On disc: Anthrax

 
- Stomp 442
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- We've Come For You All
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

We've Come For You All

(Nuclear Blast - 2003)



 
 

 

The speed metal heroes are back with a new album - We've Come For You All. It starts unusual with acoustic guitars, then the band joins in - that's the intro. At the end it's really heavy and has thrashy guitars and some distorted vocals. With What Doesn't Die the New Yorkers start full speed ahead. The typical staccato guitar riffing of Scott Ian and his partner in crime Rob Caggiano is coming over you. A fast tune with double-bass drumming and John Bush in great shape. Later they even speed up and some mean spoken words change the atmosphere. Breaks keep this song interesting. Superhero is a typical Anthrax song and sneaks into your ear with the first spin. These days Anthrax work a lot with breaks. A little different is Safe Home - that one has some SoCal punk attitude and at the same time it's almost catchy and poppy.... Especially the bridge and the refrain.

One of my faves which I also would recommend to check them out is Refuse To Denied. A mid-tempo track with slow parts. The song got his class from John Bush's vocals. Interesting to check out are also Nobody Knows Anything and Black Dahlia. It should be mentioned that on Strap It On and Cadillac Rock Box the lead guitar is played by Dimebag. Another guest was The Who singer Roger Daltrey who sang at Taking The Music Back.

The acoustic version of Safe Home is cool and something you wouldn't really expect from the New York thrashers. An experiment which works with Safe Home. Not every Anthrax track would work this way. And the Ramones' cover We're A Happy Family are the bonus tracks.

The CD comes in a very cool digi-pack shape. The cover is cut into 4 pieces which leap over another, a hole in the middle. When you open it, you find below the booklet - which kinda fills the hole - and the CD. The whole comes in a clear plastic sleeve which protects the digi-pack and has the band logo and title printed on. Cool idea! More stuff like this, please!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Stomp 442

(East West - 1995)



 
 

 

Well, I'm still a fan of Anthrax with Joey Belladonna, but I also like John Bush - mainly when he is with Armored Saint. Now Anthrax are back with Stomp 442. Starting with Random Acts Of Senseless Violence which is an up-tempo tune with heavy guitar riffing. The basis is laid down by drummer Charlie Benante and bassist Frank Bello. A typical Anthrax tune with some modern elements and a screaming guitar solo of Scott Ian. This one ends abruptly. A few spoken words and a count in by the drums start this fast riff monster. John Bush vocals have more aggressive touch then the others. This one grooves. I can imagine this live as a killer. It's groovy, fast guitar riffing and almost catchy vocals. With Anthrax Mr. Bush sounds different, the darker side of Mr. Bush!?!?! On the other side some elements of Fueled are based on punk. One of my highlights is American Pompeii which is a mid-tempo one. The vocals of John Bush have something special here. Then the song speeds up and so do the vocals. Staccato guitar riffing dominates this one. A groovy riff, a screaming guitar solo. At the end it takes a little too long until they are finished. Followed by Zone which is a little different. Here the vocals are partly distorted. But this one is weaker then the previous ones - in my opinion. I would say the same about Drop The Ball... It's not a bad one, but hard to get into... Perhaps a few more spins... Nothing is different, it's slower and easier to get in. The vocals are almost enchanting. An­other highlight on this album in my opinion.

Well, not the best Anthrax album, but decent.

Check out: Fueled, American Pompeii and Nothing.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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