Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, both 'Welcome To Hell' and 'Black Metal' were major influences on the whole genres of thrash and extreme metal. Often considered the first black metal band, the band even gave a certain band named Metallica their first break in Europe nearly 30 years ago. Indeed Lars Ulrich once said “[The first Venom album] 'Welcome To Hell' was a classic! Black metal, speed metal, death metal, whatever you want to call it, Venom started it all with that one record!”
1985’s 'Possessed' is presented here as a digisleeve CD reissue featuring bonus tracks.

This new release is an excellent representation of the elements that make up the German power metal scene. With Powerful riffs, mind-blowing soloing, heavy double bass, and strong singing, Sculforge creates an album which reaches standards often overlooked in the Power Metal genre.
Branching off from the traditional themes of the genre is always a nice respite. We were overwhelmed at one time or another by the dungeons and dragons legacy of the genre. It was pretty much everywhere and it felt claustrophobic to say the least. Most of the bands revolved around those themes for anything remotely close of Power Metal so bands like Sculforge talking about Science Fiction and distancing themselves from the themes of yore is always a great thing for longstanding fans like me…

Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released on June 27, 1988 through MCA Records' Mechanic sublabel. A limited 10" promo single was released, with two tracks "Eternal Nightmare" and "Phobophobia"; the release was quite unique, as it came in a "vomit pack", a sealed plastic cover containing fake vomit. Shortly after, thrash metal innovators Slayer released a single in a similar format but with fake blood, and rock band The Revolting Cocks released a single with fake semen.

Since 2016, Indiana’s Wraith have been emitting their incendiary brand of blackened thrash and speed metal into the world. Summer 2024 will see them release their debut full length under the Prosthetic Records label banner; prepare for Fueled By Fear. What started as a one-man band many moons ago has evolved into a propulsive beast of a band. Channeling a reverence to classic metal from a bygone era, Wraith incorporate their distinctively blistering sonic signature to create something urgent and contemporary. The band have previously described their collective mission as follows: a war of aggression on the dour confines of the modern metal scene and total sonic annihilation…

BAT is an American speed metal band with (ex-)members of Municipal Waste, D.R.I. and Volture. The debut album "Wings Of Chains" was released in June 2016 via Hells Headbangers Records. Prior to this, the band released the demo "Primitive Age" and the single "Cruel Discipline".
Ryan Waste is known for his love of the NWOBHM, but with BAT, he’s taken that influence in a fresh direction on "Under the Crooked Claw", with its tight, concise songs loaded with punchy choruses and lightning-laced leads.

Grammy-nominated extreme power metal pioneers DragonForce will release their monumental new album and Napalm Records debut, Warp Speed Warriors, on March 15, 2024! The iconic unit is known for their masterful, unparalleled and lightning-fast signature guitar solos that influenced a whole genre. The band around virtuoso guitarists and founding members Herman Li and Sam Totman are highly inspired by a myriad of heavy metal styles, fantasy realms and video games.
Warp Speed Warriors, produced by Herman Li, Sam Totman and Damien Rainaud - and mixed and mastered by the latter - is a matchless, innovative listening experience that continues the band's legacy with songs that will, without a shadow of a doubt, become instant classics in and beyond the DragonForce canon.

Enforcer have returned with yet another uncompromising heavy metal album titled "Nostalgia". The album is a reflective look at everything that once existed and a reminder that life is in a constant state of change. It’s a confrontation of the eventuality that,through the destructive force of time, everything withers and ceases to exist. All matter decays into nothingness. The blindsiding new studio album "Nostalgia", featuring 13 heavy metal anthems, throws Enforcer back to their speed metal roots. Fusing extreme guitar riffing with catchy stadium choruses, Enforcer are out to conquer the world with their sixth and most hotly anticipated album to date.

Grave Digger have been an integral part of the German heavy metal scene for over 4 decades. Chris Boltendahl, Axel Ritt, Jens Becker and Marcus Kniep are not only a fixture in the live area, they also regularly deliver high-quality heavy metal albums. On their latest album "Symbol Of Eternity" they continue to spin the story of the Crusaders… after dealing with it on the album "Knights of the Cross" they are now devoting themselves again to the legendary history of the Templars. Razor-sharp riffs, opulent choir arrangements and the distinctive voice of Chris Boltendahl are components of Grave Digger's new work. All the hallmarks that have characterized the band for 4 decades are continued on the new album and make "Symbol Of Eternity" an original and heavy album.

An integral part of the early 1980s thrash metal movement, New Jersey quartet Overkill were formed in 1980 by vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and guitarist Bobby Gustafson, and also included bassist D.D. Verni and drummer Rat Skates (later replaced by Sid Falck). The band garnered a reputation for brutal, pounding speed and technique, but lacked the musical diversity to compete with heavy hitters like Metallica; still, Overkill built up a strong following in the metal underground with albums like 1985's Taking Over and 1988's Under the Influence. Gustafson quit in 1989 following the Years of Decay album, and was replaced by Rob Cannavino and Merritt Gant…

Formed in the late '80s out of a common interest in speed and doom metal, Exhorder helped shape the "Louisiana sound," a common sound shared between many metal bands from the state. By crafting chugging, tight riffs with a rigid structure, Exhorder made quite the local impression with 1990's Slaughter in the Vatican…

From their modest beginnings as roadies for avant-garde Swiss metal legends Celtic Frost, the members of Coroner carved out one of the most unique careers in the European thrash metal scene. They were originally pegged as a conventional thrash band, but their jaw-dropping musicianship and increasingly complex, almost prog rock compositions soon won over most critics, some of whom labeled them the Rush of thrash metal…

If ever a metal band deserved the box set treatment, it's Slayer. Love them or hate them, their accomplishments in the thrash metal subgenre is pretty much unequaled. For over 20 years, Slayer have remained doggedly and stubbornly persistent in their approach to playing the heaviest, loudest, and darkest metal in America…