Best Thrash Metal Bands

Rank	Band / Formed / Genres	Albums
1	Megadeth 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal	Rust in Peace (1990) #1 Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) #17 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #134
2	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #25 ...And Justice for All (1988) #73
3	Slayer 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Speed Metal	Reign in Blood (1986) #5 Seasons in the Abyss (1990) #54 Hell Awaits (1985) #57
4	Testament 1986, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Legacy (1987) #221 The Gathering (1999) #319 The New Order (1988) #490
5	Kreator 1984, Germany Thrash Metal	Pleasure to Kill (1986) #96 Coma of Souls (1990) #330 Enemy of God (2005) #322
6	Sodom 1981, Germany Thrash Metal, Black Metal	Persecution Mania (1987) #170 Tapping the Vein (1992) #278 Agent Orange (1989) #438
7	Sepultura 1984, Brazil Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Nu Metal	Beneath the Remains (1989) #26 Arise (1991) #119 Schizophrenia (1987) #228
8	Overkill 1980, United States Thrash Metal, Groove Metal	The Years of Decay (1989) #296 Ironbound (2010) #316 Under the Influence (1988) #512
9	Vektor 2003, United States Technical Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal	Terminal Redux (2016) #12 Outer Isolation (2011) #166 Black Future (2009) #183
10	Anthrax 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Groove Metal	Among the Living (1987) #250 Persistence of Time (1990) #774 Spreading the Disease (1985) #947
11	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Trapped! (1992) #621 Lingua Mortis (1996) #661 Strings to a Web (2010) #711
12	Destruction 1983, Germany Thrash Metal	Eternal Devastation (1986) #127 The Antichrist (2001) #349 Infernal Overkill (1985) #1186
13	Exodus 1979, United States Thrash Metal, Groove Metal	Bonded by Blood (1985) #352 Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005) #516 Pleasures of the Flesh (1987) #1413
14	Pantera 1981, United States Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal	Vulgar Display of Power (1992) #113 Cowboys from Hell (1990) #197 The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) #381
15	Coroner 1983, Switzerland Technical Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal	Punishment for Decadence (1988) #56 Dissonance Theory (2025) Mental Vortex (1991) #529
16	Annihilator 1984, Canada Thrash Metal, Technical Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Never Neverland (1990) #468 Alice in Hell (1989) #894 Set the World on Fire (1993) #3057
17	Machine Head 1991, United States Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, Nu Metal	The Blackening (2007) #359 Unto the Locust (2011) #606 Burn My Eyes (1994) #815
18	Metal Church 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal	Metal Church (1984) #418 The Dark (1986) #1025 Live (1998) [Live] #1813
19	Trivium 1999, United States Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ascendancy (2005) #168 Shogun (2008) #729 In the Court of the Dragon (2021) #919
20	Celtic Frost 1984, Switzerland Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Doom Metal	To Mega Therion (1985) #264 Morbid Tales (1984) [EP] #2095 Into the Pandemonium (1987) #2483
21	Nevermore 1992, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Dead Heart, In a Dead World (2000) #495 This Godless Endeavor (2005) #838 Dreaming Neon Black (1999) #1217
22	Havok 2004, United States Thrash Metal	Time Is Up (2011) #303 Point of No Return (2012) [EP] #1651 V (2020) #3343
23	Crash 1989, Korea Thrash Metal, Industrial Metal, Groove Metal	Endless Supply of Pain (1994) #439 The Paragon of Animals (2010) #1013 Untamed Hands in Imperfect World (2014) [EP] #3339
24	Dark Angel 1983, United States Thrash Metal	Darkness Descends (1986) #149 Leave Scars (1989) #1646 Time Does Not Heal (1991) #5413
25	Bathory 1983, Sweden Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Viking Metal	Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987) #354 Blood Fire Death (1988) #406 Hammerheart (1990) #1141
26	Artillery 1982, Denmark Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	By Inheritance (1990) #283 My Blood (2011) #3414 Penalty By Perception (2016) #2303
27	Possessed 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Death Metal	Seven Churches (1985) #276 Revelations of Oblivion (2019) #1989 Beyond the Gates (1986) #5396
28	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #610 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1393 Hand of Blood (2005) [Single]
29	Аспид 1988, Russia Technical Thrash Metal	Кровоизлияние (1993) #58
30	Flotsam and Jetsam 1984, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986) #2551 Flotsam and Jetsam (2016) #2614 The End of Chaos (2019) #3261
31	Death Angel 1982, United States Thrash Metal	Relentless Retribution (2010) #3325 The Ultra-Violence (1987) #4490 Act III (1990) #5389
32	Sabbat 1984, Japan Black Metal, Thrash Metal	Envenom (1991) #860 The Dwelling (1996) #965 Live at Asakusa Deathfest 2017 (2020) [Live]
33	Morbid Saint 1982, United States Thrash Metal	Spectrum of Death (1990) #192 Destruction System (1992) [Demo] Beyond the States of Hell (2014) [Live]
34	Method 2002, Korea Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal	Abstract (2015) #1135 Warrior's Way (2013) [EP] #2721 Survival Ov the Fittest (2006) #2844
35	Soulfly 1997, United States Nu Metal, Groove Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal	Totem (2022) #1477 Dark Ages (2005) #3115 Ritual (2018) #4913
36	Warbringer 2004, United States Thrash Metal	Woe to the Vanquished (2017) #2336 War Without End (2008) #2555 Waking Into Nightmares (2009) #3114
37	Cancer 1987, United Kingdom Death Metal, Thrash Metal	To the Gory End (1990) #452 Death Shall Rise (1991) #1236 Inverted World (2025)
38	Voivod 1981, Canada Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, Technical Thrash Metal	Dimension Hatröss (1988) #880 Killing Technology (1987) #2286 Target Earth (2013) #1500
39	Demolition Hammer United States Thrash Metal, Death Metal	Epidemic of Violence (1992) #637 Tortured Existence (1990) #1328 Necrology: a Complete Anthology (2008) [Compilation]
40	Revocation 2006, United States Technical Thrash Metal, Technical Death Metal	Empire of the Obscene (2008) #1832 Chaos of Forms (2011) #2363 Netherheaven (2022) #3404
41	Tankard 1982, Germany Thrash Metal	Pavlov's Dawgs (2022) #4876 Stone Cold Sober (1992) #5659 One Foot in the Grave (2017) #5976
42	Toxic Holocaust 1999, United States Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Black Metal	An Overdose of Death... (2008) #837 Conjure and Command (2011) #2642 Hell on Earth (2005) #4348
43	Mekong Delta 1985, Germany Technical Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal	Dances of Death (And Other Walking Shadows) (1990) #2005 Tales of a Future Past (2020) Mekong Delta (1987) #5831
44	Vio-lence 1985, United States Thrash Metal, Groove Metal	Eternal Nightmare (1988) #662 Oppressing the Masses (1990) #7753 Torture Tactics (1991) [EP]
45	Vader 1983, Poland Death Metal, Thrash Metal	De Profundis (1995) #651 Litany (2000) #857 Welcome to the Morbid Reich (2011) #900
46	Nuclear Assault 1984, United States Thrash Metal	Handle With Care (1989) #1968 Game Over (1986) #2675 Survive (1988) #2285
47	Paradox 1986, Germany Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal	Heresy (1989) #1265 Collision Course (2000) Tales of the Weird (2012) #3526
48	Sadus 1984, United States Technical Thrash Metal	Illusions (1988) #2108 Swallowed in Black (1990) #3332 The Shadow Inside (2023) #5385
49	Cavalera 2023, Brazil Thrash Metal, Death Metal	Morbid Visions (2023) #1580 Schizophrenia (2024) #2338 Bestial Devastation (2023) [EP] #4878
50	Dimension Zero 1995, Sweden Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal	Silent Night Fever (2002) #2738 This Is Hell (2003) #2746 He Who Shall Not Bleed (2007) #5829

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