Anthrax "For All Kings" Album Review

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!

Must Listen: "Blood Eagle Wings", "Breathing Lightning", "You Gotta Believe", "For All Kings", "Monster at the End"
Ranking: 4.5/5

Best Songs From Metallica's Load & ReLoad Era

This two album was the biggest change in metal community. These albums was the style change from the biggest metal band on the planet, Metallica. Imagine, you live in '96 and you've been through Metallica's golden years. You listened "Kill 'em All" and felt the raw energy. You heard "Ride the Lightning" and fell in love with that band. With "Master of Puppets", you've witnessed the best heavy metal album. Release of "...and Justice for All" fired up new sub-genres and you've heard them all. Finally with The Black Album, you know that Metallica will rule the world. After all that thing, you got a hard rock album from that band, and some of the songs from that hard rock album was "listen and forget" type of songs. This is a reasonable anger. Your expectations were higher also in a different way. Load and ReLoad dissapointed Metallica fans, back then. But if your anger is based on prejudices, that's unreasonable. We have to admit that Load and ReLoad era was weaker. We can't compare Load with Master of Puppets or ReLoad with The Black Album. But we can give them the credit that they deserve. Load and ReLoad was weaker side of Metallica, not weaker side of music. Metallica prooved that they can perform different kind of music. With that statement, they ruled the hard rock world too.

Let's take a detailed look to Metallica's five best songs back in Load & ReLoad era. 

5-) Until It Sleeps (Load)

Touching lyrics, strong rthyms and catchy melody. This is Metallica. That's what they usually do. Difference is, this one is hard rock. It's still good music. And we all know that James Hetfield's love for rock 'n' roll never faded. That's why he wrote hell of a sincere songs during these two records. This one was way too personal for him. Hetfield's family was religious. His mother refused to be treated and died because of cancer. That blind fate effected Hetfield so much, that we can clearly notice this between the lines. 

4-) Fuel (ReLoad)

This is the must-play song of Metallica with every setlist. Every Metallica concert we expect this strong vocal line: "Give me fuel/ Give me fire/ Give me that which I desire"! Fuel is the most dynamic song of Load and ReLoad era. And now they play it faster live, you can't resist to headbang, believe me I listened it live. 

3-) The Outlaw Torn (Load)

Metallica has slow interludes, beginning arpeggios and sort of things like that. But they have never done something like The Outlaw Torn. Slow tempo based song intertwined with heavy riff and carries the song to the verse you have never witnessed. James' strong lyrics and Lars' following drum part combined and created the strongest atmosphere on the album. If you watch the live recording, you can feel James' emotions through his mic. 

2-) Fixxxer (ReLoad)

Most requested Metallica song. And they never played it live. It's been twenty-one years. Also you may consider this one as most underrated Metallica song. If you need help, a close listen to its chorus would be enough. Hetfield knows how to pass emotion through a strong riff. His riffs and lyrics works together to bow us down. Fixxxer is a long road. It's about 8 minutes and some more. It has long interlude sections that Metallica did only during Load and ReLoad era. Some people don't like these interludes, I just recommend you to close your eyes and let it flow into you. 

1-) Bleeding Me (Load)

Strongest song of the Load and ReLoad era. This song has it! That acoustic riff  started it all. Transitions through the whole song is just phenomenal. Kirk Hammett's back up with solo sections offers you a different Metallica, again. This song physically carries itself to the upper levels with every note. Especially that breakdown riff... Watch the live recording from Woodstock '99 and pay attention to James when he started to play that riff, then you'll know what I mean. Lars Ulrich is one of the most criticized drummers of all time. They always talk about his lack of talent and his fails during concerts and rehearsals. What he did during Load and ReLoad era was full of emotions. As you did with James, pay close attention to Lars too. This is the pure feeling of music. Experiencing Metallica is the way of feel the music physically.