“The goal of this band was not to hurry to get the album out quickly and get out on the tour, but the goal is to make a piece of art that we thought we could make, because the music is what we love and this is what legacy leaves behind.”
— Anthrax vocalist John Bush
“Creatively, there was no big challenge; we just wanted nothing other than to try to make the best record we can make … it always seems like the rough mix sounded better than the final mix. But that didn’t happen this time.”
— Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian
Soldiering on with a new lead singer can be a daunting task.
Bands like AC/DC and Drowning Pool did it because they had to …
Bands like Pantera and Van Halen did it because they chose to …
Well, Anthrax chose to do it too, twice. And, just like when any successful band screws with the formula, fans were split over which they prefer.
Anthrax has been tearing up the metal scene for 20 plus years. The early years with Neil Turbin were a thrash paradise, but the band was a little too raw for my liking. The band’s time with Joey Belladonna seems to be the fans’ favorite, though the group would see its greatest success after the addition of former Armored Saint frontman John Bush and the release of 1993’s “The Sound of White Noise.”
Personally, I was never a huge fan of Belladonna (who has since rejoined the band). The general consensus is that Belladonna is/was the better frontman for the group because he had more vocal range and was more charismatic than Bush. I happened to have seen one of the few (if not the only) shows Anthrax tried to pull together with both singers a handful of years ago. Sure, Belladonna may be more charismatic on the stage, but I’m not necessarily “into” bands for the live shows. And when it comes to studio albums, I rank Bush at the top of the list.
Of course, the other thing to consider with Anthrax’s catalogue is that there were definitive eras for the band: the early speed/thrash years which gave way to the more thrash/metal years which eventually led to the more rock/metal hybrid. That’s one of the reasons that Bush and the band couldn’t pull off the “Greater of Two Evils” album a couple of years ago (where the band re-recorded classic tracks with Bush on vocals): the band itself was in a different place and, even if Bush couldn’t tackle the material (which I don’t think was the case), there was no need to try to begin with.
It’s the later years that most interest me with Anthrax, the later years I’m most a fan of … and those later years are what this column has to deal with, anyway.
“The Sound of White Noise” is a classic Anthrax album. The band got more focused and aggressive on “Stomp 442,” and a little too unfocused on “Volume 8” (which had more than a few bright spots and was far better than critics at the time let on).
Then the group all but disappeared, but a five year lull would give way to one of the band’s finest outings …
Anthrax
We’ve Come For You All
Sanctuary Records
“The reality is that when it is going to be 5 years, one or two months don’t make any difference in that point because there is already five years. Our point was to make the best record that we can ever possibly make, to make it sound amazing, to make the best record that Anthrax has ever done and released and has state of mind and that’s why it took a little bit longer.”
— Anthrax vocalist John Bush
You can really tell Anthrax took its time with this one.
All the heavy handed genre staples are stripped away, yet still there in a subtle manner. Instead, “We’ve Come…” offers up a heavy helping of metal, tempered with the rock-ish sound Bush brought to the band.
“Safe Home” may have been the lead off single (and perhaps the “strongest” track on the album), but it was hardly indicative of what “We’ve Come…” offers. There’s a depth of sick double-bass drumming and bass trade-offs throughout the disc (courtesy of drummer Charlie Benate and bassist Frank Bello), but an even sicker offering of riffs from newcomer Rob Caggiano. With Scott Ian anchoring the production, each song permeates a slick thrash rhythm but is tempered with a slower “metallic” approach. The metal isn’t too extreme, but it’s still a solid kick in the gut.
From the anthem “What Doesn’t Die” (which spirals to a head at break-neck speed toward its finale) to the seething “Refuse to Be Denied” and chugging “Nobody Knows Anything,” Anthrax is tight and spot-on. Bush growls and emotes his way through each song while the rest of the pack jams away as a tight unit. Even a surprise appearance by the late Dimebag Darrell is downplayed due to the overwhelming wave of metal Anthrax serves up. In the end, the band manages to put together one of 2003’s best: a tight metal juggernaut with a host of influences, genres and talent on display.
Well, Belladonna is now back with the group … and I, for one, can’t tell if this is a permanent thing of something Anthrax is trying out for a couple of tours and an album. I guess time will tell.
There has been no official word that Bush has left the band (at least to my knowledge). After all that “We’ve Come For You All” was, it’s hard to imagine that being the case. But I’m sure fans were equally shocked when, after finally signing a big record deal in the early 90s, the group opted to toss Belladonna for Bush.
As could rapidly becoming a manta for the column, what better way to go out? “We’ve Come For You All” was the perfect album for the culmination of what Anthrax has become. It might not fill the void thrash fans might have wanted. But, much like Machine Head with “Through the Ashes of Empires,” Anthrax saw a solid return to (its new) form with this release. THe album is full, vibrant, aggressive to the core and features few weak moments. In short, it is everything a fan like me, who loved the Bush-era stuff, wanted in an album.
If the band decides to not work with Bush again in the future, this album acts as a perfect bookend to the experiment: there was the explosive opening with “The Sound of White Noise” and the equally impressive “We’ve Come For You All.” In between, there was some good and bad, but nothing can dim the effect of the new and older classics.
I was up-front in my praise for John Bush. Still, this column is about the new classics and we have yet to see what Anthrax and Belladonna can come up with. Is “We’ve Come For You All” the best Anthrax has to offer? Well, it’s on par with “Sound” in the Bush-era. Before that the band was a different beast.
Love what the band became or hate it, in the end “We’ve Come For You All” is still a slick metal offering. It’s chock-full of what any fan of metal would look for in a release. And, on top of that, it benefits from having a band that’s stood the tests of time grinding through it.
In the five years that Anthrax was gone, I’d all but written it off. I ran out on the day of release for “Volume 8,” but couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm for “We’ve Come…” Once I did get my hands on the disc a couple of months later I could have kicked myself. If you still haven’t checked it out, maybe it’s time to add this new classic to your collection.
And that’s that. Until next time, take it easy. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride …
