Ramzy Abbas knows this music from the inside. He founded Jugulator in Algiers in August 2014, and in the band he handles vocals and guitar. Jugulator’s sound sits in thrash and speed metal, with a clear debt to the US and German records of the 1980s, so when we asked him for his big four, we wanted to know which albums still speak to him most.
The four bands he picked – Metallica, Testament, Annihilator and Kreator – are familiar enough on paper. The interesting part is the albums he chose, and the way he talks about them. You can hear what catches his ear straight away: the guitar work, the structure of a song, the feel of the right hand, the place melody takes inside thrash when it is done well. But enough from us. Here’s Ramzy.
“a lesson in intelligent, technical thrash metal.”
Metallica
…And Justice for All
Metallica released ...And Justice for All in 1988. It was the band’s fourth studio album and the first full-length with Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton. For Ramzy, it is still one of the clearest examples of how far thrash can stretch in composition, arrangement and mood without losing its edge.
“This album has left a lasting impression on me. Even though the bass is almost absent, the guitar sound is very special, as is the drumming with its high-pitched double bass drum. And then there are the compositions: ‘Blackened’, which opens the album with so much power and melody; the title track and its blues feel; ‘Harvester of Sorrow’ and its groove; ‘One’ is an absolute masterpiece. This album is a lesson in intelligent, technical thrash metal. It plays with time. ‘Dyers Eve’ is clearly my favorite track; it has everything. And finally, the lyrics on this album are of a very high standard.”
Testament
The New Order
The New Order came out in 1988 as Testament’s second album. It followed The Legacy and helped lock in a run of songs that still sit at the center of the band’s catalog, including “Into the Pit”, “The New Order” and “Disciples of the Watch”. Ramzy’s pick goes straight to that record.
“It’s hard to choose an album, but I’d say The New Order. For me, that’s how thrash should sound: riffs where the right hand is heavily used, with experimentation in palm muting. With Testament, you get combinations of sixteenth notes and then thirty-second notes, dark melodies with harmonies that make them sound even darker. It’s raw metal. The Phrygian mode, which I love, gives it an oriental sound. And then there’s ‘Into the Pit’! ‘The New Order’, ‘Disciples of the Watch’ – they are gods of melody, and Chuck Billy is a monster; he has to keep the mic away from his mouth or he drowns everyone out!”
Annihilator
Criteria for a Black Widow
Criteria for a Black Widow arrived in 1999 as Annihilator’s seventh studio album. It also brought Randy Rampage and Ray Hartmann back into the lineup around Jeff Waters, which gives the record its own place in the band’s history. Out of all the albums Annihilator could have put forward here, this is the one Ramzy chose.
“It’s not the best-produced album, but what creativity! And that’s what Annihilator is for me: creative madness, no limits. Jeff can go from very joyful riffs to a very violent atmosphere without you even realizing what happened! ‘Bloodbath’, which opens the album, slaps you right from the start to tell you: hey, we know how to do thrash very well. ‘Back to the Palace’, with its nod in the middle that reminds you of the verse from ‘Fun Palace’ with its dissonant chords… If I keep talking about this album, I’ll never stop. It’s simply unique.”
Kreator
Enemy of God
Enemy of God was released in 2005 as Kreator’s eleventh studio album. Produced by Andy Sneap, it belongs to the period where the band had already long secured its place in German thrash, but was still refining the sound in a sharper, more modern frame. That is the Kreator record Ramzy went with.
“I think this is the album that resonated with me the most from them. It’s not a classic like Pleasure to Kill or Coma of Souls, but I think it’s a modern take on that era. First of all, it’s well produced, and it contains the perfect Kreator formula: the violence of German thrash and melodies. How do they manage to make this power and melodic sweetness coexist? Actually, it’s simple: sometimes I listen to bands and think, ‘That’s Kreator!’ Their style is instantly recognizable, and I think this album represents the band; it contains everything Kreator knows how to do.”
You can find Jugulator on Bandcamp, including their latest album Imperator Insector.
