|
|
|
Nearly as much as Metallica or Megadeth, Anthrax was responsible for the emergence
of speed and thrash metal; combining the speed and fury of hardcore punk with the prominent guitars and vocals of heavy metal,
they helped create a new subgenre of heavy metal on their early albums. Original guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz were a
formidable pair, spitting out lightning-fast riffs and solos that never seemed masturbatory. Unlike Metallica or Megadeth,
they had the good sense to temper their often serious music with a healthy dose of humor and realism. After their first album,
Fistful of Metal, singer Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello joined the lineup. Belladonna helped take the band farther
away from conventional metal clichés, and over the next five albums (with the exception of 1988's State of Euphoria, where
the band sounded like they were in a creative straitjacket), Anthrax arguably became the leaders of speed metal. As the '80s
became the '90s, they also began to increase their experiments with hip-hop, culminating in a tour with Public Enemy in 1991
and a joint re-recording of PE's classic "Bring the Noise." After their peak period of the late '80s, Anthrax kicked Belladonna
out of the band in 1992 and replaced him with ex-Armored Saint vocalist John Bush -- a singer that was gruffer and deeper,
fitting most metal conventions perfectly. Subsequently, their sound became less unique and their audience shrank slightly
as a consequence, and after signing to Elektra for 1993's Sound of White Noise, the group left the label after just one more
album, 1995's Stomp 442. At that point, Anthrax -- now a four-piece consisting of Ian, Bush, Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante
-- built their own studio in Yonkers, NY, and after a three-year hiatus returned with their Ignition label debut The Threat
Is Real, Vol. 8. 1999 saw the release of Anthrax's very first "hits" collection, titled Return of the Killer A's: The Best
Of, also their first release for the Beyond label. The album included a cover of "Ball of Confusion," which featured a duet
between current frontman Bush and former vocalist Belladonna. A proposed tour that was to include both vocalists was announced,
but on the eve of its launch, Belladonna pulled out for supposed monetary reasons. The tour carried on, as Anthrax signed
on to participate in a package tour during the summer of 2000 with Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, but left the tour after only
playing a handful of dates. Anthrax appeared on the Twisted Sister tribute album Twisted Forever in 2001 (covering the track
"Destroyer"), and began recording their next album the same year. In addition, guitarist Ian found time to regularly host
the metal television program Rock Show on VH1, plus appearing as part of the fictional metal band Titannica in the film Run,
Ronnie, Run. VH1 programming heads would eventually replace Ian with Sebastian Bach, but the band was ready to head back into
the studio anyway. New guitarist Rob Caggiano joined in the spring of 2002, just in time for the recording. A year later,
Anthrax made their Sanctuary debut with We've Come For You All. The band's dynamic hadn't changed and touring in support of
that album was met with overwhelming success. The CD/DVD set Music of Mass Destruction: Live in Chicago, which arrived in
Spring 2004, celebrated that and Anthrax's twentysome years in the business. |
|
