Richard Bienstock: The History Of Thrash Metal Band Analysis

In the 1980’s four bands, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, rose up to create a whole new genre of music known as thrash metal. Richard Bienstock, in his article The History of Thrash Metal, defined these thrash metal artists as having “…(taken) the thundering force of traditional heavy metal, injected it with punks sneering aggression and delivered the whole thing with a relentless, insistent groove.” (“The History of Thrash Metal”) Not only were these bands popular at their starts, but they have managed to stay hugely successful in the many years after their formation. It was each of these groups that helped to create thrash metal and influence metal music both when they debuted and for metal music afterwards.
Anthrax, formed mid-1981

Their music differed from the previous two bands in the sense that they covered much more violent topics. Anything from Satanism to serial killers was fair game for their music. Their album, Reign in Blood, was considered so controversial that their initial record company, Def Jam, refused to release it. After another record company came along and released it, the album “was a huge success, breaking Slayer into wider audiences and becoming heralded by hardcore fans as the ultimate in speed metal.” (Metal Gods, 103) One song from the album, “Angel of Death”, received much criticism for its allusions to the Holocaust, specifically the infamous Josef Mengele, nicknamed the Angel of Death. The band popularized thrash metal by bringing together elements of thrash metal and more contentious and aggressive genres of metal. This combination proved a success, as they earned four gold albums and two Grammys out of five nominations for their thirteen album

Bands must find inventive ways to differentiate themselves from the music of the time. This involves creating new sounds and original lyrics. The Big Four were able to do just that, and created a genre all their own, thrash metal. Anthrax gained fans for the genre on the east coast and created original lyrics with pop culture. Metallica broke out of pop confines by using complex formal design and ambitious instrumental sections. Slayer took thrash metal down the road to the dark side and allowed for heavier, more cryptic, elements to be infused with their music. Megadeth talked about social issues of the time, which would later become a staple of thrash metal. While each band made its own contribution, it is through the collective works of all four groups that sky rocketed thrash metal onto the scene and forever changed metal