Rank the Big 4

For me, thrash at its best is better than doom, but I’d rather listen to mediocre doom than mediocre thrash.

Son of Nun wrote:

Black Rider wrote:I'm the opposite, I find Slayer one dimensional but I agree about the lyrics.

Really? Show No Mercy, Reign in Blood, and Seasons in the Abyss are drastically different albums. South of Heaven sounds pretty different too, but I'm less familiar with it.

Imo, they don't mix it up like a Megadeth or early Metallica, of course, just my opinion.

Kerrick wrote:LOL.  For those unaware, my last name is King.  I'll happily sign any of your Slayer albums for a small fee.  

Is your middle Kurt, Keith, Kevin, Kane or Kenneth? That would make for awkward initials...

I hadn't previously spent much time with And Justice For All but I listened to it last night and wow.

Sevenoneself wrote:

Kerrick wrote:LOL.  For those unaware, my last name is King.  I'll happily sign any of your Slayer albums for a small fee.  

Is your middle Kurt, Keith, Kevin, Kane or Kenneth? That would make for awkward initials...

Hahahaha NO.  Though I do get that asked from time to time!  Thankfully my parents had the foresight not to do that, even though Kenneth is a family name and was considered!

Son of Nun wrote:I hadn't previously spent much time with And Justice For All but I listened to it last night and wow.

That’s my favorite of theirs and one of my favorite albums period. The riffs are unbelievable.

My big 4 is:

1. Megadeth :  Rust In Peace
2. Forbidden : Twisted Into Form
3. Testament : Practice What You Preach



4. Metallica : Ride the Lightning

Good list.

Black Rider wrote:Good list.

Thanks. I never liked Slayer or Anthrax and never understood why Testament and Forbidden didnt get the respect they deserved.

A large part of it I think is that Testament and Forbidden came a little later.

Pethead wrote:A large part of it I think is that Testament and Forbidden came a little later.

But even now they dont get the respect, but thats just my opinion.

I don’t think Anthrax get enough respect, either, honestly. 

RESPECT THE THRAX!!!!

I am the law....

Slayer

Megadeth

Metallica

Anthrax shouldn't even be on the big four.

The Gatekeeper of great taste has spoken. You may now lock the thread.

Anthrax’s first 4 with Belladonna>all 4 Vengeance Rising albums.

^^Sorry but that comment gets my first ever "dislike"

Hey, if you like vomiting on the mic over melodic singing, be my guest.


But you also don’t like Tourniquet, so…

I mean better than DC cones yes but that's it. And I own Spreading the Disease and State of Euphoria from HS but John Bush beats Bellodonna all day everyday as a vocalist as far as Anthrax goes

For my thrash usually yes not as big a fan of Bellodonna type vocals. To me his range was good but awkward in the genre and couldnt touch Rus Anderson.

Russ was/is the man for sure.

For that comment I will remove your dislike kind sir

Anthrax has been my favorite of the big 4 for as long as I’ve been into thrash. Only early Metallica could threaten that. 

But…

After this recent dive into their discography, Megadeth is threatening to take the #1 spot. 3 reasons:
1. Their discography is the most solid.
2. Their hooks, while sometimes more subtle, are stronger than I used to think.
3. Their riffs are the most consistently interesting. While it’s hard to top the first 4 Metallica riff-wise, Deth never plummeted to the depths they did. Deth’s riffs are typically the most complex and varied and so end up being the most interesting.

TL;DR: Megadeth might be moving to my #1 spot.

Time to order a RiP shirt…

PwC
EY
KPMG
Deloitte

I‘ll show myself out….

Here's a complete list, minus the newest albums by Megadeth and Metallica.
I went through every album, ranking each song 0-5, and counting the average gave the final score for each album (again 0-5).

01. MEGADETH: Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? | (1986) | 4,13
02. MEGADETH: Rust in Peace | (1990) | 4,11
03. METALLICA: Master of Puppets | (1986) | 4,06
04. MEGADETH: Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! | (1985) | 3,94
05. MEGADETH: Endgame | (2009) | 3,91
06. ANTHRAX: Among the Living | (1987) | 3,89
07. ANTHRAX: Fistful of Metal | (1984) | 3,85
08. ANTHRAX: Spreading the Disease | (1985) | 3,83
09. SLAYER: Seasons in the Abyss | (1990) | 3,80
10. METALLICA: Ride the Lightning | (1984) | 3,75
11. MEGADETH: The System Has Failed | (2004) | 3,67
12. MEGADETH: So Far, So Good... So What! | (1988) | 3,63
13. SLAYER: Divine Intervention | (1994) | 3,45
14. METALLICA: ...And Justice for All | (1988) | 3,39
15. METALLICA: St. Anger | (2003) | 3,32
16. MEGADETH: Youthanasia | (1994) | 3,29
17. METALLICA: Metallica | (1991) | 3,29
18. MEGADETH: Dystopia | (2016) | 3,27
19. SLAYER: Reign in Blood | (1986) | 3,25
20. MEGADETH: Cryptic Writings | (1997) | 3,25
21. MEGADETH: The World Needs a Hero | (2001) | 3,21
22. ANTHRAX: Worship Music | (2011) | 3,21
23. METALLICA: Death Magnetic | (2008) | 3,20
24. ANTHRAX: For All Kings | (2016) | 3,18
25. SLAYER: South of Heaven | (1988) | 3,10
26. SLAYER: Hell Awaits | (1985) | 3,07
27. ANTHRAX: Sound of White Noise | (1993) | 2,91
28. MEGADETH: Countdown to Extinction | (1992) | 2,91
29. METALLICA: Kill 'Em All | (1983) | 2,90
30. MEGADETH: United Abominations | (2007) | 2,86
31. MEGADETH: Risk | (1999) | 2,83
32. MEGADETH: Thirteen | (2011) | 2,81
33. METALLICA: Reload | (1997) | 2,81
34. SLAYER: Show No Mercy | (1983) | 2,80
35. SLAYER: Christ Illusion | (2006) | 2,80
36. ANTHRAX: Persistence of Time | (1990) | 2,78
37. ANTHRAX: State of Euphoria | (1988) | 2,75
38. SLAYER: World Painted Blood | (2009) | 2,73
39. MEGADETH: Super Collider | (2013) | 2,68
40. METALLICA: Load | (1996) | 2,68
41. METALLICA: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | (2016) | 2,67
42. SLAYER: Diabolus in Musica | (1998) | 2,60
43. SLAYER: Repentless | (2015) | 2,58
44. SLAYER: God Hates Us All | (2001) | 2,54
45. ANTHRAX: We've Come for You All | (2003) | 2,50
46. ANTHRAX: Volume 8: The Threat Is Real | (1998) | 2,47
47. SLAYER: Undisputed Attitude | (1996) | 2,36
48. ANTHRAX: Stomp 442 | (1995) | 2,18

And here's the final score for each of the bands:
1. Megadeth: 3,37
2. Metallica: 3,21
3. Anthrax: 3,05
4. Slayer: 2,93

You might be the only person ever who thinks St. Anger is better than Kill 'Em All, lol. :p