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Here are the five best technical thrash metal<\/a> albums, ranked in order of sheer, unadulterated excellence.<\/p>\n To somebody unfamiliar with\u00a0the subgenre,\u00a0“technical thrash” might sound like an oxymoron. And yes, it’s true that when thrash metal\u00a0exploded out of the Bay Area in the early ’80s, it prized hellacious speed and blunt-force aggression over everything.<\/p>\n Thrash in its earliest form was a fusion of classic heavy metal and hardcore punk and many of the scene’s fresh-faced progenitors were barely old enough to drink when they began revolutionizing heavy metal. So it’s\u00a0easy to forgive those young, denim-and-leather-clad headbangers for\u00a0some early musical shortcomings.<\/p>\n Technical thrash, however, was an entirely different beast.<\/p>\n READ MORE: The 9 Best Thrash Metal Songs Over 9 Minutes Long<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As the decade reached its midpoint, thrash began to mutate into something far more complex.<\/p>\n Austin, Texas’ Watchtower helped pioneer the\u00a0technical thrash subgenre with their wildly ambitious 1985 debut album\u00a0Energetic Disassembly<\/em>. Soon, other bands such as Canada’s Voivod<\/a> and Switzerland’s Coroner<\/a> joined the fray,\u00a0expanding upon thrash’s early breakneck template with\u00a0progressive song\u00a0structures, gnarled riffs, dizzying rhythmic interplay and head-spinning, jazz fusion-inspired solos.<\/p>\n Although technical thrash remained a relatively niche subgenre, its left an undeniable imprint on the metal world at large. It helped pave the way for the technical death metal movement of the late ’80s and early ’90s, with Death<\/a> bandleader Chuck Schuldiner<\/a> citing Watchtower as one of his favorite bands in a 1991 interview<\/a>. And\u00a0as some of thrash’s earliest and biggest bands further honed their sound, they also reached all-new levels of sophistication, showing what a technical thrash band with a major-label budget could achieve.<\/p>\n Read on to see our list of the five best technical thrash albums, ranked from awesome to\u00a0most<\/em> awesome.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now that you’ve been schooled in the finest tech-thrash, how about a quiz?<\/p>\n Think you’re the ultimate thrash expert? See if you can guess the thrash album from just one small piece of the album cover. We’ve got three levels of difficult!<\/p>\n Try to guess these thrash album covers based on one small crop-section.<\/p>\n Two hints are offered for every album before the big reveal!<\/p>\n SCROLL SLOWLY OR YOU WILL REVEAL THE FULL ALBUM COVER!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow Technical Thrash’s Influence Loomed Large in the Metal World<\/h3>\n
The 5 Best Technical Thrash Albums (Ranked)<\/h2>\n
Can You Guess These Thrash Metal Album Covers From Just A Small Piece?<\/h2>\n