How many times have we heard that thrash metal has died? Well, judging from the amount of bands that represent this year, the statement is quite far from the truth.
If we talk about relatively younger bands one cannot omit Spanish Angelus Apatrida. They do have big heart thrash metal giants but give them more of a modern flair. But as it is with majority of thrash bands, they are pure force on stage so it’s worth marking them on your agenda.
One of the earlier thrash metal from Switzerland is Coroner who incorporated often jazz or progressive influences in their music and whatever they felt like including. They somehow managed to elevate thrash metal to a higher level with their expert craftsmanship and surgical precision. After a pretty successful run in the 80s and 90s they laid the project dormant until 2010 and they have no plans of retiring. On top of that in 2025 they released a new LP after 32 years, “Dissonance Theory” which was their crowning glory of a grand return.
Maybe a little lesser known, but still influential Sacred Reich is an extremely solid, unpretentious squad that some count to the second wave of thrash metal with Death Angel, Testament or Destruction). They took a bit of a break in 2000 after 15 years of playing but didn’t seem to love the retirement and went back to business in 2006. Good for us as they are a really fun band to see live!
Demolition Hammer is another one of these bands that do have a cult following despite not being counted among headliners. Similarly to Sacred Reich they operated between 1987 and 1995 to then reunite after almost 20 years in 2016. Lucky to us it seems gentlemen haven’t lost their thrash metal pep so we are expecting hell of a good show!
An absolute classic, Metal Church is more leaning towards heavy and power metal but is a band that every fan should know to some extent. At least the debut album which is jam packed with excellent riffs that inspired throngs of younger musicians. However the lads have no intentions of stopping as they released a new album just in April 2026. Talk about a work ethos here.
Yet another classic in heavy metal history, Armored Saint. Had you heard them for the first time you would be willing to believe they have more in common with British NWOBHM, not Los Angeles. Disregarding the trends, keeping to themselves and music they liked to perform let the band survive in basically the same lineup since 1982. The band also released a new album, “Emotion Factory Reset” in May 2026.
Australia’s very own Mortal Sin is one of the first thrash metal bands who started all the way back in 1985. They were the first one to gain international recognition. Mortal Sin had a pretty bumpy ride with multiple hiatuses and lineup changes but they got back to business in 2025 so we can look forward to their show in Josefov.
The Bay Area has a rich history of thrash metal, among them Death Angel. They did massive groundwork to shape the sound of contemporary thrash metal which. To this day they are an absolute force to reckon with off and on stage.
Alongside there are their colleagues from Vio-Lence who are maybe a little lesser known band but definitely worth attention. To this day their debut “Eternal Nightmare” feels like a blow to the gut and should be studied how good it is. Luckily for us, the vocalist Sean Killian rekindled the group in 2019 so we can experience it now.
Ironically British Onslaught started as a hardcore band to then convert to thrash metal pretty quickly. Thankfully, because their mighty riffs, fantastic vocals and heaps of thrash aggression are a sight (or: sound?) to behold. Maybe slightly underrated but absolutely worth experiencing in the Fortress.
Municipal Waste are celebrating 25 years of existence this year and they will be sure to invite the crowd in front of the stage to have a party with them. Known for their crossover thrash style and tad crude sense of humour, they’re an extremely safe bet for a party in the pit after a beer. Or five.
Typically you would associate Norway with black metal however one man project Morax is in fact playing heavy metal. Man behind it, Remi Nygård is massively inspired by the likes of Mercyful Fate, Satan or Black Sabbath. Despite starting the project in 2023 he gained plenty of critical acclaim and released debut LP “The Amulet” in 2025.
