ANTHRAX - THE GREATER OF TWO EVILS ALBUM REVIEW

 

A more modern take on Anthrax's thrash classics. 

By Beyond_Recognition, January 13th, 2011

Back in 2004, Anthrax was celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the release of their debut album "Fistful of Metal." The anniversary celebration included the release of the "Music of Mass Destruction" live album, and this album "The Greater of Two Evils": a live in the studio re-recording of many of Anthrax's most famous songs from their classic thrash era.

I have read a number of reviews of this album over the years and the general consensus has been the same since this album came out. The John Bush fans like this album and the Joey Belladonna fans slam it and call it pointless. Being a fan of both singers and both eras of Anthrax, I feel this album is almost a best of both worlds...

With "The Greater of Two Evils" (referred to as TGOTE from here on) the songs stay relatively faithful to the original versions. The only differences are that the verse sections of Deathrider are slowed down to half tempo and songs such as "I Am The Law" and "Caught in a Mosh" are very slightly slowed down (albeit still very thrashy and certainly not overly slow). However, a few songs including "Panic" and "Gung Ho" manage to bring the intensity to a much higher level than the original versions ever were. Thus, I feel that in terms of speed, heaviness, and other musical/instrumental factors, many song differences tend to even each other out as the album plays it itself through.

Song differences aside, this album was obviously meant to showcase the best of Anthrax's early material with a more updated modern production. The result is highly successful as the songs recorded for this album sound extremely punchy, defined, clear, and thick. In my opinion, this is possibly the best production job of any Anthrax album to date. The guitars are powerful, the bass guitar is mixed well and audible, the drums are not overly powerful but still solid, and the vocals fit nicely among all the instruments.

This album was also meant to give Anthrax fans of the 90's and 2000's period a chance to hear studio renditions of the older songs with John Bush on vocals. Again, I feel the result is successful as John makes the songs almost sound like they were wrote with his voice in mind. His voice is melodic, but in deeper, more baritone fashion, which lends a more unique and different character each and every song recorded for this album in comparison to their original versions.

In terms of the other members, I feel they put in a strong performance as well considering that these tracks were recorded in live takes with likely few to no overdubs. Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano tear through each song adequately and even though one can hear a few hiccups, string noises, and other sounds associated with live metal, it all only adds to organic feel of this recording. Though some of Rob's solos do not follow the exact template of Dan Spitz's solos on the original versions of the songs, I feel that Rob's improvisation is very tasteful and executed quite convincingly. Elsewhere, Frank Bello and Charlie Benante do not miss a beat on the bass guitar and drums respectively. Charlie in particular puts in a stunning performance on the drums and proves that he is still one of metal's elite drummers even in the present day.

Still, the majority of old school Anthrax fans do not seem to enjoy this album one bit. I'm not one to push my opinions or say that others opinions are wrong. Instead I will say that as a 14 year old youngster just beginning the journey of learning to play metal guitar when TGOTE was released, I was inspired to play faster, heavier, and more aggressively after just one listen to this album. Yes, I already knew a few of the songs from their previous versions and respected them for what they were, but when I heard these versions, I knew that I needed to practice my playing for a long time to match the performances on this album. Years later, I appreciate the original versions of these songs much more and have come to like and admire them very much. To this day however, when I pop in TGOTE, I still get that feeling I had as a 14 year old hearing this album for the first time.

So overall, my opinion on this album is that is a classic, even if it is only re-recordings of old songs. TGOTE does not replace the original song versions recorded in the late 80's and early 90's, but I believe the versions here stand on their own and are great in their own right. So for anyone on the fence about checking out this album if you have heard the original versions, keep an open mind about this record. Yes, it sounds different and maybe very different at times, especially vocally. However, if you are a general metal fan with an interest in thrash metal, I think you will like this album. Scott Ian's linear notes in the album indicate that this album was released to give older ears a reminder of the golden age of thrash as well as give newer ears a chance to hear it for the first time. Figuratively for this reviewer, I'd say that this album did just that!

So, in closing I give this album a 95 rating. The only -5 about it comes from the production end. Yes, I said the production is well done. However, some static and clipping is audible on TGOTE due the loud mastering that has become all too common in modern metal releases. I'm hoping to someday hear a version of this album mastered with a lower volume in order to hear more dynamics and rich sound quality. Otherwise, this album is rock solid in my opinion!

Track List  :

1. Deathrider 
2. Metal Thrashing Mad 
3. Caught in a Mosh 
4. A.I.R. 
5. Among the Living
6. Keep It in the Family
7. Indians
8. Madhouse 
9. Panic
10. I Am the Law 
11. Belly of the Beast
12. N.F.L.
13. Be All End All 
14. Gung-Ho 

Line Up  :

Charlie Benante Drums

Scott Ian Guitars (rhythm), Vocals, Guitars (lead) (on "Panic", "Anthrax")

Frank Bello Bass, Vocals (backing)

Rob Caggiano Guitars (lead)

John Bush Vocals

***Disclaimer*** 

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Anthrax  and Megaforce Recordings! 

Purchase your remastered copy today!

ANTHRAX - THE GREATER OF TWO EVILS 

FULL ALBUM 

( Poor Quality Audio )