Well, what we have here is an overpriced ($80) box set of 7 inch vinyl singles released by Anthrax over the course of the last year gathered together for some reason. All but three songs are from the disappointing For All Kings album, and I can quite confidently say that they haven’t gotten any better over the last year.

There are three previously unreleased tracks and a bunch of instrumental demos for various tracks, all around not that much to induce anyone but diehard fans. The instrumental tracks are good; they really go to show how strong instrumentally Anthrax has always been. The highlight of those tracks is “Breathing Lightning” – it’s really a strong track, but the album version with vocals just wasn’t that spectacular. The one other song that really stood out to me, “Evil Twin,” doesn’t have an instrumental demo, which was just another disappointment of this set.

There are two new covers included in the set. Anthrax has always been different when it comes to cover songs. Over the years they have covered: Beastie Boys, The Smiths, Radiohead, Refused, D.R.I., Husker Du, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, and many others. Here, they tackle Kansas’ classic rock staple “Carry On Wayward Son.” This is probably one of the most interesting tracks they’ve done in a long time, as it gives frontman Joey Belladonna a chance to show off his pipes. Belladonna has always been a fan of AOR rock. He really gets to show it off here and it’s incredibly impressive. I wasn’t expecting much from the track at all, but I have to say it’s one of the best covers Anthrax has ever done.

They also tackle The White Stripes’ “Black Math” from 2003 and do an admirable job, but it’s just not as impressive or interesting. Same thing goes for the unreleased “Vice Of The People.” While it’s just an okay track, it’s nothing more than a throwaway B-side – nothing more, nothing less. In the end, this is a worthless product that only the most diehard Anthrax fan would feel is necessary to own.

Rating: D

User Rating: Not Yet Rated

---

Comments