Ed's Guest Spot: ANTHRAX = Still Relevant? Uh, More Like, Still DOMINANT!

"Worship at the altar of Anthrax"
Hey, Ed here, Thanks to Big Al for letting me guest on his blog.

     My musical tastes are pretty straight forward, fast-loud-aggressive. Sure, I’ll listen to some mellow stuff from time to time, hell I think Dean Martin is pretty f**kin’ awesome, but most of my CD collection is filled with punk, hard rock and metal.

     So, when word came that Joey Belladona had rejoined Anthrax I was excited. I had always preferred the Joey-era stuff to John Bush but, could they capture the sound and energy they had back in the 80’s? I was hopeful, but a bit worried. Anthrax has had more lead singers then Van Halen, and this could be a train wreck.

the bands latest release, starts with a mellow and moody instrumental. Strings lull you into a kind of daze with a creepiness that makes it feel like something might be hiding under your bed or around the next corner. Then ***BAM*** a punch right in the face, the first track starts viciously, heavy drums, and frantic guitars. Joey’s voice is strong, powerful and totally fitting the music. "Earth is on Hell" sets the stage for what is a beast of an album. Any doubts I had about the ability of these 80s thrashers to remain vital and relevant were crushed by Worship Music. The songs are fresh and as energetic as anything in Anthrax’s catalog. The production by Rob Caggiano (the bands lead guitarist) and Anthrax is superb. Better funded bands with bigger named producers haven’t had an album sound this good (Death Magnetic). Charlie Benante’s drums sound like their in the room with you. Rob’s solos scream and compliment the heaviness of the songs while Scott Ian and Frank Bello add depth and fullness to the sound.

     Worship Music...It’s tough to pick just a few tracks to check out but after "Earth is on Hell," "The Devil You Know," "In the End" (Big Al jumpin' in here. "In the End" is my personal fave...[video above].., as it crushes musically, and then the lyrics tell of love & respect for Dimebag & the always-legendary Ronnie James Dio! The riff destroys but the lyrics make the song goosebump-worthy!), and "Giant" are favorites of mine. I have to say I have been listening to this since its release in October and consider it to be the bands best work yet. The time apart from Joey seems to have worked. The maturity and richness of the songs never compromise the sheer aggression. The band has grown and it works. This isn’t 1988 Anthrax in "jams" shorts, but a band that is serious, hard and at the top of their game.