For All Kings

Anthrax

Megaforce, 2016

http://anthrax.com

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/16/2016

Well, here it is; almost five years after their comeback record Worship Music, Anthrax has finally returned with the proper follow-up. Joined by new guitarist Jon Donais (ex-Shadows Fall), the band has tried their hardest to keep up with the recent trends and all the new metal bands – and they haven’t succeeded in the slightest bit.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The opening track “You Gotta Believe” is a revved-up rocker, but it feels like it’s missing the classic Anthrax sound. It just doesn’t feel like the Anthrax that I’ve always known and loved. The only thing that really saves the song is Joey Belladonna’s vocals, which still sound fresh and invigorating after all these years.

The main problem with the record is that almost every other song sounds slowed down, and that’s not what we love Anthrax for. “Monster At The End” is the greatest example of this; it’s just slowed down and almost groove-like, making for a very unlikeable track. In fact, the slowness of this record damn near put me to sleep as I was listening.

Only on songs like the fantastic and crushing “Evil Twin,” closing cut “Zero Tolerance” and the very heavy but still kind of slow “Breathing Lightning” do the band really come alive and show that they can still compete with the Triviums and Disturbeds of the world. But unfortunately, it isn’t enough to pull this album out of the obscurely boring hole from which it came. Simply put, this is the most boring and uninteresting record Anthrax have put out since Stomp 442 all the way back in 1995. It really pains me to say that because I am a huge Anthrax fan and have been since high school. But this record just doesn’t have the speed, spark, or fire of previous records and it just isn’t very good.

Without pulling any fingers, this is without a doubt one of the most disappointing metal records of the last five years. I would go so far as to call this their Re-Load: making music to be popular with hardly any shred of what made their previous records so good.

Rating: C

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