Monday, January 29, 2018

The story of Proto-Speed/Thrash metal - PART III

1982 was an important year for the future speed/thrash metal movement that emerged within few years. In fact, it was just during in 1982 that bands like Metallica, Slayer, Exodus and Sodom started their own careers releasing also devastating demos as "Power Metal" (Metallica) or the noisy and obscene "Witching Metal" (Sodom). And we don't forget the fundamental contribution to the emerging speed/thrash metal given by the first two volumes (both edited, indeed, in 1982) of Metal Massacre, a series of compilations, released by the soon-to-be-famous US label Metal Blade Records owned by Brian Slagel, in order to spread the music of North American bands like Metallica (with their very famous song "Hit the Lights", then appeared in their debut album "Kill 'Em All"), Armored Saint, Cirith Ungol and many others. Finally, 1982 was the year in which many bands started to love the speed and the pure sonic aggression revolting also the way to conceive the heavy metal music.