Fave underrated 80s thrash band(secular)

Most underrated 80s thrash band NOT in the big 10(which includes...Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, Death Angel, Kreator, Sepultura)....though if you like you can include your fave ONE from this list too after mentioning your fave underrated ONE not in that list. And also if you'd like your top 5 fave thrash bands(secular)of all time...in order of fave to least fave preferably.

I'd do one of those POLL things but I cant figure out how to create one here. (But it could include bands like Dark Angel, Sacred Reich, Forbidden, Sodom, Destruction, Atrophy, Annihilator, Razor, Voivod, Sacrifice, Suicidal Tendencies, Sadus, Slaughter, and many more...)

For example, mine
Fave underrated one not in the big 10...
FORBIDDEN

Fave from the big 10(and fave of all time)...
TESTAMENT



Top five trash bands of all time are.
TESTAMENT
OVERKILL
SLAYER
FORBIDDEN
METALLICA/MEGADETH tie
In that order.

Don't do this to me! I have way too many thrash favorites!

I'll go with a top 5 underrated (and even that's really hard and I'm having to leave some off):

1. Annihilator
2. Paradox
3. Dark Angel
4. Coroner
5. Rosicrucian

UltraMagnus wrote:Don't do this to me! I have way too many thrash favorites!

I'll go with a top 5 underrated (and even that's really hard and I'm having to leave some off):

1. Annihilator
2. Paradox
3. Dark Angel
4. Coroner
5. Rosicrucian

Good list.
I've never heard of Paradox or Rosicrucian. A band named after the order of the rosy cross/Rosicrucianism? Interesting. I shall have to loo, them up.

Rosicrucian only made 2 albums. Their 2nd album No Cause For Celebration is excellent.

They had a cool Tourniquet-like quirkiness about them. After 2 albums, they changed their name to Slapdash for a while and then split up. I think one of the guys started the death metal band Carnal Forge sometime later if I remember correctly.

I have a Carnal Forge album actually, which someone gave me.
Interesting.

A few more underrated:

Accuser
Onslaught
Artillery
Acid Reign
Heathen

Flotsam And Jetsam and Wrathchild America are both underrated, but neither are straight-up thrash.


Laaz Rockit could qualify, but only after their first 2 albums which were in more of a heavy/power metal style.

I'm sure I'm still forgetting some. Thrash is one of my favorite genres.

Fav from the Top Ten:

Testament


Top 5 Underrated Not From The Top 10:

1. Coroner
2. Sacrament
3. Sodom
4. Paradox
5. Artillery

Constantine wrote:Fav from the Top Ten:

Testament


Top 5 Underrated Not From The Top 10:

1. Coroner
2. Sacrament
3. Sodom
4. Paradox
5. Artillery

Nice to see another Testament fanatic here

Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Shout out to Coroner and Dark Angel!

Sabbat

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet, Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal, Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Sure, but the sucky ones wouldn’t make any of my underrated lists anyway

UltraMagnus wrote:

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

As much as I love the music on the first two VR albums, I think Roger’s vocals improved over time. I find his vocals on Destruction Comes and Released upon the Earth to be far better than on the first 2, even though I think the first 2 have overall stronger songs.

Pethead wrote:

UltraMagnus wrote:

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

As much as I love the music on the first two VR albums, I think Roger’s vocals improved over time. I find his vocals on Destruction Comes and Released upon the Earth to be far better than on the first 2, even though I think the first 2 have overall stronger songs.

I agree. Destruction Comes was the weak point song-wise (even though I still think it's a good album). Released Upon The Earth started to get back on track IMO.

My take on it:
The first two had the same lineup, which had been together for several years, and wrote more as a group. Studio musicians (with the exception of Johnny Vasquez who actually toured with VR) were recruited for the last two, with Martinez alone being the primary songwriter. I think if he had managed to recruit a stable recording/touring lineup that the songs would have started to improve on the next release or two. Either that or Roger may have gotten better as a solo songwriter. Sadly, we'll never know.

UltraMagnus wrote:

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

Didn't Roger's earlier vocals have sort of a Exodus and teutonic thrash type higher pitched *eeaahh* thing goin on? And their earlier music also kinda Exodus meets suicidal tendencies?

Pethead wrote:

UltraMagnus wrote:

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

As much as I love the music on the first two VR albums, I think Roger’s vocals improved over time. I find his vocals on Destruction Comes and Released upon the Earth to be far better than on the first 2, even though I think the first 2 have overall stronger songs.

Yeah released was brutal. I love that album.

Contrarian Deist wrote:

UltraMagnus wrote:

Contrarian Deist wrote:

Pethead wrote:Top 5 thrash bands:

Tourniquet
Anthrax 
Metallica
Testament 
Megadeth 

Underrated (gonna stick with secular, because all Christian thrash could be considered underrated):

Dark Angel
Laaz Rockit
Annihilator 
Viking 
Hirax 
Coroner

Not ALL Christian thrash(as there are a number of not very good, original bands and derivative ones...just as with *secular* thrash)...but a number are indeed severely underrated(just as with *secular* thrash)....Tourniquet,  Seventh Angel, Sacrament, Betrayal,  Early Deliverance, Early Vengeance Rising(before they became an underrated death metal band)- and a few others.

Vengeance Rising always had a death metal slant - especially with Roger mainly using a growling vocal style. The growls started getting deeper and the music shifted more toward an early death metal sound on Destruction Comes. Then you have Released Upon The Earth, in which the music and vocal delivery were even closer to full-on death metal. I'm thinking that if Roger had kept the band together, the next album ('94 or '95) would have been straight up death, blast beats and all. I think the ship had sailed on thrash for the time being (at least in North America), and death/black metal had fully usurped the extreme metal throne by that point. On a side note, the Vengeance Rising logo is one of my all time favorites. It just has that intense/foreboding look to it.

Didn't Roger's earlier vocals have sort of a Exodus and teutonic thrash type higher pitched *eeaahh* thing goin on? And their earlier music also kinda Exodus meets suicidal tendencies?

On the first two, he sounded like a cross between Cronos and Paul Baloff, with maybe some Darkness Descends era Don Doty mixed in. I think Martinez had a little more grit and growl than they did though, and took it a little more low register at times ("From The Dead", "The Whipping Post", "The Wrath To Come", etc.)
Then of course he started to incorporate even more lower register growls on the next two albums, especially on Released. I think he must have gotten inspired to go more in that direction by working with Mortification on their self-titled album.

Megadeth is hands down my favorite thrash band, you can't touch those classic lineup albums. That said, I'll take Testament over Slayer any day, they were more diverse and nuanced in their sound.

Laaz Rockit  is my favorite non top 10, I think their name held them back. I'd also give nods to Realm and Toxik, high quality stuff and Sacrament holds their own with anybody.

Testament seems to be a big fave w/many of us. I agree Black Rider. Megadeth is in my top 5, but Testament will always be my fave...absolute gods! Still kicking arse! Them and Overkill actually are the only old thrash bands that just keep kicking serious butt!, getting better and better and adding nuance and to their music over time but still keeping close to their original sound as well in such a way that no other oldschool thrash bands(or newer ones) can even touch their greatness!
Hail Testament and Overkill!
(Also the underrated Forbidden!)

I think the most underrated thrash band is Dark Angel but I am VERY VERY tempted to say Artillery.

I’ve gotten really into Artillery. So good.

Cyclone Temple is great. At least the album "I Hate Therefore I Am" (only one I've actually heard lol). Good lyrics too.

StevenCressler wrote:Cyclone Temple is great. At least the album "I Hate Therefore I Am" (only one I've actually heard lol). Good lyrics too.

They have a very unique style that Dark Angel borrowed a bit from IMHO and their guitarist has an amazing right hand rhythm guitar technique.