Dead Winter
STAHP
Agent Steel and Annihilator...meh. Good bands, just not my thing.
I really dig Usurper...Chicago-based thrash band, right? Haven't heard from them in a while.
Slayer is a big duh, but I find them extremely boring. They've made some of the best thrash of all time, but so have Metallica and I prefer Ride the Lightning to Hell Awaits. Reign in Blood is the stereotypical thrash album...it came in the mail with free samples of liquid hand soap.
Sodom...what can you say? Possibly the greatest three-piece thrash band of all time. Saw 'em live a year ago and they still kick ass.
Sadus and Steve DiGiorgio is another good one...but more of a "name-dropping" band. Good band but never made me piss myself like others have.
Necrodeath...dude...I live in Italy. Everyone knows who Necrodeath is, since they're from here. Good band but they fall a little flat sometimes, which is very common with Italian bands. Loads of great musicianship and some cool tunes, but there's just that special something that's missing. I'd chalk it up to the songwriting. Except for Novembre, Italians aren't the greatest at writing memorable songs.
Flotsam and Jetsam are one of my favorite bands. Doomsday for the Deceiver is a great thrash album, but to be honest, I prefer Cuatro. Less thrashy but with much better hooks and songs.
Death Angel...seen 'em twice and they kick ass. Great thrash band and really underrated among the bay area thrash scene.
Vio-lence, Rob and Phil's band before he formed Machine Head. I liked them but I still prefer Burn My Eyes. Again, it's the songwriting question. It's not as fast or heavy in some ppl's eyes (I think it's heavier, actually), but the songs on Burn My Eyes were head and shoulders above Vio-lence.
Heard of all the rest but never was willing to give 'em a try. Thanks for the list!
