Anthrax

Newport Music Hall

Columbus, Ohio

1.11.06 

Review by O.M.O.M./ Photography by Rob Kern. 

To be honest I walked into the Columbus stop on the Anthrax tour with a bit of a chip on my shoulder.  Truth be told, I’m a bit of a John Bush sympathizer; sure, I was originally bitten by the Anthrax bug in the Joey Belladonna years, Spreading The Disease, to be exact.  I anxiously awaited each new ‘Thrax release and the live Belladonna-era shows were always spot on.  Even though I never had a problem with Joey, when John Bush came on board, I couldn’t have been happier.  I had been leaning towards heavier music for some time and the addition of Bush allowed the band to veer into a tougher, heavier place.  The change in direction eventually led to lead guitarist Dan Spitz leaving the group and more recently, the defection of bassist Frank Bello. 

So when the band announced they were reuniting the classic lineup, bringing back Joey, Dan and Frank to the fold, I was a tad pissed off.  Not so much angry at the band but more so the fans.  Yeah, that’s right, you the people, people who acted as if Anthrax ceased to exist during the years of 1995-2005.  I don’t mind that Anthrax are reuniting, I mind the fact that Anthrax released some incredible material over the last few years (Volume 8 and We’ve Come For You All to be specific) and they fell on deaf ears to the metal public.  So, after taking some giant strides forward, Anthrax has to take a few back in order to jolt the somnambular listening masses awake.  Enough of my ranting and bitching, lets get to what you are here for; Is this reunion a stud or a dud?

Pre-7 p.m. is a decidedly un-metal hour, so apologies for missing first on the bill Manntis, we’ll catch you next time ‘round.  Sworn Enemy was up next and they have a new album coming out on January 24^th.  No, really.  January 24^th.  New album, January 24^th, or so they might have mentioned a few times between songs (and maybe during, I can’t be sure).  All kidding aside, the NYC based hardcore act delivered a solid set of metal/hardcore featuring tunes from the upcoming (Jan. 24) release The Beginning Of The End.  If you like your metal/hardcore along the lines of Madball or Agnostic Front, then you’ll feel right at home with Sworn Enemy.  A brief side note:  When I played little league baseball, we had a mentally handicapped kid, Freddy, who would pitch from time to time.  During Sworn Enemy, there was a guy in the pit whose mosh mimicked, move for move, Freddy’s delivery.  If the guy at the show is mentally handicapped, I apologize; if he isn’t, well, I’m sorry…

As energetic as the crowd support was for God Forbid, the fans saved energy in reserve for the return of the classic 80’s version of Anthrax.  I admit I had reservations when this reunion was announced; Joey had been out of the spotlight for some time, would he still have the vocal chops to nail the classics?  In the press there had been quite a bit of animosity between the camps of Joey/Dan Spitz and Scott Ian/Charlie Benante, could they keep the peace and rekindle the creative spark they once had?  Would Dan Spitz ever give another interview to rival the one he did for Metal Sludge a few years ago?  And last but certainly not least, was there any way I could lose enough weight to fit into my “Not Man” Anthrax tee from 1987?

Just like the good old days, Anthrax entered to the recorded Blues Brothers intro and then launched things off with “Among The Living.”  A few sound issues during the first 3 or 4 songs had the band looking a bit tense until things were resolved.  No over the hill, bloated Vince Neil or emaciated Mick Mars types on stage for this reunion.  All members have survived pretty much intact and looking as well as they did in 1990.  Watchmaker Dan Spitz displayed his trademark aloof/cool detachment, moving about the stage and dashing off solos.  Never one to run around the stage, Dan let the music do the talking and showed that he’s still as adept at a lead run as he is rebuilding a Rolex.  Joey’s vocals have survived nearly intact, be it to the frenzied “Metal Thrashing Mad” or kidding around with Scott Ian during the beginning of “Madhouse” and dashing off a quick line from the Judas Priest classic “The Ripper.” 

Dipping heavily from the first two Joey-era albums, Spreading The Disease and Among The Living, the band kept the crowd moving with gems like “A.I.R.”, “Medusa” and “Aftershock.”  Bassist Frank Bello returned from his jaunt in the band Helmet recharged and bounding about the stage, a textbook example of what a metal bassist should be.  Featuring just a pair of tracks from State Of Euphoria, the crowd favorite “Antisocial” and “Be All, End All” and only one from Persistence Of Time, the Joe Jackson cover “Got The Time”, Anthrax may be giving us an indication of what direction they may be aiming for on a new studio record, a future recording which they did mention during the show.  The Bush era recordings have been shelved so far during the reunion tour and it would be interesting to see them pull one or two off with Belladonna handling the vocals; “Only” would fit quite well to name one.