Anthrax
Worship Music
Review by Mike Korn
After a decade of disaster, this was pretty much the album Anthrax had to make in order to rescue their career. I was skeptical that the New York moshers had it in them to avoid jumping the shark, but Worship Music proves me wrong and winds up being the best Anthrax since The Sound of White Noise.
The return of Joey Belladonna to the fold after a comical series of missteps is key to the album's success. Belladonna hasn't missed a beat in all his time off and his uniquely melodic style is a huge part of what makes Anthrax work. Here, he unleashes some cool and catchy vocals lines even during some of the most thrashy and aggressive material. And much of the album is indeed thrashy and aggressive...another necessity in keeping Anthrax rolling.
The album also boasts distinct songs that are easy to tell apart. Heck, you can just about roll the clock back to 1988 when listening to Worship Music...it's that solid. Whether this restores Anthrax to its full stature, I don't know, but nobody can say they didn't give it their best shot.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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