| Fistful Of Metal | 1984 |
| Armed And Dangerous | 1985 |
| Spreading The Disease | 1985 |
| Among The Living | 1987 |
| I'm The Man [EP] | 1987 |
| State Of Euphoria | 1988 |
| Persistence Of Time | 1990 |
| Attack Of The Killer B's | 1991 |
| Sound Of White Noise | 1993 |
| Live - The Island Years | 1994 |
| Stomp 442 | 1995 |
| Volume 8: The Threat Is Real | 1998 |
| Return Of The Killer A's (compilation) | 1999 |
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
Couple of things you should know about Anthrax before you plunk your burger-flipping dollars down for this album. First off, Joey Belladonna (vocals) is NOT your run-of-the-mill metal vocalist. He has remarkable range, some would say nearly operatic, but that is not always a good thing. Whenever he attempts to sound mean (as say Tom Araya of Slayer), he comes off sounding like a pissed off teenager. He just cannot growl, dammit!
That said, his voice does add an interesting element to guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz's wild pummeling riffs and chaotic solos. That's another thing. DO not expect exceptional melodic, Marty Friedman type solos from Anthrax. Spitz is decent on the lead tracks, but like Kerry King from Slayer, their solos never sound like anything more than showoff speed wankism. But Scott's rhythm guitar is always fantastic. Listen to that exceptional cascading riff in "Armed and Dangerous". Yeehaw.
My favorite track on this disc is "Stand or Fall", which even webmaster Kevin (who hates most things Anthrax) admitted that track was OK. Joey's voice actually adds to that song rather than detracting from it. Another great track is "Lone Justice". Great riffage, but the lyrics are really amateurish. "Madhouse" and "Medusa" are also riff-heavy and interesting. And the usual dose of hard-hitting speed thrashers are here with "A.I.R.", "Aftershock" and "Gung Ho". A consistent album, and a generally enjoyable one. Just be prepared to adapt to Mr. Belladonna's freaky voice.
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COMMENTS
This one probably lasted the longest as my favorite Anthrax album (back when I used to listen to 'em). Among the Living completely blew me away at first, but after I gave it some time, side two really turned out to be boring and generally went nowhere (except for Indians!!). In retrospect, I find "NFL" to be really appalling too, lyrically AND musically. However, as for Disease, it's probably their most consistent. Every song is good except for one or two at the end of the first side. Some of the music and lyrics sound really cheesy, and the production is pretty awful, but I find this album to be the most fun from Anthrax because they didn't take themselves so seriously back then. And what a set of songs! "A.I.R." is a ripping, intimidating thrash metal anthem, and "Madhouse" and "Medusa" are fine, riff-heavy blazes. "Lone Justice" is CATCHY; I don't care about how silly the lyrics are! The title track is also a fun little metal epic, and "Gung-Ho" is just one of many classic Anthrax tunes that proves that Charlie Benente had the fastest feet of his time. This is probably the only Anthrax album I could still enjoy today in its entirety.
(reviewed by Pat D.)
Wow. Thats all I can say. If I haven't said so already, drummer Charlie Benante is the FASTEST I have ever heard. Ditto for Scott Ian on the rhythm guitar. I mean, just give "Imitation Of Life" a listen. If you don't immediately agree, send me a realaudio file of a faster rhythm or drum track. Do it NOW. I'll bet that you won't come CLOSE.
As for the songwriting, Among The Living isn't quite at Metallica level; there seems to be a few instances where the band could have written a better hook, most noticeably in the dull "Horror Of It All"; with a bad Belladonna chorus. And the classic "N.F.L." is somewhat awkward. But that is absolutely the only nitpicking I can do with this album. My god, this is some intense speed metal. "I am the Law" is probably the slowest song, but dammit, it's my favorite. Just listen to that catchy as hell riff. And DAMN, listen to that INCREDIBLE rhythm playing at the bridge. Yow. Dan Spitz has some useless speed-wanking solos on here, with little tonality or relevance, but the scale shredding in "Skeletons In The Closet" is really damn cool. Lots of great Scott Ian riffs in just about every track.
The only time it lets up is during the mediocre "Horror Of It All", but thankfully after that overlong track ends, the fastest thrash song Anthrax has ever done kicks in, the aforementioned "Imitation Of Life". That track alone makes anything Lars Ulrich ever did look positively SAD. If that song doesn't inspire you to pick up a pair of drumsticks, what will?
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COMMENTS
This is by far their best album, most of the songs are very fast, well played, and the lyrics are above average here too.
It could have been even better if Danny Spitz was replaced by a real guitar player, but Scott Ian fucking shreds! And Charlie is an amazing drummer, his best playing is on this album, one of the best metal drummers ever! Every song kicks ass, a 10 for sure!
I know I ragged on this one a little in my Spreading the Disease comment. Like I said, I, too, was blown away by it when I first heard it -- I was a lot younger then, but I won't deny that this used to be one of my favorite albums. And why not? It's the best thing Anthrax ever did with regard to all-around production values. Every song is ferociously aggressive and often very fast; most of the songs also have more of less of a decent hook. The sound quality is also very good for a mid-'80s speed metal album (unlike Disease), but it still manages to be raw and powerful. By contrast, the full-length follow-up to this album, State of Euphoria, was parched by TOO MUCH "professional"-sounding production (...And Justice for All, as well as Testament's Practice What You Preach, may also come to mind). Oh, and, the musicianship is exceptional of course, especially by Scott and Charlie (goes without saying).
Here's what irritates me about this album. It has many classic Anthrax anthems ("Caught in a Mosh," "I Am the Law," "N.F.L." and "Indians"), and this sounds like a good thing. But every one of these fan favorites is flawed in the same redundant way. They are all built on the foundation of a good, basic speed metal song with driving, riffy verses that nicely shift into these grandiose, catchy-as-hell refrains. But THEN they ALL go into these pretentious, unlistenable, super-fast thrashy guitar solo parts, and all of Spitz's solos are merely unmelodic shred-a-thons. Sometimes these breakdowns are accompanied by a silly bridge that only serves the purpose of expanding on weak lyrics. And that leads me to my other pet peeve -- most of these lyrics are TERRIBLE, whether they're childish ranting ("N.F.L.," "Imitation of Life"), gratuitous swearing ("I Am the Law"), or dim-witted, white liberal sermons ("One World," "Indians"). "Caught in a Mosh" has sensible lyrics, though.
Even though I still think there is some good stuff here, most of the music and lyrics sound pretty masturbatory to me. All of the intensity and rage just comes off as immature and fails to form a profound statement about society in decay, like, say, ...And Justice for All. "Caught in a Mosh" and "Indians" are so catchy that they're forgivable, but "N.F.L." and "I Am the Law" are crap. The opening title track is the only true expression of unhampered genius on here. Side two IS uneven compared to the first, and "The Horror of It All" DOES go on for too darn long. I give it a 7/10, which still isn't bad -- mainly, I just find Among the Living to be overrated. Spreading the Disease remains my favorite, at 8/10.
(reviewed by Pat D.)
There are quite a few web sites that consider this a 'must-listen', whether it's because the title track is humorous, or the fact that it melded rap and metal for one of the very first times. I will agree with both statements. But that doesn't mean its a must listen. If you want the best of Anthrax's humor, buy the Scott Ian/Charlie Benante side project S.O.D. That album is easily funnier than I'm the Man. Also, while the cover of "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" is OK, the mix is absolutely horrible. The drums have NO weight to them, and everything sounds cloudy, as if it were recorded on a boombox somewhere.
And finally, the two live performances BLOW. I don't know whether it was just the way the tracks were recorded, but Joey's off-kilter on the vocals, Scott's guitar sounds weaker than a Hanson effort, and the drums are nothing special. If you want to hear "Caught In a Mosh" and "I am the Law" (two excellent, classic Anthrax tunes) listen to 'em on Among the Living. Not worth buying unless you find it cheap in a secondhand store or something.
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
Anthrax could have been the greatest metal band ever. They have more all around talent than Metallica, Slayer, or Megadeth. Scott Ian is a god of rhythm guitar, Dan Spitz has finally learned to write good, melodic leads, and Charlie Benante is the king of thrash drumming. He's not as heavy as Igor of Sepultura, but he has more technical skill and precision. No one is better at laying down the perfect beat to a song. And the vastly underrated Frank Bello (bass), could hold his own with the great Cliff Burton, but he didn't die, so he remains in obscurity.
Why did I open this review with that paragraph? Well, THIS Anthrax album is a different example. Persistence of Time reminds me why Anthrax never broke out like Metallica and Slayer. They can write a really kickass tune, and then follow it up with a bunch of really irritating tracks, and dumb lyrics. Example: Side One. Starts out with one of my all time favorite Anthrax tunes "Time". Great riffage and a great, melodic solo. But then comes "Blood". The chorus to that song is so painfully cliched and dumb! It's like Anthrax went to their local middle school and got them lyrics from a yearbook. Ugh. Ditto for "Keep It In The Family". Two horrible tracks with ridiculously misplaced lyrics. The next two tracks are a bit better, but nothing to scream about.
Side two starts out great. "Intro To Reality" is a fun little instrumental with almost a country sounding guitar on it. "Belly Of The Beast" has a nifty little chorus. And the best track on this disc follows. The only problem is its a cover. But what a cover! "Got the Time" was originally a Joe Jackson song (damned if I know who that is), and Anthrax remade it into a perfect punk song. I could listen to that track all day. Too bad the next three songs are there. Well, "Discharge" isn't bad, but the other two tracks are very mediocre.
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
Ugh, modern metal. Well, maybe that's not entirely correct. This is about half metal/half of that new shit that defies classification. After Anthrax dumped Beladonna who was about the only thing interesting on Persistence of Time, they regrouped with former Armored Saint screamer John Bush. Which wouldn't be bad except Bush sounds almost EXACTLY like Pantera's Phil Anselmo. Matter of fact, he's just about a dead ringer for Phil. Which ALSO would not be so bad if Anthrax had the good songwriting skills of pre-Trendkill Pantera. Not so here. A lot of songs just seem to boring repetitive power chords with that new sludgy distortion. However, I do like a few songs. "Potters Field" is an OK opener. "Only" has a great rhythmic solo at the bridge. Listen how Dan Spitz solos off Scott's rhythm guitar. Yee-haw. My favorite track is "Room for One More". Dig that catchy chorus. "Hy Pro Glo", while confusing me to NO end about what it means, is a pretty good tune. Other than those tracks, most of this album is generic new age heavy rock. Can't say I like the direction this once good band is taking.
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
I was feeling pity for Anthrax when I picked up this album at the local Sam Goody. See, they have always tried to be different form their peers, not giving into the all out rage put forth by Metallica, Slayer or Megadeth. But their lack of decent writing hurt them. And hurt them badly. Before this album was released, they had gone from the upper echelon of thrash metal to opening for Pantera. That's not a dig against the redneck rockers, but Anthrax used to be opened for. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
And Anthrax is desperate. With this album, they seem to try a little of everything. And I mean everything. "Toast To The Extras" is a friggin' country song for pete's sake! But I actually found myself enjoying the musical experimentation on this album. "Inside Out" grinds harder than those overrated freaks from Korn could ever hope to. And Scott only needs a six-string to do it.. "Catharsis" is a pretty standard rocker, but it has a neat little bridge, so it gets the nod in my book. It's kind of hard to find a classification for "Crush", but it's a fun little track. And "Cup Of Joe" is hilarious, if for no other reason that Scott Ian (who also vocalizes this track) is getting pissed at not getting his coffee. "Hog Tied" is a great song too. If yer a hardcore Anthrax fan, you might despise this album. It's not really metal. More like hard rock. But it's fun. Just not spectacular.
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REVIEWS:
Post your comments about S.O.D.
released by S.O.D.
(reviewed by Pat D.)
This review probably fits easily into the Anthrax section, cause that band donated two of its members to Sargent D.'s cause. And what cause might that be? To play insanely fast rhythm guitar and drum tracks over blatantly racist and sexist vocals. That last sentence may turn you off to the band, but it was a JOKE. The band, I mean, not the fact that they DO write that way. S.O.D. were never meant to be taken seriously either as a band or a political statement. Just check out tracks like "Fuck the Middle East" and "Kill Yourself". Come on, if anybody reads the lyrics to these songs and acts on them, they'd have to be about as smart as my friend Jay. Besides, if they do act on those songs' message, we won't have to worry about those people any longer. On to the album.
The best comparison I can make between this album and another is probably Slayer's Reign In Blood. No, they are not ripping off the Slaymen, if you'll notice, this album predated Reign In Blood by a year. Anyway, both albums are furiously fast, and have EXTREMELY short songs on 'em. SOD's release in particular has a couple of tracks that are under 5 SECONDS, for pete's sake! However, thats where the comparison ends. This album is more towards hardcore, grindcore, or straight punk rather than the straight ahead thrash of Slayer. Nor does the band have any real songwriting talent.
But damn, it is fun to listen to. Tracks like "Milk", "Kill Yourself", and "March Of The SOD" all have great blazing riffs, done in the great Scott Ian slash and burn style. A lot of tracks on here do not make a lot of sense either musically or lyrically, but the good news is that they all fly by so fast you won't care. And finally, there is a great element of humor present on this album. If you can get by the sexist overtones of such tracks as "Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues" and "Pussy Whipped", you'll be laughing your ass off. Tracks like "Anti-Procrastination Song" and "What's That Noise" will amuse ANYONE.
On the whole, though, the album is FAR too inconsistent for me to give it a higher rating. You also may get tired of it after a while. But I enjoy listening to it. Just don't mistake this for a serious music album. By the way, did I mention that Anthrax's killer drummer Charlie Benante plays on here with Scott? If there was ever any doubt that this guy is the king of thrash drumming, this album erases it. Even with the horrible mix, the drum tracks are incredible. Just check out his bashing on "Milk". Geez, how the FUCK can somebody play that FAST?
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