Thrashman’s Metal Pick Of The Week: Bow To Anthrax’s “Worship Music”

Life is good for Anthrax these days - the Big Four of thrash just played their hometown at the home of their beloved Yankees (suck), The Bronx declared last Wednesday "Anthrax Day" and oh yeah...the band just released their first full-length album with Joey Belladonna out front since 1990's Persistence Of Time to some damn good reviews.

You can count me in on the whole good review thing. After years of soap opera bullshit...this guy's back...he's gone...the guy that originally replaced him is coming back...well, not really...this new dude's singing...now he's gone...this guy's back...wait...maybe not...okay, now the guy that was singing in the band's heyday is back...for real this time. Confused? I'm still not exactly sure what the hell happened over the last seven years.

One thing I am sure of is that Worship Music is the album Anthrax needed to make to erase the drama from their fans' memories. Man it's good...real good. And I don't necessarily think it's because of Joey's vocals (even though he is my favorite) as the album flows so well musically, it's just the fact that he provides the perfect compliment to an album that's as tight as Scarlett Johansson's ass (hell yeah I looked).

You know I'm a sucker for good guitars and I've always been a fan of Anthrax's riffing in that they always seem to meld precise speed-picking and ball-trembling chugga-chugga with ease (see "Fight 'em til You Can't"). So it's no surprise that I'm a fan of an album chock full of killer riffs.

It's not just about the guitars either...Charlie Benante has to be the most underrated drummer of our time. He just knows when to go balls-out and when to pull back and embrace the notion that "less is more". "In the End" is the perfect example of how to drive a tune with nothing more than a pulsing kick drum and a heavy crash.

Worship Music is bound to appeal not only to old-school headbangers like me but even the most casual of metal fans. Get it now on Megaforce Records.