Anthrax made its mainstream breakthrough in 1987 with the release of their gold-certified album Among the Living, which borrowed elements from their two previous releases, with fast guitar riffs and pounding drums. Shortly after the release of Among the Living, three Bay Area bands, Testament, Death Angel and Heathen, respectively released their debut albums The Legacy, The Ultra-Violence and Breaking the Silence. All of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal also released albums in 1987: Kreator's Terrible Certainty, Destruction's Release from Agony, Sodom's Persecution Mania and Tankard's Chemical Invasion; those albums cemented their reputations as top-tier German thrash metal bands.
Anthrax made its mainstream breakthrough in 1987 with the release of their gold-certified album Among the Living which borrowed elements from their two previous releases with fast guitar riffs and pounding drums Shortly after the release of Among the Living three Bay Area bands Testament Death Angel and Heathen respectively released their debut albums The Legacy The Ultra-Violence and Breaking the Silence All of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal also released albums in 1987 Kreator's Terrible Certainty Destruction's Release from Agony Sodom's Persecution Mania and Tankard's Chemical Invasion; those albums cemented their reputations as top-tier German thrash metal bands