Music Banter - View Single Post - Who is the Greatest of the Big Four of Thrash Metal?

Two Spirit · 08-25-2015, 07:42 PM

My post from my thread on this topic:

1. Megadeth - I love the other three, but Megadeth rises above them all for one simple reason: their versatility in sound. For thirty years, Mustaine and his crew have tackled all the different angles of their genre with each release, even upsetting many in their fanbase with Cryptic Writings, Risk, and the recent stinker, Super Collider.

But they get credit in my book for at least toying with diversity in their sound and making an effort, especially when they made a comeback in their sound with Endgame and Thirteen.

Also, despite Mustaine's insane ramblings as of late, he's still much more charismatic imo than Hetfield, Araya, or Ian.

2. Metallica - This is the band that started my interest in heavy music ten years ago with One at the age of 12. People rag on them now, and I suppose every metalhead does to an extent once they move on to deeper material, but these guys were the heaviest sounding band to me at the time.

I remember turning on the local Hard Rock station every night just so I could hear their classic hits. Keep in mind that I only had dial up internet at the time, plus it was 2005, so Youtube was in it's infancy, no streaming, etc. I learned to cherish every time one of their tracks came on, as well as other bands from that time period.

I even appreciate much of their 90's material, simply because imo they perfected the hard rock image and sound that they were going for on Load and Reload, and even the Garage Days compilation.

These guys mean a lot to me, even though I've since moved on from them and barely listen to their material anymore, which is partially because they haven't released a studio album in nearly seven years, along with Death Magnetic and St. Anger not catching my attention. They simply don't have the drive and creative ambition they once had, but that's okay, because they once captured a twelve year old me who thought they were the coolest band in the world.

3. Slayer - Easily the heaviest of the four, but also not really innovative. While they produced some of the best thrash out there from Show No Mercy to Seasons of the Abyss, they never really captured my attention the way the top two did.

Plus, like Metallica, they started becoming lazy during the later portion of their career. Even though I enjoy their nu-metal offerings Diabolus In Musica, God Hates Us All, and Christ Illusion, they've lost their edge, and sound completely bored with every song sounding the same, becoming the AC/DC of thrash in that sense.

I'll be listening to Repentless purely for the hype, but I'm not expecting anything mindblowing, especially with Jeff Hanneman dead and Dave Lombardo being fired as well as Kerry King's ego driving the final nails into the coffin of this band.

4. Anthrax - To be completely honest, I only know the greatest hits by these guys, such as I Am The Law, Indians, Antisocial, and Bring The Noise, among others.

I just could never get into their stuff the way I did for the other three. It also doesn't help that they're the least popular of the four, and don't have the amount of material that the other three have put out over the years.

I'm sure I'll chastised by a few here for not knowing Anthrax's catalog from front to back while still calling myself a metalhead, but oh well. Maybe someone can convince to give them another try.

08-25-2015, 07:42 PM	#346 (permalink)
Two Spirit Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 332	My post from my thread on this topic: 1. Megadeth - I love the other three, but Megadeth rises above them all for one simple reason: their versatility in sound. For thirty years, Mustaine and his crew have tackled all the different angles of their genre with each release, even upsetting many in their fanbase with Cryptic Writings, Risk, and the recent stinker, Super Collider. But they get credit in my book for at least toying with diversity in their sound and making an effort, especially when they made a comeback in their sound with Endgame and Thirteen. Also, despite Mustaine's insane ramblings as of late, he's still much more charismatic imo than Hetfield, Araya, or Ian. 2. Metallica - This is the band that started my interest in heavy music ten years ago with One at the age of 12. People rag on them now, and I suppose every metalhead does to an extent once they move on to deeper material, but these guys were the heaviest sounding band to me at the time. I remember turning on the local Hard Rock station every night just so I could hear their classic hits. Keep in mind that I only had dial up internet at the time, plus it was 2005, so Youtube was in it's infancy, no streaming, etc. I learned to cherish every time one of their tracks came on, as well as other bands from that time period. I even appreciate much of their 90's material, simply because imo they perfected the hard rock image and sound that they were going for on Load and Reload, and even the Garage Days compilation. These guys mean a lot to me, even though I've since moved on from them and barely listen to their material anymore, which is partially because they haven't released a studio album in nearly seven years, along with Death Magnetic and St. Anger not catching my attention. They simply don't have the drive and creative ambition they once had, but that's okay, because they once captured a twelve year old me who thought they were the coolest band in the world. 3. Slayer - Easily the heaviest of the four, but also not really innovative. While they produced some of the best thrash out there from Show No Mercy to Seasons of the Abyss, they never really captured my attention the way the top two did. Plus, like Metallica, they started becoming lazy during the later portion of their career. Even though I enjoy their nu-metal offerings Diabolus In Musica, God Hates Us All, and Christ Illusion, they've lost their edge, and sound completely bored with every song sounding the same, becoming the AC/DC of thrash in that sense. I'll be listening to Repentless purely for the hype, but I'm not expecting anything mindblowing, especially with Jeff Hanneman dead and Dave Lombardo being fired as well as Kerry King's ego driving the final nails into the coffin of this band. 4. Anthrax - To be completely honest, I only know the greatest hits by these guys, such as I Am The Law, Indians, Antisocial, and Bring The Noise, among others. I just could never get into their stuff the way I did for the other three. It also doesn't help that they're the least popular of the four, and don't have the amount of material that the other three have put out over the years. I'm sure I'll chastised by a few here for not knowing Anthrax's catalog from front to back while still calling myself a metalhead, but oh well. Maybe someone can convince to give them another try.