10 Most Underrated Metal Albums Of The 80s

'The LA Caffeine Machine' might be the most apt band nickname in thrash metal history.

Dark Angel had nothing in the way of nuance, subtlety or tact. What they did have was an incendiary intensity that few other groups could even daydream about matching. The crew's third LP, 'Leave Scars', finds them at their most unexpectedly progressive. Infusing their eardrum-blistering sound with more technical instrumentals and long-form song structures, they reached a new level of acclaim and recognition.

Sadly for the Californian headbangers, that new level was still firmly in the cult favourite status. Their ultra violent lyrical content, coupled with a level of musical heaviness more mainstream circles simply couldn't handle, gave them a rather low ceiling.

For those deeply entrenched in the ferocious US thrash scene of the late '80s, 'Leave Scars' was a new peak in audio brutality. Jim Durkin lets loose on the guitar, shredding like never before and making full use of the LP's longer, more progressive approach to music. His astonishing work is backdropped by Gene Hoglan's frenzied, often atmospheric drums.

Lyrically, frontman Ron Rinehart is as pitilessly violent as ever, ensuring an attitude that more than matches the moshpit-causing musical mayhem on offer.