By the late 80s, with no support from MTV or radio, the Big Four, with a fast-expanding second tier of like-minded acts worldwide, became the defining force in metal. Slayer released Reign in Blood, still regarded as one of the best metal albums of all time; Anthrax aligned themselves with the New York hardcore scene, and their members spawned further thrash outfits in Nuclear Assault and Stormtroopers of Death; Megadeth, formed by acrimoniously exiled Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine, threw down the gauntlet to his former charges and sold millions of albums in their own right; and Metallica, having put the death of bass player Cliff Burton behind them, were slowly but surely positioning themselves to become the biggest metal band in the world.