ANTHRAX - YOU HAVE COME FOR YOU ALL ALBUM REVIEW
ANTHRAX - THE THREAT IS REAL 8 ALBUM REVIEW
ANTHRAX - STOMP 442 ALBUM REVIEW
ANTHRAX - SOUND OF WHITE NOISE ALBUM REVIEW
In the wake of Metallica's game-changing "Black Album," virtually every major thrash band toned down their music and adopted new styles, hoping to maintain relevance in a post-Sandman metal world. Megadeth conjured Countdown to Extinction, Testament practiced The Ritual, Exodus delivered us Force of Habit and the list goes on and on and on.
For some bands, the change was a disaster.
For Anthrax, it was a triumph.
Sound of White Noise was a pivotal record for Anthrax. Not only was it their Black Album, it was also their first album with their new singer, Armored Saint's John Bush. A transitional album is one thing, but a transitional album with a new singer? There was every chance this album would be a wreck, and for thrash purists, it was. But for those open to a band trying new things, Sound of White Noise was a creative rebirth and revitalization with songs that are just too good to deny.
The album starts with—what else—but some white noise and a voice preparing you for "a journey into sound." The static breaks with Charlie Benante's snare as the band launches into "Potters Field," and the tone is immediately set. This song has an infectious, stomping post-thrash riff that, while slower than the band's prior work, somehow sounds exactly like Anthrax. The "darker" vibe of Persistence of Time has also been maintained, as John Bush laments that while he "was born to save you," he was also "born to die."
Speaking of which, John Bush sounds phenomenal on this record. Personally, I'm a much bigger fan of the Belladonna Era, but Bush's thicker, grittier voice is a perfect match for the tone Anthrax is going for on Sound of White Noise.
"Potters Field" goes right into "Only," which Metallica's James Hetfield has described as a "perfect song." It's an absolute heavy metal anthem, its driving riff giving way to one of the band's most memorable choruses. And again, as much as I love Joey Belladonna, it's hard to imagine his over-the-top voice working as well on a song as serious and heartfelt as "Only." John Bush really shines here, erasing any doubts new listeners might've had about the new guy.
"Room for One More" kicks in next, giving Sound of White Noise a nearly flawless 1-2-3 punch. And from there, the album just keeps hammering you with hook after hook. "Hy Pro Glo" has a fun start/stop riff that builds up to a chugging break, before "1000 Points of Hate" comes in with a riff that wouldn't sound out of place on Persistence of Time. This underscores something that's often overlooked about Sound of White Noise—yes, it's a different sound, but it's a fairly faithful evolution of what they'd been doing for years. It's an evolved sound, but not a changed sound.
Well, except for "Black Lodge."
Another one of the album's highlights, this is a dark, somber ballad with a beautiful vocal performance from Bush, gradually escalating to a crescendo of chugging riffs and guitar harmonies. This is exactly the kind of material Anthrax could never pull off in the past, as their good-time thrash didn't translate to darker melodies as well as their peers. Just a beautiful song, and it's brilliantly followed by the album's fastest track in "Burst," an apparent peace offering to the thrashers.
Sound of White Noise is a divisive album among metal fans, as most of these pseudo-Black albums are. If you're a thrash fan who only wants to hear thrash from thrash bands, you're going to hate Sound of White Noise and that's cool. You might not like the style personally, but to deny its craftsmanship would frankly be disingenuous. The songs are honed to perfection, the performances are flawless and unlike the next few Anthrax albums, the stylistic change is clearly inspired. As a mainstream heavy metal album, this is almost as good as it gets.
Track List :1. Potters Field
2. Only
3. Room for One More
4. Packaged Rebellion
5. Hy Pro Glo
6. Invisible
7. 1000 Points of Hate
8. Black Lodge
9. C11 H17 N2 O2 S Na
10. Burst
11. This Is Not an Exit
ANTHRAX - PERSISTENCE OF TIME ALBUM REVIEW
The history of thrash metal is arguably one of the most blatant paradoxes within the broader metal world. While many would assert that the sub-genre hit its apex in the mid-80s, with a highly varied spectrum of expressions ranging from mainline melodic fair of Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? and the punk-infused Game Over courtesy of Nuclear Assault, to the extreme darkness and fury of Slayer's Reign In Blood and Dark Angel's Darkness Descends making 1986 the year of thrash for many, there is an alternative view that is equally plausible that involves putting the climax of the style near the end of its original run in the early 90s. Though the progression in style that thrash underwent at this time was predicted to an extent by Metallica's Master Of Puppets in 1986, it wasn't until the follow up effort ...And Justice For All that things truly started to change, and barring the inherent flaws in said records due to internal politics and Lars Urlich's douche-baggery, provided an archetype that would be followed to masterful effect by several prominent players.
Though usually overshadowed by the catchy and speedy showmanship of Among The Living, the fifth and final classic Anthrax album Persistence Of Time marks the point where the SRB rockets have been dropped and the real space travel begins. Drawing upon the same gradualism and longer songwriting that typified Heathen's Victims Of Deception, Megadeth's Rust In Peace and Forbidden's Twisted Into Form, they provided a New York answer to the Bay Area question, all the while maintaining their generally punk-infused, gang-chorus happy format. It doesn't go to the point of becoming an entirely different band playing in a style that was not part of them to begin with, but expands upon and exaggerates the technical prowess and infectious hooks that have arguably made Anthrax the most accessible member of the Big 4. But even more so than this album's lack of inhibition in showcasing the talents of all persons involved, it is an album that is highly measured and effective in its approach, allowing each transition to flow smoothly and for each idea to be given its proper emphasis.
As a band, Anthrax has never been wholly averse to writing longer songs, but they've generally compensated for a fairly repetitive approach to progression with either an exaggerated level of speed or a comical angle to the lyrics and vocal presentation to provide a needed degree of distraction. However, the elongated epics that round out the bulk of the first half of this album opt not so much to distract or accent good ideas with additional toppings, but rather to present a greater multiplicity of ideas and progressing from a chugging groove or atmospheric starting point to a faster destination. Indeed, the seven minute long mid-paced crusher "Keep It In The Family" is more in line with the sort of ground pounding heaviness that Metallica rolled out on "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" and "The Shortest Straw", and apart from Joey Belladonna's lighter and less gritty vocal approach could pass for a Metallica song. The same story holds true for the faster-paced cruisers "Blood" and "Time", though Scott Ian's riff work gets quite busy and even presents a less redundant version of Metallica's 1988 handiwork.
While this isn't an album that lives by speed alone, it is important to note that Anthrax by no means forgot how to cook or pretended that they did in the name of fitting in with the crowd here. This becomes immediately apparent with the blurring riff work and rapid fire drumming heard on "Gridlock" and this opus' highly frenetic closer "Discharge", both of which would have rivaled the most intense moments heard on Among The Living while also benefiting from a heavier and more polished production. Likewise, the gag-based sense of comedy makes a brief appearance with the Joe Jackson cover "Got The Time", which is presented in its original punk rock format, save a bit faster and with a heavier guitar tone, but nevertheless sticks out like a sore thumb next to the longer and far more complex original work. Truth be told, Dan Spitz's guitar soloing proves to be the most unchanging element in this band's first decade of existence, and his generally reserved and expressive playing sees the usual share of spotlight as any previous LP, whereas Scott Ian's riff work invariably steals the entire show.
In a sense, this is Anthrax's finest hour as a thrash metal band, namely if one discounts the first two albums as being more of a speed metal affair despite being a bit more memorable and captivating song for song. One might even call Persistence Of Time the ultimate middle of the road thrash metal album where heaviness is emphasized and speed is used a bit more sparingly. It's not quite as technically amazing as Rust In Peace, nor does it succeed in cycling through as many different changes and ideas as Time Does Not Heal or Twisted Into Form, but it does something a bit more inviting for those looking for something closer to a straight up thrashing experience, namely taking the road that ...And Justice For All would have there been any noticeable degree of bass presence in the mix. It's an undeniable swansong from a band that would probably suffer the worst downturn in musical direction thanks to the ascendancy of grunge a few years later, and an essential offering for any fan of thrash metal.
Track List :1. Time
2. Blood
3. Keep It in the Family
4. In My World
5. Gridlock
6. Intro to Reality
7. Belly of the Beast
8. Got the Time (Joe Jackson cover)
9. H8 Red
10. One Man Stands
11. Discharge
ANTHRAX - STATE OF EUPHORIA ALBUM REVIEW
If you read some of my other reviews, you’ll see that I can be a very, very vicious critic. But I’m probably not going to be that vicious here. I love this album. And now, after an extended hiatus, I’m back to make fun of albums that I both love and hate.
State of Euphoria is an underrated album. Not just for Anthrax, but probably the most underrated album of the Big Four’s entire catalog. Yes, it’s not quite as good as the ‘Thrax albums it’s sandwiched between, but outside of “Antisocial”, nothing on SOE generally gets much love or respect, which is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad thing. This album boasts some of Anthrax’s best riffs, catchiest hooks, and showcases Joey Belladonna’s vocals at, arguably, their very best. SOE isn’t riddled with masterpieces like the previous couple Anthrax records, but the good songs on here are extremely good.
The album opens with the stompy-as-fuck “Be All, End All,” which is a perfect microcosm of this album. Just listen to that riff (but ignore the weirdly out-of-place cello intro). Listen to that melodic crunchiness. Terrific. “Antisocial” is a great cover of what was originally a pretty softcore song, and makes us all remember what punky East Coast thrash is all about. The riff for “Misery Loves Company” is OK, but the song is really all about the vocals. The melodies are the most memorable on the whole album. Listen to that chorus! Total earworm. “Finale” is just that: all the best riffs Anthrax had on this album are right there in all their majestic load-blowing glory.
There are a few square wheels here as well, but nothing deal breaking. “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” might be the most by-the-numbers Anthrax song they ever wrote. It feels forced and generic and just a whole big pile of other “blah” words. “Now It’s Dark” is a pretty mediocre song, but the lyrics were inspired by Blue Velvet, which is one of my favorite (and one of my wife’s least favorite) movies. So, SOE earned an extra point or two out of me just for that.
Anthrax’s classic albums haven’t really been known for having the best production values, but SOE manages to finally hit that sweet spot, making it the overall best-sounding classic ‘Thrax album.
I was watching Caddyshack when I wrote this review and this album gets no respect. No respect at all, I tell ya! If you don’t think this album is underrated and secretly great, you’re entitled to your opinion, but fuck you because you’re wrong.
Track List :
1. Be All, End All2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
3. Make Me Laugh
4. Antisocial (Trust cover)
5. Who Cares Wins
6. Now It's Dark
7. Schism
8. Misery Loves Company
9. 13
10. Finalé
ANTHRAX - AMONG THE LIVING ALBUM REVIEW