The difference, by ear
The defining difference is the picking hand: thrash downpicks everything and gets a percussive chug, speed metal alternate-picks and gets a smooth blur. The riffs can be identical and the feel is not.
Thrash metal is shouted where speed metal is sung cleanly, at much the same pace, around 180 to 250 bpm. To hear the difference, play Motörhead next to Metallica. Both grew out of heavy metal, speed metal first and thrash metal two years after. Germany appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Speed metal
Where it sits
In short
NWOBHM with the throttle down, but the vocals still melodic. The missing link between heavy metal and thrash.
How it sounds
- Tempos of 180 to 220 bpm with galloping or two-beat drumming.
- Fast palm-muted riffing, but with vocals that stay melodic and high.
- Long solos with NWOBHM-school technique.
Key acts
- Motörhead
- Exciter
- Agent Steel
- Helloween
Start here
The pickMotörhead - Ace of Spades. Thirty-five minutes, constant speed, zero compromise.
Full page →Thrash metal
Where it sits
In short
NWOBHM plus hardcore punk: palm-muted riffs, brutal tempos and lyrics about war and society. The first truly extreme branch.
How it sounds
- Palm-muted riffs in sixteenths, played with relentless downpicking.
- Tempos of 180 to 250 bpm with skank beats and double kick.
- Barked or shouted but still intelligible vocals, and fast aggressive solos.
Key acts
- Metallica
- Slayer
- Megadeth
- Kreator
Start here
The pickSlayer - Reign in Blood. Twenty-nine minutes that redefined the word extreme.
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