Disclaimer:
Please don’t unleash years of suppressed anger and throw a hot cup of coffee in your dog’s face if you don’t see (insert band name) at (insert position) or any such situation. This feature is based on the opinions of an author that writes, primarily, based on experiences and makes no claims that the collection of releases you’re going to be reading about is certified by God, Satan, Rick Moranis, or any other extremely prominent deity. Enjoy.
Introduction:
This list sees us looking at the second part of our 1988 trilogy, with the focus being on EPs and split releases. EPs are often used as dumping grounds for B-sides, filler, cover songs, live cuts, and songs that didn’t quite fit on an album, but in some cases, they’re freakishly good releases. They were also great, cheap releases that didn’t require a lot of production issues, so 7” EPs were very common throughout the eighties metal scene. This spawned dozens and dozens of releases from bands that would never be heard outside of the native regions, as you’ll soon see many times over on this list. Just because a band didn’t go national or international doesn’t mean anything, but a great many solid releases are never heard because of pure obscurity. And many of these regional bands never saw enough demand to justify a repress, so there’s tons of releases that came out in small batches that quickly went out of circulation.
There are both bands that evolved into huge international entities and bands that probably never left the garage or bar scene on this list. It straddles a massive gulf and really highlights the depth and reach that heavy metal was picking up like an avalanche in the eighties, especially on the extreme side of things.
On this list are heavyweight grindcore bands, ripping thrash acts, traditional heavy metal, power metal, glam rock, and more. Sonically, it’s a huge spread. You’ll see a lot of unknown bands here, a few that should not surprise you for being on here.
As far as global spread goes, the majority of the releases on this list are from American artists. Great Britain, Germany, and Japan made the second most significant contributions. There’s one offs from Australia, Finland, Brazil and others.
In terms of record label dominance, there’s actually nothing significant. The spread is wide, with single release contributions from most labels, with the exception of Noise Records, which, based on the era, should come as a surprise to no one. Some other heavy hitter labels are present, such as Metal Blade Records, Cogumelo Records, Wild Rags Records, Steamhammer, and even Elektra Records. However, the number one pick for this list wasn’t released through a label, it’s purely independent.
Without further delay, here are The Top 25 Metal Splits/EPs of 1988.
#25: Samael (CHE) – Medieval Prophecy
Label: Necrosound
The first formal release from the long-standing institution is admittingly rough around the edges, with primitive riffing and very basic percussion. Pre-dating Worship Him by about three years, this jumping off point for the band has become the stuff of legends. Teeters on proto/1st wave black metal leanings.
#24: A.R.G. (FIN) – Aggressive Confessor
Label: Megamania
Reindeer metal pioneers from Finland. The first formal release following two earlier demos sees A.R.G. delivering textbook thrash metal. A pair of demos and a single would follow this particular release, leading into the launch of their 1989 full-length debut, Entrance.
#23: Cremator (AUS) – Home Style Surgery
Label: Waterfront Records
Obscure Australian thrash metal that’s a touch soft on guitar tone. This is the only formal release from the band, following the 1987’s Evil Brew demo tape. Bassist Kevin McClaer would later find himself playing in grindcore act Captain Cleanoff.
#22: Ironchrist (USA) – Ironchrist
Label: New Renaissance Records
Obscure thrash metal from regional Maryland. Foggy production blankets rapid-fire leads and snappy percussion. The band would release Getting the Most out of Your Extinction in 1990 before calling it quits permanently.
#21: Chakal (BRA) – Living with the Pigs
Label: Cogumelo Records
Sloppy death thrash from the 1980’s Brazilian scene. Not nearly as sonically toxic as some of their countrymates, Chakal were nonetheless aggressive and bombastic. Average production qualities with nothing of particular uniqueness to the overall tonality.
#20: Sabbat (JAP) – Desecration
Label: Evil Records
The Japanese tormenting legends Sabbat’s third 7” of their career saw a pure analog black thrash attack. While it may be a grain of sand in the colossal desert of the band’s massive discography, nevertheless the material here hits hard and fast.
#19: Recipients of Death (USA) – Recipients of Death
Label: Wild Rags Records
Dark Angel-style west coast thrash metal. Mid-tempo with slamming cyclical riffing and blazing shit-hot leads. The band would issue the Final Flight EP in 1990 before calling it quits. There was a lot of potential here for big things from this band had they stuck together.
#18: Brain Fever (DEU) – You
Label: Steamhammer
Storming speed metal with traditional heavy metal leanings. The final release in the Brain Fever discography was a worthy EP packed full of slick riffing and screaming leads. The title track should have you doing 30 miles per hour over the speed limit.
#17: Kreator (DEU) – Out of the Dark…into the Light
Label: Noise Records
Branching Terrible Certainty to Extreme Aggression, this EP features one original track, one Raven cover and three live cuts. The original track, ‘Impossible to Cure,’ is a bit of a snoozer, but the Raven cover is authentic and dynamic.
#16: Raw Energy (USA) – White Stallion
Label: Raw Records
Obscure speed/traditional heavy metal from the Ohio region. This was the only release issued by the band, White Stallion featured warm analog production and genuine garage talent. Worth a listen.
#15: Acid Reign (GBR) – Moshkinstein
Label: Under One Flag
The first formal release for Acid Reign was a textbook take on mid-tempo thrash metal. Guitarist Gaz Jennings would later go on to play in Cathedral.
#14: Z-Sect (JAP) – N.O.V
Label: Night Gallery
Anthemic Running Wild-style traditional heavy metal with leanings into speed and thrash metal. Very odd production properties but an interesting listen overall. Features Nov from Mein Kampf on vocals.
#13: Agressor (FRA) / Loudblast (FRA) – License to Thrash
Label: New Wave
An overlooked and excellent double-feature of two prominent early French thrash metal acts. Loudblast’s contribution is the more well-produced side while Agressor is a bit more primitive and feral. License to Thrash is the first formal release from either band and both are still active.
#12: Wild Pussy (GBR) – Mechanarchy
Label: Metallion
Well-produced speed and thrash metal from the UK. The band eventually changed their name to Religion, where they released a single album. Mechanarchy is the only formal release published under the Wild Pussy name.
#11: Damien (SWE) – Requiem for the Dead
Label: Gothic Records
Obscure cult thrash from Sweden. After a battery of demo tapes, Damien’s first formal release came in the form of this bestial EP. Long out of circulation, releases like this need to be kept alive through other means, which is why these lists exist in the first place.
#10: Doom (JAP) – Killing Field…
Label: Invitation
Bass-heavy mid-tempo progressive thrash. I mean really bass heavy. But in all fairness, Koh Morota puts on a hell of a performance for this EP. Very interesting and refreshing take on the thrash formula.
#9: Attitude (USA) – To Whom it May Concern
Label: We Bite Records
Another obscure band, this time hailing from regional California. Attitude never released a proper full-length but has plenty of demos and EPs. To Whom it May Concern was the last proper release from the band, thrash metal with crossover leanings.
#8: Motley Crue (USA) – Raw Tracks
Label: Elektra Records
Yeah, I know. The remixes are actually pretty good. It’s a much rawer cut than the super overproduced production band’s of this caliber generally rely on.
#7: Attitude Adjustment (USA) – No More Mr. Nice Guy
Label: A Matter of Image
Rapid-fire crusty crossover mixed with elements of thrash and hardcore. The good hardcore, from the 1980’s. Drummer Chris Kontos would later end up a foundational member of the well-known mainstream metal band Machine Head. Plenty of blind aggression here, definitely for fans of fast punk and hardcore.
#6: Godflesh (GBR) – Godflesh
Label: Swordfish
No introductions necessary. The first strike of the legendary British noise merchants. Crushing bass, wailing guitars, and the sterile crack and thud of the drum machine. Tracing their roots back to 1982, few bands can claim status like Godflesh.
#5: Mania (DEU) – Wizard of the Lost Kingdom
Label: Noise Records
Ripping thrash metal with power metal leanings. A very European and distinctively German take on the metal canon, intense lead work, testicle-exploding highs, and double harmonies. An absolute buffet of riffs. Cool artwork too.
#4: Nasty Savage (USA) – Abstract Reality
Label: Metal Blade Records
An often-overlooked band, Florida’s Nasty Savage never received the same level of credit a lot of bands from their region were given in the early days of extreme metal. An amalgamation of several genres, Abstract Reality was a sonic gem of well-produced, riff-forward, thrash metal.
#3: Sacred Reich (USA) – Surf Nicaragua
Label: Metal Blade Records
Aside from 1987’s Ignorance, this is perhaps the most well-known release from the band’s discography. Underappreciated for sure, Surf Nicaragua is a frequently overlooked gem in the late 1980’s thrash conversation.
#2: Bolt Thrower (GBR) – The Peel Sessions
Label: Strange Fruit
One of John Peel’s most memorable sessions, the mighty Bolt Thrower was in top form. Featuring Alan West on vocals, the band was a lumbering juggernaut of grindcore and death metal whose ferocity could only be matched by a few other bands at the time of this recording.
#1: Terrorizer (USA) / Nausea (USA) – Split Demo ‘87/’88
Label: (independent release)
An absolutely blistering performance between two underground heavyweight bands of the late 1980s. This was the precursor to the legendary World Downfall for Terrorizer and the precursor to Crimes Against Humanity from Nausea. The performance of Pete Sandoval is absolutely berserk. Very few drummers were playing at his caliber at this point in extreme music. A true gem of grindcore and a marquee performance from both bands.
There you have it.
The crown jewels of this list belonged to three bands on the more extreme side of this particular era’s heavy metal sensibilities. The Bolt Thrower Peel session simply crushed everything on this list in terms of raw heaviness. The split between Terrorizer and Nausea was an explosion of chaotic noise, one that rivaled the other era heavyweight grindcore band, Napalm Death.
While the list was still loaded down with thrash metal, speed metal, traditional metal, and power metal, there wasn’t much of a presence for death metal in this realm of releases, much unlike the demo explosion of 1988 that saw numerous heavyweight death metal bands get their starts. The two big extreme genres, death metal and black metal, have not yet permeated this format.
There are plenty of obscure metal bands on this list that never made it out of their respective native regions and lists like this are intended to bring these releases forward and preserve them for future listening and examination.
What did you think? Would you have made any changes?
See the first part of our 1988 trilogy, The Top 25 Metal Demos of 1988, here.
-AJK
apanthropy 
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