Anthrax - For All Kings
- Written by Marky Edison
It's the new Anthrax album. It sounds like Anthrax.
If you like Anthrax. You'll like For All Kings.
Anthrax's 11th album starts out strong with some vintage thrash on 'You Gotta Believe' and 'Monster At The End'. The title track that follows is surprisingly weak but 'Breathing Lightning' stirs things up with a short semi-acoustic intro leading into some off kilter syncopated rhythms and a great big classic rock chorus from Joey Belladonna.
Belladonna's cultured, melodic singing has always marked Anthrax as different from other thrash outfits and he is in his element on 'Suzerain' with multiple overlapping vocal tracks over some decidedly harsh riffing from Scott Ian and Jon Donais.
There's a brief dip in song quality midway through the album. 'Evil Twin' isn't worth a mention and 'Blood Eagle Wings' is set to be the next single but is disjointed and has a trudging chorus.
'Defend Avenge' has a cool opening with buzzing tremolo fading in and out creating an unsettling atmosphere and a verse riff that sounds completely out of time until drummer Charlie Benante alters the beat and everything syncs up. It's a technique more commonly used in electronic music and it is refreshing to hear a seasoned act revisiting their roots but still experimenting with new ideas.
'All Of Them Thieves' is unbelievably good. It's a serious banger of a tune, a fierce diatribe which alternates between a power metal groove and double time speed riffing. The solo section nearly melts the fretboards, pausing briefly to join in with the fist-pumping chorus before setting off again.
'This Battle Chose Us' keeps us the momentum in the second half of the album and builds into a rousing anthem that will sound amazing in a live environment. 'Zero Tolerance' closes things out with the fastest riffing on the album. It's old school thrash vowing zero tolerance for religious extremism, racism and politicians.
This is vintage Anthrax. I put this on after Among The Living (1987) and, while For All Kings is a more mature work with more modern production, the two albums work really well in succession. Anthrax have managed to recapture the spirit of their earlier work without repeating themselves.
The line up is the same one that recorded their best known albums but with Donais in the place of Dan Spitz. Fans can continue to debate Belladonna and his erstwhile replacement John Bush, both of whom have performed with the band in recent years, but the only opinions that really matter are those within the band and Belladonna's work here more than justifies his return.
Charlie Benante deserves special credit. As the man writing the music he has excelled himself and his drumming transforms the whole feel of the album. The broad influences he draws from all integrate seamlessly in a unique and compelling manner. Of the drummers from the 'Big Four' thrash bands Dave Lombardo's work with Slayer is held in the highest regard, and rightly so, but none of them add to the dynamic of the music the way Benante does.
The production is excellent with sharp guitars and the drums nicely balanced in the mix. Even the bass is clearly audible, another thing that set Anthrax apart from their peers back in the day.
It would probably be unfair to refer to this as a return to form but this is the finest recording Anthrax have put out in a very long time. For All Kings sits comfortably with their very best work.