Anthrax

Known as one of the Big Four of thrash metal, along with Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica, Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City “who would quite literally build a genre from the ground up”. Their name was chosen after searching a biology textbook for a ‘cool sounding disease’ that sounded “sufficiently evil”.

Anthrax started out in 1981 with guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. After adding vocalist Neil Turbin, guitarist Dan Spitz and drummer Charlie Benante, Megaforce Records (Metallica, Mercyful Fate, Manowar) released the band’s debut single “Soldiers Of Metal” in late 1983. Its success led to the release of the group’s first album Fistful of Metal. What set Anthrax apart from many thrash metal bands of their time was their occasionally sardonic and ludicrous lyrics, a trend that would continue for the rest of the eighties.

After a number of lineup changes, the band finally found a stable group; Ian, Benante, Spitz, Frank Bello on bass, and Joey Belladonna on vocals. This lineup then released Spreading the Disease, the first of the “classic Anthrax albums” and their first to chart in the US. Anthrax toured with Metallica on their Damage Inc Tour in late 1986. At this time, Ian and Benante also formed the side project Stormtroopers of Death, which was controversial because of its deliberately racist and misogynist joke lyrics.

Their third album Among the Living surfaced in early 1987. It has been called a fan favorite with Benante citing it as their “signature album”. Many songs on it – “Caught in a Mosh”, “I Am the Law” (UK #32) & “Indians” (UK #44) – are still played at most live performances. Among the Living peaked at #62 in the US. Later that year, the band also released the EP I’m the Man, a song originally written by the band for the Beastie Boys. It is considered one of the earliest rap-metal songs.

State of Euphoria followed in late 1988. Despite its impressive #30 peak in the US and two UK charting singles, the album is generally viewed as the weakest in the band’s golden era. It boasts a couple of fan favorites like their “Antisocial” cover and “Be All, End All”, but otherwise it received a lukewarm reception. Anthrax toured with Ozzy Osbourne, Living Color and Suicidal Tendencies in 1989.

Persistence of Time was the first Anthrax release of the 90s and showed a shift toward a more technical and darker sound, lyrically dealing with topics such as racism (“Keep it in the Family”), schizoid personal disorder (“In My World”), the holocaust (“Belly of the Beast”), and the death of drug addicts (“Discharge”). The album peaked at #24 in the US, reaching yet another new high on the chart for the band, and both singles reached the top 40 in the UK. After teaming up with Public Enemy to release “Bring Tha Noize”, another early rap-metal combination, Joey Belladonna was fired over creative and stylistic differences

Belladonna was replaced by John Bush of Armored Saint and the band moved from Megaforce/Island Records to Elektra for Sound of White Noise, an album that showed that Anthrax wanted to stick with the more serious direction that Persistence of Time had begun. The record was a huge success, peaking at #7 – the band’s highest chart success to date. Its first single “Only” was an early peak in the John Bush Era, once called “the perfect song” by James Hetfield. Both “Only” and “Black Lodge” made the the US Rock Chart top 40 and were moderate hits in the UK.

The success of Sound of White Noise did not last for long, however. Spitz left the band in 1995 and the band’s next album Stomp 442, featuring scattered guitar work from former Slayer roadie Paul Crook, Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell and Anthrax’s drummer, Charlie Benante, couldn’t match the success of White Noise, especially in an era when grunge and alternative music quickly began to overshadow metal. It was the first Anthrax album to chart lower in the US than its predecessor, and the first in almost ten years to not be certified Gold. Benate later ranked it as the band’s second-worst album, behind their debut Fistful Of Metal and explained that Elektra had recently had a change in management and were no longer interested in the band.

1998’s Volume 8: The Threat is Real performed even worse, with the record company going out of business the same week of its release. After 9/11 and the subsequent anthrax scare, the band’s name became associated with terrorist attacks. Ian stood firm on not changing the band’s name despite the media attention. When the band performed for the New York Steel 9/11 benefit concert, they wore boiler suits that read “We’re not changing our name”.

Their next album We’ve Come For You All was released in 2003 and became their most successful since Sound of White Noise. Like some previous records, Pantera’s Dimebag Darrel, a close friend of the band and often called “the sixth member of Anthrax”, helped Anthrax write some of the songs. Tragically, Dimebag was killed onstage only a year later, which left the band devastated.

In 2005, Anthrax announced a reunion with Belladonna, so Bush exited the band and returned to Armored Saint. When both Belladonna and Bush declined to continue with the band in 2006, Dan Nelson of Devilsize became the group’s new vocalist. Their next record Worship Music was in the works when the band claimed Nelson quit, which he denied. In 2009, Anthrax fans organized a ‘Bring Back Bush’ campaign, so he performed with Anthrax that year. Belladonna then returned in early 2010, just in time for a Big Four tour with Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica.

The band, now with Belladonna back, finished and released Worship Music in 2011. It reached #12 in the US – their second-highest chart position at the time – and was praised by fans. For All Kings followed in 2016 and peaked at #9. Anthrax had originally intended to work on a follow-up to For All Kings in 2018 but instead their touring schedule kept them busy straight through the end of the year.