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Anthrax - Spreading the Disease

 

	RELEASED: October 30, 1985 PRODUCER: Carl Canedy & Anthrax LABEL: Island Records BAND:Joey Belladonna Dan Spitz Scott Ian Frank Bello Charlie Benante
+ Great songwriting, Airtight musicianship, Every song has own identity  - Paper-thin production, Only 9 songs	TRACKS: 1.A.I.R. 2.Lone Justice 3.Madhouse 4.S.S.C./Stand or Fall . 5.The Enemy 6.Aftershock 7.Armed and Dangerous 8.Medusa 9.Gung-Ho

 

OVERVIEW

Talk about a legendary band in metal circles!  For a band that pulled their name from a medical dictionary because they thought it sounded “…pretty evil…”, Anthrax sure stepped it up and made huge waves in 1985 on this record, their 1st with “classic” vocalist Joey Belladona.  First things first:  If you don’t like thrash, hit the “back” button on your browser right now.  Right from the opening chords of A.I.R., you know exactly what you’re going to get – the uncontrollable urge to spin that hair!  Anthrax are masters of their craft, using the double bass drum, airtight strumming, and rapid-fire guitar solos to cook up 9 tracks of the classic thrash that would go on to shape the metal scene in the 80’s.  Spreading the Disease is so much more than palm-muted power chords and half-shouted vocals, which most thrash comes off as *coughslayercough* whether people like it or not.  Anyone who’s heard the infectious main riff of Madhouse or the vicious speed assault of Gung-Ho knows that Anthrax can PLAY, but they actually take the time to write riffs that are just as memorable as Belladona’s smoking vocal performance.  Try singing Stand or Fall next time you’re rollin’ down the highway.  You will lose.

 

SONGS

The album opens up swinging with A.I.R., which is a straight-ahead thrasher that sets a headbanging tone for the rest of the album. Lone Justice follows up with some more melodic stuff and great instrumentals complementing its bounty hunter storyline.  Don’t miss the basslines in this one.  Madhouse is the obvious choice for a single, and with insanely (no pun intended) catchy signature riff is sure to stay stuck in your head for days.  If you know any Anthrax, you know this song. SSC/Stand or Fall brings the album back to a breakneck pace with some of the best of many guitar solos on the CD.  The Enemy slows it down again, with an almost Maiden-esque series of riffs, only to have Aftershoc” remind you that Anthrax is first and foremost a thrash band.  Armed and Dangerous starts slow and turns on a dime into some of the fastest picking on this record – the riffs in this song are incredibly fast and still played to perfection. Medusa is one of the more unique tracks on the CD, as it changes the pace yet again and features some of the band’s only sung BGV’s.  Gung Ho closes the album in a vicious fashion with a breakneck pace that almost makes you tired just listening to it.  You can almost feel the band’s energy blasting out of your speakers. 

 

CONCLUSION

Ok, so I guess that as a reviewer, I have to criticize something.  Hmmm.  The only complaint you can really level against this album is that the production is pretty thin, the bass drum sounds like you’re hitting a cardboard box with an oven mitt, and the bass guitar is really only audible when he’s by himself.  But I must clarify: dude, it was 1985!  Brian Slagel was running Metal Blade out of the trunk of his car!  If you had crap production, it didn’t matter.  What mattered is that Anthrax was making what arguably holds up as their best record to date and can’t be denied as a cornerstone of thrash.  Put this one on your short list. 

Review by Matt Rewinski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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