Death-Thrash Metal

Death-thrash metal is the mid-1980s crossover in which thrash metal bands absorbed the defining traits of the emerging death metal: downtuned and chromatic riffing, vocals pushed from a bark toward a growl, and tempos driven to blast-beat extremes. It is neither parent genre alone but the moment of their overlap, heard first on *Possessed*'s "Seven Churches" in 1985 and then across the German, Brazilian and American scenes. Death-thrash keeps thrash's gang-shouted choruses, mosh-pit riff changes and frantic soloing while taking its harmonic darkness, occult and gore imagery, and rhythmic violence from death metal.