Simon RushworthBig hitters added to their bulging back catalogues and fast emerging favourites doubled down on their deafening potential.
Thrash metal’s enduring appeal ensured another raft of ear-bleeding classics captivated the masses throughout the year.
But did your favourite land inside Rushonrock’s 10 Best Thrash Metal Albums Of 2022?
10. Sarcator — Alkahest (Black Lion Records)
Not too long ago these Swedish wannabes were belting out Metallica covers in front of their mates.
But 2020’s self-titled debut hinted at something very special.
And Alkahest delivered on that potential in spades.
Metallica still loom large over Sarcator’s immersive sound but Slayer, Dissection and Morbid Angel make their presence felt.
And The Crown’s Marko Tervonen must be a proud man indeed as son Mateo leads from the front on this blackened thrash masterpiece. Simon Rushworth
9. Korrosive — Toxic Apocalypse (CDN Records)
Ed Repka artwork? Check. Song about radiation? Yep. Spikey logo. Of course.
But while Canadians Korrosive might tick all the thrash boxes, they also have tunes to turn heads. Scratch that. Sever them…
Drenched in sweaty Teutonic thrash and seared by chemical waste, Toxic Apocalypse was a work of extinction-level metal, a punishing lesson in ultraviolence.
Fatal Strike, Radioaktive Scourge, Infernal Onslaught… they were never going to be cerebral prog-outs now, were they? Rich Holmes
8. Defiatory — Apokalyps (Black Lion Records)
Another fast-rising bunch of noisy Swedes and another thrill-a-minute thrash ride rooted in Bay Area bluster.
More old school than fellow countrymen Sarcator and — three albums in — more assured in everything they do.
Apokalyps soundtracked summer’s longest days as it brought the fire to Flaming June.
And a foreboding narrative of war, destruction and invasion echoed events in Ukraine as Scandinavians looked east with fear and trepidation.
Beligerent And Hostile, Let Them Burn and Counting Bones left little to the imagination.
But Defiatory don’t deal in blurred lines or obfuscation. SR
7. Destruction — Diabolical (Napalm Records)
The first Destruction record to feature Martin Furia – who replaced six stringer Mike Sifringer in 2021 – Diabolical was a fearsome set of blazing thrash.
Indeed, founder and frontman Schmier didn’t seem fazed by the departure of his long-time cohort.
Destruction’s 15th album harked back to the Germans’ 80s heyday, with songs such as State Of Apathy, Servant Of The Beast and the title track going straight for the jugular… just like that Mad Butcher.
Packed with nuclear riffery, Diabolical was unashamedly old school.
And it proved Destruction could still cut it at the pinnacle of thrash. RH
6. Tankard — Pavlov’s Dawgs (Reaper Entertainment)
Marking their 40th anniversary in typically outrageous fashion, Pavlov’s Dawgs pitched Tankard as the drinking man’s metal.
But there’s much more to Frankfurt’s finest than a tray full of Schöfferhofer Kristallweizen and a stinking hangover.
One of the forefathers of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, Tankard have rarely deviated from what they do best.
And Pavlov’s Dawgs allowed co-founders Gerre Geremia and Frank Thorwarth to remind the masses that the band’s bark remains worse than its bite.
Beerbarians and Metal Cash Machine might be too silly for some.
But this was a record that refreshed the parts more serious thrash projects simply couldn’t reach. SR
5. High Command — Eclipse Of The Dual Moons (Southern Lord)
Rooted in classic US thrash and crossover, High Command were placed in the same bracket as Power Trip when they emerged with 2019’s Beyond The Wall Of Desolation.
And Eclipse Of The Dual Moons was a worthy successor.
The Massachusetts band mixed fantasy lyrics with street smart riffs, as they moved from mid-paced menace to rapid fire rage.
And on the record’s two epics – Imposing Hammers Of Cold Sorcery and Spires Of Secartha – their songcraft scaled even greater heights. RH
4. Municipal Waste — Electrified Brain (Nuclear Blast)
Ahead of Electrified Brain’s hotly anticipated release, Tony Foresta reassured fans that Municipal Waste wasn’t in the business of ‘writing any love ballads to sell records’.
And true to form this ferociously feral beast — featuring James Bousema’s brilliant artwork — delivered a slam dunk of neck-snapping thrash metal.
Frequently drifting towards hardcore and punk, Electrified Brain frazzled the senses.
Demoralizer, Blood Vessel – Boat Jail and Barreled Rage were bludgeoning in their focus.
But it was High Speed Steel that cut through sharpest on this unrelenting record.
On top form opening up for Anthrax in the UK earlier this year, Foresta and co. cornered the market in party-starting thrash metal. SR
3. Megadeth — The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! (Universal)
To say The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! had a tortuous birth is an understatement.
Following the much-publicised sacking of Dave Ellefson, and a six-year gap since Dystopia, Megadeth’s 16th album had to deliver.
Thankfully it did, thanks to Dave Mustaine and co. spitting out steely, serrated thrashers like Life In Hell and We’ll Be Back, and nodding to the Countdown-era with songs such as Killing Time.
The choruses were big, the riffs were bigger… and the leadwork was – unsurprisingly – spectacular.
Fan of Rust In Peace and United Abominations? The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! should be on your ‘Deth list. RH
2. Ninth Realm — A Fate Unbroken (Mercenary Press)
Maryland’s Ninth Realm unleashed one of the finest thrash debuts of recent years with A Fate Unbroken. So it’s a worthy entry in our Best Thrash Metal Albums of 2022 list.
From Plea To The Heavens onwards, you were sent storming across a blood-stained battlefield to the cries of sonic slaughter.
The quartet’s grasp of classic metal dynamics shone brightly on the title track and Eternal Lance, while devastating thrash attacks Evoke Thy Wrath and Armageddon’s Howl left the earth smouldering.
We suspect you’ll be hearing a lot more about Ninth Realm in 2023… RH
So what topped our Best Thrash Metal Albums of 2022 round-up?
1. Kreator — Hate Über Alles (Nuclear Blast)
At the height of summer one monstrous metal storm engulfed the thrash scene.
German powerhouse Kreator were back to their brutal, bullish best.
Hate Über Alles had it all: lightning licks, breakneck riffs and that man Mille Petrozza spitting razors for fun.
Fifteen albums in and Kreator somehow raised the bar.
Killer Of Jesus was an unholy racket worthy of the band’s classic mid 80s canon.
And Conquer And Destroy could easily give the trad metal boys a Maiden-paced run for their money.
Hate Über Alles? Overall, we loved it. SR
Read the full Rushonrock review here