The April 2002 issue of Thrasher (Issue #225) puts 20-year-old Arto Saari on the cover, captured by Burnett mid fakie ollie to fakie backlip—proof that Arto was already carving his name into skateboarding history. The contents page sets the tone with a shot of JT Aultz noseblunt sliding the far side of Clipper, a trick so risky the mag just calls it what it is: insane.

This issue is anchored by the annual T-Eddy Awards, Thrasher's signature roast of the industry, calling out absurd trends, try-hards, and misfires with lines like “Three ads, one dumpster.” The rest of the mag keeps that wild energy. Paradise offers a dreamy escape, while NYC Squat dives into a gritty world of creepers, junkies, and punk rock girls, where skating survives on chaos and attitude. Toxic Tubes captures a long-awaited pipe dream brought to life, and Of Where gets metaphysical about landing tricks with the promise, “We’ll get it every time.”

Arto is given a full-length spotlight inside as well, where “the raw truth comes out,” peeling back the curtain on his skating and mindset. The SOTY section splits between pros and ams—one dubbed a “choreographed freestyle routine,” while the ams are greeted with a brutal “Who?” It’s that kind of issue.

Elsewhere, Hot Salt Water brings pool skating mayhem with a “five beers, no pads” philosophy, Childish gets a bit too personal with a hickey story, and JT Aultz returns to preach: “Stay struggling. Define your goal and move.” The music section is brutal and brilliant: Smogtown is “a new breed of cancer,” Slayer shouts “Die by the sword,” and the whole back half of the mag reeks of sweat, beer, and distortion.

It’s peak early-2000s Thrasher—sarcastic, gnarly, and completely unfiltered.