Tuesday Six – 8/7/2012

1. Testament – Throne of Thorns

The Bay area thrashers are back in a HUGE way. The new album, Dark Roots of the Earth, is an insane scorcher, far surpassing their last studio effort, 2008’s The Formation of Damnation. This is one of my top picks off the album, and one of the more brutal tracks on it as well.

2. Anthrax – I’m Alive

A great track from the stunning comeback Worship Music album. While it isn’t Caught In A Mosh Part 2, the whole album is an older, more mature Anthrax, yet still heavy with fantastically crafted songs.

3. Machine Head – This is the End

I revisted the Unto the Locust album recently. I wasn’t as thrilled with it at first (it was kind of hard to follow up their masterpiece The Blackening) but it has definitely grown on me more and more. This is an insanely heavy song that crosses thrash borders into metalcore-ish moments, while still retaining the heart of Machine Head.

4. Slayer – Mandatory Suicide

Having been blown away my the thrash masters once again at Mayhem Fest (read my review of Mayhem Fest for The Vinyl District here), I had to include a Slayer song in this week’s Six. With one of their most memorable riffs, this is always one of my top picks from a killer album (South of Heaven) and a legendary metal band.

5. System of a Down – Aerials

From last week’s live show to this week’s. As I type this I am getting ready to head into D.C. for the Deftones/S.O.A.D. show. This song is heavy, passionate, and by far my favorite from Toxicity.

6.  Metallica – The Small Hours

Nobody does covers as well as Metallica…nobody. Off of the infamous Garage Day Re-Revisited, this Holocaust cover is one of the heaviest on the E.P. Crank this one way up.