Big 4 Order-of-goodness list.

[Greezus]

Seeing as how I'm a noob, I may as well start by posting my opinions about the Big 4 /rankings list.

1. Slayer - Really thrashy and fast and punky, sounds the most like the apocolypse, which is what I like in my metal. I don't really care much about lyrical stuff.

2. Anthrax - Haven't listened to much of their stuff, but they made S.O.D, and if S.O.D. is anything like Anthrax, then that's pretty fuckin great.

3. Metallica - Pretty well written stuff in the early years, I just kind of ignore their new stuff. The only band out of the four that really grab me with their lyrics, and that's saying a lot.

4. Megadeth - Some of their stuff is pretty good, but a lot of it is way too operatic, overproduced, and overdramatic, especially in the lyrical department. Half of their songs could be played on the local rock station and I'd think what I'm listening to is some new band.

Post your list/reasons, or let the arguing begin

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Megadeth > Slayer > Metallica

steaming hot pile of shit > anthrax

 

[SilverCrank]

lol you don't know what your talking about, greezus.

 

[waif]

Slayer/Metallica - in terms of thrash, obviously Slayer...in terms of overall quality, I can go either way

Megadeth - not really a big fan. I like the first two albums, maybe SFSGSW, but after that they all seem really inconsistent and full of, well, filler. Peace Sells does not, as an album, stand up to the classics of Slayer and Metallica.

Anthrax - I like Spreading The Disease, but otherwise I've always found them pretty damn boring at best. Scott Ian should stop doing interviews. I swear he gives an interview in every single documentary about anything even tangentially related to metal.

 

[Krow]

I like how op hasn't even listened to anthrax but has an opinion about them.

 

[GrayRain]

Anthrax is god fucking awful. How can any self-respecting Thrash band decide it's a good idea to pioneer the genre of "rap-metal?" It's kind of like Cryptopsy's switch from BDM to deathcore. Except Cryptopsy was actually good at one point.

 

[ArneZ]

Spreading the Disease is still a fucking rad album, better then anything Megadeth ever did.

 

[Bitencourt29]

Metallica > Slayer > Megadeth > Anthrax

Anthrax sucks. Fourth band should be Exodus or Testament, but that's another story.

 

[J.]

1. Megadeth - Peace Sells, RIP, Killing is my Business, SFSGSW are classics. Even CtE, and Youthanasia are solid

2. Metallica - First 3. Enough said

3. Slayer - Never been a big fan but SOuth of Heaven and Hell Awaits are solid. RiB is good, but not the alpha/omega of thrash, much less metal.

4. Anthrax - who cares...

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Fourth band should be Exodus or Testament, but that's another story.

Ye, Testament should have got that four spot.

Personally there are plenty of other bands that i think deserved the four spot, but most werent from the US and were a little too fast and aggresive for the mainstream here to even be considered being a part of the big four.

Spreading the Disease is still a fucking rad album, better then anything Megadeth ever did.

:Spin:

 

[HamburgerBoy]

tbh I've learned that if you ignore Among the Living and State of Euphoria, Anthrax isn't that bad. Other bands have flirted with rap for a song or two (at least they didn't rape a Sabbath classic with it like Metal Church did) and whether they truly influenced nu metal or not (mostly likely not), it's not a big deal. All big four bands "sold out" too, and some of the Bush albums aren't bad for mainstream metal/rock stuffs. It's just the sheer tepidness of their late 80's whiffle-thrash that offends me.

 

[skeptik]

Fourth band should be Exodus or Overkill.

Fixed that for you. Overkill gets the nod in general, although if you want to make it region-specific, then Exodus obviously.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Fixed that for you. Overkill gets the nod in general, although if you want to make it region-specific, then Exodus obviously.

Exodus owns Overkill in general, assuming by general you mean overall significance or somesuch and not discography consistency (although Overkill would still lose thanks to Under the Influence and Necroshine). Strike of the Beast is greater, thrashier, and came about earlier than anything on Feel the Fire, let alone their traditional/speed pre-album stuff. Only an UltraBoris fellator could think otherwise.

 

[skeptik]

Why are you talking to me? You should know by now that what you think doesn't matter to me. Besides, Exodus produced one album.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

One album that far surpasses a slew of about a dozen mediocre albums from Overkill.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Exodus does not own Overkill in any way, and neither of them deserve to be mentioned with the other three bands. Both bands discographie's are filled with a shit load of crappy albums.

Only Exodus album really worth mentioning is Bonded By Blood, which is quite overrarated within the thrash metal community IMO. The Years of Decay, Horrorscope and even Ironbound are all better albums than BBB.

 

[SteelFireRecs]

1) Megadeth - how could they not be the #1? Mustaine virtually pioneered american thrash. If he didn't join Metallica then they would have been more of a straight heavy metal band. Megadeth all albums through Countdown are great, with their 2 best being Rust in Peace and Peace Sells...

2) Slayer - The most true to thrash through out their careers and they are just...well they are..SLAYER! (I dare you to say that without screaming at showing your horns.

3) Metallica ('82-'86) - The first 3 albums are fantastic, could care less if And Justice was in there or not. And lets just forget everything after that, once Cliff was gone, they pretty much changed.

4) Anthrax - I don't know why everyone is hating on Anthrax here. Sure they may have made some crap but which of these bands hasn't? Especially Metallica.... Fistful of Metal ('84) all the way through Persistence ('90) of Time are good or great albums.

Now the additions of the Big 6 (which I like to use)

5) Exodus - what more can I say than this. Baloff and Souza put out their best material. Bonded by Blood or Tempo of the Damned tho? Both fantastic albums...

6) Overkill - Some more good ole boys from the East coast, where thrash wasn't booming. Been pretty consistent throughout their entire careers at putting out quality material. Plus Ironbound tore me a new asshole, and the Electric Age seems like its going to be killer with the first single Electric Rattlesnake

 

[skeptik]

Exodus does not own Overkill in any way, and neither of them deserve to be mentioned with the other three bands. Both bands discographie's are filled with a shit load of crappy albums.

You are aware that all of the "Big 4" has put out mostly crap, right? As a matter of fact, Overkill's overall quality is probably the highest, and their worst material is far better than the worst of the others. And they're the only one out of the 6 that is actually putting out respectable material today.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Im actually really looking forward to The Electric Age, never thought id say that about an Overkill album.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

You are aware that all of the "Big 4" has put out mostly crap, right? As a matter of fact, Overkill's overall quality is probably the highest, and their worst material is far better than the worst of the others. And they're the only one out of the 6 that is actually putting out respectable material today.

I wouldnt say so, i think Megadeth's catalogue (minus Risk and the last few albums) is overall great. Slayer put out six solid albums and a legendary EP, and even some pretty good stuff as of late .... there's no comparing Overkill's extremely mediocre catalogue to what those two thrash metal pioneers/giants put out.

... and Metallicas first four albums are far better than anything Overkill has ever dreamed of doing.

edit: but i do agree with you that they are putting out the best stuff (out of the menitoned bunch) as of right now.