Metal Reviews

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Anthrax? Um.....no thank you. Their last two records I just don't get the attraction to. Give me their first three albums (which when you listen to now, are just o.k....haven't stood the test of time), after that I could come up with maaaaybe two good albums with all their following songs. Probably one of the most overrated metal bands.....just weak compared to the real titans of U.S. thrash: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Over Kill, Death Angel, Exodus and Testament.

They had no business being on that "Big 4" tour. I'll give them one thing, they sure try hard to stay relevant though.

A step down from the previous record, which was just okay, and the production still doesn't do anything for me. It just lacks the energetic, mosh-pit friendly vibes that made old-school 'thrax so much fun.

As to their inclusion on the Big Four, they earned their place atop the US thrash heap by both quality AND tenure. I have Overkill above them for sure but that band didn't really hit their stride until '87-'88. Exodus has the tenure but could never match the quality of the debut in their subsequent releases. As for Testament and Death Angel, those bands never put out anything that even remotely stands up to Spreading the Disease or Among the Living.

Also, we should be careful throwing out the 'overrated' tag when discussing those Metallica boys.

TtD, agreed.......Anthrax was energetic and fun back in the day......up until the early to mid-90's for me.

I'll also give you their tenure. Quality, we'd have a debate. Again, after their first three. Following that, some really good songs (even in the Bush era), but in my opinion, not any really, really good albums. Quantity, on the other hand, we have no debate. Overkill, we agree. Exodus, other than "Force Of Habit", we'd have a good debate. Same with Testament (The Legacy, The New Order, Practice What You Preach, The Gathering) and Death Angel (everything up to their last two.....looking forward to their new one next month). But, I understand, they both had hiatuses from recording. Just my opinion.

Agree on Metallica, post-mid 90's.

Again, just my opinion, and I understand you're likely approaching this from a sales of records, etc.

Well, the 'Big 4' tour was never meant to be a representation of the cream of US thrash metal. Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth are all largely credited with both pioneering and, yes, popularizing the genre during their prime years in the 80's and were thus christened with the title. It's a label that has been affixed to those four particular names for some 20+ years now. It's not an argument about who's the best band. The Big 4 are who they are. It'd be like debating who belongs in the Rat Pack. The tour was a big deal because it was the first time those guys had ever collectively shared the same stage.