United is one of Japan’s longest-running thrash metal bands. They started back in 1981, though they were originally a Judas Priest tribute band – in case their band name didn’t give that away already. Eventually, they started writing their own material, which was very much in the Bay Area thrash metal vein, though their earliest work in particular was still clearly rooted in traditional heavy metal. United aren’t necessarily the best songwriters, but they are likely the greatest riff writers of their generation of Japanese thrash metal bands.

Conventional wisdom states that United moved from full-on thrash metal to more groovy, hardcore-influenced territory around the mid-nineties. While that is true in theory, it also gives off a wrong impression of what their later work sounds like. They did release an album that was barely thrash metal in the late nineties, but their sound quickly evolved into some of the most creative blending of thrash metal and hardcore any band of their vintage has ever attempted. Some of their best work was actually released in that era, though they have successfully returned to their thrash metal roots since.

Although United hasn’t had a single original member in its ranks since 1988, the band’s strong core of guitarists Shingo Otani and Yoshifumi ‘Hally’ Yoshida, the latter of which briefly played with visual kei giants X in the mid-eighties, has been United’s backbone for over 35 years. The longest-serving member – and arguably the heart of the band – was actually bassist Akihiro Yokoyama, who was with the band from 1983 until his death at the far too young age of 49 in 2014. That was also the last time United had a line-up change, and they are active to this day.

10. N.O.I.Q. (1995)

It would be so tempting to use the album’s title in a pun that refers to the fact that United had dumbed it sound down compared to their first two albums. But in all honesty, that would just make me sad. ‘N.O.I.Q.’ isn’t a terrible album by 1995 thrash metal standards, but multiple moments sound eerily close to what their more popular, yet notably less engaging fellow Japanese thrashers Outrage were doing at the time. The album isn’t diving head-first into groove metal, as many of their peers were doing, as the average tempo is too high for it to be classified as such, and there is too much variation in the riff work for it as well. Overall, the album is just quite dull. It being only thirty-three minutes long does ease the pain.

Recommended tracks: ‘Bad Habit’, ‘Words in Disguise’, ‘Revenger’

9. Distorted Vision (1998)

Something about ‘Distorted Vision’ just screams late nineties. The album doesn’t necessarily jump on one particular trend in heavy music – in fact, it’s a relatively creative heavy late-nineties release – but it is fairly typical for its time. It’s not quite groove metal, it’s not quite nu-metal, and it’s also not quite hardcore, but it’s got elements of all three, somewhat like a more varied, less tribal version of what Sepultura was doing around the same time. Not a single song on the album classifies as thrash metal, and the riffs aren’t quite as characteristic as usual, but I like some of the inventive guitar arrangements that Yoshifumi Yoshida and Shingo Otani have come up with. Their guitar sounds have a nice, crisp bite to them in a time when everyone was going for the thick bottom-end as well.

Recommended tracks: ‘Change’, ‘Trust Yourself’, ‘Flash Back’

8. Reload (1997)

If United ever made a groove metal album, ‘Reload’ would be the closest thing to it. There certainly are some slower songs that are built on the same type of riffs the more Black Sabbath-inclined bands used to pursue. Overall, though, the tempos on ‘Reload’ are far too high for it to be groove metal. Especially among the first few tracks, there are a few that are simply scorching thrashers, with perhaps a slightly more modern, hardcore-infused slant than before. After that, around the halfway point, the album does run out of steam a bit, and it needs quite a long time to pick things back up again. When ‘Reload’ is good, however, it’s really good, and even groovy stuff like ‘Shameless’ has quite a creative twist to it.

Recommended tracks: ‘Skin-Deep’, ‘Untied’, ‘Monkey Brains’

7. Tear of Illusions (2011)

‘Tear of Illusions’ is quite a good modern thrash metal album, but it does lack a bit of personality. Much of the album could have been recorded by practically any thrash-influenced band that was around in the early 2010’s, though the presence of Akihiro Yokoyama, Yoshifumi Yoshida and Shingo Otani at least accounts for the riffs being of exceptional quality. Al-Salem ‘Ken-Shin’ Faisal is technically the best vocalist United ever had, his aggressive, relatively high-pitched metalcore barks sounding convincingly angry, but I feel his two predecessors had more character. The later songs are generally more interesting compositionally, though the ten-plus-minute ‘Devil with Halo’ feels too much like a handful of cool ideas haphazardly stitched together. However, closing track ‘Fate’ is a stone-cold thrash metal masterpiece.

Recommended tracks: ‘Fate’, ‘From the Evil That Is You’, ‘Voice of Sanity’

6. Bloody But Unbowed (1990)

Debut album ‘Bloody But Unbowed’ is exactly the type of thing I’m talking about when I say United were better riff writers than they were songwriters. Just about every riff on the album is a 24-carat thrash metal riff. The way they are connected just sometimes feels like the band stuck two or three half-finished songs together without much care for cohesion. Part of me thinks that the band knew, because they kick ‘Bloody But Unbowed’ off with ‘Sniper’, which is easily the catchiest, most well-written song on the album. ‘Sniper’ is also the song that is most clearly rooted in traditional heavy metal here. However, the riffs on ‘Bloody But Unbowed’ are so excellent that it’s nearly impossible not to enjoy the album if you are into old school thrash metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sniper’, ‘Welcome to Amazing World’, ‘Unavoidable Riot’

5. Nine (2005)

While ‘Nine’ is almost as hardcore-influenced as its two predecessors, its average tempo is notably higher, which makes it feel more thrashy overall. There are a few moments that push the band to the brink of death metal intensity. If a comparison to a western band is necessary, ‘Nine’ sounds like it succeeds at what Slayer was attempting on ‘God Hates Us All’, with some nods to the most experimental moments from ‘Diabolus in Musica’ around the middle section of the album. Now, those two albums are frowned upon by said band’s fanbase, but ‘Nine’ is actually really good. The fast songs are absolutely annihilating, and often structured in surprising ways, while the slower stuff creates a genuine ghoulish atmosphere.

Recommended tracks: ‘Kill Your Sense’, ‘Welcome to My Pain’, ‘Deathtrap’

4. Infectious Hazard (2001)

After experimenting with different styles for a few albums, ‘Infectious Hazard’ more or less reinstates United as a thrash metal band, though the hardcore influences remain prominent. While they would perfect that particular match of styles further later on, it works exceptionally well on ‘Infectious Hazard’. Initially, it may seem like the album is mainly hardcore-focused, as the punchy opener ‘Cross Over the Line’ leans towards that side of the band’s writing style and Masatoshi Yuasa’s blunt bark is a good fit for it. However, the album is full of those trademark Otani, Yokoyama and Yoshida thrash metal riffs. If anything, the hardcore-isms make them sound more violent. The last few songs are notably weaker than the others, but by that point, you will have heard more great United music than some of their albums have in total.

Recommended tracks: ‘Solid Ground’, ‘The Ruin of a Memory’, ‘Cross Over the Line’

3. Absurdity (2018)

United’s most recent album is the first that was released internationally, the first after Akihiro Yokoyama’s death, and their grand return to full-on thrash metal. ‘Absurdity’ sounds too modern to be a full throwback to ‘Bloody But Unbowed’ and ‘Human Zoo’, but the album is fully focused on tight, sharp riffing in the best Slayer and Vio-Lence tradition. Some of the more contemporary-sounding songs actually sound quite a bit like later Slayer – the first half of ‘Empty Eyes’ could have been on ‘Christ Illusion’ – but United is a considerably more inventive band. Returning vocalist Masatoshi Yuasa’s cadence is occasionally a bit too loose for the band’s tight riffing live, but his voice works really well here, and his timbre actually adds a ton of aggression. A surprising late-career highlight.

Recommended tracks: ‘Arise’, ‘Dead by Dawn’, ‘Alive’

2. Human Zoo (1992)

Now this is how you improve upon a debut album. The fantastic thrash riffs have remained, but the songs are much more cohesive, and the more ambitious ones actually sound like their parts have been written to be in the same song. Yoshiaki Furui’s vocals are much more convincing as well. They still have a bit of that awkwardness that comes with singing in a language one hasn’t completely mastered, but his gruff parts are considerably more menacing, and his cleans are more controlled and melodic. Compositionally, ‘Human Zoo’ sounds a bit more modern than ‘Bloody But Unbowed’, yet still recognizable as a work from the same group of people. The tighter production makes the riffs hit harder as well. Definitely some of the best early nineties thrash worldwide.

Recommended tracks: ‘False Majesty’, ‘Can’t See the Light’, ‘Violence Jack’

1. Core (2002)

What United does on ‘Core‘ is really quite special. While the entire post-thrash scene was inspired by metal bands adding hardcore elements to their sound, United appears to have listened to actual hardcore a lot, creating a sound that is pretty much fifty percent thrash metal and fifty percent hardcore. It combines the tight, aggressive riffing from the former with the rhythmic complexity and the dissonance of the latter, and the elements enhance each other perfectly. ‘Core’ is not the best United album to start with for old school thrashers, but it is an unpredictable album in the best way possible. One that keeps surprising its listeners with unconventional changes in tempo, rhythm, dynamics and chord work. If you want to hear United at its most creatively uninhibited, this is the album to check out. Also, I love the sound of Yusuke Nakamura’s snare here.

Recommended tracks: ‘Purify’, ‘Hell Breaks Loose’, ‘Loss and Gain’