Charlie Benante Claims The Best Thrash Album of All-Time Has Nothing To Do With The Big Four

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Charlie Benante Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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During a recent interview with BraveWords, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante shared what he feels is the best thrash album of all time.

What may shock a lot of folks is that this record is not a Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, or Anthrax release.

So, what could that album be? Could it be a Testament record? How about Overkill? Maybe it is a Dark Angel record?

At one point during this recent conversation, the interviewer speaks to some history involving Anthrax and Exodus; they mention how there are similarities between the two bands, and in response to this, Benante says the following:

“We’ve been on tour with Exodus, we’ve taken that band out a lot through the years. They’re good friends of ours; especially Gary (Holt, guitarist). We’ve known Gary since the early days.

“Then when we did a bunch of those Slayer dates, Gary was there (replacing Jeff Hanneman). Gary’s been very, very close with us.”

Benante then goes on to mention the thrash album he considers the “best thrash record that’s ever come out”:

“The first time I heard Exodus was their demo tape. Actually, a friend of mine gave it to me. Then, another friend of mine was doing a record label, Torrid Records, and they were going to put out the first Exodus record.

“That’s when I heard what the record was sounding like. To this day, I say the same thing – that first Exodus record, to me, is the best thrash record that’s ever come out. I always put that #1.”

That first Exodus album, Bonded by Blood, came out in 1985 and is an absolutely fucking amazing thrash metal album.

What do you think of the record, and what do you think of Benante calling it the “best thrash record”? What do you think is the best thrash metal album of all-time?

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