As thrash metal extended its beer-stained tentacles around the world in the mid-80s, it would be easy to lay all the credit at America’s feet. And granted, the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax and Megadeth pioneered the sound and style. But they didn’t do everything themselves.
Rewind to the early 80s. Many thousands of miles away from San Francisco’s Bay Area, something faster, darker and altogether nastier than American thrash was taking shape. As any self-respecting headbanger will tell you, Germany was the place to go if you liked your music brutal, aggressive and dirty as hell.
