Here's an underrated album by one of the biggest thrash metal bands out there. Anthrax has lots of lovers and haters. Some say back vocals like "football chants" are lame, some say Belladonna is not good enough for the band. But above all this, there is a almost fourty years of experience. Personally, I love Anthrax. Their style and their ability to string along with time is fantastic. When the departure had been accured with Joey Belladonna, John Bush joined the band and Anthrax began to travel on different path. Their choices was experimental. Bush era albums didn't get many good reviews, except "Sound of White Noise" album. But hey, they did what they want. Love it or hate it, this is musical spirit.
2016 was the year of "The Big 4". All members of The Big 4 family released a new record. Metallica released "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" and in my opinion that was the best album of 2016. Megadeth went through some line up changes and released "Dystopia". Slayer had been living harsh times after passing of the legendary guitar player Jeff Hanneman and departure of long time drummer Dave Lombardo; after changes they did "Repentless". With "For All Kings" by Anthrax, cycle completed. This was the best present for all the metalheads out there.
In 2011, Joey Belladonna joined Anthrax one more time and they did a marvellous comeback record called "Worship Music". "Fight 'Em Till You Can't" was one of the bands finest moments and with Rob Caggiano's (currently Volbeat's lead guitar player) tasteful solos, album was a complete work. Of course expectations would be higher after Worship Music. After five years, they released "For All Kings" and left me hanging between these two albums.
I don't wanna compare Worship Music and For All Kings, but I think I already crossed that line. Comparing two good record is always a trouble. That's why I tried to focus on the best songs on each album. Songs like "The Devil You Know", "Fight 'Em Till You Can't" and "In the End" are the highlights of Worship Music. Give it a listen you will get why. It's like Anthrax collected riffs since Joey Belladonna's departure. Fight 'Em has one of the strongest riffs Anthrax has ever written since today. Even in 2010's, they succesfully perform good old thrash. In the End has more melodic moments. But that opening riff is the definition of hard headbang. You hear the dead rising!
Let's not go so far and talk about For All Kings. Songs I mentioned above are so strong that one of them named as one of the best metal songs of 21st century. But after I heard the new record, some of the songs changed my mind. Not in a bad way of course. I just thought For All Kings has some stronger songs. "You Gotta Believe" got me in no time with that opening riff. Anthrax showed us that they still has good old thrash spirit.
Biggest highlight of this album is "Blood Eagle Wings". I just couldn't believe my ears. It's not just best song on this album, it's one of the best songs Anthrax ever recorded. I witnessed a different Anthrax with this song. Slow, clean and strong opening riff is a very good build up choice. We can't consider this song as a "thrash metal" song. This is pure heavy metal and almost eight minutes long masterpiece! Blood Eagle Wings shares the spotlight with Metallica's "Moth Into Flame" and both rise from 2016's heavy metal scene.
Anthrax was always enjoyable. Tasty riffs and fast tempo songs is what we usually receive from this band. For All Kings is a slightly different album. You will receive stong thrashy riffs and fast tempo songs with some slow interludes and slow but heavy build ups. After Blood Eagle Wings, you get another legendary song called "Breathing Lightning". This album offers you so much. Anthrax gave me hope with this one and the previous one. I strongly believe that next round of Anthrax discography will be another hard punch on our faces. Rock on, guys!
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