ANTHRAX - Among the Living
FORMAT: CD REALEASE DATE: 22.03.1987 RECORD COMPANY: Island Records 9.5
METALFAN RATING: 8.7
USERS RATING: 13 votes
Top 1987: #28 |
Anthrax LINE UP: Joey Belladonna - voce Scott Ian - chitara, voce Dan Spitz - chitara Frank Bello - bas Charlie Benante - tobe |
TRACKLIST: 1. Among the Living2. Caught in a Mosh3. I Am the Law4. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)5. A Skeleton in the Closet6. Indians7. One World8. A.D.I. / Horror of It All9. Imitation of Life |
I can never listen to this album without going mental! Or at least I cannot hear it and not do the Scott Ian Stomp (this is where Scott starts to spin with large steps, typical to the skank dancing of the 80s). It is the most violent thrash metal album I have ever heard. You don’t need anyone screaming or 1000 bpm drums to make you want to break the china, bones or any other things lying around. This album is, in my opinion and of many others, the peak of the New Yorkers of Anthrax.
By and large, the history of Anthrax could be compared to that of Iron Maiden. Neil Turbin, here in Paul Di’Anno role, brought a melodic voice to the thrash community, so the first album, Fistful of Metal was somehow significant. But when Joey Belladona replaced Turbin, this was like the moment when Bruce Dickinson replaced Di’Anno (so John Bush would have to be Blaze Bailey in our little analogy). Joey Belladona – an extraordinary voice, a man that has lifted the bar for thrash metal and has given birth to a new brand of melodic thrash. But what made Anthrax different from other bands back in the day and even now was that Belladona’s melodic and strong vocals were always backed up by a crushing hardcore/crossover/thrash instrumental part. A perfect combination.
The second album, Spreading the Disease was a wonder in itself, but it wasn’t until their third album, this masterpiece Among the Living, that they set their own style in the canons of metal. From the first minute and a half of the (the classic intro of the title song) I am already sweating and exhausted. Each second that follows hits you like a crowbar to the nose. The drums are essential for this album. This is how drums should sound on a real thrash album! Especially the snare. And there is no one that could handle these obliterating drums than the terrific Charlie Benante, one of the best thrash drummers ever. Guitars sounds angrier than a bouncer that has just taken a punch from a punk. To be honest, from the moment you press Play, everything sounds as if a huge boulder is falling and rumbling making everything shake. It is a perfect album for a mosh pit (in fact I rather believe that the term came from the song Caught in a Mosh). A masterpiece of thrash that has influenced bands from all metal sub-genres, bands such as Meshuggah, Shadows Fall, Sepultura, Biohazard, etc. Caution: listen to this album with the volume on 10, but DON’T listen to it if you have valuable objects around you, because THEY WILL BE DESTROYED!!!
Matei T. Nota: 9.5
|
Comment on: Among the Living