Anthrax: Fistful of Metal (1984)

I have talked a lot recently about my newfound love of Anthrax.  It was with this in mind that I decided to finally pick up one album from the band that I had been avoiding: their debut.  Now, I have not been actively avoiding it, just not making any special effort to pick it up.  The reason for this is that the vocalist on this album was Neil Turbin instead of Joey Belladonna, so I had no idea what to expect.  In addition, the style is not quite the same.

Anthrax's debut is a fantastic example of power/speed metal, not the hardcore-influenced thrash metal the band became known for.  The chunky riffs are not present, instead featuring much more melodic riffs that call to mind Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.  It is an upbeat and powerful album with fast-paced songs and blazing solos.

The other aspect of the album that sets it apart from the band's other releases is the vocalist.  Neil Turbin is a significantly different kind of singer than Belladonna or John Bush.  He has a wide range and is powerful and dynamic.  He is doing his absolute best impression of a NWOBHM singer on this release.  He throws everything he has into this performance and it is the big highlight of this album.

While this album is not as strong compared to the later Anthrax material or compared to the debut albums of the other members of the Big Four, it is quite a good album in its own right.  It is significantly different from Anthrax's other material, but it is still a better album than any of the John Bush albums, except for maybe Sound of White Noise.  It is an underrated album in Anthrax's catalog.

Anthrax: For All Kings (2016)

Last year, I did a post arguing that Anthrax is currently the best band out of the Big 4.  Much of that argument was based on the absolutely incredible Worship Music and their explosive live performances.  I do kind of wish that I had heard more of this album before making that argument.  I believe I heard it once or twice before writing that post, but only recently managed to add it to my collection.  I am not rethinking my position, but this album is weaker than I remembered.

I do not want to give the idea that I dislike this album at all.  I actually like it quite well and among the Big 4 most recent albums, I would place it second behind Megadeth's Dystopia and ahead of Metallica's Hardwired...to Self-Destruct.  It is a lot of fun and there are some definite strong songs here.  There just is no one single song that really captures my attention the way that Worship Music had with "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" and "The Devil You Know".  The album starts out strong with "You Gotta Believe" and "Monster at the End", but then it just sort of hits a wall and never really comes out of it.  Many of the remaining songs simply cannot keep the energy level up and the album sort of overstays its welcome.

There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with the album.  The guitar riffs by Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais are impressive enough and the songs are reasonably infectious while they are playing.  Joey Belladonna's voice sounds great, easily on par with anything that he performed in the band's heyday in the mid to late 1980's.  But again, there is no real huge standout track like the band had on their initial reunion album. 

Anthrax seems to have dialed back the aggression quite a bit, resulting in a very melodic style of thrash/heavy metal.  That is fine on its own, but it does not live up to the band's previous material as well.  Now, Anthrax has never been the most aggressive of thrash metal bands, even compared to the other Big 4 bands.  But there has generally been a sneering angst to their sound that seems to be a little lacking here.  These are men now well into their 50's and they really do not have anything to be pissed off about anymore.  That does not mean they can't still throw out some excellent metal, but they are not going to be as aggressive as they were when they were younger.

All that being said, I do enjoy this album, and it has been growing on me with each successive listen, which I suppose has been true of a lot of Anthrax's material over the years.  However, there have been albums (Worship Music, State of Euphoria, Spreading the Disease) that I took to immediately and completely.  This album just was not one of those.  It does not change my premise from last year, Anthrax is still putting out better music than the rest of the Big 4 more consistently since reuniting with Belladonna, and is much more fun in a live setting.  I fully believe this album will grow in my mind to be considered a classic based on how much more I am taking from it each time.  It just is not there yet.

Testament: The Legacy

Even though Testament is one of my favorite bands, for some reason I never really got around to picking up their first two albums.  I really have no idea what the hell that is all about.  So, recently I decided to rectify that and get their debut album.  And what a debut it is.

Their later albums sound a little bit more refined.  The band had found its sound and ironed out any flaws.  That was not quite the case on this release.  This one is rawer and more energetic.  That is oftentimes preferred with thrash metal.  This album definitely grabs attention early on and refuses to let go.  It is incredibly fast with riffs blazing by.

This album has a number of classic tracks from the band.  "Over the Wall", "Alone in the Dark", and several others are Testament classics.

This is an older album that many people have probably already formed an opinion on, so there is really not much else to say.  I am late to this one, but I would have to say it is likely one of Testament's best albums.