Thrash metal
Thrash metal evolved from speed metal, NWOBHM and early hardcore punk at the beginning of the 1980s. Bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax spearheaded thrash metal and are referred to as the genre's "Big Four", while on the European side Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, and Tankard form the so-called "Big Teutonic Four".