Slayer writes music that's fast, sloppy, aggressive, and entirely free of preachiness. It's just speed, and intensity. The fact they refuse to have any restraint in any regard gives them the edge gave them an edge that the other three lack. Point is, I think of the four, Slayer is the band that "got the point" the most.
Lyrically, it felt their was an admittance that what they were doing was not deep or profound. They didn't embarrass themselves by attempting to force themselves to be poetic. Kind of got the point that thrash was stupid(which I do not mean as an insult).
Which is why they'll always have an edge over the three. When you listen to Slayer it's evil, and nothing but evil. Plus, I think their better work hits a layer of discomforting chaos that the more chained, refined, and polished of the other three lack. Personally, I think this really shows on Hell Awaits, which I feel is a generally overlooked album. Considering the context of the purpose of thrash metal, and it's audience, they are the most effective, and as a listener, personally give me the most emotional satisfaction when in a "thrash mood".
Megadeth is a close second for the fact that I respect them for always maintaining their quality as a live band, and even if not churning out great new material, they don't ever really feel washed up. May be more skilled performers than Slayer, but feel very boxed in, and caged compared to Slayer's more chaotic tempo pushing works. 'Even if, they are probably the most technical of the four, they still fall short. Plus singing lines like "Sit in Granny's Rocking Chair" kind of hurt the aesthetic a little bit...
Metallica for third. Similar to Megadeth, and with a lot a lot less padding/b-side material. However, I think with songs like Holy Wars, Megadeth far trumps Metallica musically. I think Metallica's commercial success only comes from the fact they had a deeper relationship with the studio/production end than the other three. However, this kind of hurts them because of the ego in trying to be ahead of the game forced them to expose limitations in their songwriting. Point is, some people are good at trying to do experimental rock. Metallica just does not have the right sensibilities for it.
Anthrax, I only really liked 2.5 of their albums. I mean, as mentioned, Among the living is amazing, along with State of Euphoria, and half of whichever one Madhouse is on. The rest, however, always feels to me like they're just knocking off Metallica's "Kill Em' All" sound. I don't know, maybe I'm not listening hard enough.
Unrelated point on Anthrax, though, I've always felt pretty much all of their work, even Among the Living, is well trumped by the jokey side project of Scott Ian, Stormtrooper's of Death. Then again, I've only heard "Speak English, or Die".
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Still sounds good today and full of attitude and fire.
Hybrid Mode