ANTHRAX

THE SETUP

Anthrax is back! It’s been a long ten years since their last album, For All Kings, in 2016, and I, for one, can’t sit still with anticipation. From seeing them live in March ’26 with a snippet of a new song to the first single released in May and the subsequent singles that followed, I cannot contain my excitement. Joey, Frankie, Charlie, Scott, and Jonathan, I believe, put fans first with this release, and it shows in their sound and the videos released so far for the singles.

THE REVIEW

The album opens with a 1:08 intro, ‘Persistence Of Memory’, an ominous adrenaline builder that gives listeners goosebumps as you prepare for what’s to come. The second track, ‘The Long Goodbye ‘, rips in with that heavy bass and guitar with Joey’s identifiable vocals, reaping a perfect mix of a classic thrash chug and vocal melody; a darker, more traditional thrash song with a massive guitar solo is a great way to get things into gear while Charlie’s kit keeps that massive beat so predominant. ‘It’s For The Kids’, the first single released in May, gave fans a sneak peek—a catchy, cool thrash vibe that pairs with the accompanying video, an homage to the ‘Madhouse’ video from the Spreading The Disease album. The heavy thrash chug that kicks in mid-song and leads into the guitar solo pairs well with Joey’s catchy vocals. ‘Everybody’s Got A Plan’ was the third single released and again mixes another catchy metal vibe with heavy thrash elements as the song continues.

‘The Edge Of Perfection’, the second single released, gave fans insight into some experimental, darker thrash almost bordering on blackened thrash; this is one of my favourite songs on the album, and I love that darker sound, with Anthrax creating a killer video to accompany this track, a lost art nowadays IMO. The heavy, death metal-like blast beats and darker vocals are cutting-edge. ‘Infectious’ opens with a cool, heavy riff intro that leads to higher vocals—very different from the song before—delivering a more traditional thrash sound that’s catchy, and while it’s not fast-paced, it still hits the thrash mark. ‘NYC93’ intros with some city sounds, then gathers momentum with a cool punk riff, packing a huge crossover vibe with wicked gang shouts and another talented guitar solo. This is another personal favourite of mine, and it definitely punches that old-school Anthrax sound.

‘Cursum Perficio’, the title track and longest song on the album, begins with a cool guitar riff that leads into a solid thrash chug where Joey’s vocals shine on this slower but still heavy track, creating an old-school Anthrax vibe alongside a pulverizing guitar solo that sounds massive. ‘T.O.M.B.’ blasts in with a killer riff that mixes so cool with the heavy bass and drums—easily a track that could have been off the album Among The Living, featuring a fantastic Frankie bass riff at 3:10. ‘Watch It Go’ speeds things up, adding a faster-paced thrash chug mixed with heavy blasts of guitar riffs and aggressive, darker vocals where the gang shouts keep things heavy yet catchy. ‘My Victory’ delivers an all-out thrash attack, with amazing bass that mixes perfectly with the drums to round out another personal favourite track of mine.

THE VERDICT

Anthrax definitely hit the mark with this release, and it was worth the wait. I usually am very critical of the Big Four with their new releases, and this one is my favourite from all four bands in years. Anthrax keeps their past always close at hand while creating relevant material, which is so important. I also commend them for a few calculated changes that keep fans intrigued and motivated for new Anthrax adventures.

I dedicate this review to the late Kenneth Gallant.