10 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums Of All Time
9. Anthrax: Among The Living (1987)
The album that secured Anthrax’s place amongst the Big Four of American thrash metal (along with Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth), Among the Living contains many of Anthrax’s hardest tracks.
Conceived soon after they finished supporting Black Sabbath’s Seventh Star tour, they had already crafted tracks such as the Judge Dredd inspired ‘I Am The Law’ by the time they entered the studio.
Much of Among the Living’s success lies in the band nailing various aspects and styles synonymous with the genre. The likes of A Skeleton in the Closet and Caught in a Mosh go wild with double-bass drums and sharp, edgy riffs. Tracks like One World and Indians rock the house as hard-hitting mid-paced headbangers.
The band even craft an exceptional tribute to Cliff Burton, the Metallica bassist tragically killed in a bus accident in Ljungby, Sweden during the 2 groups’ tour together. Titled A.D.I./Horror of it All, the tracks starts out with a funereal, acoustic intro that quickly escalates into a classic mosh riff, smashing listeners with a series of increasingly violent beats and a wild guitar solo in honour of their fallen friend.