Thrash Metal Debut Albums

A poster on the Encyclopedia Metallum recently asked which thrash metal debut album is your favorite. I had not really thought much of it prior to seeing that, but thrash metal, perhaps more than any other metal genre, has some truly fantastic debut albums. Many thrash metal bands produced their best albums first. This is true of groups like Exodus, Flotsam and Jetsam, Sarcofago, Death Angel, and several others. Arguably, even luminaries such as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Testament produced their best albums first. At least, I have seen lots of people make those arguments.

The debut album is often a showcase for what the band is capable of. It is usually released when the band is young and thirsting for attention. Therefore, the band has written some killer material and is raw and aggressive. Since rawness and aggression are admirable qualities in thrash metal, the debut album is often embraced. Later, the band may become complacent and not as focused, or they may have found a certain niche to exploit and become too focused on that. That, I believe is the explanation for the debut album being more important in thrash metal.

So, what is my favorite thrash metal debut?

I am tempted to duck the question and say it depends on the day, but I really think Exodus's Bonded by Blood would have to be my favorite. The rest of the band's discography is such a dropoff after the debut. The debut is perfectly formed and one of the quintessential examples of thrash metal. It's a landmark album. If you wanted to have someone truly understand what thrash metal is, this would be the album to point to. Therefore, that's my answer.