The best thrash metal era

I always wanted to create a topic like this... It is really hard to choose but I give a voice for the late '80, 1987, 1988 and 1989...it speaks for itself.

Hmmmm, I have to think hard at this one....

I'm going to have to go for the late 80s. There were so many great, great thrash records released during 1987 and 1989. Here's some of my very favourites from that era:

Metallica's ...And Justice for All (My favourite Metallica album, at the moment anyway)
Sepultura's Beneath the Remains
Annihilator's Alice in Hell
Megadeth's So Far, So Good...So What!
Sadus's Illusions (Chemical Exposure)
Anthrax's Among the Living (The only Anthrax album I really enjoy)
Testament's The Legacy
Slayer's South of Heaven

id have to say early 80's thats when it really started to dawn into a full fledged genre and amazing bands started popping up

Mid 80s for me is when the genre reached it's ultimate peak.

Late 80's-early 90's.

I voted for Mid '80.

Metallica - Master of Puppets (My favorite album) / Ride the Lightening
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? / Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease / Among The living

Do you think?

It's a tie! Mid 80's and late 80's.

I voted for mid 80's. Great albums by the big four were dropped. They were mentioned. Then Germany had some great stuff. Destruction (Infernal Overkill and Eternal Devastation) and Kreator had really killer records as well, they were Endless Pain and Terrible Certainty. Then Razor had their awesome albums. They dropped Executioner's Song and Evil Invaders (both in 1985!).

Overall, the mid 80s were definitely the best years for thrash metal.

Mid and late 80's i'd say.

I would say mid 80s. In the late 80s, thrash was at it's peak and I found that the tempos of albums slowed down to be more accessible to the mainstream.

I have to go with the late 80s
Agent Orange, Persecution Mania (87, i think it counts), Released From Agony, Terrible Certainty, South Of Heaven and two gems like The Music Of Eric Zahn and The Principle Of Doubt by Mekong Delta

I voted for mid 80s

Slayer - Reign in Blood
Exodus - Bonded by Blood
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends
Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
and many more...

late 80s were awesome too.

I really like the current wave of thrash, but I vote for late 80s.

Yeah, new wave is great too. Warbringer, Municipal Waste, Violator, Bonded by Blood, Gama Bomb and others...

Plus this era of thrash still includes the new recordings put out by legends like Testament, Kreator, Exodus, Heathen, etc.

AndOne wrote:

Yeah, new wave is great too. Warbringer, Municipal Waste, Violator, Bonded by Blood, Gama Bomb and others...

Hell yeah, true