Warning! Do not take this article too seriously! It's meant to be a light hearted way of looking at who the four top bands in thrash today are. So, anyway, we'll look at who those bands are, and we'll also look at which band is their closest match from the original big 4.
The first of today's big 4 that we'll look at is probably the most popular of the bunch, Municipal Waste. They combine thrash with hardcore to bring a classic sound. They provide high speed and bring a lot of fun as well. They're not just about anger and aggression, they're about partying and having a great time as well. Their live shows are amazing, and they even have a beer in their honor from Munster, Indiana's 3 Floyd's.
The second one I'll bring in is Havok. Havok bring a punishing and high speed progressive thrash sound. They're probably the second most technically sound of the bunch, but they bring the speed metal aspect with not just the speed, but the melody as well. Songs like "Scumbag in Disguise" are already songs that, to me are clear masterpieces.
Third up is Toxic Holocaust. They bring the elements of more aggressive forms of metal. There are clear and obvious traces of black metal in the music, and the songs, while containing great hooks, are largely devoid of much melody, instead using Joel Grind's amazing ability to write a great riff and going based on those fast and aggressive riffs.
The last of the bunch is Vektor. Vektor is probably the band that is the most progressive and most technically proficient of the bunch. The band is incredibly talented and has some very incredible variation in their music. Vektor is really probably not as well known as other thrash bands out there right now, but in my opinion, their ability is just too hard to ignore. There are also elements of black metal in their music.
So, which band compares the most to each of the original big 4? Here's my best shot.
Metallica - I'm going with Vektor here. Metallica was the band within the big four that had the most variation to their music throughout the entire careers of the big 4. They were very progressive despite lacking in the drumming department. Megadeth was probably the most progressive of the bunch, but they did it more at higher speeds, much like the band that most resembles them.
Megadeth - You gotta go with Havok here. They're very progressive, but are a band that is much more consistent with their speed. Within this big 4, they're easily the most like Megadeth.
Anthrax - Municipal Waste is also the easy choice. Their music is faster and not as melodic as Anthrax, but the overall vibe is very much like the vibe that Anthrax brought. Also, relative to the rest of the bands on this list they really probably fit the most with Anthrax as well.
Slayer - Toxic Holocaust doesn't just get this by default. They really are the most like Slayer of this group. The high speed riffing, the reliance on that riffing more than classic forms of melodies and hooks, and just an angry and super aggressive sound, the most aggressive of the bunch.
Now, the big four were not the only hard rock or metal bands that were huge at that time. I'm going to look at a couple of other major bands from those days and give today's comparisons to them as well.
Motorhead - Today's Motorhead (again, I'm not saying these bands are those bands, but that they compare best among today's batch of metal bands) would be Midnight. I was very close to giving it to Chapel, as their speed actually fits better with Motorhead, but the overall attitude of Midnight and groove is something that I feel also fits Motorhead's model very well.
Venom - Is there any question? Skeletonwitch is the king of the black thrash bands. Their groove and aggression fits Venom very well. They don't just have elements of black metal in their music, they pretty much are a half black, half thrash band, much like what Venom was. On top of that, they're also some of the nicest people I've ever said hi to in my life. Off stage they've been nothing short of very kind in my short experiences.
SOD - Iron Reagan....I couldn't resist.
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