2020 What a great year for metal releases, where do you begin to even find a top 20 ? Let alone narrow it down to five, new bands have surfaced old bands have risen like a phoenix from the flames and there are always bands that have releases so frequent they have become institutions.

Thrash is truly a world wide phenomenon. No longer the bastion of the old safe havens of the United States or Germany. With the technology available to anyone, bands can record and produce records like never before.Some will inevitably rise to the top while many others will sink into oblivion without so much as leaving an original riff or well thought out lyric in the back of a listener’s mind . Leaving some fantastic releases out has been a tough job and on another day could well have picked a completely different top 5 .

5, Hazzerd Delerium
The second full length release from a band that must now rank as Canada’s number one thrash band, pure modern thrash assault. Very slick and clean production.

4, Surgical Strike Part of a sick world
A debut album from a German band that sounds anything but teutonic, very melodic in places with a more American sound in its delivery, on the same lines as Havok but just shades Havok’s 2020 release for me.

3, Shrapnel Palace for the insane
I have to admit, i was a little worried with change in the line up, Shrapnel is a band i have seen many times, always with Jae singing, but from the first listen i found this to be truly a masterpiece of UK thrash metal, and there has been alot of quality UK releases this year.

2, Reactory Collapse to come
Another German band. A lot more hardcore in the vocal delivery but with undoughted solid thrash musicianship, this was a third released rom the band but this is head and shoulders above what they previously have put out.

1, Plague Years Circle of Darkness
Following the blueprint set down by the mighty Power Trip, Detroit’s Plague Years pummel you from every angle with a relentless riff soaked record with some deep down groove.It is hard to believe that it is infact a full length debut. It is a definite step away from the “ Thrash is back “ bands that appear just about everywhere these days, while still giving a nod to the old school.

Special praise for releases that didn’t quite make the list
Benediction..Scriptures
Grindpad..Violence
Thrashwall..Thrashwall
Crusher..Unleashed
Havok..V
Onslaught..Generation Antichrist
Testament..Titans of Creation