Top Ten Reasons Why There Shouldn't Be a "Big 4" In Thrash Metal
This is why I think the concept of a "Big 4" in thrash is stupid and why all thrash bands should be equally recognized.Yeah, that's why I listen to pop and rock music. But I'm sometimes a metal fan. People at my school don't know who metal is.
I'm not a fan of thrash metal but Brobusky is right with this list having a "Big 4" is a terrible thing for a genre that immediately restricts it's potential appeal to the general public.
No, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax are known as the Big 4 because they were the four bands that helped create thrash metal and bring it into the mainstream. Hell, without those four bands (especially Metallica and Slayer), bands like Annihilator, Testament or Death Angel wouldn't have been around.
They aren't even the four best Thrash Metal bands. My four favorites are Overkill, Kreator, Exodus, and Annihilator.
Thrash isn't stupid.
Believe it or not, back in the late 80's/early 90's, Testament was more popular/received more recognition than some of the bands that weren't part of the Big 4. Other than touring with the likes of Slayer, Megadeth, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and being part of the European "Clash of the Titans" tour (with Megadeth, Slayer and Suicidal Tendencies) during the 90's, Testament managed to sell over half a million records that decade thanks to "Practice What You Preach", according to Wikipedia, that album sold over 450,000 copies in America.