Send "Anthrax " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 The Big Four—Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax—were the kings of thrash metal in the ‘80s. Nothing was more prevalent in American metal than those four bands. But as time passed and music changed, The Big Four changed as well, each taking a different direction in attempts to stay relevant and popular. Anthrax encountered the most difficulty of the four bands, and their releases became less and less frequent with time, even though they seemed to be doing fairly well with vocalist John Bush. Then, after 2003’s We’ve Come for You All, Anthrax suddenly disappeared from the public eye. There was always news of the band working on new material, but nothing came to fruition, not even after the band’s brief stint with lead singer Dan Nelson and the attempts to release Worship Music in 2009. It took the band’s reunion with singer Joey Belladonna to finally bring this album to life, and with it, Anthrax hopes to revitalize their career and remind everyone what made them part of The Big Four in the first place.Belladonna has been out of Anthrax for 21 years, and although he has remained active in music with his solo project since then, it should be understandable that his voice has changed a lot since 1990’s Persistence of Time. In that time, he’s lost some of his higher range, but he makes up for it with much more resonance and rich tone in his middle range. The best way to describe Belladonna’s vocals on Worship Music is that he sounds like a combination of Ronnie James Dio and Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. Belladonna has added the depth and vocal control that Dio displayed so excellently throughout his storied career while retaining the raw grit of his higher vocals, a characteristic that has always been part of Ellsworth’s history with Overkill. It’s not quite as exciting as Belladonna’s unforgettable performances on Spreading the Disease and Among the Living, but it’s still a powerful comeback piece for a singer that hasn’t done this style of singing in a long time. Musically, Worship Music is a mixture of Anthrax’s later material with shades of their thrash beginnings mixed in. Most of the album is the Pantera-inspired groove-metal style that the band used for We’ve Come for You All. The thrash elements are mixed into most of the songs in varying degrees, ranging from nearly nonexistent (“In the End”, “Crawl”, “I’m Alive”) to saturating (“Earth on Hell”, “Fight ‘em ‘til You Can’t”, “The Giant”). Hearing both ends of the spectrum gives a good sense of the potential stylistic variety Anthrax still has. Two highlights of this are “Judas Priest”, a song paying tribute to the soon-to-be-retired British metal legends, and the hidden track after “Revolution Screams”, which is a cover of “New Noise”, originally by now-defunct punk act Refused. These two songs aren’t completely outside of Anthrax’s standard fare, but they have enough differences to highlight the growth and maturity that Anthrax has found nearly three decades after their humble beginnings....full text |
| Metalinjection |
| These lyrics from the bridge of "Earth On Hell" are surely deliberate. Faced with both the personal flame out of the poorly received Dan Nelson as well as snubbed overtures directed toward John Bush, the remaining members of Anthrax went into fight or flight mode: either it was time to take an extended hiatus or, to use sports terminology, go into rebuilding mode. The band opted for the latter. A hiatus wasn't really a viable option, considering Anthrax haven't released a studio album since 2003's under-publicized We've Come for You All. And when an opportunity arose to tour with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth as part of a Big 4 tour, the solution was ready made… Joey Belladonna had to be wooed back. Belladonna had already been part of a reunion tour in 2005/2006 but balked at extending the reunion to include either a new studio album or further touring. Word of mouth had it that money was the galvanizing factor, but whatever it was neither party could afford to miss out on the prestige that came with being part of a Big 4 tour. After a decade spent treading perilously close to "has been" status at times – We've Come for You All frankly should have been better appreciated, but Stomp 442 is no misunderstood classic – this was potentially Anthrax's last major stab at recapturing the level of public attention they'd enjoyed in the 80's and early 90's....full text |
| Craveonline |
| My relationship with Anthrax has been sketchy at best. I loved “Spreading The Disease” and “Among The Living”. Since then my enjoyment has been spotty, ranging from absolute worship of their cover of Joe Jackson’s “Got The Time” to tepid interest in their work with John Bush. No matter what though, I’ve always had the respect. Few bands in the world of metal have consistently put out records, held tight to their integrity and tried to grow as songwriters the way Anthrax have. They never sold out or disappeared like so many of their peers. It’s that type of intestinal fortitude that’s allowed them to create Worship Music, an album I see as one of the best of their career. Interestingly enough, I didn’t start out in love with Worship Music because the opening song, while good, is just not a great opener. “Earth On Hell” crams a lot of different styles into one song and it’s just too disjointed to be an opener. I’m telling you though, stay with Worship Music because the next tune, “The Devil You Know” will shred your face off. So many are talking about a “thrash comeback”, but I have to point at Anthrax and remind everybody they never left. “The Devil You Know” has a classic head banging gallop thrash riff that bleeds into the arena sing along chorus. This is epic thrash metal laid down by old school masters who haven’t forgotten who they are. While the groove of “The Devil You Know” is killer, the full-on High Rocktane power riff that is “Fight “Em ‘Till You Can’t” is incredibly catchy without being the lame radio friendly unit shifter that is most of Metallica’s post-And Justice For All work. When the solo rips in from beneath the guitar lick, and it combines with Joey Belladonna’s voice, you can’t help but thrust the horns in the air and start jumping around your room in delight. “I’m Alive” is a marching song combined with some eerie single note work. It’s like the thrash metal answer to “Another Brick In The Wall” only allowing for full head banging and mosh destruction to ensue. It’s an obvious choice for Anthrax to call this album Worship Music because that’s what they do and this is a culmination of everything they’ve learned. Don’t get my wrong, it doesn’t stray from what makes Anthrax, Anthrax, but it does encompass all the changes and musical strength they’ve gained by always forging their own path. There’s thrash, heavy rock, a bit of prog and even some funky stuff tossed in for good measure....full text |
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