{"id":84071,"date":"2025-09-25T03:53:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T03:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/84071\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T03:53:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T03:53:12","slug":"the-best-riffs-by-11-non-big-4-thrash-metal-bands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/84071\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Riffs by 11 Non-‘Big 4’ Thrash Metal Bands"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you finally get tired of listening to “Master of Puppets” or “Raining Blood” for the millionth time, here are the best riffs by 11 non-“Big 4<\/a>” thrash metal bands.<\/p>\n

Sure, Metallica<\/a>, Slayer<\/a>, Megadeth<\/a> and Anthrax<\/a> have given metalheads enough riffs to last a lifetime. But\u00a0the genre is rife with heavy hitters who have matched \u2014 and in some cases, arguably eclipsed \u2014 the Big 4 in terms of epic, unadulterated riffage.<\/p>\n

From Bay Area veterans Exodus<\/a> to\u00a0Teutonic forerunners Kreator<\/a>,\u00a0read on to see\u00a0the best riffs by 11 non-Big 4 thrash metal bands.<\/p>\n

Annihilator, “Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade” (Alice in Hell, 1989)<\/p>\n

Annihilator<\/a> staked their claim as one of the “Big 4” of Canadian thrash with their debut album\u00a0Alice in Hell, a minor classic full of\u00a0gnarled riffs, furious vocals and anthemic hooks. Riff-wise, “Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade” stands out among the myriad highlights. Its slick pull-offs and chromatic power chords create unique melodic tension while also slicing like a, well, buzzsaw blade.<\/p>\n

Dark Angel, “The Burning of Sodom” (Darkness Descends, 1986)<\/p>\n

Dark Angel<\/a>‘s sophomore album remains a stone-cold classic that’s influenced countless metal bands of various subgenres. While its blistering, legendary title track is\u00a0frequently cited for “inspiring” (nay, being ripped off in) Metallica’s “One,” it’s song two, “The Burning of Sodom,” that features the LP’s most furious riffs.<\/p>\n

Dizzyingly fast and mechanized, it can easily go toe-to-toe with any riff on Slayer’s\u00a0Reign in Blood, released\u00a0one month earlier.<\/p>\n

Death Angel, “Fallen” (The Dream Calls for Blood, 2013)<\/p>\n

With all due to respect to Death Angel<\/a>‘s\u00a0first three\u00a0albums, they simply\u00a0lacked the necessary production to emphasize the young band’s excellent riffs and overall musicianship. That changed in the 21st century when the Bay Area veterans reunited for a series of increasingly excellent late-period albums.<\/p>\n

They cracked the Top 100 of the\u00a0Billboard album chart for the first time with 2013’s\u00a0The Dream Calls for Blood\u00a0and for good reason. The album is a cavalcade of\u00a0relentless riffs and\u00a0scream-along\u00a0hooks.\u00a0The knotty riffs and\u00a0machine-gun precision of “Fallen” prove Death Angel\u00a0have only improved with age.<\/p>\n

Exodus, “The Toxic Waltz” (Fabulous Disaster, 1989)<\/p>\n

If there’s one band that merits inclusion in an expanded “Big 5” of thrash, it’s Exodus, whose debut album\u00a0Bonded by Blood was every bit as crucial to the burgeoning Bay Area underground scene\u00a0as\u00a0the early works of Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer.<\/p>\n

But as hard as\u00a0Bonded rocks, it doesn’t contain their best riff. That honor goes to “The Toxic Waltz,” off\u00a0Exodus’ third album, 1989’s\u00a0Fabulous Disaster. Crunchy, nimble and unrelentingly heavy, it hits the listener like a 10-ton slab of steel. It’s not quite waltz material, but it’s perfect for a circle pit.<\/p>\n

Havok, “Prepare for Attack” (Time Is Up, 2011)<\/p>\n

Denver headbangers Havok<\/a> helped lead the\u00a0thrash revival of the 2000s and 2010s, exploding onto the scene with their 2009 debut\u00a0Burn. They upped the ante with 2011’s\u00a0Time Is Up, which features their most-streamed track, “Prepare for Attack.” The whole song is a thrash metal thrill ride with ultra-chuggy riffs bolstered by positively explosive production. They might not\u00a0yet have the same illustrious history\u00a0as some of the bands on this list, but “Prepare for Attack” is proof enough that Havok deserve a seat at the table.<\/p>\n

Kreator, “Enemy of God” (Enemy of God, 2005)<\/p>\n

Two decades\u00a0and 11 albums into their career, German thrashers Kreator\u00a0sounded tighter and more furious than ever. The title track off\u00a0Enemy of God testified to\u00a0that with tight, percussive riffs that rage in tandem with relentless, double bass-laden drums. “Enemy of God” doesn’t reinvent the wheel \u2014 it just polishes the wheel to a mirror sheen and steamrolls the competition.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: The Best Album by 15 Legendary Thrash Metal Bands<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Municipal Waste, “Wrong Answer” (Massive Aggressive, 2009)<\/p>\n

Municipal Waste<\/a> cemented their reputation as crossover thrash’s funnest, dumbest (in the best way) good-time boys with 2007’s\u00a0The Art of Partying. But\u00a0the\u00a0best riff in their catalog arrived on 2009’s\u00a0Massive Aggressive in the form of “Wrong Answer.”<\/p>\n

Crispy, crunchy and full of swagger (and Tom G. Warrior<\/a> indulgences), “Wrong Answer” shifts from mid-tempo hardcore stomp to breakneck thrash on a dime. Tough as nails while still maintaining the band’s signature irreverence, it might be the best riff Scott Ian never wrote.<\/p>\n

Overkill, “Elimination” (The Years of Decay, 1989)<\/p>\n

New Jersey thrashers Overkill<\/a> have no shortage of great riffs, but historically, they’re better known for their\u00a0defiant piss-and-vinegar\u00a0attitude. But on\u00a0The Years of Decay’s “Elimination,” they\u00a0erased any doubt as to whether they could hang with the best of ’em. Choppy and percussive, the riffs to “Elimination” thrash relentlessly while maintaining the band’s gutter-punk edge, while Terry Date’s crisp production ensures the song goes straight for\u00a0the jugular.<\/p>\n

Sepultura, “Beneath the Remains” (Beneath the Remains, 1989)<\/p>\n

Before they evolved into one of the world’s foremost groove metal acts, Sepultura<\/a> trafficked in blackened, breakneck thrash. They perfected that strain on their third album,\u00a0Beneath the Remains, which gets off to an\u00a0incendiary start with its\u00a0title track. A shimmering, atmospheric guitar intro gives way to percussive, whiplash-inducing riffs and Max Cavalera’s\u00a0gravelly\u00a0roar.\u00a0 Sepultura were\u00a0destined for more than thrash, but “Beneath the Remains” shows they were\u00a0at the top of their class.<\/p>\n

Sodom, “Nuclear Winter” (Persecution Mania, 1987)<\/p>\n

Sodom<\/a> helped lead the Teutonic thrash movement along with fellow German speed kings Kreator.\u00a0It’s easy\u00a0to see why when you drop the needle on “Nuclear Winter,” the opening\u00a0track off their second album,\u00a0Persecution Mania.\u00a0Guitarist Frank Blackfire\u00a0alternates deftly between lightning-fast alternate picking and heavy, ironclad chugging. By the time the rest of the\u00a0band joins him, a thrash classic is born, setting the stage for Sodom’s\ufffd\ufffdcommercial\u00a0breakthrough, 1989’s\u00a0Agent Orange.<\/p>\n

Testament, “Burnt Offerings” (The Legacy, 1987)<\/p>\n

From the opening notes of their debut album The Legacy, it was clear Testament<\/a> weren’t your run-of-the-mill thrash band. Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson’s inimitable twin-guitar attack and compositional genius is on full display on “Burnt Offerings,” which Peterson highlighted as his favorite riff in a Loudwire interview<\/a>. The duo combines thick chugs\u00a0and\u00a0descending harmonized leads, resulting in one of the most agile, devilishly sophisticated riffs in thrash, bar none.<\/p>\n

Every Thrash Metal ‘Big 4’ Album Ranked <\/p>\n

Every album by Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax get ranked worst to best.<\/p>\n

Contributions by Philip Trapp, Ed Rivadavia, Jordan Blum, Ayron Rutan and Joe DiVita.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you finally get tired of listening to “Master of Puppets” or “Raining Blood” for the millionth time,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[18,117,19,17,4358,7163,337,5],"class_list":{"0":"post-84071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-lists","13":"tag-metal","14":"tag-music","15":"tag-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}