Death Angel

Seven albums and 26 years on, these original Bay Area thrashers are not just relevant because of the burgeoning thrash resurgence: On their eighth effort, they churn out some of their most fierce work to date. Taking rapid riffage, wailing solos and battering bass lines -- the core structure of old-school thrash -- then branding it with their signature powerhouse vocals, these reborn originators create conscious pummelers like "The Noose" and "Lord of Hate," achieving a modern sensibility that's as genuine as it is brutal.