10 Essential Thrash Metal Bands You Need To Listen To

Prior to their litany of break-ups and line-up changes, Dark Angel was one of the most ferocious thrash groups bursting out of California.

In what's often considered the peak year for thrash metal releases, 1986 saw the unveiling of 'Darkness Descends'. Many will argue that the group peak right here. While that's not a great sell for the work that followed, it's worth remembering very few thrashers, from titans like Metallica to those who never escaped the Bay Area, ever reached such heavy highs.

As Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Kreator all whipped out modern classics, Dark Angel delved deep into apocalyptic fare for an explosion of bad taste mayhem. A look at the song titles is a quick indicator of the audible violence on offer here.

The likes of 'Hunger of the Undead' and 'Perish in Flames' perfectly showcase original frontman Don Doty's visceral, manic approach to vocals. The volatility in his voice is a perfect fit for the grim, grisly, doom-laden storytelling on offer. Better still are the frenzied, chaotic guitars from Eric Meyer and Jim Durkin who manage to both be duelling and in an odd sort of macabre harmony throughout the LP.

While much of what Dark Angel has to offer is well worth a listen, nothing by them, or perhaps by anyone in thrash for that matter, quite compares to 'Darkness Descends'. It's a pivotal heavy metal album from one of thrash's peak years as a dominating force in music.