The Big 4

Megadeth and Anthrax are both part of the “Big Four” of Thrash, along with Metallica and Slayer. When deciding which of the four is best, it can easily be narrowed down between Megadeth and Anthrax. Due to the fact that Metallica is a bunch of sell outs and Slayer has a lot of generic songs. However that’s a whole different story. Megadeth and Anthrax are great bands; they both have released great albums, and have inspired many thrash bands. However I favor Megadeth more simply because their album Rust in Peace is a masterpiece. Rust in Peace is arguably one of the best Thrash Metal albums ever made. Each song has great lyrics and reflects over the topics of politics, warfare, and religious persecution. “Hangar 18” and “Lucreatia” are the most technical songs of the album constructed of complex riffs and solos. “Tornado of Souls” is known for its epic solo played by Marty Friedman. There is no doubt that this album wouldn’t have been as successful if Marty Friedman wasn’t in it, for he is one of the best guitarists in the world. Dave and Marty’s collaboration made this album epic and made Megadeth even more famous. Although Anthrax is not as technical as Megadeth and their solos aren’t as great as Marty Friedmans, their music gets more mosh pits. All of Anthrax’s songs are fast and energetic. Most of their songs have a great part for moshing to. For example in the song “Indians” a huge circle pit always starts in the part where Scott Ian yells “WAR DANCE”. Their vocalist Joey belladonna is also a better vocalist than Dave mustaine. Joey can hit high pitches similar to Bruce Dickinson’s. Anthrax’s first three albums are notably their best work especially their third album “Among the Living”. Although Rust in Peace was an excellent album, Megadeth slowly started slipping away from thrash after that album. Their songs were slower paced and were not as energetic as their earlier work. Their solos still sounded great because Marty was still in the band.