Mark Pursino’s Essential Thrash: 15 Albums from the First 20 Years of the 21st-Century
- Mark
- Jun 1
- 7 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Decibel Warfare soldiers!!! Mark here, guitarist and vocalist of New York’s thrash maniacs Electrocutioner. It’s my pleasure to write a guest feature listing my favorite thrash albums from the first twenty years of the 21st century: 2000-2019 (2000-2020 is 21 years fool!).
Is a list like this necessary? Kind of. For one, there’s already plenty of well-researched and respectable lists out there for this time period. I even made a list a few years ago during an interview for 2000-2010, but the rushed timeframe and including albums based on influence and popularity. Now, I want to put out a list that purely reflects my tastes. Perhaps the real reason I’m writing this list is to just recommend some kick ass fucking modern thrash to those who ignore it. Many people NOT invested in thrash metal love to say that thrash is a dead genre or that there’s nothing worth listening to after insert year from the 1980s here. Funny enough, when you ask them what modern bands or albums they do like, it’s always surface-level and uninspired.
Anyways, I took MONTHS relistening to close to 100 albums, digging through entire discographies, and getting valuable insight from the New Wave of Thrash Metal Facebook group (join it if you aren't a member… sup Beardo!!!). This list is purely made up of my favorite thrash albums from 2000-2019, not the albums I think are the best… whatever the hell that means. In other words, if I was on a desert island and only had fifteen albums to listen to, these would be it.
A FEW QUALIFIERS
The albums are in a totally random order.
Only one album allowed per band.
Modern thrash isn’t traditional thrash. I had to exclude a few albums due to having too much of a black metal/death metal influence. There’s some close calls, and maybe you think I made an error by including or excluding a band. For an album to qualify, it had to have a solid thrash foundation. If you think I messed up, make your own list!
You’ll notice a lot of notable bands and albums missing. Don’t assume I don’t like those bands or albums… I probably own them! These are just my favorite records and there’s no disrespect to any bands or albums that weren’t included here.
HERE WE GO!
1/ Deathraiser - Violent Aggression
Country: Brazil
Year: 2011
Thank God this band just recently ended their fifteen year gap of inactivity. The band just released a new album in 2026 (only their second album) and it’s my favorite thrash album of 2026 so far. ‘Violent Aggression’ however, is the band’s debut. 100% pure Brazilian brutality and violence. For comparison, Slayer’s ‘Reign in Blood’ is ten songs in 28 minutes and ‘Violent Aggression’ is nine songs in 27 minutes. Despite being an absolutely sinister record of unrelenting aggression, the songwriting is pretty memorable.
Song recommendation: “Command to Kill”
2/ Condition Critical - Extermination Plan
Country: USA Year: 2016
Absolute crushing New Jersey thrash that does take prisoners… and then clinically tortures them to death with their Demolition Hammer Jr. stylings!!! This is the band’s second album, and it’s a big improvement in every conceivable way from their equally sick debut. It’s a riff factory with one of the best bass tones in modern thrash metal. Uncompromising in its brutality!!! A must own!
Song Recommendation: “Vindictive Hostility”
3/ Condor - Unstoppable Power
Country: Norway
Year: 2017
A filthy and sadistic ripper from Norway and one of three records associated with the killer Norwegian Kolbotn union on this list. I got turned on to this record later than I would have liked. Condor doesn’t have an extensive discography, so if you’ve never heard of them, start here at the apex. The artwork by Rok from Sadistik Exekution captures the maniacal savagery on this one perfectly. Absolute savagery on this one!
Song Recommendation: “Unstoppable Power”
4/ Hypnosia - Extreme Hatred
Country: Sweden
Year: 2000
Probably one of the more lesser-known albums on this list amongst the people who think thrash is dead, this one is an absolute powerhouse. Extreme Hatred is totally overlooked, but totally destroys non-stop aggression and… well hatred. Tons of hate-filled death thrash riffs ooze out of this one. A Swedish band that formed in the mid-90s, Extreme Hatred is the band’s finest moment. An absolute monster of an album! It’s insane to think that this came out 26 years ago and most metalheads don’t know it.
Song Recommendation: “Comatose”
5/ Amorphia - Arms to Death
Country: India
Year: 2019
Hailing from India, Amorphia has been one of my favorite thrash bands that debuted in the last ten years since the first time I heard them. I even wore their t-shirt sporting my favorite album by them, Lethal Dose from 2022, in our music video for ‘Seven Lamps of Fire.’ Arms to Death is the band’s debut from 2018 and it showcases everything the band is about. A perfect three-piece with catchy riffs, old school tone, and non-stop aggression. I highly recommend to check out the band’s entire catalogue!
Song Recommendation: “Arms to Death”
6/ Deathhammer - Chained to Hell
Country: Norway
Year: 2018
The second of three Norwegian thrash records on this list, Deathhammer is undeniably a stand-out in modern thrash. They’ve long been a favorite modern thrash band of mine. Sergeant Salsten’s trademark vocals, which sound like the unhinged screams of all the patients in the mental hospital combined, always deliver for me. I’d love to just listen to an entire album of his isolated vocals haha! To be fair, you could just randomly pick any of their albums and put it on this list as they pretty much stick to the same formula on unhinged insanity!
Song Recommendation: "Chained to Hell"
7/ Skeletonwitch - Beyond the Permafrost
Country: USA
Year: 2007
An absolute classic record that is hypermelodic in its riffing while also effortlessly fusing together so many subgenres. When this came out, I remember my buddy Harrison told me I had to hear it, and I remember being instantly hooked. I think I listened to this record daily for months. There’s an incredible balance between thrash, black metal, and a heightened sense of melody that really made the band break out after this album. An absolute must own!
Song Recommendation: ‘Baptized in Flames’
8/ Violator - Scenarios of Brutality
Country: Brazil
Year: 2013
Brazil’s modern thrash legends Violator doesn’t have any material that doesn’t rip, but this was where the band really put the pieces together for me in terms of songwriting and arrangement. I really enjoyed the Annihilation Process EP from 2010, but this was the band's most complete offering to me until their most recent album in 2025.
Song Recommendation: ‘Endless Tyrannies’
9/ Oath of Cruelty - Summary Execution at Dawn
Country: USA
Year: 2019
This is 33 minutes of absolute pummeling of hate-filled hyperspeed riffing. Coming at you at 150 miles per hour, the band’s performance at Hells Heroes IV left me in awe. Vocalist and guitarist Dave of Death instantly became one of my favorite modern thrash guitar players, as the man plays with an unmatched sense of urgency and fury. Unlike a lot of modern thrash bands who write murderous riffs but then ruin it with some Marty Friedman worship, every solo and riff here is a unique bolt of lightning singing your brain. I was lucky enough to see the band play in Brooklyn at Saint Vitus before it closed, and I’m hoping this band gets another album out as soon as possible. An absolute must hear and a band that is absolutely must see when they come to town! A must own!!!
Song Recommendation: ‘At the Tyrant’s Behest”
10/ Besieged - Victims Beyond All Help
Country: Canada
Year: 2010
The only Canadian band on this list, this band destroys the competition. ‘Victims Beyond All Help’ is another record that I never see on anyone’s best of thrash post-2000 lists, so Besieged needs your attention!! Victims… is the band’s uncompromising riff-fueled hellscape debut that is similar to Hypnosia for me. Just a wall of mania and ferocity. The band dropped their sophomore album in 2022 which also deserves a spin. This is deaththrash done right and doesn’t give you a chance to breathe.
Song Recommendation: ‘Death’
11/ Nemesis - Atrocity Unleashed
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Put out by North Carolina’s Nemesis, not to be confused with the 100 other Nemesis bands, this is the band’s only album and it’s criminally slept on. Sounding like Darkness Descends meets a science experiment gone wrong, vocalist Corey’s riffing and wild screams that rival Deathhammer’s are pretty unique and you’ll leave this one ready to spin it again as soon as it is over. Electrocutioner was lucky enough to play a three-day run with these guys in the south and they were a blood soaked frenzy of mental insanity! Check it out!
Song Recommendation: ‘Blades of Death’
12/ Ripper - Raising the Corpse
Country: Chile
Year: 2014
An obvious sign that someone doesn’t know much about modern thrash is if they say the only good thrash bands are insert major band here and other major band here and never mention one small South American country that has been issuing some of the most electrifying thrash ever since 1999 died; CHILE! Despite there only being two Chilean albums on this list, other bands like Critical Defiance, Mayhemic, and Demoniac also deserved to be checked out immediately! Ripper has been around since 2007 but only have two full-lengths, so they’re an easy band to get into if you’ve never checked them out. Kicking out the jams reminiscent of old school Sepultura and Kreator, Ripper is undeniable in their intensity!!!
Song Recommendation: “Corpses of Fire”
13/ Parkcrest - …and That Blue Will Turn to Red
Country: Chile
Year: 2019
The second Chilean killer thrash record perfectly blends flashes of technicality with furious death thrash. Parkcrest put out two albums from 2011-2019, but they’re both worthing checking out. The guitarwork is excellent and the songs have that special Chilean sauce of death thrash with a tiny dose of technicality sprinkled in for good measure. This one is pretty slept on and I’ve never seen it on another list before, so give it a spin and embrace the insidiousness!
Song Recommendation: “Midnight Chasm’
14/ Nekromantheon - Rise, Vulcan Spectre
Country: Norway
Year: 2012
The final Norwegian record on this list and of course it’s associated with the savagery of Deathhammer. This record is a hell of an old school thrash trip, with the more traditional thrash influences of Nekromantheon being more discernable than in Deathhammer. I love the old school riffing and wild soloing on this one. Another absolute banger out of Norway! FEEL IT!!!!
Song Recommendation: ‘Twelve Depths of Hades’
15/ Witchtrap - Sorceress Bitch
Country: Columbia
Year: 2002
No frills evil straight from the bad ass three piece that is Witchtrap. Witchtrap is like a double shot of whiskey on an empty stomach: simple, dangerous, and extremely effective. ‘Sorceress Bitch’ is probably my favorite album from Witchtrap as it's primitive, catchy, and as straightforward as you can get. Grab a 12-pack, crack it open, and spin this thing from front to back!
Song Recommendation: “Black Angel”
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