Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer , and Anthrax : also known as the Big Four , or the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse" of thrash metal in the 80s who helped the genre become mainstream . And in a recent interview, Scott Ian , guitarist for Anthrax, reveals whether he thinks any band was "unfairly" excluded from the quartet.
When questioned by Ultimate Guitar , the artist responded, “Well, I don’t really understand it. Nobody was ‘unfairly’ left out of anything. Metallica didn’t sit down and make a decision and say, ‘These are the four bands we’re choosing.’ That’s not how it worked. The Big Four was a title created by the press, calling the four thrash bands the Biggest Four thrash bands.”
“When you say ‘unduly’ left out, I have to say I have a problem with that,” he continues, “Because it sounds like Metallica excluded someone on purpose, and the Big Four has nothing to do with Metallica, or any of us. That title was given by the press,” Ian emphasizes.
The questioning comes after several names like Chuck Billy and Alex Skolnick of Testament , Dave Mustaine of Megadeth , and Kirk Hammett of Metallica , touched on the subject, sharing their opinions on the inclusion or exclusion of the quartet. Wikimetal even conducted a poll in 2016 asking people which is the best thrash band outside the Big Four Pantera, Sepultura , and Exodus as the top three .