That phrase is very ironic in this case for an Anthrax review due to the fact that it's used at the beginning of Anthrax's album SOUND OF WHITE NOISE.
First and upfront I never paid that much attention to Anthrax in the 80's. They had some hits and some experiments. Personally, I didn't listen to them seriously until the early 90'a when a friend of mine played SOUND OF WHITE NOISE for me & I've been a huge fan ever since.
Secondly, I am a John Bush fan. It's not that Joey Belladonna is terrible. He's not. In my opinion Bush has a better voice and is an infinitely more talented song writer than Belladonna. The 4 studio albums completed with Bush (Sound of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8; The Threat is Real, & We've Come For You All) for my money are what Anthrax is ideally. A majority if not all of this album was originally recorded with Dan Nelson (formally of Inside Hollow, Discipline and Devilsize) but that is a whole other story. Having said all of that, this leads me to the heart of this vinyl review; Anthrax's most recent endeavor WORSHIP MUSIC.
Although John Bush is no longer with Anthrax which bothers me to no end and Joey Belladonna is back as their frontman, this album is hardcore Anthrax metal. Other than Belladonna, the line up is the same since 2003. Scott Ian (the very definition of band leader & rhythm guitar), Frank Bello on bass, Charlie Benante on drums (the best metal drummer in existence in my opinion), & Rob Caggiano on lead guitar.
The track listing is; 1. Worship. 2. Earth On Hell. 3. The Devil You Know. 4. Fight 'Em Till You Can't. 5. I'm Alive. 6. Hymn 1. 7. In The End. 8. The Giant. 9. Hymn 2. 10. Judas Priest. 11. Crawl. 12. The Constant. 13. Revolution Screams. There is a hidden track on the CD (New Noise).
I have to admit I heard WORSHIP MUSIC first on CD. but having moved on to the vinyl/analog format it is a beautiful listening experience. It's clean. It's clear. It's crackling with all the vitality of life that the vinyl listening experience offers.
Metal is an interesting genre to listen to vinyl with. It's quick, it's loud & it's usually all over your top & bottom ranges. With vinyl it's the middle ranges that ring the most true for metal in my opinion. Of course this is all dependent on your current stereo set up.
In conclusion, WORSHIP MUSIC was 9 years & 3 lead singers in the making but was so worth the wait. Although, part of me can't help but wondering what it would sound like with Bush behind the lead mic.
The 3 most stand-out tracks for me are ;Revolution Screams, I'm Alive & Fight 'Em Till You Can't. Revolution Screams is so heavy. Maybe their heaviest ever. I'm Alive for its message and Fight 'Em Till You Can't because it reminds me of some classic Anthrax.
Anthrax is back in a big way. Do yourself a favor get this album and listen to it if you like this type of music. Get it even if you don't. If your in jail & can't get it, break out! But if you do get it, get it on vinyl. Did I mention the LP's cool artwork?
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