Published on May 5, 2003
The title of this, the fourth full-length release from New York
thrashers Anthrax, should have represented the music. After all,
not only were Joey Belladonna and crew coming off of their
strongest release with
Among The Living, not to mention their best sales to this
point, but they had created a mini-sensation with their joke song
“I’m The Man.” (It’s wrong to call this track a parody, seeing how
Anthrax supported hip-hop music.) The subsequent EP cemented
Anthrax’s name into the annals of metal history.
Yes, the title should reflect good things for both the band and
the listener. Instead,
State Of Euphoria is a misnomer. Not only is this their
weakest album featuring Belladonna as lead throat, but it comes
dangerously close to erasing all of the progress that Anthrax had
made to this point.
To be fair, things do start off fairly well. “Be All End All”
might not be a barnburner in the way that tracks like “A.I.R.” or
“Among The Living” were, but it does suggest that Anthrax wasn’t
afraid to take some musical chances. It’s one thing for Scott Ian
and Dan Spitz to play their guitars lightning fast; it’s another
for Spitz to craft a solo which is melodically consistent with the
song. Spitz’s solos have most definitely improved on this disc,
even if sometimes it feels like his work is mixed down a little
more. (Ian, to be fair, has always been a rock-solid rhythm
player.)
Some people might have written off “Antisocial” as another cover
song from Anthrax (albeit from Trust, a band virtually unknown
outside of their native France), but one can’t deny the infectious
nature of this song. It’s energetic, it’s catchy – hell, it’s fun
to listen to. The only real sad note is that it’s the best song on
the album.
This isn’t to say that
State Of Euphoria is a constant disappointment. Tracks like
“Make Me Laugh” and “Who Cares Wins” both show Anthrax taking on
serious topics like televangelism and homelessness (the latter song
featuring a video highlighting the plight of the homeless). And
lest anyone criticize Anthrax for not always being light-hearted,
don’t forget this is the same band who has summed up both Stephen
King and Judge Dredd in about five minutes each, and has sung about
the horrors of Nazi atrocities and the poor treatment of Native
Americans. “Make Me Laugh” does get a little preachy, but it’s not
the worst effort on this subject, while “Who Cares Wins” does have
the muscle to deliver the message.
Regrettably, the praise for
State Of Euphoria stops here. The remaining six tracks dare
to suggest that Anthrax was running out of steam creatively, and
they were left to scrape the bottom of the barrel for ideas. Songs
like “Schism” and “Misery Loves Company” both sound like they are
actually tracks which were recorded before the writing process was
even halfway finished. Belladonna sounds absolutely bored on tracks
like this and “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind”. And some of these lyrics
– they have to make you wonder just how out of it the band really
was. Sample line from “Now It’s Dark”: “The candy-coated clown has
done his part.” What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Better yet,
who cares?
Even the album’s closer, “Finale,” tries to keep a tradition
alive from previous Anthrax albums -namely, a balls-to-the-wall
track with an underlying sense of humor to it. Unfortunately, this
one comes off sounding half-hearted, underwritten and bitter
(“Drink three six packs / just so I can look at your face”).
Even with a few strong efforts,
State Of Euphoria is by no means a reason for Anthrax fans
to celebrate. It’s a discouraging, half-baked effort which feels
and sounds like it was rushed out to keep their name in front of
the fans; it would have been better for them to have totally
re-worked these tracks and made an album worth getting excited
about.