REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: anthrax (Page 3 of 3)

ANTHRAX – Among The Living

Having released two genre defining albums in Fistful Of Metal and Spreading The Disease, it was Among The Living that put them in the big leagues. They are also known as one of the big four. Along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, they were the pioneers of the thrash movement. Although I’ve often wondered how Slayer are acknowledged in the same breath as they were, in my opinion, terrible. All they did was played fast and had a dark image. Exodus were far more deserving. Anyhoo, I digress.

Anthrax, hailing from the East Coast, had a different take than all of the bands on the West Coast, as they came from a harder background and their sound was edgier. There is not one bad track on this album – it’s rightly held up as a classic of the genre and is full of power, angst, and energy. Anthrax have a groove and a swing to their music that none of the other protagonists of the genre had at the time. Amon The Living, Caught In A Mosh, I Am The Law, and Indians are still played live by the band today – they would probably be lynched if they did not play them. They also have a great sense of humour as Efilnikufesin (N.F.L) shows. The only thing that goes against it (just a tad) is the dead production. I know the band had run ins with the producer Eddie Kramer at the time, but it still is a 10/10 from The Grooveman!

ANTHRAX – For All Kings

Unbelievably, this album is now five years old. Now, I’m not dissing John Bush, as the albums he sang on were good – it’s just that they didn’t sound like Anthrax albums, and I guess the fans thought the same as sales (both product and live) were dwindling. So call me a sceptic, but it was more than coincidence that we saw the return of Joey Belladonna as the front man. It feels as though this album, and Worship Music, were a continuation after the Persistence Of Time album. This is a really good record!

Opener, You Gotta Believe, is classic Anthrax and a fine return to form. Monster At The End would have been a great single if it had been released as one. They also have recruited one hell of a guitar player in Jon Donnais. It’s taken them a while to get a true replacement for Dan Spitz. Charlie Benante is one of metal’s great drummers and seems to dive under the radar constantly, but he plays his ass off here. Breathing Lightning has a great intro before blending into a classic Anthrax riff and groove. Special mention to Joey B for a great vocal and injecting some melody into proceedings. Suzerain is the heaviest track on the album and is another killer track. Evil Twin was a lead off track for the album and you can see why – it’s classic Anthrax. The slow brooding intro of Blood Eagle Wings follows and sees the band trying a slightly different approach, but still retaining that Anthrax DNA. The best track on the album Defend/Avenge is next. A great intro, a huge descending riff, and killer vocal – epic stuff!! All Of Them Thieves is also a contender for best track, another killer groove and riff plus epic drumming from Charlie. This Battle Chose Us is the penultimate track, and a fine head banger it is with another descending riff. The close out track Zero Tolerance is a fast thrash race for the finish line.

This is a double album, and yet again, the final track is etched. What a waste. If you have no studio tracks then fill it with Live tracks. Charging $40 for 3 Sides is a rip. Anyway, besides that it’s a great album and a worthy addition to the Anthrax catalogue.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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