AGENT STEEL - Mad Locust Rising (1985)

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Another classic Thrash e.p., this one released between the first and second albums in 1985. 'The Swarm' is merely a short intro into the blisteringly fast title track which easily eclipses everything on the 'Skeptics Apocalypse' album, truly frantic and vocally deranged, this is a definite career high point for Agent Steel. On the flip side we had a pretty good run through of Priest's 'The Ripper' followed by another Thrashtastic original entitled 'Let it be Done'. Interestingly, this segued into a mid-tempo chug which heralded the promising  'Day at Guyana' on the upcoming 'Unstoppable Force' album.

WHIPLASH - Power and Pain (1985)

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A truly atrocious album cover and a pretty dreadful production can't completely ruin this great album, try as they might. Whiplash had a slightly different sound than most US Thrash bands, at least partly because vocalist/guitarist Tony Portaro largely eschewed the use of palm damping the strings, which meant his riffs sounded less controlled than most of the clinical Bay Area thrashers, and a fair bit more energetic. He could play the guitar too, ripping solo's like Mustaine from his BC Rich Bich (who was also using this guitar about this time), and scattering the record with his intricate and dextrous playing. This is brutal Thrash for sure, with just the hint of a Hardcore edge, sadly it really does sound like it was recorded in a garage, which makes it hard for me to give it more than 3M's.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Speed Kills (1985)

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The legendary 'Speed Kills' introduced many people to the wonderful world of Thrash Metal back in 1985, but the compilers were clever enough to realise that there would be many like me who were already on board and so made sure to include some rare and previously unreleased tracks to lure us in. At the time of release, the Slayer, Possessed, Exciter and Venom tracks were all exclusives, cunning indeed. Okay so this didn't exactly open my eyes to a ton of bands that I hadn't already heard of, and I suspect the big winner out of this was possibly Bulldozer, because I'd never heard of them before this and I bought their album on the back of this compilation, unfortunately the song featured here was the best one on the album, but that's the name of the game I suppose!

WARRANT - First Strike (1985)

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It's more of the same from Warrant on this mini album, which preceded 'The Enforcer' by only a few months. So it's more typical Germanic Speed Metal, in a similar vein to Warlock. Nothing really outstanding to comment on, but satisfying enough in short bursts.

WARRANT - The Enforcer (1985)

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Classic German Speed Metal which inhabits a similar area to countrymen Warlock, but without the benefits of Doro Pesch's looks and voice. This is pretty run of the mill stuff really, but extremely enjoyable all the same. Melodic and moderately aggressive, you'd have to be fairly hardhearted not to find yourself nodding along at some point.

MARILLION - Misplaced Childhood (1985)

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This one is a bit like Venom's 'At War With Satan' in that it's a definite game of two halves. Here the lightweight first side drags the score down while the magnificent second side pulls it right back up. Forget about 'Kayleigh' and 'Lavender' the second side is truly where it's at here, a beautifully crafted concept piece which still sounds great twenty five years later.

SLAYER - Hell Awaits (1985)

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While ultimately eclipsed by 'Reign in Blood' you still can't knock 'Hell Awaits'. Sure the production isn't the best, such a shame the album didn't have the attack of the 'Haunting the Chapel' e.p., but the songs are awesome, particularly the title track, and well pretty much all of them really, the only slightly less than stellar one being the closer 'Hardening of the Arteries' which seems to serve as little more than a pre-cursor to the clever outro. A legendary album and still a brilliant one too.

RUSH - Power Windows (1985)

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About as close to perfection as it's possible to get. Everything is spot on, the production, the songwriting, the performances, all utterly flawless. I have nothing bad to say about this album whatsoever, it is truly a magnificent piece of work and would doubtless be top 5, if not number one in my all time best album list!

VENOM - Possessed (1985)

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I always remember Cronos bemoaning the fact that this came out the same day as 'Hell Awaits' and possibly 'Bonded by Blood', which probably wouldn't have mattered so much if this album didn't suck balls. First off, the cover is shit, really shit. Secondly the production takes the tinny sound first utilised in a less extreme form on 'At War With Satan' and pushes it even further into irritating clankiness. And once again Venom took their best song of the period and released it as a single, leaving it off an album which could dearly have used a song as good as 'Nightmare'. I do remember getting this through the post the same day as 'Hell Awaits', I played 'Hell Awaits' four times, played this once, then went back to 'Hell Awaits' there was just no contest.

LEATHERWOLF - Leatherwolf (1985)

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Also known as 'Endangered Species' this 9 track album was another of 1985's US Metal highlights. The album is certainly not Speed or Thrash, but is more in the Power Metal vein (before the term was highjacked by Italian keyboard widdlers). Overall this is a very solid release, if not quite rating a 4M mark.

MEGADETH - Killing is My Business... (1985)

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A horrible production can't hide the quality of the material on Megadeth's first album, which is significantly more jazzy and progressive (for want of a better word) than anything they would come up with later. This was Mustaine at his pissed-off best, doing his best to show Metallica that he was a better guitarist than Kirk Hammet (and pretty much succeeding it has to be said). Greater albums would follow, but this was an impressive opening volley.

AGENT STEEL - Skeptics Apocalypse (1985)

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Sticking with the US Speed Metal of 1985 theme, here's another one. The slightly thin production can't hold back what is another great set of songs with some ludicrously fast playing and Jon Cyriis's insane vocals. I recall this being described as Iron Maiden on speed back in the day and it's not far wrong.

METAL CHURCH - Metal Church (1985)

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Another massive 1985 release, Metal Church's debut album is another quality album from the US Speed Metal scene. Too melodic to ever really be Thrash, nonetheless Metal Church (unlike say Armored Saint) were wholeheartedly embraced by the Thrash fraternity as one of their own. Great songs, great vocals, great melodies and terrific musicianship as demonstrated on the classic instrumental 'Merciless Onslaught'.

CELTIC FROST - To Mega Therion (1985)

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I have no hesitation in awarding this album 5M's whatsoever, everything about it is perfect. Probably the darkest, most doom-laden Thrash imaginable all wrapped up in what is undoubtedly the best album cover of all time. With this album Celtic Frost gave the world their uniquely luxurious take on Thrash and because it doesn't really sound like part of any particular 'scene' it still sounds fresh and vibrant to this very day.

EXODUS - Bonded by Blood (1985)

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Recorded in 1984 and finally seeing the light of day in 1984 this is the album that should have catapulted Exodus to global fame. Of course it didn't quite work out like that and after a change of singers the bands career faltered slightly with Pleasures of the Flesh before picking up again with Fabulous Disaster. Weak production not withstanding, this is almost the perfect Thrash album.

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH - Speak English or Die (1985)

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A joke album it may be, but S.O.D.'s debut is monstrous. It's hard to imagine the impact this made back in 1985, allegedly S.O.D. outsold every other band in merchandise at the Aardschok Festival in Holland and they weren't even on the bill! Recorded in three days or so, it always irks me that this should have such great production, and yet Spreading the Disease doesn't. A true classic.

ANTHRAX - Spreading the Disease (1985)

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Initially only available on import here in Blighty, this was eventually granted a domestic release in 1986. Spreading the Disease was the first Anthrax album to feature Joey Belladonna and for my money it's the best one he did. Eminently tuneful throughout, albeit damned with a scratchy, tinny production, Spreading thrust Anthrax firmly into the limelight and deservedly so. 'Gung Ho', 'A.I.R.', 'Madhouse'... just an album of great songs really.

OVERKILL - Feel the Fire (1985)

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A very high four, but not quite a five (something Overkill never quite managed for me). Loads of great songs, but again this suffers from a shoddy production. Despite that, any of these songs played live kick ass with 'Rotten to the Core' being a long standing Overkill classic.

DESTRUCTION - Infernal Overkill (1985)

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When I was 15 I loved this album, and I still love it today. Just classic German Thrash. Eight massive Thrash classics, no filler, even the instrumental kicks major ass, and in 'Bestial Invasion' a genre highlight. An utterly essential purchase for any Thrasher.

HALLOW'S EVE - Tales of Terror (1985)

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A phenomenally awful album cover hides one of the best kept secrets in Metal history. At times this album is sublime but sadly it is dragged down by some serious filler. Never mind that, because 'Metal Merchants' is all killer and the epic final song 'Hallow's Eve' is one of the best Speed/Thrash songs ever recorded.