Bay Area thrash metal
Encyclopedia
Bay Area thrash metal, or "Bay Area thrash", referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area
, California
. Along with South Florida, the scene was widely attributed as a starting point of American thrash metal
and death metal
.
in 1980. By the time the group recorded their full length album 4 years later, five different guitarists or bassists had already passed through the line-up, with some going on to join or form bands that were equally relevant to the area's burgeoning metal scene. In November 1982, Exodus opened a show at San Francisco
's Old Waldorf venue for Metallica
, a then-relatively unknown (and unsigned) band from Southern California
who were recently discovered by Brian Slagel
and had appeared on the first volume of his Metal Massacre compilation
. Exodus (who were also unsigned at this time) had distributed an untitled demo the same year with a line-up that included guitarist Kirk Hammett
.
Although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles
, it wasn't until their February 1983 relocation to the East Bay area
that Cliff Burton
and Kirk Hammett joined as bassist and lead guitarist, sealing the band's first, formative line-up. The group (which then consisted of Burton, James Hetfield
, Lars Ulrich
and Dave Mustaine
) had moved into a Carlson Blvd. house in El Cerrito
, near Albany Hill
, which had been rented by Mark Whitaker
, then-manager of Exodus. After Mustaine was removed from the line-up that same year, then-Exodus guitarist Hammett would replace him following Whitaker's recommendation; in turn, Mustaine would move back to Los Angeles to form Megadeth
.
Metallica's signing to Megaforce Records
, the release of their first album and the songwriting process and rehearsals for Ride the Lightning
and Master of Puppets
had all taken place while the group resided at Whitaker's El Cerrito home.
Burton and Hammett's friendship with other local acts, notably Oakland's Exodus
and Testament
, and later, San Francisco's Death Angel
- among others - strongly vitalized the scene, leading to intensive touring and tape trading
that would cross borders and seas, and eventually graduate to record signings.
El Sobrante
's Possessed
would bring a turning point to the genre with 1985's Seven Churches
, regarded as the first album to cross over from thrash metal
to death metal
for the largely "growling vocals" and subject matter dealing with horror
and the occult
. In addition to the inspiration of black metal
, it would predate other albums, such as Los Angeles
-based Slayer
's Reign in Blood
and Death's San Francisco Bay Area
-written and rehearsed Scream Bloody Gore
, which had also been regarded as influential to thrash and death metal.
Members from Possessed had also maintained a strong network with other integral musicians of the Bay Area thrash scene: vocalist Jeff Becerra and then-guitarist Larry LaLonde
had played in a short-lived speed metal
band called Blizzard, which featured former Exodus bassist Carlton Melson and Desecration guitarist Danny Boland (then-Possessed drummer Mike Sus and former Possessed bassist Bob Yost had also played in Desecration, a death/thrash band active between 1985 and 1989). Former Exodus bassist Geoff Andrews co-founded Possessed before Becerra replaced him in 1983, taking over both vocal and bass duties.
After Possessed's first disbanding, LaLonde went on to join Blind Illusion
, which featured former Exodus members Evan McCaskey
and Tim Agnello, then-Heathen
members Marc Biedermann
and Dave Godfrey, and Blizzard drummer Mike Miner. Blind Illusion co-founder Les Claypool
(who was a high school friend of Kirk Hammett at Richmond
's DeAnza High School) would unsuccessfully audition as Metallica's bassist in 1986 after Burton's bus accident death in Sweden
.
in Southern California had spanned back to the 1970s, and in the 1980s, was the home base of Slayer
and Megadeth
, two of thrash
's "big four". However, from the mid-1980s until the early 1990s
, glam metal
had been the pervading and popular subgenre within the boundaries of the Los Angeles
scene.
Notwithstanding, both Slayer and Megadeth would receive recognition early in their duration by playing at Bay Area venues, including Berkeley's Ruthie's Inn with Exodus
between 1984–85, a time in which current Slayer guitarist Kerry King
had played alongside Mustaine in Megadeth. Oakland
native Jeff Hanneman
was a founding Slayer member; Paul Bostaph
(formerly of Forbidden
, and later Exodus and Testament) had been Slayer's full-time drummer for the balance of the 1990s. Similarly, drummer Dave Lombardo
played on Testament's The Gathering album before returning to Slayer in 2004.
Before the 1989 dissolution of Desecration (which featured former members of Possessed
), Concord
drummer Chris Reifert
had been a live
guest musician at one of the band's shows. However, preceding this, Reifert had also been an acquaintance of Chuck Schuldiner
, who relocated his band Death from Florida
to Reifert's hometown in the Bay Area while building a line-up. Noticing the growth of the Northern California thrash scene, Schuldiner had earlier moved Death to the Bay Area in 1985 and briefly collaborated with drummer Eric Brecht, who recently exited Texas
crossover thrash
band D.R.I.
and would eventually join Attitude Adjustment. However, it was the Schuldiner-Reifert pairing that would lead to Death's signing to Combat Records
and release of the album Scream Bloody Gore, a debut regarded (alongside Possessed's Seven Churches) as one of the first releases to bridge the gap between thrash and death metal
, as noted earlier. Both records had been produced by Randy Burns.
In 1987, shortly after the release of Scream Bloody Gore and Schuldiner's move back to Florida, Reifert would form his own endeavor, Autopsy
, which has also been regarded as an early inspiration of the death metal genre. Autopsy's 1989 debut, Severed Survival
, would feature bassist
Steve DiGiorgio
, founder of Antioch, California
thrash metal band Sadus
; Schuldiner had also met DiGiorgio while living in the Bay Area, who would play bass for Death on the albums Human and Individual Thought Patterns
.
Reifert's legacy within the death metal genre would be further explored on the 1992 release of Acts of the Unspeakable
, which featured bassist Josh Barohn, who also played bass on Effigy of the Forgotten
, the 1991 debut album of pioneering New York
brutal death metal band Suffocation
.
Several early luminaries of the Bay Area scene borrowed heavily from the NWOBHM
and early punk rock
: Exodus guitarist
Gary Wayne Holt
mentioned discovering Tygers of Pan Tang
, Diamond Head
, Angel Witch
, Venom
and Budgie
on a KUSF
radio show hosted by Ian Kallen and Ron Quintana. Hammett, Hetfield and Ulrich have also cited Venom and Budgie as important influences, in addition to punk acts like the Misfits, Charged GBH
and Discharge
. Albums that very much reflected this era and inspiration include Kill Em All and Bonded By Blood
.
Other bands, such as Attitude Adjustment, took the hardcore punk
influence to a greater extent, with the aforementioned group involving former musicians from Agnostic Front
, D.R.I.
, and Murphy's Law
during their line-up history, in addition to show dates at 924 Gilman, a Berkeley venue more oriented to hardcore punk than heavy metal music
.
Attitude Adjustment's style, "crossover thrash
", a grindcore
precursor, would influence many bands of the latter subgenre, including chief innovator Napalm Death
(of England
), who would cover Attitude Adjustment's "Dope Fiend" and Hirax
's "Hate, Fear, and Power" on an exclusive covers album (coincidentally, the Hirax track had featured Attitude Adjustment drummer Eric Brecht on the original 1986 recording). Hirax, while Orange County, CA
-based, had many connections to bands of the Bay Area thrash scene, as the group had played at Ruthie's Inn, and in past line-ups, featured Paul Baloff
(formerly of Exodus and Heathen) and Ron McGovney
(Metallica's first bassist).
Long Island-born multi-instrumentalist Joe Satriani
had relocated to Berkeley
in 1978 to pursue a career teaching music; although he was mainly influenced by blues rock and had not specialized in heavy metal music initially, many of Satriani's students would go on to become progenital guitarists in the Bay Area metal scene, including Kirk Hammett of Metallica/Exodus, Larry LaLonde of Possessed, Alex Skolnick
of Testament, Rick Hunolt
of Exodus, Phil Kettner of Lääz Rockit
and Geoff Tyson
of T-Ride
. Satriani would also produce Possessed's 1987 The Eyes of Horror EP
.
Jeff Becerra of Possessed cites early Exodus
, Venom and Motörhead as his inspirations, calling
bassist/vocalist Lemmy his greatest of influences. Although Allmusic attributed Slayer
as being a musical influence for 1985's Seven Churches, the first Slayer album Show No Mercy had not been released until December 1983, shortly after members of Possessed were already writing material for their demo and debut album. However, former Possessed member Brian Montana explained that guitarist Mike Torrao once wanted Possessed to have a "Slayer-type outfit" (which then consisted of make-up, leather, pentagrams and inverted crosses), something Montana rejected as being too derivative. Montana (who had played guitar on the first Possessed demo) also cited early Exodus as an influence, in addition to Iron Maiden
, Judas Priest
, Yngwie Malmsteen and
Joe Satriani.
For logos, many bands within the Bay Area scene had a more DIY-artistic approach compared to the older metal bands using an already established font
. Conversely, professional illustrators (most notably Ed Repka
on Beyond the Gates
, Eternal Nightmare
, Product of Society
and Scream Bloody Gore
) were sometimes utilized to design album art.
Lyrical topics generally dealt in themes like the occult, horror, death, witchcraft
, warfare, destruction, violence
, apocalypse
, rebellion
and tyranny. However, some groups took on subjects more relevant to the day: The Metallica song "Master of Puppets
" off the 1986 album of the same name told how hard drugs can take control over someone, with some phrases in the song being euphemisms for cocaine
use. Although no implicit reference was made in the song or the rest of the album, the crack-cocaine epidemic
had been an active problem at that time for many large U.S. cities, and particularly affected the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dave Mustaine's association to the Bay Area scene was limited to his brief El Cerrito tenure with Metallica (in addition to the early Megadeth
shows). However, the "Megadeth" namesake emanated from a pamphlet written by then-U.S. Senator Alan Cranston
, a prominent politician from the South Bay. Cranston's text related to nuclear disarmament
and the Cold War
, two hot-button political issues during the 1980s which would become song topics on the 2nd Megadeth album, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
At live shows, members of Exodus
were forward in their disdain for the hair and glam metal scene in Los Angeles, making the phrase "kill the posers" a common stage mantra; guitarist Gary Holt
often recalled how both he and then-singer Paul Baloff
would approach individuals wearing Ratt
or Motley Crue
t-shirts, cut the clothes up with pocket knives (either for or against the wearer's will) and then tied the mangled fabrics around their wrist as a "badge of honor." Despite Holt later conceding to being a Ratt fan himself (along with guitarist Lee Altus
), he still criticized the image-driven mentality of glam metal, and described Exodus and other thrash metal bands as being more "based on musicianship, chops, songwriting and performance".
While Vio-Lence
had been signed to a major label (MCA Records
) for their 1988 debut album, a rare feat for any 2nd wave thrash band, then-guitarist Robb Flynn described tour life:
By the early 1990s, the scene had mostly died down, with many groups disbanding, going on hiatus or venturing to musical styles deemed more commercial or accessible at the time.
Oakland thrash metal
band Vio-Lence
would dissolve, leading guitarist Robb Flynn to form and front Machine Head
, who would help popularize the groove metal
genre. Flynn (who had also co-founded Forbidden
) would be joined by drummer
Chris Kontos
(formerly of Attitude Adjustment
) and later guitarist Phil Demmel, who played alongside Flynn in Vio-Lence.
Vocalist Steev Esquivel
would take a similar direction to Flynn after the 1994 break-up of his thrash metal band, Defiance
, when he formed groove metal/nu-metal group, Skinlab
, the following year.
Possessed
would disband in 1989 after vocalist/bassist Becerra was shot by 2 street thieves and left paralyzed from the waist down. In addition, personal and creative conflicts within the band had been described by former members. Mike Torrao would reform Possessed the following year with a different line-up; however, the group would fold once again in 1993.
The 2008 documentary film
Get Thrashed
attributed thrash's disintegration to grunge
's rise after the Clash of the Titans
tour.
While every band touring the 1990 Europe
an segment were veterans of 1980s thrash, a then-unknown Alice in Chains
was the opening band on the North American
segment in 1991. Death Angel
were originally intended by promoters as the supporting act (for their album, Act III
); however, in the previous year, a vehicle accident in Arizona
left drummer Andy Galeon critically injured, and Geffen Records
had dropped the group from their roster after a disagreement on who to replace him; subsequently, the band would dissolve. The same year, Geffen created a subsidiary label, DGC Records
, which was responsible for signing Nirvana
, who - along with Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam
and Soundgarden
- epitomized the face of the Seattle grunge phenomena of the early 1990s. Nearly coinciding with Neverminds No. 1 spot on the Billboards, Exodus
would be dropped from Capitol Records
and the group would go on hiatus the same year.
Despite line-up shifts and label changes, Testament
managed to intercept thrash's slow period by touring Europe and building a new fan base abroad. Sadus
bassist Steve DiGiorgio and Floridian
guitarist
James Murphy (both alums of Schuldiner's band Death) would join ranks with the band, in addition to former or session members of Forbidden, Exodus, and Slayer. However, Murphy would leave Testament after a brain tumor diagnosis in 1999. He had initially replaced founding guitarist Alex Skolnick, who had left Testament in 1993 to explore other musical styles.
Almost in tandem with grunge's receding vogue, and the increasing popularity of alternative rock
, nu-metal, rap rock
, rap music and boy bands, MTV
's Headbangers Ball
(which had showcased music videos of many Bay Area thrash groups in the late 1980s and early 1990s) would be taken off the air in 1995, limiting U.S. output of thrash (in addition to associated metal subgenres like death and black metal) to outlets such as radio shows, carrier current
, mailorder, word of mouth
or the internet
.
Out of all bands from the Bay Area metal scene, Metallica
managed not only to stay active (despite alcoholism
, internal conflicts and a turnover of bassists) but also branch out to the mainstream, even while heavy metal music began to shrink from the public eye. Metallica was the only "big 4 thrash group" not on the Clash of the Titans
tour; instead, after the Titans event ended, the band teamed up with Guns N Roses and Faith No More
on 2 consecutive tours in support of their self titled 5th album, known colloquially as the Black Album
. The record was considered a musical departure from their thrash metal
days, showing a direction reared toward modern hard rock
, and was attributed (along with Load
and ReLoad
) as alienating long-time fans. The April 2000 Napster file sharing
lawsuits would bring the band further controversy from both the press and fans, considering the process of music trading was a factor in their early success. Since the beginning of the Soundscan era, the Black Album has held distinction as the 2nd best selling album of all time; the accumulated Metallica discography currently makes the group the 3rd most financially successful heavy metal band of all time (after Led Zeppelin
and AC/DC
) and the best selling thrash metal band of all time. The band has sold a total of over 58 million records.
bands organized Thrash of the Titans
, promoted to help Testament
vocalist Chuck Billy
, who had been diagnosed with cancer, as well as Death's Chuck Schuldiner
, who was ailing from a brain tumor. Although Death was based in Orlando, Florida
, Schuldiner had relocated the group to the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980s while pooling a line-up.
The classic Vio-Lence
line-up (minus Machine Head
's Robb Flynn), Death Angel
, Heathen
, Forbidden
(going under their original name, Forbidden Evil), Anthrax
, Sadus
, Stormtroopers of Death
and Exodus
were among the performers. Schuldiner would lose his battle with the cancer 4 months later, and Exodus' singer Paul Baloff
died from a stroke the following year. However, Testament's singer, Chuck Billy
survived cancer.
Death Angel and Heathen would reform and record new albums as a result of their reunions for the benefit concert, and Exodus, who had been on semi-hiatus at the time, asked 80s era singer Steve Souza
to rejoin the band after Baloff's death, also leading to a new album.
On July 9, 2005, a "sequel" concert, Thrash Against Cancer took place, which featured Testament, Lääz Rockit
and Hirax
, with Death Angel guitarist Ted Aguilar.
Jeff Becerra reactivated the Possessed
name in 2007, with members of the band Sadistic Intent
compensating for the original line-up. The new Possessed played at the 2007 Wacken Open Air
in Germany.
2008 would also be seen by many fans as a great year for Bay Area Thrash, with the releases of Death Angel's Killing Season
and Testament's The Formation of Damnation
, but more importantly, Metallica's Death Magnetic
, which saw a long awaited return to a thrash sound similar to their classic 1980s albums, the first album to do so in 20 years. That event alone signified to many longtime fans that thrash really had made a comeback.
Blind Illusion
, which had disbanded 1989, reconvened in 2009.
Ruthie's Inn, Berkeley
In addition to bringing to light many punk rock
groups, the club was an early local venue
for Metallica
, Megadeth
, Death, Slayer
, Exodus
, Possessed
and Death Angel
from 1983-1987. Cliff Burton
had also been a regular in the audience. The club
was eventually converted into a restaurant, Rountree's, in 2002. On December 31, 2006, the venue's original founder, Wes Robinson, died at age 77.
Prior and upon moving to California, the Texas
-born Robinson was heavily involved in the jazz music collective, where he met musicians like Pharoah Sanders
and John Coltrane
. Disillusioned by the commercialism of jazz in the 1970s, Robinson's focus soon moved to hardcore punk
(which had just started in the East Bay at that time) and a small San Pablo Avenue club called Ruthie's Inn would be used to front these bands. By the 1980s, Robinson then became interested in the thrash metal
and early death metal
bands in the area, and would promote highly influential bands of those sub-genres as well. In a Berkeley Daily Planet
op-ed, Robinson was remembered for focusing on "freshness and originality of the music and passion of its artists rather than the commercial appeal."
would lead to repeat performances from other thrash acts, such as Megadeth
.
The Warfield
The 1920s vaudeville theatre featured a myriad of thrash metal bands during the 1980s, and was the exclusive location
for Slayer
's War at the Warfield
video in 2003.
and Vio-Lence
, August 18, 1989. Death Angel
, November 3, 1989. Death
, March 30, 1990.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Along with South Florida, the scene was widely attributed as a starting point of American thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
.
Exodus & Metallica
The earliest documented roots of the Bay Area thrash scene date back to the formation of ExodusExodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
in 1980. By the time the group recorded their full length album 4 years later, five different guitarists or bassists had already passed through the line-up, with some going on to join or form bands that were equally relevant to the area's burgeoning metal scene. In November 1982, Exodus opened a show at San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
's Old Waldorf venue for Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, a then-relatively unknown (and unsigned) band from Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
who were recently discovered by Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel is the owner and founder of Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for giving Metallica their first break in 1982, with an appearance on Metal Massacre, a compilation album on Metal Blade, and has since released seminal albums by Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning,...
and had appeared on the first volume of his Metal Massacre compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. Exodus (who were also unsigned at this time) had distributed an untitled demo the same year with a line-up that included guitarist Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
.
Although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, it wasn't until their February 1983 relocation to the East Bay area
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
that Cliff Burton
Cliff Burton
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
and Kirk Hammett joined as bassist and lead guitarist, sealing the band's first, formative line-up. The group (which then consisted of Burton, James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
, Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
and Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
) had moved into a Carlson Blvd. house in El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, near Albany Hill
Albany Hill
Albany Hill is a prominent hill along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California. Geologically, the hill is predominantly Jurassic sandstone, carried to the western edge of North America on the Pacific Plate and scraped off there in the course of subduction. Albany Hill...
, which had been rented by Mark Whitaker
Mark Whitaker (music producer)
Mark Whitaker is a San Francisco Bay Area-based music producer who was the manager of Exodus and sound engineer of Metallica in the 1980s. Whitaker acted as a producer on Exodus’ debut album Bonded by Blood and partly on their second effort Pleasures of the Flesh . He managed former Exodus...
, then-manager of Exodus. After Mustaine was removed from the line-up that same year, then-Exodus guitarist Hammett would replace him following Whitaker's recommendation; in turn, Mustaine would move back to Los Angeles to form Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
.
Metallica's signing to Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
, the release of their first album and the songwriting process and rehearsals for Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984 through the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 5, 1987 and was most recently certified 5x platinum on June 9, 2003...
and Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets
-Personnel:Metallica* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on track 1, first solo on tracks 2 and 7* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals* Lars Ulrich – drums* Kirk Hammett – lead guitarProduction...
had all taken place while the group resided at Whitaker's El Cerrito home.
Networking between local bands
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
and Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, and later, San Francisco's Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
- among others - strongly vitalized the scene, leading to intensive touring and tape trading
Tape trading
Tape trading is an unofficial method of distribution of demo tapes encompassing musical genres such as punk, hardcore, and extreme metal. The practice which was most prevalent during the 1980s and 1990s, also saw people distribute recordings of live music shows...
that would cross borders and seas, and eventually graduate to record signings.
El Sobrante
El Sobrante, California
El Sobrante is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 12,669 at the 2010 census...
's Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
would bring a turning point to the genre with 1985's Seven Churches
Seven Churches (album)
- Personnel :*Jeff Becerra − Vocals, Bass*Larry LaLonde − Guitar*Mike Torrao − Guitar*Mike Sus − Drums*Randy Burns - Keyboard on Tracks 1 and 9....
, regarded as the first album to cross over from thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
to death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
for the largely "growling vocals" and subject matter dealing with horror
Horror (emotion)
The distinction between horror and terror is a standard literary and psychological concept applied especially to Gothic literature and film. Terror is usually described as the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience...
and the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
. In addition to the inspiration of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, it would predate other albums, such as Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
-based Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
and Death's San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
-written and rehearsed Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut album by American band Death, released in 1987 and considered "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner plays bass, wrote all the songs on the album and provides vocals in addition to guitar for the album...
, which had also been regarded as influential to thrash and death metal.
Members from Possessed had also maintained a strong network with other integral musicians of the Bay Area thrash scene: vocalist Jeff Becerra and then-guitarist Larry LaLonde
Larry LaLonde
Larry "Ler" LaLonde is a guitarist who currently plays in Primus along with Les Claypool and Jay Lane...
had played in a short-lived speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
band called Blizzard, which featured former Exodus bassist Carlton Melson and Desecration guitarist Danny Boland (then-Possessed drummer Mike Sus and former Possessed bassist Bob Yost had also played in Desecration, a death/thrash band active between 1985 and 1989). Former Exodus bassist Geoff Andrews co-founded Possessed before Becerra replaced him in 1983, taking over both vocal and bass duties.
After Possessed's first disbanding, LaLonde went on to join Blind Illusion
Blind Illusion
Blind Illusion is an American progressive thrash metal band from Richmond, California. Formed in 1979 by lead guitarist and main songwriter Marc Biedermann, the band had an extremely unstable lineup and went through several stylistic changes during their time...
, which featured former Exodus members Evan McCaskey
Evan McCaskey
Evan McCaskey was an American guitarist who played for the bands Exodus and Blind Illusion.Evan grew up in Point Richmond, California. Prior to joining the band Blind Illusion, he taught guitar lessons in his Point Richmond studio...
and Tim Agnello, then-Heathen
Heathen (band)
Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area San Francisco, founded in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco...
members Marc Biedermann
Marc Biedermann
Marc Biedermann is an El Sobrante, California based heavy metal guitarist, vocalist, bassist and songwriter. He is best known for as the driving force behind the progressive band Blind Illusion. He has also played on Blue Öyster Cults Imaginos and Heathens Victims of Deception albums...
and Dave Godfrey, and Blizzard drummer Mike Miner. Blind Illusion co-founder Les Claypool
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
(who was a high school friend of Kirk Hammett at Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
's DeAnza High School) would unsuccessfully audition as Metallica's bassist in 1986 after Burton's bus accident death in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Networking between bands in other scenes
Heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
in Southern California had spanned back to the 1970s, and in the 1980s, was the home base of Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, two of thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
's "big four". However, from the mid-1980s until the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
had been the pervading and popular subgenre within the boundaries of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
scene.
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
between 1984–85, a time in which current Slayer guitarist Kerry King
Kerry King
Kerry King is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since...
had played alongside Mustaine in Megadeth. Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
native Jeff Hanneman
Jeff Hanneman
Jeffrey John "Jeff" Hanneman is a rhythm/lead guitarist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman grew up in Los Angeles in a family of war veterans, and his fascination with warfare is attributed to his upbringing...
was a founding Slayer member; Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph is a heavy metal drummer. His drumming career began in 1984, when he was 20 years old, and he had since worked with bands like Slayer, Forbidden, Exodus and Systematic. He is from Newark, California and currently drums for Testament...
(formerly of Forbidden
Forbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
, and later Exodus and Testament) had been Slayer's full-time drummer for the balance of the 1990s. Similarly, drummer Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo is a Cuban American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood and their 2006 release Christ Illusion, for which he received critical praise...
played on Testament's The Gathering album before returning to Slayer in 2004.
Before the 1989 dissolution of Desecration (which featured former members of Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
), Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
drummer Chris Reifert
Chris Reifert
Chris Reifert is an American musician, and one of the pioneers of the death/doom genre. Although his music is more death metal than doom metal, he is one of the first musicians that blended the two styles. He played drums on the Death debut album, Scream Bloody Gore...
had been a live
guest musician at one of the band's shows. However, preceding this, Reifert had also been an acquaintance of Chuck Schuldiner
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied...
, who relocated his band Death from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to Reifert's hometown in the Bay Area while building a line-up. Noticing the growth of the Northern California thrash scene, Schuldiner had earlier moved Death to the Bay Area in 1985 and briefly collaborated with drummer Eric Brecht, who recently exited Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
band D.R.I.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...
and would eventually join Attitude Adjustment. However, it was the Schuldiner-Reifert pairing that would lead to Death's signing to Combat Records
Combat Records
Combat Records was an independent record label from New York City. The label was home to predominantly metal and punk rock acts including Megadeth, Circle Jerks, Nuclear Assault, Death, Dead Brain Cells, Possessed, Crumbsuckers, Agnostic Front, Agent Steel, Dark Angel, Heathen, Zoetrope and...
and release of the album Scream Bloody Gore, a debut regarded (alongside Possessed's Seven Churches) as one of the first releases to bridge the gap between thrash and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, as noted earlier. Both records had been produced by Randy Burns.
In 1987, shortly after the release of Scream Bloody Gore and Schuldiner's move back to Florida, Reifert would form his own endeavor, Autopsy
Autopsy (band)
Autopsy is a death metal band, founded in 1987 in the United States by Chris Reifert. They disbanded in 1995, but have reunited as of July 2009.-Biography:...
, which has also been regarded as an early inspiration of the death metal genre. Autopsy's 1989 debut, Severed Survival
Severed Survival
Severed Survival is the debut album by Autopsy released in 1989. This album somewhat continues in the style of Reifert's former band Death, blended with odd drum fills and breaks, more extreme vocals and the technical bass playing of Steve DiGiorgio. Lyrically the band thrives heavily on horror and...
, would feature bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Steve DiGiorgio
Steve DiGiorgio
Steve DiGiorgio is an American bassist and musician.DiGiorgio has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands such as Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Charred Walls of the Damned, Obituary, and is a founding member of Sadus. He is widely renowned for...
, founder of Antioch, California
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
thrash metal band Sadus
Sadus
Sadus is an American thrash metal trio from Antioch, California.-History:Sadus was formed in 1984 in Antioch, California. While their very first efforts were influenced by early thrash metal bands, such as Slayer or Death, the band would later develop its own musical style by adding complicated...
; Schuldiner had also met DiGiorgio while living in the Bay Area, who would play bass for Death on the albums Human and Individual Thought Patterns
Individual Thought Patterns
Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth album by the death metal band Death, released in 1993. The album continues to expand on the technical, progressive style that began with Human, and incorporates elements of jazz as well...
.
Reifert's legacy within the death metal genre would be further explored on the 1992 release of Acts of the Unspeakable
Acts of the Unspeakable
Acts of the Unspeakable is the third album by the American death metal band Autopsy. It saw a progression into punk-inspired death metal.-Track listing:# "Meat" – 2:38# "Necrocannibalistic Vomitorium" – 2:11# "Your Rotting Face" – 3:55...
, which featured bassist Josh Barohn, who also played bass on Effigy of the Forgotten
Effigy of the Forgotten
-Personnel:Suffocation*Frank Mullen: All Vocals*Doug Cerrito: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Terrance Hobbs: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Josh Barohn: Bass*Mike Smith: DrumsProduction*Produced, Engineered & Mixed By Scott Burns*Mastered By Eddy SchreyerGuest Musicians...
, the 1991 debut album of pioneering New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
brutal death metal band Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
.
Musical characteristics
Influences
As different thrash metal scenes developed around the world throughout the 1980s, each had their own distinct style and influence.Several early luminaries of the Bay Area scene borrowed heavily from the NWOBHM
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
and early punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
: Exodus guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Gary Wayne Holt
Gary Holt (musician)
Gary Wayne Holt is an American guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the lead guitarist of Exodus.-Biography:...
mentioned discovering Tygers of Pan Tang
Tygers Of Pan Tang
Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, formed in 1978 and originating from Whitley Bay, England. They are a notable band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement...
, Diamond Head
Diamond Head (band)
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.-Early history:Formed by...
, Angel Witch
Angel Witch
Angel Witch is a British heavy metal band which formed in London, England in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.-Biography:...
, Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
and Budgie
Budgie (band)
Budgie is a Welsh Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band from Cardiff. They are widely considered as one of the first heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts of that scene, with fast, heavy rock being played as early as 1971. The band has been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day"...
on a KUSF
KUSF
KUSF was a non-commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California and owned by the University of San Francisco. From 1963 until 2011, the station broadcast at 90.3 FM MHz....
radio show hosted by Ian Kallen and Ron Quintana. Hammett, Hetfield and Ulrich have also cited Venom and Budgie as important influences, in addition to punk acts like the Misfits, Charged GBH
Charged GBH
Charged GBH are an English Street punk band, formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy and Drummer Andy " Wilf" Williams. GBH were early pioneers of English street punk, often nicknamed "UK82", along with Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited...
and Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
. Albums that very much reflected this era and inspiration include Kill Em All and Bonded By Blood
Bonded by Blood
For other uses of the phrase, see Bonded by Blood Bonded by Blood is the debut album by the San Francisco thrash metal band Exodus. Although the album was completed in the summer of 1984, it was not released until 1985 due to issues with Exodus and its record label...
.
Other bands, such as Attitude Adjustment, took the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
influence to a greater extent, with the aforementioned group involving former musicians from Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, D.R.I.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...
, and Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law (band)
Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...
during their line-up history, in addition to show dates at 924 Gilman, a Berkeley venue more oriented to hardcore punk than heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
.
Attitude Adjustment's style, "crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
", a grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
precursor, would influence many bands of the latter subgenre, including chief innovator Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
(of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), who would cover Attitude Adjustment's "Dope Fiend" and Hirax
Hirax
Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...
's "Hate, Fear, and Power" on an exclusive covers album (coincidentally, the Hirax track had featured Attitude Adjustment drummer Eric Brecht on the original 1986 recording). Hirax, while Orange County, CA
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
-based, had many connections to bands of the Bay Area thrash scene, as the group had played at Ruthie's Inn, and in past line-ups, featured Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.Paul was the second vocalist with Exodus replacing Keith Stewart in 1981 and singing on their 1982 Demo and their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the...
(formerly of Exodus and Heathen) and Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney is a former American musician, best known as the original bassist in the heavy metal band Metallica.-Leather Charm and Metallica:...
(Metallica's first bassist).
Long Island-born multi-instrumentalist Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
had relocated to Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in 1978 to pursue a career teaching music; although he was mainly influenced by blues rock and had not specialized in heavy metal music initially, many of Satriani's students would go on to become progenital guitarists in the Bay Area metal scene, including Kirk Hammett of Metallica/Exodus, Larry LaLonde of Possessed, Alex Skolnick
Alex Skolnick
Alexander Nathan Skolnick is an American jazz and metal guitarist. He was a member of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Testament from 1983 until his departure in 1993...
of Testament, Rick Hunolt
Rick Hunolt
Rick Hunolt is an American heavy metal guitarist who is best known for being the long time guitarist in thrash metal band Exodus. He joined the band in 1983, replacing Mike Maung who had been hired to replace original guitarist Kirk Hammett who left to join Metallica...
of Exodus, Phil Kettner of Lääz Rockit
Lääz Rockit
Lääz Rockit are a Power/Thrash band formed in San Francisco, California in 1982. Although one of the lesser-known groups of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, each album in their history has received high critical marks...
and Geoff Tyson
Geoff Tyson
Geoff Tyson played guitar for T-Ride, whose debut album shared the same title. He was a student of Joe Satriani, and one of two students Satriani has said 'Graduated' from his lessons...
of T-Ride
T-Ride
T-Ride was a California-based heavy metal band whose only album shared the same title. Noted for its wildly complex instrument and vocal arrangements....
. Satriani would also produce Possessed's 1987 The Eyes of Horror EP
The Eyes of Horror
-Personnel:*Jeff Becerra - Bass & Vocals*Mike Torrao - Guitar*Larry Lalonde - Guitar*Mike Sus - Drums-Cover versions:Amon Amarth – "The Eyes of Horror" on their 2001 album The CrusherCannibal Corpse – "Confessions" on their 2003 EP Worm Infested...
.
Jeff Becerra of Possessed cites early Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Venom and Motörhead as his inspirations, calling
bassist/vocalist Lemmy his greatest of influences. Although Allmusic attributed Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
as being a musical influence for 1985's Seven Churches, the first Slayer album Show No Mercy had not been released until December 1983, shortly after members of Possessed were already writing material for their demo and debut album. However, former Possessed member Brian Montana explained that guitarist Mike Torrao once wanted Possessed to have a "Slayer-type outfit" (which then consisted of make-up, leather, pentagrams and inverted crosses), something Montana rejected as being too derivative. Montana (who had played guitar on the first Possessed demo) also cited early Exodus as an influence, in addition to Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Yngwie Malmsteen and
Joe Satriani.
Image, themes, philosophies and lifestyle
In regards to heavy metal and image, Sadus co-founder Steve DiGiorgio explained:- "...in high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, if you were playing any kind of music that wasn’t dance, or just something that was really different—you know, rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
or hard rockHard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, anything like that—then you needed to look like it. You needed to look like a bad dude, and we just looked like normal dudes....It wasn’t about trying to impress everybody, because we looked at those types of people as weenies trying to do that stuff ... We just wore our normal stuff and we didn’t really think about it. It just kind of happened that way and I think because we were searching for an extreme style, coupled with this no image, who-cares-what-we-look-like thing, then I think we fit in to that new movement that we discovered a little ways later, the whole Bay Area thrash scene."
For logos, many bands within the Bay Area scene had a more DIY-artistic approach compared to the older metal bands using an already established font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
. Conversely, professional illustrators (most notably Ed Repka
Ed Repka
Edward J. Repka is an American artist best known for creating album covers for heavy metal music bands as well as shirt designs, including those featuring Megadeth's mascot Vic Rattlehead. Repka's portfolio also includes Dark Angel's logo and model designs for the Hellraiser films...
on Beyond the Gates
Beyond the Gates
Beyond the Gates is the second album released by death metal band Possessed. It took a different direction from their debut, Seven Churches. Compared to Seven Churches, Beyond the Gates has a more technical feeling and, due to poor production, a muddy sound...
, Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
, Product of Society
Product of Society
Product of Society was the debut album by thrash metal band Defiance. It was released in 1989 on Roadracer Records. It was the only album by Defiance to feature Ken Elkington on vocals and had cover art by Ed Repka...
and Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut album by American band Death, released in 1987 and considered "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner plays bass, wrote all the songs on the album and provides vocals in addition to guitar for the album...
) were sometimes utilized to design album art.
Lyrical topics generally dealt in themes like the occult, horror, death, witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, warfare, destruction, violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
and tyranny. However, some groups took on subjects more relevant to the day: The Metallica song "Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets (song)
"Master of Puppets" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the title track and was released as the first single from their album of the same name....
" off the 1986 album of the same name told how hard drugs can take control over someone, with some phrases in the song being euphemisms for cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
use. Although no implicit reference was made in the song or the rest of the album, the crack-cocaine epidemic
Crack Epidemic
The United States crack epidemic refers to the surge of crack houses and crack cocaine use in major cities in the United States between 1984 and 1990...
had been an active problem at that time for many large U.S. cities, and particularly affected the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dave Mustaine's association to the Bay Area scene was limited to his brief El Cerrito tenure with Metallica (in addition to the early Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
shows). However, the "Megadeth" namesake emanated from a pamphlet written by then-U.S. Senator Alan Cranston
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
, a prominent politician from the South Bay. Cranston's text related to nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, two hot-button political issues during the 1980s which would become song topics on the 2nd Megadeth album, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
-25th Anniversary 2-CD reissue:-25th Anniversary box set:Disc 5 contains both the original album, and the above listed 1987 show in hi-resolution audio....
At live shows, members of Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
were forward in their disdain for the hair and glam metal scene in Los Angeles, making the phrase "kill the posers" a common stage mantra; guitarist Gary Holt
Gary Holt (musician)
Gary Wayne Holt is an American guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the lead guitarist of Exodus.-Biography:...
often recalled how both he and then-singer Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.Paul was the second vocalist with Exodus replacing Keith Stewart in 1981 and singing on their 1982 Demo and their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the...
would approach individuals wearing Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
or Motley Crue
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
t-shirts, cut the clothes up with pocket knives (either for or against the wearer's will) and then tied the mangled fabrics around their wrist as a "badge of honor." Despite Holt later conceding to being a Ratt fan himself (along with guitarist Lee Altus
Lee Altus
Lee Altus is an American heavy metal guitarist. Altus first came to public attention in the mid-80s with his original band, Heathen, where Altus displayed his highly technical neoclassical guitar playing style...
), he still criticized the image-driven mentality of glam metal, and described Exodus and other thrash metal bands as being more "based on musicianship, chops, songwriting and performance".
While Vio-Lence
Vio-lence
Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
had been signed to a major label (MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
) for their 1988 debut album, a rare feat for any 2nd wave thrash band, then-guitarist Robb Flynn described tour life:
- "...we were all like nineteen ... our stuff was crammed into the vanVanA van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
, no hotels, crashing out on people's floors and shit like that. (Then-Vio-Lence manager) Debbie (Abono) came out with us for a few dates and those ruled because we'd get to eat at Denny'sDenny'sDenny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...
. We'd just eat as much as humanly possible and hopefully we'd eat at the show, but we had absolutely no spending money. We weren't making anything, that's for sure, maybe we made $50 a night."
Decline
Oakland thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Vio-Lence
Vio-lence
Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
would dissolve, leading guitarist Robb Flynn to form and front Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
, who would help popularize the groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
genre. Flynn (who had also co-founded Forbidden
Forbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
) would be joined by drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Chris Kontos
Chris Kontos (musician)
Chris Kontos is best known as the drummer of Machine Head on their first album, Burn My Eyes. He and the band parted ways before their second album in 1997...
(formerly of Attitude Adjustment
Attitude Adjustment (band)
Attitude Adjustment was a crossover thrash band formed in the early 1980s in the San Francisco Bay Area.-Formation:The band was formed by Chris Kontos, Eric Smith and Rick Strahl in early 1985, briefly with Nick Koljian on vocals. The lineup was changed by the addition of Kevin Reed on vocals...
) and later guitarist Phil Demmel, who played alongside Flynn in Vio-Lence.
Vocalist Steev Esquivel
Steev Esquivel
Steev Esquivel is a Mexican-American heavy metal vocalist and bassist. He is best known for his work in the metal band Skinlab. He also has sung for the bands Laughing Dead , Defiance , and Xzanthus. He was a member of the thrash metal band, Exodus for a brief period...
would take a similar direction to Flynn after the 1994 break-up of his thrash metal band, Defiance
Defiance (band)
Defiance is a thrash metal band from Oakland, California. While virtually unknown to mainstream metal and rock circles, Defiance is known as one of the classic second-tier thrash bands to come from the Bay Area thrash metal scene...
, when he formed groove metal/nu-metal group, Skinlab
Skinlab
Skinlab is a groove metal band formed in 1994 in San Francisco, California by vocalist/bassist Steev Esquivel and guitarist Mike Roberts, now with San Francisco Bay Areas RAZE the STRAY, guitarist Gary Wendt Skinlab is a groove metal band formed in 1994 in San Francisco, California by...
, the following year.
Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
would disband in 1989 after vocalist/bassist Becerra was shot by 2 street thieves and left paralyzed from the waist down. In addition, personal and creative conflicts within the band had been described by former members. Mike Torrao would reform Possessed the following year with a different line-up; however, the group would fold once again in 1993.
The 2008 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Get Thrashed
Get Thrashed
Get Thrashed is an American documentary directed by Rick Ernst and starring Lars Ulrich, Sully Erna, Frank Bello, Death Angel, Dave Mustaine and many others .-Plot:...
attributed thrash's disintegration to grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
's rise after the Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans (tour)
Clash of the Titans was the name of a worldwide tour by several popular American thrash metal bands of the 1980s, with alternating headliners from show to show.-History:...
tour.
While every band touring the 1990 Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an segment were veterans of 1980s thrash, a then-unknown Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
was the opening band on the North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
segment in 1991. Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
were originally intended by promoters as the supporting act (for their album, Act III
Act III
Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel...
); however, in the previous year, a vehicle accident in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
left drummer Andy Galeon critically injured, and Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
had dropped the group from their roster after a disagreement on who to replace him; subsequently, the band would dissolve. The same year, Geffen created a subsidiary label, DGC Records
DGC Records
DGC Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and currently operates as an auxiliary label of Interscope Records.-Company history:...
, which was responsible for signing Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, who - along with Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
- epitomized the face of the Seattle grunge phenomena of the early 1990s. Nearly coinciding with Neverminds No. 1 spot on the Billboards, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
would be dropped from Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and the group would go on hiatus the same year.
Despite line-up shifts and label changes, Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
managed to intercept thrash's slow period by touring Europe and building a new fan base abroad. Sadus
Sadus
Sadus is an American thrash metal trio from Antioch, California.-History:Sadus was formed in 1984 in Antioch, California. While their very first efforts were influenced by early thrash metal bands, such as Slayer or Death, the band would later develop its own musical style by adding complicated...
bassist Steve DiGiorgio and Floridian
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
James Murphy (both alums of Schuldiner's band Death) would join ranks with the band, in addition to former or session members of Forbidden, Exodus, and Slayer. However, Murphy would leave Testament after a brain tumor diagnosis in 1999. He had initially replaced founding guitarist Alex Skolnick, who had left Testament in 1993 to explore other musical styles.
Almost in tandem with grunge's receding vogue, and the increasing popularity of alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, nu-metal, rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
, rap music and boy bands, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...
(which had showcased music videos of many Bay Area thrash groups in the late 1980s and early 1990s) would be taken off the air in 1995, limiting U.S. output of thrash (in addition to associated metal subgenres like death and black metal) to outlets such as radio shows, carrier current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
, mailorder, word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
or the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Out of all bands from the Bay Area metal scene, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
managed not only to stay active (despite alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, internal conflicts and a turnover of bassists) but also branch out to the mainstream, even while heavy metal music began to shrink from the public eye. Metallica was the only "big 4 thrash group" not on the Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans (tour)
Clash of the Titans was the name of a worldwide tour by several popular American thrash metal bands of the 1980s, with alternating headliners from show to show.-History:...
tour; instead, after the Titans event ended, the band teamed up with Guns N Roses and Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
on 2 consecutive tours in support of their self titled 5th album, known colloquially as the Black Album
Metallica (album)
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Mainly produced by Bob Rock, it was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records to critical acclaim...
. The record was considered a musical departure from their thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
days, showing a direction reared toward modern hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, and was attributed (along with Load
Load (album)
Load is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on June 4, 1996 through Elektra Records, it sold 680,000 units in its first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. The album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is certified 5x platinum by the RIAA...
and ReLoad
ReLoad
ReLoad is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records. The album is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load. It debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week....
) as alienating long-time fans. The April 2000 Napster file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
lawsuits would bring the band further controversy from both the press and fans, considering the process of music trading was a factor in their early success. Since the beginning of the Soundscan era, the Black Album has held distinction as the 2nd best selling album of all time; the accumulated Metallica discography currently makes the group the 3rd most financially successful heavy metal band of all time (after Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
) and the best selling thrash metal band of all time. The band has sold a total of over 58 million records.
Revival
In August of 2001, a small "reunion" of Bay Area thrash metalThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
bands organized Thrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans was a benefit concert held on August 11, 2001 at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco, CA. The concert was a co-benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma ; and Chuck Schuldiner, leader of the death metal band Death, who was also...
, promoted to help Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
vocalist Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
, who had been diagnosed with cancer, as well as Death's Chuck Schuldiner
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied...
, who was ailing from a brain tumor. Although Death was based in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Schuldiner had relocated the group to the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980s while pooling a line-up.
The classic Vio-Lence
Vio-lence
Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
line-up (minus Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
's Robb Flynn), Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
, Heathen
Heathen (band)
Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area San Francisco, founded in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco...
, Forbidden
Forbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
(going under their original name, Forbidden Evil), Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Sadus
Sadus
Sadus is an American thrash metal trio from Antioch, California.-History:Sadus was formed in 1984 in Antioch, California. While their very first efforts were influenced by early thrash metal bands, such as Slayer or Death, the band would later develop its own musical style by adding complicated...
, Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death, better known as S.O.D., was a crossover thrash band formed in New York in 1985. They are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The song "March of the S.O.D.," from their 1985...
and Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
were among the performers. Schuldiner would lose his battle with the cancer 4 months later, and Exodus' singer Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.Paul was the second vocalist with Exodus replacing Keith Stewart in 1981 and singing on their 1982 Demo and their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the...
died from a stroke the following year. However, Testament's singer, Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
survived cancer.
Death Angel and Heathen would reform and record new albums as a result of their reunions for the benefit concert, and Exodus, who had been on semi-hiatus at the time, asked 80s era singer Steve Souza
Steve Souza
Steve 'Zetro' Souza is one of the two singers, with Chuck Billy, for the band Dublin Death Patrol. He also sings for the death/thrash metal band Tenet, and recently announced his new thrash metal project Hatriot...
to rejoin the band after Baloff's death, also leading to a new album.
On July 9, 2005, a "sequel" concert, Thrash Against Cancer took place, which featured Testament, Lääz Rockit
Lääz Rockit
Lääz Rockit are a Power/Thrash band formed in San Francisco, California in 1982. Although one of the lesser-known groups of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, each album in their history has received high critical marks...
and Hirax
Hirax
Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...
, with Death Angel guitarist Ted Aguilar.
Jeff Becerra reactivated the Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
name in 2007, with members of the band Sadistic Intent
Sadistic Intent
Sadistic Intent is a death metal band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Sadistic Intent formed in 1987. Two years later they released a small run of demo cassettes, called Conflict Within, followed by the release of a few rehearsal tapes and demos. Eventually Sadistic Intent signed with a...
compensating for the original line-up. The new Possessed played at the 2007 Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in Germany.
2008 would also be seen by many fans as a great year for Bay Area Thrash, with the releases of Death Angel's Killing Season
Killing Season
-Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Andy Galeon - drums*Dennis Pepa - bass, vocals...
and Testament's The Formation of Damnation
The Formation of Damnation
The Formation of Damnation is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Testament. It was released on April 29, 2008. It is the first album Testament has released of new material since 1999's The Gathering It is also Testament's first release with original guitarist Alex...
, but more importantly, Metallica's Death Magnetic
Death Magnetic
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo and the first to be produced by Rick Rubin, making this Metallica's first album...
, which saw a long awaited return to a thrash sound similar to their classic 1980s albums, the first album to do so in 20 years. That event alone signified to many longtime fans that thrash really had made a comeback.
Blind Illusion
Blind Illusion
Blind Illusion is an American progressive thrash metal band from Richmond, California. Formed in 1979 by lead guitarist and main songwriter Marc Biedermann, the band had an extremely unstable lineup and went through several stylistic changes during their time...
, which had disbanded 1989, reconvened in 2009.
The Fillmore, San Francisco
- TestamentLive at the Fillmore (Testament album)Live at the Fillmore is a live album released by Testament in 1995. The first 14 tracks are live recordings and the last three are acoustic versions of previously released songs.-Track listing:# "The Preacher" – 4:20 # "Alone in the Dark" – 4:36...
, 1995 - MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, 2003
Ruthie's Inn, BerkeleyBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
In addition to bringing to light many punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
groups, the club was an early local venue
for Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Death, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
and Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
from 1983-1987. Cliff Burton
Cliff Burton
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
had also been a regular in the audience. The club
was eventually converted into a restaurant, Rountree's, in 2002. On December 31, 2006, the venue's original founder, Wes Robinson, died at age 77.
Prior and upon moving to California, the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-born Robinson was heavily involved in the jazz music collective, where he met musicians like Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
and John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
. Disillusioned by the commercialism of jazz in the 1970s, Robinson's focus soon moved to hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
(which had just started in the East Bay at that time) and a small San Pablo Avenue club called Ruthie's Inn would be used to front these bands. By the 1980s, Robinson then became interested in the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and early death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands in the area, and would promote highly influential bands of those sub-genres as well. In a Berkeley Daily Planet
Berkeley Daily Planet
The Berkeley Daily Planet was a free weekly newspaper published in Berkeley, California.The paper was politically progressive, and offered endorsements of progressive and liberal to left leaning candidates....
op-ed, Robinson was remembered for focusing on "freshness and originality of the music and passion of its artists rather than the commercial appeal."
The Stone, San Francisco
The Stone is attributed for hosting Burton's first concert appearance with Metallica, andwould lead to repeat performances from other thrash acts, such as Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
.
The WarfieldThe WarfieldThe Warfield, also known as The Warfield Theater, is a 2,300 seat music venue located at 982 Market Street, San Francisco, California. It was built as a vaudeville theater, and opened as the Loews Warfield on May 13, 1922.-History:...
, San Francisco
The 1920s vaudeville theatre featured a myriad of thrash metal bands during the 1980s, and was the exclusive locationfor Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's War at the Warfield
War at the Warfield
War at the Warfield is a concert video by Slayer which was released on July 29, 2003, through American Recordings. Recorded at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California on December 7, 2001, it is the band's second video album. The DVD's contents were announced by MTV on July 25, 2003...
video in 2003.
The Omni, Oakland
TestamentTestament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Vio-Lence
Vio-lence
Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
, August 18, 1989. Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
, November 3, 1989. Death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, March 30, 1990.
Notable bands
| Band | San Francisco Bay Area city: | Date of Formation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attitude Adjustment Attitude Adjustment (band) Attitude Adjustment was a crossover thrash band formed in the early 1980s in the San Francisco Bay Area.-Formation:The band was formed by Chris Kontos, Eric Smith and Rick Strahl in early 1985, briefly with Nick Koljian on vocals. The lineup was changed by the addition of Kevin Reed on vocals... |
Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa... |
1983 | |
| Autopsy Autopsy (band) Autopsy is a death metal band, founded in 1987 in the United States by Chris Reifert. They disbanded in 1995, but have reunited as of July 2009.-Biography:... |
Concord, California Concord, California Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months... |
1987 | |
| Blind Illusion Blind Illusion Blind Illusion is an American progressive thrash metal band from Richmond, California. Formed in 1979 by lead guitarist and main songwriter Marc Biedermann, the band had an extremely unstable lineup and went through several stylistic changes during their time... |
El Sobrante, California El Sobrante, California El Sobrante is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 12,669 at the 2010 census... |
1979/1980 | |
| Death Angel Death Angel Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums.... |
Concord, California | 1982 | |
| Defiance Defiance (band) Defiance is a thrash metal band from Oakland, California. While virtually unknown to mainstream metal and rock circles, Defiance is known as one of the classic second-tier thrash bands to come from the Bay Area thrash metal scene... |
Oakland, California Oakland, California Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... |
1985 | |
| Epidemic Epidemic (band) Epidemic was an American Death/Thrash band,part of the Bay Area thrash scene.-History:Epidemic was formed in 1986 in Palo Alto by bassist Mark Bodine, guitarist Guy Higbey, guitarist Erik Moggridge, and their friend Ted Kamp on drums to play the senior night talent show at their high school... |
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto, California Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is... |
1987 | |
| Exodus Exodus (band) Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,... |
Berkeley, California Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington... |
1979/1980 | |
| Forbidden Forbidden (band) Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes... |
Fremont, California Fremont, California Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs... |
1985 | |
| Heathen Heathen (band) Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area San Francisco, founded in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco... |
Oakland, California | 1984 | |
| Lääz Rockit Lääz Rockit Lääz Rockit are a Power/Thrash band formed in San Francisco, California in 1982. Although one of the lesser-known groups of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, each album in their history has received high critical marks... |
Berkeley, California | 1982 | |
| Metallica Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ... |
El Cerrito, California El Cerrito, California -Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond... |
1981; 1983 when reformed in the Bay Area. | |
| Possessed Possessed (band) Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre... |
El Sobrante, California | 1983 | |
| Sadus Sadus Sadus is an American thrash metal trio from Antioch, California.-History:Sadus was formed in 1984 in Antioch, California. While their very first efforts were influenced by early thrash metal bands, such as Slayer or Death, the band would later develop its own musical style by adding complicated... |
Antioch, California Antioch, California Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S... |
1984 | |
| Testament Testament (band) Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene... |
Berkeley, California | 1983 | |
| Vio-Lence Vio-lence Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -... |
Oakland, California | 1985 | |