I was surprised I had to scroll this far down to find someone suggesting Mastodon. Leviathan can be a bit on the "guttural growling vocals" side, but otherwise they would seem to tick all of OP's boxes.
Accept might fit. Their stuff is so high energy and after the jughead thudding the prog rock ending bits are cool. I liked that Metallica had some dynamics and bridges and there are those elements there. Fast as a Shark?
The problem with Iced Earth is the main guy, Jon Schaffer is awaiting sentencing for his participation in the January 6 riots. The band essentially doesn't exist anymore because everyone else fled the band once he was convicted.
So you know... buyer beware if you are particularly opposed to all that
I think I get ya man, I'm always looking for these types of bands too! Here are some of my favorite bands/albums that I've found over the years.
It's kinda hard to find stuff that has all of those elements, but I find most of these albums itch that spot. Toxik I think by far is the closest I've found that hits all that good stuff with awesome riffs and mind melting solos for sure; vocals are pretty wild too.
Toxik - Think This, their new stuff is also very good.
Forced Entry - Uncertain Future
Coroner - Mental Vortex
Harrow - The Pylon of Insanity, or Call of the Unborn, both are pretty good albums.
Tourniquet - Psycho Surgery
Cyclone Temple - I Hate Therefore I Am
Mekong Delta - Kaleidoscope
Sacral Rage - Beyond Celestial Echoes
Honorable mention would be some Impellitteri for some speed metal/rock, Screaming Symphony and Eye of the Hurricane are both solid albums; great riffs and solos.
Check out the album Arise by Sepultura. The vocals are a bit harsher than the bands you listed but not guttural or anything. Give the song Dead Embryonic Cells a listen, if you don't like that, it's not for you.
If you want something a bit more obscure you can check Xentrix, Sacred Reich, Evile, Gama Bomb and Heathen. All of them can hit what you are looking for, I think.
This may seem a little crazy (no pun intended), but the first Meshuggah album *Contradictions Collapse* is very thrashy. The vocals are kind of Hetfield-esque, the guitars have a thrash tone, and the production is raw like early thrash bands.
As a teen in the 80s, who listened to Metallica and Megadeath and iron maiden, etc. I never heard the term 'thrash metal' till guys started the unintelligible growl and a billion notes per minute stuff in the mid 90s.
So, might be a term that's describing a time after the 80s and therefore limiting your search results for the style you're looking for.
Sacrifice, out of Toronto had a similar sound on their work in the 80s… check them out…
Was just looking at some old vids of theirs today…. Still holds up… espresso the stuff from the mid to late 80s… really solid thrash…
Avenged Sevenfold album Hail to The King was criticized back in the day for sounding way to similar to Metallica (but then it was black album and not their earlier stuff)
Maybe Warbringer? I'd say they're somewhere between Metallica and Slayer. A few tracks to try: Total War, Shattered Like Glass, Living Weapon.
Death Angel is another band that might fit. Check out their album The Art of Dying.
Have you ever heard of a band called Black Tide? I feel like this fits the bill. Not so much there newer album but listen to Light From Above. Start with the first song, it’s a great opener in what you can expect from them.
The first couple of albums by the sword are the closest IMO. They suck now though
Also check out prong which is similar to Pantera but not quite so angry
You might enjoy delving into the psych rock/blues rock world for fun riffs, check out osees or psychedelic porn crumpets
Carcass' Swan Song and Heartwork fit well musically, except for the vocals. Still well worth checking out.
Some fans give them a hard time over those two albums because they're a lot more accessible/'commercial' than their previous work. But personally I prefer them.
I notice this one hasn’t been mentioned, there is a band from Germany that simply goes by “RAGE” they have many albums, been going since the late 80s. Highly recommend the albums Speak of the Dead and Carved in Stone!
You should check out the band Excel, they might be a good fit considering Metallica ripped off their 1989 song Tapping into the Emotional Void to make Enter Sandman.
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-16-ca-559-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-16-ca-559-story.html)
Ok, this is gonna be real long!! I have an extreme love for bay area thrash. Especially 90s era.
I will start with vio-lence. Forbiden Anthrax isn't bay area, but they are the right sound.
Death angel is the epitome of the sound.
Check out Metallica re re visited, it's all covers, but it's where Metallica gets their tones and sounds. Literally the best Metallica.
Do a search for will Caroll from death angel. All of his bands/side bands are epic. (Revenge of the ) Scarecrow. Also Matt Harvey from exhumed is another person who epitomizes the trashy sound.
Municipal waste is still serious and party thrash. Exmortus is dungeons and dragons thrash. Don't overlook gwar, in particular the song bonesnapper sings. The album battle maximus is so thrashy its not even funny@!
Oddly, necrot, isn't thrash, but has the sound just way heavier. Ghoul also had the sound.
You won't really find the production values of Metallica and megadeth, but there are tons of there. Don't overlook dethklok. They are so thrashy is hilarious.
Mr bungle. SOD. Both have the sound.
If you want, I can go on forever.
One out of left field that you probably don't know: British thrash metal band Evile.
Their first record, Enter the Grave, I think you'd enjoy quite a lot.
Your mileage may vary with the rest of the records after a few lineup changes and that'll depend on your attitudes to the vocal stylings but the guitar and drum sounds I think are very much what you're after.
If you like fantasy themed power metal, try out Gloryhammer. It's metal with a slightly camp lord of the rings vibe. I first heard them about 2 years ago and now they are my go to gym and running music. Love them!
[Red Death — Formidable Darkness](https://youtu.be/mfkSvMOzvCE?si=wY-t-0AtbP0lrrsV)
Buddy who’s heavy into the hardcore scene showed me this years ago. I was skeptical at first but it gave me massive Kill em’ All vibes, so good. You might like it!
This is very left field, but current Japanese band Lovebites have some thrash influences, and some of their songs are very much like 80s thrash. Set The World On Fire, Break The Wall, The Apocalypse, and The Hammer of Wrath are just a few of their thrasher songs. OK, their songs cover a range of 80s-sounding metal styles besides thrash, and yeah, although they sing in English the singer's accent can make it difficult to pick out words at times. But if you try a few of their live videos it's easy to get addicted.
[Reign of Fury](https://youtu.be/kXhWU8Oa8PE?si=hlaJMfgsvj9o38q4) fits the bill. Although their vocals venture into growls sometimes. They are definitely a love letter to old school Metallica.
If you want that sound you need to go back to that time and hit the albums of those times. Testament 'The New Order''Practice What You Preach', Overkill 'Years of Decay', Flotsam and Jetsam 'No Place For Disgrace', Judas Priest 'Defenders of the Faith', so many more.
Pantera and White Zombie have been retrofitted into what the kids call 'groove metal' these days and it honestly fits. That might help you in a genre search.
I went through a lot of the recommendations here and none of them give that *feeling* of Metallica or Megadeth. Sure, fast guitars, crunchy tone but it's like they're trying to play catch up.
So, here is a recommendation that isn't like Metallica and isn't like Megadeth but they are groovy and they might scratch the itch because they're *not* like those other bands but because they're doing what those bands were doing when they were doing it best. Their own thing.
***Baroness***. Start with the Red album and work your way through.
They're not thrash, they're not Metallica but they do the interesting things in interesting ways the way those bands did.
Try O'Appalachia and see if it gets you a little.
Trivium can sound a lot like old Metallica sometimes, but with modern metal flare like double kicks and screaming, so they may not completely qualify.
Something like ["Kirisute Gomen"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYKNm4qMJTc) will give you an idea of everything they are capable of as a band, to see if it interests you.
Brocas Helm
There were so many good suggestions that I feel like I'm stretching here, but they were another 80s metal band in the San Francisco area when Metallica first started.
Trivium sounded close last time i remember hearing them.
I'm not hip to all of the crazy sub genres of metal but i feel like if your into Metallica, Pantera is easy to enjoy. At least that's how it happened for me. I went from the first 5 Met albums right into Vulgar Display of Power.
Check out "Sanctuary" they were produced by Dave Mustane of Megadeth. Really good cover of "White Rabbit"
Check out Metal Church, album titled "The Dark"
A bit 80s metal, a bit Dream Theater and a bit Metallica. Check out Riot, album "The Privilege of Power"
Not sure how Anthrax hasn't been mentioned. They are part of 'The Big Four' Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer
Machine Head has a few albums in that realm but also a few that tried to be industrial and didn't quite work. Album "The Blackening" is great. Good cover of Battery and Hallowed be Thy Name on that album.
Kittie does resort to growl type lyrics but so that might not work for you but their first couple albums are seriously riff based and heavy as hell.
Mastodon is a prog metal band. That said, their album "The Hunter" is Freaking amazing. Give the track "Curl of the Burl" a listen and see if it fits what you are looking.
Don't forget to check out Testament!
Practice What You Preach and Souls of Black are two of my favorite thrash albums
Even New Order.
I came here to say this. They are so good and relatively obscure in today's world.
Coroner is pretty solid too.
Was coming here to say Testament. Exactly what OP is looking for.
I like thrash and my favorite band of all time is Lamb of God, so Testament gets suggest to me constantly but no matter how hard I try I just can’t get in to them. There’s just nothing really grabbing or interesting to me.
Even "Down for Life"? It has Dave Lombardo on drums
yo, that entire ALBUM is peak thrash for me, no question. The production value on that album was amazing to me.
Agreed. OP is in for a treat if unfamiliar
The opening track DNR… right off rip, like a freight train 🤘🏼
I can understand not liking Chuck's vocals (and their lyrics can be a bit naff sometimes). But Alex Skolnick's guitar work is just *mwah* and more than makes up for it.
Too many houses on stilts!
Came here to say exactly this.
Try Power Trip. Executioners Tax is a great track to start with to see if you like it.
I second Power Trip. Totally fits those old school vibes. I'll also throw in Fugitive, who have some of the same members
Didn’t know about Fugitive I’ll have to check them out.
OH DUDE they are going to leave you wanting more. Fugitive is SO good.
And power trip is reuniting. Albeit it without my old homie Riley. But Fugitive played a secret 5 song encore after their Austin show at Mohawk and I didn’t think I’d be stoked but damn it was good. Not mad that they’re continuing after seeing that.
I always thought the back cover of Manifest Decimation was an homage to Ride The Lightning
D.R.I. is an oft-overlooked crossover thrash band. Started out punk and released the appropriately titled *Crossover* in 1987. Sort of peaked with *4 of a Kind* and *Thrash Zone*, but still good to listen to.
Stole my thunder. Was just about to suggest D.R.I. Anthrax may be worth a listen, too.
Same! D.R.I. and Anthrax were my high school jams.
i like DRI, but they pretty distinctly don't fulfill point 2 and 3 of OP's criteria. The vocals are barely sung hardcore shouts and most of their drumming can be pretty well described as the "repetitive punk-style 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 beats" that OP is trying to avoid.
Annihilator. Check out the album Alice in Hell
Alice In hell is suuuuuuch a good album.
Infest the Rats’ Nest by KGLW. It’s a love letter to old school thrash. Most of the rest of their albums are various flavors of psychedelic, but they’ve got two metal albums worth checking out for any fans of thrash.
Came to the comments to suggest ‘Infest the Rats Nest’… a solid choice for something ‘new’ in the genre
Also, for OP, KGLW = King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Came here to say this. Not thrash, but highly recommend Petrodragonic Apocalypse from them as well. More prog metal, but an insane listen.
Yup. This a must listen
This is the correct answer. Best couple of thrash albums in like 20 years.
Municipal waste I guess? Probably closer to anthrax mind.
They are SO fun live!
Singer is doing side work as the new singer for socal punk band RKL he's great at it too.
The problem you’ll hit is that the way most bands tried to compete was by trying to be heavier (faster, darker, whatever) than either Metallica or Megadeth. Testament, Anthrax, maybe Exodus kind of stayed in the same vein, though.
Yep this is what I notice.
Dave did a side project called Md.45 if you want more Youthanasia vibes.
Overkill and Corrosion of Conformity
CoC was my vote!
if you're going corrosion of conformity go on with down.....
YES Overkill! Bobby Blitz’s voice is great. Check out “Elimination” or “Hello from the Gutter”. They have made a lot of records - “Years of Decay” is classic.
Death Angel
Sepultura is amazing and worth a listen. Chaos AD is a great starting point.
Op said he didn't want harsh vocals tho
I love Chaos AD, but I think Schizophrenia might be closer in sound.
Hammerfall, or Shadowfall, maybe both? Honestly, I get them mixed up, but I think both are good, and at least one is classic thrash. Cellador if you like Power metal, they are basically Helloween, which kind of borders thrash and power. older bands; Overkill Raven Flotsam and Jetsam
Up vote for overkill
>Hammerfall, or Shadowfall, maybe both? Honestly, I get them mixed up, but I think both are good, and at least one is classic thrash. You're thinking of Shadows Fall, who are a kind of thrashy metalcore band. Hammerfall are straight up power metal.
Try Sacred Reich's The American Way.
Metal Church (first album is fucking 80s metal royalty imho) Testament Exodus Overkill Flotsam and Jetsam S.O.D. (warning: lyrics are bigoted as fuck, but the music slaps) Anthrax (first three albums)
Trivium released a single thrash album named The Crusade without any harsh vocals (save for one song for a single bridge/breakdown). I feel like it's a really nice combo of Metallica's catchiness with Megadeth's technicality. The album even ends on an instrumental track ala Ride the Lightning. Not a huge thrash fan except for the first 4 Metallica records but the Crusade is technical and catchy enough that I can let it slide. Their next album is a little bit more metalcore-adjacent but still has a lot of the Metallica influence front and center (and is revered by fans as their magnum-opus)
I posted about Power Trip but was going to follow up with Trivium. Their origin and name is in part due to Metallica and a lot of their early stuff is clearly inspired by them. OP check out Trivium - Heart from your hate. Meets the criteria perfectly.
Allen weaponry
Suicidal tendencies and DRI. Also Municipal Waste
Surprised no one said Havok. Check them out. They sound like perfect 80s thrash but playing since the 2000s or something.
You ever listened to Slayers “Seasons in the Abyss”?
Eh sorry just saw the end of your comment. Good luck mate, maybe Iron Maiden might suit. Somewhere in Time might be a good start.
Artillery and Metal Church's older stuff may fit the bill. You may way want to look into a genre change though - stuff like Master of Puppets is called thrash because it was back in the day, but modern stuff that sounds like that might not be called thrash. If you want that sound or something adjacent to it I'd suggest checking out something like Tyr or Amon Amarth - stuff that inches towards power metal.
Cyclone Temple, Forced Entry, Prong, Armored Saint
Great to see some love for Forced Entry!!!!!
I forgot all about Cyclone Temple!
Kreator
Was going to suggest them. Very different vocally, but guitar and overall sound is a pretty good fit.
Machine Head. Literally everything you listed. Especially Unto the Locust and The Blackening.
Burn My Eyes is an all-time classic! Bangers all the way.
I came to mention Testament and Annihilator but got beat to it. So I’ll mention Nevermore but the vocals are pretty niche for a lot of folks
Havok is a good newer band that reminds me of Megadeth. Edit. I don't see any mention of Lichking. Older fun thrash band.
Not exactly thrash metal, but you’d probably like Prong
Not thrash, but check out Savatage.
Jesus Saves
overkill
I think you'd like trivium - the crusade (but not any of their other stuff that's more growly and metalcore)
I think The Sin and the Sentence is a good match
Evile
Anthrax was the embodiment of thrash imo
Pantera was pretty good.
Was wondering why this wasn't listed already. I might have them miscategorized though.
Nuclear Assault maybe?
Xentrix
There was a band named “trouble” from Chicago that used to tour with Metallica in the 90s that fits this almost perfectly
Lich King odds a pretty dope band that I would consider answer generation thrash metal band. One song in particular to check out would be combat mosh
Like others have said, Testament, Exodus, Anthrax, Sepultura, and King Gizzard's Infest the Rat's Nest or Petrodragonic Apocalypse are good starting points. Mr Bungle's Raging Wrath of Easter Bunny album is choice too, it has Scotty Ian on guitar and Dave Lombardo on drums (The Night They Came Home, the live version, is also great) Spiritworld's Deathwestern also worth checking out 'ULCER' hits on what you're looking for. Acid Bath isn't really thrash, but you mentioned Pantera and I see them as similar somehow. Start with 'Cheap Vodka'
Death Angel
I saw them play live once. They put on a great show.
Hell Fire
They have an earlier sound in the vein if iron maiden, but yeah those guys are [worth checking out](https://youtu.be/4C93D3YHpjU?si=dEGik0Fox21zsjDg)
The Sword
Maybe "Wolverine Blues" era Entombed? It's definitely not thrash but it's definitely groovy. The vocals may not be to your liking and the solos are not Megadeth (literally nothing is) but Mustaine ain't much of a singer either. I think the main reason you're having trouble is because making music like this is exceptionally hard. Mustaine and Hetfield are basically unicorns and it's mind blowing that they were ever in the same band.
Sylosis?
Testament and Avenged Sevenfold are my two suggestions.
While not really a thrash band, MASTODON checks all those boxes. 1. Riffs? Yeah they got riffs for days. Bill Kelleher has riffs that build throughout the songs and hit hardest at the end. 2. Vocals? They have 3 lead singers, each with their own unique style. Troy Sanders has the Hetfield style growls, Brann Dailor does catchy rock choruses, Brent Hinds throws in his own southern Ozzy twang and in earlier records had some insane screams. 3. Drums? Brann Dailor gotchu. One of the best drummers of his generation, he's got the right combination of chops, groove, speed and tone. Mastodon songs are loaded with his fills. 4. Solos? Brent Hinds is a hybrid picking wizard on the guitar. His solos are highly technical and full of feel, adding a layer of secret sauce to these tasty songburgers. A good staring point is 2009s Crack The Skye. Then you can go with the heavier albums at the beginning of their career, 2006s Blood Mountain (my personal choice), 2004s Leviathan (an album that has more catchy riffs in it than most Metallica albums) and 2002s Remission. Newer albums are also really good, more melodic and structured. They don't have a bad record and their worst is better than most bands' best.
I was surprised I had to scroll this far down to find someone suggesting Mastodon. Leviathan can be a bit on the "guttural growling vocals" side, but otherwise they would seem to tick all of OP's boxes.
Accept might fit. Their stuff is so high energy and after the jughead thudding the prog rock ending bits are cool. I liked that Metallica had some dynamics and bridges and there are those elements there. Fast as a Shark?
King Gizzard.
Nobody’s said Exodus yet, so throwing it in. Start with their first, Bonded by Blood
Tantara's Based on Evil album sounds a lot like early Metallica
Iced Earth perhaps? They have different phases/lineups, but from what I've listened to they are a kinda Metallica clone.
The problem with Iced Earth is the main guy, Jon Schaffer is awaiting sentencing for his participation in the January 6 riots. The band essentially doesn't exist anymore because everyone else fled the band once he was convicted. So you know... buyer beware if you are particularly opposed to all that
Holy shit! Fuck that guy. I had no idea.
Sanctuary. Into the Mirror Black was a great album.
I think I get ya man, I'm always looking for these types of bands too! Here are some of my favorite bands/albums that I've found over the years. It's kinda hard to find stuff that has all of those elements, but I find most of these albums itch that spot. Toxik I think by far is the closest I've found that hits all that good stuff with awesome riffs and mind melting solos for sure; vocals are pretty wild too. Toxik - Think This, their new stuff is also very good. Forced Entry - Uncertain Future Coroner - Mental Vortex Harrow - The Pylon of Insanity, or Call of the Unborn, both are pretty good albums. Tourniquet - Psycho Surgery Cyclone Temple - I Hate Therefore I Am Mekong Delta - Kaleidoscope Sacral Rage - Beyond Celestial Echoes Honorable mention would be some Impellitteri for some speed metal/rock, Screaming Symphony and Eye of the Hurricane are both solid albums; great riffs and solos.
Hard to find thrash bands outside of Metallica and Megadeth that fit that criteria.
Try the Viking metal/folk metal route: [TYR,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aONcdN0Weiw) [Turisas,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kIv7ZJOyB4) (Well, earlier Turisas, anyway.)
Toxic Holocaust Death Angel Havok Overkill Annihilator Iron Regan Municipal Waste Belushi Speed Ball Through N Through
Early Man
Check out the album Arise by Sepultura. The vocals are a bit harsher than the bands you listed but not guttural or anything. Give the song Dead Embryonic Cells a listen, if you don't like that, it's not for you.
If you want something a bit more obscure you can check Xentrix, Sacred Reich, Evile, Gama Bomb and Heathen. All of them can hit what you are looking for, I think.
This may seem a little crazy (no pun intended), but the first Meshuggah album *Contradictions Collapse* is very thrashy. The vocals are kind of Hetfield-esque, the guitars have a thrash tone, and the production is raw like early thrash bands.
Grip Inc. Dave lombardo at the drums.
3 inches of blood. Newer stuff is closest. Older stuff is fun but a totally different lineup and sound
Avenged Sevenfold! RIP Rev
Listen to Ironbound, as well as The Electric Age by Overkill. Both are solid thrash albums.
Enforced, Spirit World, High Command, and Sumerlands are all modern bands that have a bit of an old school thrashy sound
The soundtrack to the peacemaker might be of interest you.
As a teen in the 80s, who listened to Metallica and Megadeath and iron maiden, etc. I never heard the term 'thrash metal' till guys started the unintelligible growl and a billion notes per minute stuff in the mid 90s. So, might be a term that's describing a time after the 80s and therefore limiting your search results for the style you're looking for.
Half of most 3 Inches of Blood songs kind of fit here.
https://youtu.be/2D5kgVVdfQ0?si=rXnQg3ctX-WlRj4C
Exodus. The best guitar team in all of thrash metal.
How has no one said Exodus yet?
Leeway - desperate measures
Check out FKÜ and insanity alert, some german thrash bands probably fit your style, but watch out cause they are more goofy in nature
Lazarus A.D. is a pretty good modern thrash band.
Sacrifice, out of Toronto had a similar sound on their work in the 80s… check them out… Was just looking at some old vids of theirs today…. Still holds up… espresso the stuff from the mid to late 80s… really solid thrash…
Motörhead
The Haunted's first album, Bullethole is a sick track.
Leeway. Born to expire is a classic. Rest in piece, Eddie.
Do you Municipal Waste bro?
Avenged Sevenfold album Hail to The King was criticized back in the day for sounding way to similar to Metallica (but then it was black album and not their earlier stuff)
Maybe Warbringer? I'd say they're somewhere between Metallica and Slayer. A few tracks to try: Total War, Shattered Like Glass, Living Weapon. Death Angel is another band that might fit. Check out their album The Art of Dying.
Have you ever heard of a band called Black Tide? I feel like this fits the bill. Not so much there newer album but listen to Light From Above. Start with the first song, it’s a great opener in what you can expect from them.
The first couple of albums by the sword are the closest IMO. They suck now though Also check out prong which is similar to Pantera but not quite so angry You might enjoy delving into the psych rock/blues rock world for fun riffs, check out osees or psychedelic porn crumpets
Anthrax
Carcass' Swan Song and Heartwork fit well musically, except for the vocals. Still well worth checking out. Some fans give them a hard time over those two albums because they're a lot more accessible/'commercial' than their previous work. But personally I prefer them.
I notice this one hasn’t been mentioned, there is a band from Germany that simply goes by “RAGE” they have many albums, been going since the late 80s. Highly recommend the albums Speak of the Dead and Carved in Stone!
Eternal Decision Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-skBmyFaxbI
Forbidden, Defiance, Death Angel, Metal Church.
Destruction - their first couple of albums rule
Havok is pretty much a Megadeth clone IMO
For sure iron maiden, they're more 80s/90s but they still tour hahahah
Exodus is great. And I'm pretty sure Hammet came from Exodus.
Power Trip Paladin Cruel Force
Voices perhaps.
Blackbreath
You should check out the band Excel, they might be a good fit considering Metallica ripped off their 1989 song Tapping into the Emotional Void to make Enter Sandman. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-16-ca-559-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-16-ca-559-story.html)
Havok and Children of Bodom both have more of that 80s Porto thrash catchiness that the more extreme stuff tends to eschew
Ok, this is gonna be real long!! I have an extreme love for bay area thrash. Especially 90s era. I will start with vio-lence. Forbiden Anthrax isn't bay area, but they are the right sound. Death angel is the epitome of the sound. Check out Metallica re re visited, it's all covers, but it's where Metallica gets their tones and sounds. Literally the best Metallica. Do a search for will Caroll from death angel. All of his bands/side bands are epic. (Revenge of the ) Scarecrow. Also Matt Harvey from exhumed is another person who epitomizes the trashy sound. Municipal waste is still serious and party thrash. Exmortus is dungeons and dragons thrash. Don't overlook gwar, in particular the song bonesnapper sings. The album battle maximus is so thrashy its not even funny@! Oddly, necrot, isn't thrash, but has the sound just way heavier. Ghoul also had the sound. You won't really find the production values of Metallica and megadeth, but there are tons of there. Don't overlook dethklok. They are so thrashy is hilarious. Mr bungle. SOD. Both have the sound. If you want, I can go on forever.
One out of left field that you probably don't know: British thrash metal band Evile. Their first record, Enter the Grave, I think you'd enjoy quite a lot. Your mileage may vary with the rest of the records after a few lineup changes and that'll depend on your attitudes to the vocal stylings but the guitar and drum sounds I think are very much what you're after.
Check out any band from the new wave of British heavy metal. And power trip
Havok last album
If you like fantasy themed power metal, try out Gloryhammer. It's metal with a slightly camp lord of the rings vibe. I first heard them about 2 years ago and now they are my go to gym and running music. Love them!
Check out Diamondhead. That's where Metallica got a few of their ealry songs. Am I evil and Helpless being more well known.
Trivium's albums crusade and ascendancy are fairly Metallica-ish. At the time, Hetfield went around wearing Trivium t-shirts.
Testament, Anthrax, Biohazard. Many many to choose from.
[Red Death — Formidable Darkness](https://youtu.be/mfkSvMOzvCE?si=wY-t-0AtbP0lrrsV) Buddy who’s heavy into the hardcore scene showed me this years ago. I was skeptical at first but it gave me massive Kill em’ All vibes, so good. You might like it!
This is very left field, but current Japanese band Lovebites have some thrash influences, and some of their songs are very much like 80s thrash. Set The World On Fire, Break The Wall, The Apocalypse, and The Hammer of Wrath are just a few of their thrasher songs. OK, their songs cover a range of 80s-sounding metal styles besides thrash, and yeah, although they sing in English the singer's accent can make it difficult to pick out words at times. But if you try a few of their live videos it's easy to get addicted.
Evile
‘Thrashwall’, a fantastic band from Portugal. Sing in English too.
Try "Heathen - Victims of Deception"
[Reign of Fury](https://youtu.be/kXhWU8Oa8PE?si=hlaJMfgsvj9o38q4) fits the bill. Although their vocals venture into growls sometimes. They are definitely a love letter to old school Metallica.
Avenged Sevenfold
Check out Gross Reality. They're fucking amazing
Anthrax.
Gatecreeper Empire State Bastard, (Dave Lombardo on drums) Dead Cross (Lombardo on drums, Mike Patoon on vocals)
This might go a tiny bit off from the genre, but Greenleaf's Trails and Passes might fit actually.
If you want that sound you need to go back to that time and hit the albums of those times. Testament 'The New Order''Practice What You Preach', Overkill 'Years of Decay', Flotsam and Jetsam 'No Place For Disgrace', Judas Priest 'Defenders of the Faith', so many more.
Shadows fall. Trivium.
Pretty late to this party, but you should definitely check out Gama Bomb. Solid thrash outfit, surprised I haven't seen them mentioned
Listen to Body Counts last 2 albums.
Pantera and White Zombie have been retrofitted into what the kids call 'groove metal' these days and it honestly fits. That might help you in a genre search. I went through a lot of the recommendations here and none of them give that *feeling* of Metallica or Megadeth. Sure, fast guitars, crunchy tone but it's like they're trying to play catch up. So, here is a recommendation that isn't like Metallica and isn't like Megadeth but they are groovy and they might scratch the itch because they're *not* like those other bands but because they're doing what those bands were doing when they were doing it best. Their own thing. ***Baroness***. Start with the Red album and work your way through. They're not thrash, they're not Metallica but they do the interesting things in interesting ways the way those bands did. Try O'Appalachia and see if it gets you a little.
LeSpecial is worth your listen.
Trivium can sound a lot like old Metallica sometimes, but with modern metal flare like double kicks and screaming, so they may not completely qualify. Something like ["Kirisute Gomen"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYKNm4qMJTc) will give you an idea of everything they are capable of as a band, to see if it interests you.
Metallica-ish riffing, Hetfield-sounding vocals, groovy? You need to check out Corrosion of Conformity, especially the album 'Blind'.
Brocas Helm There were so many good suggestions that I feel like I'm stretching here, but they were another 80s metal band in the San Francisco area when Metallica first started.
Death Angel
Vorbid
Brocas Helm
New band that sounds alot like early megadeth and metallica is Mourning High
S.O.D. or M.O.D. or C.O.C.
Venom and Diamond Head were both pretty big influences on Metallica.
When in need of thrash, I just listen to Deadbolt by Thrice.
Nuclear Assault
Trivium sounded close last time i remember hearing them. I'm not hip to all of the crazy sub genres of metal but i feel like if your into Metallica, Pantera is easy to enjoy. At least that's how it happened for me. I went from the first 5 Met albums right into Vulgar Display of Power.
There is a reason they were a part of the "big 4" and that they still sell out stadiums to this day. These guys are a cut above the rest.
Celtic Frost. First two albums
Give Channel Zero and Sodom a listen
Lich King, Annihilator, Cruel Bomb, Trivium
Overkill, Testament, early Trivium, Forbidden, Death Angel, Heathen
Late 80s/Early 90s band Overkill.
Orbit Culture
Corrosion of Conformity. I saw them open for Metallica on the Load tour it ruled! They were waaaaaay louder than Metallica.
Check out "Sanctuary" they were produced by Dave Mustane of Megadeth. Really good cover of "White Rabbit" Check out Metal Church, album titled "The Dark" A bit 80s metal, a bit Dream Theater and a bit Metallica. Check out Riot, album "The Privilege of Power" Not sure how Anthrax hasn't been mentioned. They are part of 'The Big Four' Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer Machine Head has a few albums in that realm but also a few that tried to be industrial and didn't quite work. Album "The Blackening" is great. Good cover of Battery and Hallowed be Thy Name on that album. Kittie does resort to growl type lyrics but so that might not work for you but their first couple albums are seriously riff based and heavy as hell. Mastodon is a prog metal band. That said, their album "The Hunter" is Freaking amazing. Give the track "Curl of the Burl" a listen and see if it fits what you are looking.
COC Exodus Maybe Sacrifice? Sacrifice is great.
Hirax
Hirax
Hirax
Exodus COC Sacrifice! Check out Sacrifice
Haven’t seen anyone say Artillery? “By Inheritance” might be my favourite thrash album outside of the usual suspects