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Phoebe Bridgers is an American songwriter, singer, and producer who has, in recent years, gained mainstream recognition with the release of her sophomore album “Punisher” in 2020...
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October 18, 2022
Steve Lacy is a singer, songwriter, record producer, and living proof that you don’t need the most advanced or high-tech studio equipment to create music that listeners will love...
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August 31, 2022
For the last two years, there has been something missing in the lives of music lovers around the world—live music. The advent of a global pandemic meant the absence of concerts, festivals........
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August 19, 2022
One of the biggest questions many spaces face today is how blockchain technology may overhaul industry norms, and the music industry is no exception. In particular...
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August 19, 2022
Snapchat has recently announced Snapchat Sounds Creator Fund, a monthly grant program of up to $100,000 awarded to independent artists distributing music on the platform...
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August 15, 2022
Over the past few years, TikTok’s popularity has significantly increased resulting in 1 billion global daily users by early 2022. The app has also become extremely influential in the current music....
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August 4, 2022
Charlie Puth has paired with Studio to create a 30-day online course that outlines the entire songwriting and production process for $279 USD. This hands-on learning experience has been marketed....
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August 2, 2022
Whether you know Lexie Liu from her performance as Seraphine in K/DA’s “MORE” or her fourth-place finish on The Rap of China 2018, there’s no denying that the Chinese hip hop star is a global ...
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June 17, 2022
BTS is the most famous K-Pop band in the world now, and recently, they were invited to the white house to speak about anti-Asian hate crimes and inclusivity. Being the first K-Pop band to be...
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June 6, 2022
SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) is a 13 member Korean boy band under Pledis Entertainment. They are split into 3 teams, the Hip Hop unit (S.coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon), the Vocal unit (Jeonghan, Joshua, Woozi...
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June 3, 2022
On May 20, Harry Styles released his new album Harry’s House, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This is his third studio album in which all thirteen songs are in the top 30...
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May 26, 2022
The Song House is a songwriter house in Nashville, Tennessee where all levels of writers and artists come together to develop music. Every week, 12-15 songwriters are challenged to write a hook in...
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Photo Source: Amy Harris
This article will discuss the rise and fall of an iconic style of music: thrash metal.
The thrash metal genre emerged in the early 1980s. Characterized by intricate guitar use, lightning-fast tempos, and its overall bold, aggressive themes, thrash was groundbreaking and quickly became popular among young people. Aside from the music itself, thrash resonated with many teenagers due to its anti-mainstream undertones. Thrash metal was often used as a way to rebel against one's parents and was used by many to establish an identity distinct from their mothers and fathers.
As the years went by, thrash metal continued to increase in popularity, and more thrash bands were formed. Driven primarily by the efforts of Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth, which are collectively known as the ‘big 4 of thrash metal’, thrash had reached mainstream levels of exposure by the mid 1990s.
However, similar to what occurs with many other genres of music, the peak of thrash metal did not last. This was due in part to the appearance of new genres of music in the 1990s like alternative rock and grunge, and the creation of a number of new sub-genres of metal which removed the focus from thrash metal itself.
Although it is no longer at its former level of glory, thrash metal is far from extinct. I personally have had the privilege of seeing some of the greatest thrash metal bands perform live over the past couple of years, including Megadeth, Metallica, Exodus, Testament, and Kreator. Watching these talented musicians play somehow made me feel a deep sense of nostalgia for a time when I wasn’t even born yet, and although these performers are now in their 60s, and the majority of their fan base has aged with them, their music has a sense of timelessness. While the artists themselves and their original supporters won’t be around forever, and the majority of today’s youth are interested in newer forms of music, there are still some young people who listen to thrash and are keeping the unique genre alive. Because of this, I still have hope that thrash metal can experience a resurgence in popularity and will exist for many future generations to enjoy.
