Published on Jul 17, 1998
By all the accounts I read, thrash metal group Anthrax should
have been dead. After dismissing two key members over the course of
two albums (singer Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Dan Spitz),
some thought that Anthrax had lost their edge. I personally had not
liked
Sound Of White Noise, their first outing with new singer
John Bush (ex-Armored Saint), and I never bothered to buy
Stomp 442.
(Editor’s note: I’ve since picked up Stomp 442
… and have yet to listen to it as of June 2001. Some things
never change.)
But Anthrax, contrary to popular reports, was nowhere near dead
– to paraphrase Monty Python, they were just resting. Their latest
release,
Volume 8 – The Threat Is Real, shows the band altering their
sound a bit to adapt to modern times, but it also features some of
the band’s best work in a long time.
Drummer Charlie Benante, who has been writing or co-writing the
band’s songs for the longest time, adds a new credit to his already
impressive resume: lead guitar (duties he shares with co-producer
Paul Crook and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian). Of course, this
shouldn’t be any shock to people who have followed the band for a
long time. Bush finally sounds at home in his role as lead throat;
this is his best work yet with Anthrax, and it almost sounds like
he’s been with them since the beginning.
Most of the thrash of Anthrax’s earlier days is long gone,
replaced with more powerful, crunching riffs that form the backbone
of the song. (There are still two flashes of Anthrax’s old days;
“604” and “cupajoe” easily could have been leftovers from Ian’s
side project S.O.D.) From the thunder of bass drums and tom-toms on
the disc’s opening song “Crush,” Anthrax quickly lets the listener
know that they are back, and open for business.
And while the long-time fans might miss the balls-out thrash
days of
Spreading The Disease or
Among The Living,
Volume 8 – The Threat Is Real holds its own with
well-written songs that capture all of the energy of the old days.
Songs like “Catharsis” and “Inside Out” coyly grab the listener’s
ears and pummels them with catchy riffs and well-written
lyrics.
There are some strange moments on
Volume 8 – The Threat Is Real, that might leave some fans
scratching their heads. “Toast To The Extras” almost has a
country-shuffle feel to it, and is very much out of character for
the band. It’s not a bad track, just one you never would have
thought a band like Anthrax would have tackled. “Harms Way” builds
up from an acoustic guitar open to a more powerful number, but this
is one that will require a little patience from the older fans.
The best track on this album, surprisingly, is one that is not
credited. After “Stealing From A Thief” finishes, don’t turn off
the disc; about 15 seconds after the track fades out, an uncredited
track, “Pieces,” kicks in. It is undoubtedly the least likely kind
of song anyone would have expected from Anthrax (a ballad?!? Who
woulda thunk it?). However, the song, sung by bassist Frank Bello,
is a moving remembrance to his brother Anthony, who was killed in
1996. Bello proves without a doubt here that he is not only a
capable songwriter, but is a helluva singer as well.
Oh, the cries of “sellout” are sure to be uttered by the
leather-clad headbangers longing for the days of old. Two words:
Shut up
. Sure, I loved a lot of Anthrax’s older work as well
(somewhere in the Pierce Memorial Archives I have a copy of the
import-only EP
Penikufesin), but with this release Anthrax demonstrate
their ability to modernize their sound without losing any of the
power they’ve had in their prime.
Interestingly enough, “Dimebag” Darrell and Phil Anselmo of
Pantera make guest appearances on this album, but their efforts are
almost unnoticeable without the liner notes in front of you. Now
that’s seamless!
Volume 8 – The Threat Is Real is a disc that takes some time
to adjust to (I listened to this disc about 10 times before I
finally felt comfortable enough to review it), but it proves that
Anthrax is still very much a power to deal with in the world of
heavy metal.