Anthrax - "For All Kings"

Anthrax - For All Kings
2016, Megaforce

1. You Gotta Believe
2. Monster At The End
3. For All Kings
4. Breathing Lightning
5. Suzerain
6. Evil Twin
7. Blood Eagle Wings
8. Defend/Avenge
9. All Of Them Thieves
10. This Battle Chose Us!
11. Zero Tolerance

The last album I liked from Anthrax was Persistence of Time. After that, vocalist Joey Belladonna left the band and I pretty much forgot about them. Not too long ago Joey rejoined which got my attention, but the band started using their pentagram logo - which kind of put me off a bit. However, after seeing some stellar reviews from both Christians and non-Christians, I decided to give this disc a chance. Also, I was on vacation and Iced Earth didn't have a new CD out! (Har har!) Anyway...holy smokes does this album rock. In fact, it could have pretty much come right after Persistence in terms of sound. Joey sounds just as good, if not better, than he ever has. The songs are tight and heavy... and oh my word the riffing. Some of the finest riffs I've heard this year. All the aggression and fury you'd expect from the band is there. "Defend/Avenge" officially replaces "Gridlock" as my Anthrax fight song. Not sure why they started using the pentagram logo - they don't talk about the occult at all. Mostly it's the same lyrical themes they've always explored. Anyway, good tunes is good tunes and this album absolutely smokes! I can't confirm this but I suspect "You Gotta Believe" and "Monster At The End" are shout outs to PaRappa the Rappa and that old Sesame Street book with Grover in it, respectively.

Useless Fact: If you have a strong stomach and a penchant for horror movies, check out the video for "Blood Eagle Wings." It is possibly the most disturbing and brutal music video I have ever watched. Also stars comedian Brian Posehn.

Anthrax - "Persistance of Time"

Anthrax - Persistance of Time

1990, Island

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?

9. H8 Red

10. One Man Stands

11. Dishcharge

Okay so Metallica had ...And Justice For All, Megadeth had Rust in Peace, and Anthrax has this, their most technical, heavy, and brutal release yet. This was the band at their peak. The fast a furious riffs will threaten to peel the paint off the walls. I didn't even think you could play a guitar as fast as they do in "Gridlock." They're also doing more epic songs this time around as "Time" "Blood" and "Keep in the Family" are all around seven minutes long. Thankfully, the riffs keep me entertained so it doesn't feel like seven minutes. This is definitely a prime slab of metal!

Useless Fact: This was Joey Belladonna's last album with the band. This is also the first album in a while without a Stephen King song on it.

Anthrax - "Among the Living"

Anthrax - Among the Living
1987, Island

1. Among the Living
2. Caught In a Mosh
3. I Am the Law
4. Efilnikufesin
5. A Skeleton in the Closet
6. Indians
7. One World
8. A.D.I./The Horror of It All
9. Imitation of Life

Now this is some quality thrash. Oh, the riffs. They make me happy just thinking about them. "Caught in a Mosh" in particular is awesome, but the whole album just smokes from start to finish. I put "Skeletons in the Closet" on a CD for my wife while we were dating... she didn't care for it too much. I think this disc is really where they earned the reputation of being thrash masters.

Useless Fact: Stephen King has two songs on this one: "Among the Living," about Randall Flagg from The Stand, and "A Skeleton in the Closet" which is based off of the short story "Apt Pupil."

Anthrax - "Spreading the Disease"

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease

1985, Island

1. A.I.R.

2. Lone Justice

3. Madhouse

4. S.S.C./Stand or Fall

5. The Enemy

6. Aftershock

7. Armed and Dangerous

8. Medusa

9. Gung-Ho

It's kind of strange to think of thrash with soaring melodic vocals, but that's exactly what you've got with this disc. Joey Belladona does a great job on every song. It's easy to see why they became one of the "big 4" of thrash. Though, dare I say, these songs are a little more um... power metal-y than what would come later. That's okay though it's still plenty heavy even though the mastering is awful - very tinny and noisy, but I think that's just how they rolled in the mid-80's!

Useless Fact: The song "Lone Justice" begins the band's love affair with Stephen King books. This one is based on The Gunslinger.