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Anthrax: Fistful of metal

09/02/11 || InquisitorGeneralis

Let me just get this out of the way; my two favorite Anthrax records are today’s review “Fistful of Metal” and the band’s underappreciated groove metal masterpiece “The Sound of White Noise”. Neither of those feature iconic front man Joey “Wigwam” Belladonna, neither gets much attention in Anthrax’s live sets these days, and neither features any of that bullshit rap/metal garbage that Scott Ian thinks he and the others are so fucking cool for making. Computer wizard, and all around nice Finn, Statik Magik took a break from designing great covers for not so great Project Flyleafamore albums and gave The Sound of White Noise some fantastic coverage, so that leaves Anthrax’s debut record as the only album I give a shit about. So here we go….

First, this is not a Class666 worthy effort, even though it is one of the early, landmark albums in the history of thrash metal. I like it and it’s good, but it isn’t that good. “Fistful of Fetus” is not at the same level as the other Big 4 debuts; “Kill ‘Em All”, “Killing My Business…”, and “Show No Mercy”. After this album the band would drop vocalist Neil Turbin faster than former staffer Smalley drops his pants at an Amorphis concert and go onto legitimate success in the mid to late 80’s with Joey Belladonna on the mic. Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the stuff from “Spreading the Disease”, “Among the Living”, and “The Persistence of Time”, but after listening to the winners like “Caught in a mosh” and “Madhouse”, my attention span wanders. There are just not enough lumps in the gravy to keep my taste buds, and sloppy vagina, wet.

“Fistful of metal” however keeps me hanging around like Daemonomania’s limp dick because it has a raw, aggressive, and heavy feel that just seems to be missing on later Anthrax records. There are definitely some traditional heavy metal influences on here that would be replaced on later records by more, repetitive straight-up thrashing. The riffs on here are heavier, the drumming is more forceful, and the songs just appeal more to my chunkier, thicker tastes. Those tastes also extend to sandwiches, soups, and females. When Belladonna came aboard, it seems that Anthrax took on a more whimsical, melancholy tone (except for serious tracks like “Indians” and “Belly of the beast”) that is certainly not present here. Plus, I like Turbin’s vocals too. They sound a bit like another sacked front man, Paul Di’Anno, but with a higher range. Maybe it is the band’s youth that gives this record its pop, or the presence of Ent-like bassist and current grind freak and black metaller Dan Liker on bass.

“Deathrider” is a great opener and is powered by Charlie Benante’s work on ze drum kit. He lets it rip on the kick drums and really shines on “Soldiers of metal”. I wish later Anthrax albums had more of this heaviness. Plus, the lyrics are early 80’s, goofy perfection. “Metal thrashing mad” is another great song that the band really should include in its live show. I get mad a lot. My ex-girlfriend is a fucking psycho, my students are little, illiterate douchebags, and my friends are all slowly turning into vaginal couch potatoes. However, none of this makes me metal thrashing mad, I can only imagine how many blood vessels I would burst if that were to happen. The cover of Alice Cooper’s “I’m eighteen” is pretty good but also unnecessary. Anthrax is a little cover-happy, as evident here in the early days. “Panic” is good but not especially memorable except for the pretty sweet guitar solo and funny lyrics about sex. “Anthrax” is ok but if you are going to name a song after your band, it better fucking rule. Amon Amarth and Malevolent Creation know what I’m talking about here.

“Subjugator” is a fucken winner with some major Judas Priest vibes. To give credit where it’s due, Scott Ian is a great rhythm guitarist and can really lay down catchy riffs. Spitz lets loose some decent solos on here and it is safe to say that those two were the best guitar combo Anthrax has had over their 40,000 line-up changes. These two take it home on “Soldiers of metal” and “Death from above”; two of the albums best, mid-paced tunes. “Howling furies” really cranks up the NWOBHM influences, especially the dual-guitar harmony in the middle, and ends the album on a solid note. If this paragraph has taught you anything, son, it’s that the slower, heavier, more traditional sounding metal songs on “Fistful of metal” are the best.

The simple song structures and a few shippable tracks keep “Fistful of Metal” from receiving a top-tier score. Still, it is a heavy, aggressive thrash album that, for me, holds up better than the more popular ones that the band would make afterwards. The guitar work is good and Charlie Benante gives, in my opinion, his best drumming performance. The 70’s metal vibes and early 80’s metal vibes run deep here and really make “Faceful of Cockpuke” stand out. I am not a total Anthrax hater, except for anything rap related and the absolute shit that came out after “The Sound of White Noise”, and I am happy the band is stable these days with Joey back as the front man. They are a good band to see live…that is why I wish that songs like “Deathrider” and “Subjugator” would get a spin or two in concert! Oh, and the cover fucking rules and should have made our “Best Album Covers” list. There, I’m done. Pick this one up, it’s worth it.

Since I will probably never write another article about Anthrax again, I need to point something out. Listen to Anthrax’s Be all, end all and then Behemoth’s Conquer all and tell me that Nergal and company did not rip that shit off. Jason and Sparky from Misery Index both told me they asked Nergal about it and he said he never heard “Be all, end all” before. Doesn’t sound like it…

7,5

Information
Released: 1984
Label: Megaforce
Website: www.anthrax.com
Band
Neil Turbin: vocals
Dan Spitz: guitars
Scott Ian: guitars
Danny Lilker: bass
Charlie Benante: drums

Tracklist
01. Deathrider
02. Metal Thrashing Mad
03. I’m Eighteen (Alice Cooper cover)
04. Panic
05. Subjugator
06. Soldiers of Metal
07. Death from Above
08. Anthrax
09. Across the River
10. Howling Furies

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