10 Best Thrash Metal Albums Of The 21st Century

The thrash revival of the late 2000s wasn’t all because of the veterans, you know. The metal subgenre’s return to extreme dominance would have been nothing without its next generation beginning to make waves. Up-and-comers like Holy Grail, Savage Messiah, Municipal Waste, Warbringer and, of course, Havok are the torch-bearers now, and are all doing amazing things with their speedy and reactionary sounds.

While many would endeavour to argue that Time Is Up is probably Havok’s greatest achievement to date, 2017’s Conformicide is a disc that sees the Colorado-based quartet shine from the pack with a truly individual identity. Integrating progressive and crossover inclinations, the album shines not only with shoot-from-the-hip bangers like “Hang ‘Em High” and the single “Intention to Deceive”, but also with intricate suites like the Nineteen Eighty-Four-inspired “Ingsoc” and the marching “Masterplan”.

Even when compared to such grand examples of discontent like Endgame, Conformicide is an album with social commentary spewing from every orifice. Every track on this hour of unshackled madness boasts a social gripe, whether it be with politics, religion, the military or any other form of establishment.

Mixing archetypal thrash angst with gloriously avant-garde basslines and lengthy, slow-building tracks, Conformicide takes both Havok and their genre to new heights.