Thrash rejuvenated metal in the '80s, but who were the bands that led to thrash?  On this Loud List, we'll look at the roots of the subgenre: from the early ‘70s to just months before Metallica unleashed Kill ‘Em All, these are the songs which formed the thrash blueprint.

We’re starting with Deep Purple’s “Speed King.” On the Deep Purple in Rock opener, each member of Purple was chugging at full tilt while remaining impeccably tight. We're also including a lesser known act, Night Sun, who were a tad ahead of their time. The band’s 1972 Mournin’ album manifested various heavy metal styles that would later become popular, including thrash. Easily one of the fastest proto-metal songs at the time, “Nightmare” is a blur that still holds up as a solid piece today.

Scorpions have gone in countless stylistic directions throughout their career, but it’s possible that no song sounded more like Metallica before Metallica existed than “He’s a Woman, She’s a Man.” The instrumental work on “He’s a Woman” sounds like something off Master of Puppets, but it was released a decade before the thrash masterwork hit shelves. Take a listen and absorb the aggressive thrash chugging before the genre blew metal up in the ‘80s.

Check out these 10 Speed Metal Songs That Pioneered Thrash in the Loud List above.

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