Joey Belladonna era (1985–1992, 2010-present)
In late August 1984, Neil Turbin was fired as vocalist for the band. He later went on to form the band DeathRiders. Matt Fallon (who later preceded Sebastian Bach as vocalist for Skid Row) was a temporary replacement. The band also appeared as a four-piece billed as “The Diseased”, with Scott Ian on vocals. They performed a few hardcore punk covers.
Vocalist Joey Belladonna was chosen as the new singer and debuted live with the band on February 27, 1985. An EP titled “Armed and Dangerous” was recorded and included two live tracks from early 1984, and the two songs from the “Soldiers of Metal” 7″ single.
Later in 1985, Ian, Benante and Danny Lilker collaborated with vocalist Billy Milano to produce the satirical album Speak English or Die under the band name Stormtroopers of Death.
Anthrax’s next album, Spreading the Disease, came out in the same year and was followed by US and European touring.
The follow-up album Among the Living, recorded during 1986 and released in March 1987, developed the band’s humorous and more experimental side. Anthrax radically departed from the “traditional” heavy metal look in favour of brightly colored “surfer” jam shorts and began a lyrical trend that focused on movies, comic books and Stephen King novels. “I Am the Law” is a tribute to comic book hero Judge Dredd. “Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)” (“nise fukin life” spelt backwards) is about comedian John Belushi’s drug addiction and death. “Indians” and the mosh pit anthem “Caught in a Mosh” are still considered Anthrax classics today. The album was dedicated to the memory of Cliff Burton, the early Metallica bass player. “I Am the Law” was issued as a single, backed with “I’m the Man”, a song that combined rap with metal. They further indulged their appreciation for rap by appearing on the title track of U.T.F.O.’s album Lethal. Anthrax toured Europe with Metallica and Metal Church to promote Among The Living.
Anthrax stuck to its thrash metal formula on the 1988 album State of Euphoria. The single “Antisocial”, originally by French heavy metal band Trust, soon became a staple on MTV in regular rotation as well as on Headbangers Ball. The group continued to expand its horizons by touring the US with black funk metal band Living Colour.
In 1989, MTV held a contest in which the winner would get to have the band come to their home and trash it. The contest was won by a female fan, and the band subsequently came to her house and caused havoc. This was the inspiration for the band’s 1992 appearance on Married… with Children, where the main characters of the show win a similar television contest.
In 1990, Anthrax released the more serious Persistence of Time to even greater success than State of Euphoria. The album was considerably darker, more technical and progressive than Anthrax’s previous work. This struck a chord with metal fans who had been previously wary of embracing the band because of their “silly” side. The biggest single off the album was a cover of Joe Jackson’s “Got the Time”. Jackson himself even claimed that he enjoyed Anthrax’s cover version of his song.[citation needed] “In My World” and “Belly of the Beast” were also successful.
Check out my website for more cool music: Aaron Sparks
Check out my abstract graphics galleries: Aaron Sparks
Check out my links page for all things guitar related: Aaron Sparks
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment