Who Invented Thrash Metal? (Metal Documentary)

Depends on who you ask.

Most People: It was an evolution of British heavy metal and American hardcore punk that coalesced in the late 70s and early 80s.

Dave Mustaine: Me.

Closest thing to Thrash before 1983 was Venom ...

Its easy to say: black sabbath was first metal band
Posessed was first death metal
Venom was first black metal



But when it comes to thrash....everything is murky....plus there was scenes in multiple places and diff definitions on what is thrash

Some say motorhead, some say speed metal,some say this and that

Its a question with no answer

I love it all but if I had to pick.......yes......Kill Em All was the first thrash album.

Metallica.

There is a certain approach guitar that defines thrash. to the drumming and percussive
Metallica was the first.

Demos don’t count

I did.

Some of the 80` I will send directly to the 70` !!

For anyone under the age of 40, can you imagine growing up with this? Oh
My god… so many first! It’s like what our grand parents and great grandparents experienced with phones, cars, TV’s, but this is so much better. I’m 35 and I’m absolutely in love with this generation. Sadly, I grew up in the wrong one, but I can thankfully enjoy so many great bands, and so much great music! It’s amazing how evolutionary the metal genre was. Unfortunately these days, it’s all regurgitated from the past. Really nothing new these days. Not sure what the future of music holds.

Sweet released Set Me Free which I think is the first thrash song. Covered by both Saxon and Heathen later. It's got everything to me. It's hard to admit a glam band released such a heavy song, but they did (no different than Queen imo). It was not written by them afaik though. Over the Mountain from Ozzy is pretty much thrash too, and Randy was a major influence on many metal bands including thrash bands.

Thrash wasn't invented, it was a discovery.

You’re forgetting Shylock-Buffalo (1973) my European friend. Also,
Damned Flame-Blast (1972)
And Hacksaw- Leave It Behind (1977/1978)

HC punk + Speed metal

Dave Mustine

This was a good video. But I wonder first of all where was Motorheads debut album? That was huge. And if we are going to talk about the hardcore punk of the early 80s why not go back a little bit? If we are going to talk about Black Sabbath in deep purple, where are the sex pistols? Where are the clash? Hell, where are the Ramones? And what about some of the New York glam scene in the early 70s? MC5 and groups like that? You touched on Kiss, but I don't know if they would be the best exemplar from that time and place.

Queen had no business coming in like that lol

Kudos for mentioning Hawkwind Master of the Universe

So mention of Iron Maiden?
Really?

How was minor threat not mentioned, I think they’re the most important hardcore band that influenced thrash

MOTORHEAD INVENTED THRASH METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No recordings exist but I know Mustaine wrote several songs for his first band Panic ('78-'81) and riffs that later went to Megadeth and Metallica songs. That was around the same time frame as Motorhead's first records that definitely influenced thrash ('79-'80) due to their own fusion of punk and metal influences. Then Venom really formed (i.e. weren't just an NWOBHM cover band) in late '79-'80 and had their first record in '81 (same year Mustaine-Metallica formed). I think these three bands (Panic, Motorhead, Venom; Panic mainly due to Mustaine and his influence on the West Coast and Bay Area scene since they were barely heard of otherwise) probably ended up having the biggest impact on the formation of the genre.

i did

Spoiler alert: I T W A S M E

Should have included A Light In The Black instead of Stargazer honestly

how it possible to not add sweet- set me free and Armageddon-buzzard thats 2 fastest songs of 1974

Megadeth is the GOAT.

Ill give it to Venom, but Metallica are the gods of Trash.

According to some crap I just made up, thrash metal was created in 1981 by English engineer and inventor Thomas Douglass Thrash (1943-2018) in his garage.

I think a lot of it was influenced by the Ramones with all the down picking and raw lyrics as well as Motörhead

Thrash metal is just speed metal but more aggressive in a way

Overkill? Formed in 1980!!!

I’m surprised you picked out some slower tracks from classic albums. For instance, you preferred “Dissident Aggressor” over the WAY faster “Let Us Prey” off from the same Judas Priest album. You also skipped some underdog bands that were incredibly influential, for example “Let There Be Rock”, which was totally raw. Cheap Trick’s debut album was probably the first crossover between punk and metal. “He’s a Whore” out rocked many metal bands at the time. Where’s Van Halen??? Have you heard “Loss Of Control” from their “Women And Children First” album? It was a total THRASH fest with some insane drumming and a wicked, palm muted guitar riff. In 1980 you skipped Judas Priest’s “Rapid Fire” which is basically the Mould on which thrash metal would grow and prosper, and lest we forget the mighty Motörhead with their unrepentant classic “Ace Of Spades” which gave Venom a run for their money.
While I understand your main focus is on metal, you skipped hardcore punk entirely: GBH, Discharge, Exploited, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Hüsker Dü, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Void, Agnostic Front, DRI, etc. These bands were basically playing thrash with underproduced albums. For example, Hüsker Dü’s “Land Speed Record” from 1981, eclipsed nearly EVERYBODY in terms of sheer aggression and speed! No band played as ferocious as them in 1981. And Discharge’s “Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing” was a massive influence in thrash and other extreme bands. They were basically playing all out thrash and had very Metallica edge, certainly way faster and heavier than anything Venom did up to that point.
It would be interesting to see a video with the perspective of how hardcore punk crossed over with Metal and vice versa. People need to understand that a lot of hardcore were basically extreme metal bands but underproduced. Bad Brains “Rock For Light” is one of the fastest albums of the era, even featuring palm muted guitar mayhem, something that Matallica would adopt to a fault.

Venom!

❤Trash

They never ever ever mention testament

wow the typo at 4'40

Dave Mustaine. Although I was writing thrash riffs in 6th grade in 1980 but no one gave a shit. They still don't. You might say 'Exciter' by Priest was the first thrash tune maybe. Not Motorhead. They weren't thrash. And Venom was more black metal. I would say Mustaine started it. He influenced Metallica when he showed up and was already writing thrash when he met them. Slayer not far behind. And I would never call Black Sabbath thrash. They were the first general heavy metal band. Budgie was pretty thrash-ish too.

Metallica is a decent pick, but they didn't create Thrash all by themselves. As Isaac Newton said, if he saw any further it was because he stood on the shoulders of giants.

To me the first were Motorhead. The song Ace of Spades (1980) to name one has every characteristic I would define thrash metal with. However, what Metallica did, somehow crystallized the genre irreversibly.

Metallica should definitely get credit, but Venom are in my estimation really the ones who pioneered it. They created black metal and thrash metal all in one. They had the look, the style, and the image of something much more extreme. And that's what further influenced everyone else. Great job on this mini doc. Enjoyed it.🤘💀🤘

Bro. I love this channel! So good. I knew w lot. But didn't understand so much. Thank you! 🤘🏽🖤

What the f..k is this crap. I think you have missunderstanding the whole damm history here. Thrash metal have no hippie roots that you are tryin to preach here. Thrash metal came outta the punk scene and some old metal that was hard, dirty, and fast, nothing like you discribe here man, sorry but it says itself THRASH

And if you call all of this roots of thrash metal, you can begin in 1968 with a band called the gun race with the devil. But still, punk is the true roots of thrash

What about the stooges i`ve got a right, search and destroy and many others. The new york dolls thrash, Buzzcocks you tear me up, fast cars.

Ummm Testament? Practice what you Preach?