Ten Thrash Metal Videos
Few promotional opportunities existed for thrash metal bands in the pre-internet days. MTV largely ignored the genre. One exception was a 2-hour block of music videos on Saturday night. Patient thrashers were rewarded with visual offering from their favorite bands. The following list is not comprehensive. It does, however, present ten classic videos from the golden age of thrash!
MEGADETH – WAKE UP DEAD
“Wake Up Dead” was released as the second single from Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? The video featured Megadeth performing in a cage as rabid fans climbed on the steel structure. Esteemed director, Penelope Spheeris, shot the video and formed an enduring relationship with the band. She would later include Megadeth in her documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.
NUCLEAR ASSAULT – CRITICAL MASS
Metal almost became a parody in the 80’s with a myriad of bands adopting satanic themes. Nuclear Assault bucked that trend with socially conscious lyrics. “Critical Mass” lamented the dire state of the environment and criticized humanities embrace of destructive policies. To ensure the message was clear, viewers watched a one-eyed mutant absorb a barrage of lyrics.
OVERKILL – HELLO FROM THE GUTTER
Under the Influence proved that East Coast thrashers Overkill were going to have a lengthy career. “Hello From The Gutter” was chosen as the single. Although the camera captures Overkill performing live, Chaly is the real star. The animated winged bat soars through the streets of New York City to steal the show.
ANNIHILATOR – ALISON HELL
“Alison Hell” is based on the true story of a little girl suffering from mental illness. She had nightly visions “of seeing the boogie man.” Believing that the child was going through “a phase,” her parents ignored the girl’s cries for help. Eventually, psychosis devolved into hopeless insanity.
TESTAMENT – NOBODY’S FAULT
Testament displayed their sense of humor when filming a video for the Aersosmith song “Nobody’s Fault.” Singer Chuck Billy falls asleep back-stage and dreams of touring in a hippie van. Confusion reigns as Testament attempt to find the correct venue. The gig is a comical disaster. Considering the video opens with an aerial shot of Testament performing at the Eindhoven music festival, the band re-affirms that they are still a hard-working club act.
SEPULTURA – INNER SELF
Brazilian thrashers Sepultura became an international success on the strength of Beneath the Remains. Despite communicating with producer Scott Burns through a translator, Sepultura wrote intelligent lyrics in English. “Inner Self” is a defiant statement on non-conformity and served as the inaugural Sepultura video.
KREATOR – PEOPLE OF THE LIE
Kreator also transcended international boundaries. In 1991, the German band released the VHS video Hallucinative Comas. Essentially a heavy metal horror movie, disturbing imagery accompanied tracks from Coma of Souls. Headbangers Ball embraced the video from “People of the Lie.”
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – WAKING THE DEAD
Suicidal Tendencies filmed a horror video of their own with “Waking the Dead.” Rather than create shock, ST went for humor. Complete with zombies, doomed skaters, and Mike Muir dancing in a graveyard, “Waking the Dead” may be the most entertaining video on this list!
EXODUS – TOXIC WALTZ
Steve “Zetro” Souza wrote “The Toxic Waltz” as a parody of 60’s dance songs. Naturally this craze had a violent twist. Moshing is not for the timid. Anyone wishing to avoid bodily harm can live vicariously through “The Toxic Waltz” video!
METALLICA – ONE
Metallica soared to the top of the thrash scene without a music video. With the release of “One,” they were catapulted into stardom. Metallica headlined an arena tour and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The video is unique, with clips from the film Johnny Got His Gun interwoven to underscore the song’s anti-war theme.
