The story of the Proto-Speed/Thrash Metal - PART V

Hey brutal speedbangers,
finally this is the fifth and last part of this special focused on the history of the proto-speed/thrash metal, whose first episode was published even in August 2017! As you know, this fifth part is very connected with the fourth one because both are about the fastest metal albums released in 1983. But, when the 4th part was about the not Anglo-American bands (so to range from the Belgians Acid to the Swiss maniacs Hellhammer), this final part is about acts coming from places like Canada, England and USA. Obviously, within the US bands, you'll find also the thrash metal pioneers Metallica and Slayer.

The story of the Proto-Speed/Thrash Metal PART IV

Hey brutalbangers,
after many many months from the third part of the proto-speed/thrash metal story, here you are finally the 4th part, where we'll face the gestures of the fastest bands that released their albums in 1983, that's the year in which the thrash metal genre was officially founded by Metallica and Slayer.

I advise you that this 4th part is a little bit particular because I have divided it in two articles. Additionally, every band will be faced in a faster way, in according to the more direct and shorter reviews that I am writing ultimately. The reason of all these decisions is that there are now a lot of bands around the world to talk about, otherwise this part could be an endless and boring mega-article.

So, I hope you liked also this part...and I hope I'll write the 5th one as soon as possible (FUCK, I started this story one year ago and I have still to finish it!)!

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.

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

In my opinion, the first true proto-speed metal albums in the history were released in 1981. Yes, you have to count still them on the fingers of a single hand but the cult for the speed was already international at that time. In fact, it sounds strange but...Venezuela was one of the very first proto-speed metal strongholds!

The story of Proto-Speed/Thrash metal - PART I (1980)

I don't know what you think but I am one of those ballbreaking metalheads that are used to consider the so-called speed metal and thrash metal as two different genres. Despite this, there are no real differences between them for many other persons with the result that they uses the term "speed metal" as synonim of the thrash metal. But the question was more confusing during the mighty '80s when, to mention a notable example, Metallica were described as a speed metal band if not even a power metal band, just because they titled "Power Metal" an obscure demo of their early days thanks to an idea of their bassist Ron McGovney. Therefore, speed metal is considered by many not a real metal genre but a definition born and dead in the '80s.

In general, speed metal is to be considered like a kind of sped up pure heavy metal that's more linear and less violent if compared to thrash metal, that, instead, is a lethal combination between the pure heavy metal and punk/HC, so the style created by bands like Slayer or Metallica is more nervous and ferocius than in the speed metal way. To name two examples so to understand better all these differences, speed metal is represented by "Heavy Metal Maniac" of the Canadians Exciter while thrash by "Kill 'Em All" of Metallica, both albums released in 1983 and both expressions of a very fast metal, just played in two different ways: in fact, the first one is more epic and metallic while the latter one is more scrapping and punkish. And still, Metallica and Slayer (so, the entire thrash metal movement) reached the worldwide reputation (and a bunch of money!) in very few years while Exciter and Impaler (ergo, the speed metal) became cult bands adored by the most metal fundamentalists.

The far origins of both speed and thrash metal were into the '80s, in particular due to the fast "Exciter" (1978) of Judas Priest. This is a song elegant but brutal (granted, for the standards of those times!) to be included also as one of the very first examples of the use of the double kick drum bass in rock music. But, for the truth, the '70s were a good time for single songs able to challenge the listeners in terms of speed and aggressiveness, even by the most unthinkable bands. For example and going beyond the usual suspects Deep Purple ("Speed King", "Fireball", "Hard Lovin' Man"...), comes to my mind numbers as "Frustration" of Jerusalem (their first and last 1972 album was produced by nothing else than Ian Gillan!), the schizophrenic and hyper-aggressive "Plastic Shotgun" of the Germans Night Sun (1972), the proto-motörheadian street metal of "Damned Flame" of the Belgians Blast (1973) or, finally, the very hard "Stone Cold Crazy" even by Queen (1974)!

But all these aforementioned examples were only isolated episodes made by bands that experimented new killing tempos without creating a movement focused on fast songs and neither proposing a systematical codification of the speed/thrash metal, destined to starting from 1983 also if preceded 3 years before thanks especially to "Ace of Spades" of Motörhead.

So, here you are a short story about the proto-speed/thrash metal from 1980 to 1983, and we will focused especially on the bands that believed so much in the speed that this one became (more or less) their belief.