Anthrax, those thrash elder statesmen and little brothers of the Big Four, recently released an EP full of classic rock covers, something not unheard of for veteran acts looking to pay homage to heroes–or just have a little bit of fun. The resulting Anthems (which inexplicably dons the Thraxagram, because Steve Perry is so Satanic…) is a mixed bag, but not necessarily for the band’s performances or choice of songs, but more for how those two things mix. Covers must be chosen wisely so as not to sound like a square peg giving a round hole a serious reaming, lest the entire affair end up sounding like a misguided and obvious cash grab. In Anthrax’s case, it’s hard to tell exactly what the motivation was behind Anthems, but it’s pretty easy to form an opinion on the results…
1. First of all, nice fuckin’ song selections boys. I mean, really stand up job. (Smell the sarcasm.) In all honesty, these six choices feel nothing but phoned in. Starting with the big radio anthems: Do we really need both “TNT” and “Jailbreak” here? The AC/DC and Thin Lizzy originals are classics, and both covers are decent, but come on. No one is out there demanding the formula of popular-band-covers-other-popular-bands. It’s boring, predictable, and fucking useless. I suppose you could give them some credit for choosing Rush’s “Anthem” instead of a massive hit like “Tom Sawyer” or “Freewill,” and “Big Eyes” by Cheap Trick instead of “Surrender,” but as band picks they’re still as obvious as what a high school garage band would select. An EP packed with UFO, Budgie, and Uriah Heep would be far more fitting, not to mention feel far less rigid. Thrash is a clinical, rough-edged form of metal, and when those musicians take on looser, more swaggeriffic jams, the music often feels constricted, as the “TNT” cover perfectly shows.
2. Choosing more obscure, fitting tunage may have also served to repair the band’s image a tad. As an institution, or brand (THRAX-A-GRAM), Anthrax has nothing left to prove. Their classic material from the 80s is timeless, and they remain a vicious live act. However, as a band made up of actual people – particularly bosses Scott Ian and Charlie Benante – they have developed a reputation of being cold and overly business-oriented. (That singer shuffle, anyone?) By covering more obscure material, they could have shown that they still have a lava-hot fire for the music itself, and not just a desire to relive the first time they felt up Sally Jane Downthestreet in the backseat of their ’76 Chevy Nova. As a guy who grew up learning about underground acts from Metallica’s early covers (even in 1984 they were more popular than Blitzkrieg), I think it’s a goddamn shame that Anthrax isn’t out to help a new generation discover bands less popular than fucking Journey.
3. Speaking of that one… If there needed to be a cherry on the top of this old-man-thrash-sundae, it’s the inclusion of “Keep on Runnin’,” which even in the hands of Anthrax feels as arena-obsessed and suburban-mom-friendly as anything Steve Perry and Co. did on their own. Journey has never been and will never be an apt band for a cornerstone of heavy metal to cover. For drunken nights at a bar after your favorite team just pulled out a big win? Sure, great for that. But for inclusion on a covers EP by the band that wrote Among the Living? Not so much.
4. And now for Joey Belladonna. The on-again-off-again-hopefully-on-for-good Anthrax front man is a good singer, and a great leader for this band. In the 80s he stood out because he actually sang on thrash albums, and helped to bring some fun and personality to a typically aggressive and cutthroat genre. However, having him attempt to recreate the charisma of a Phil Lynott or Bon Scott, or the range of a Steve Perry or Geddy Lee is not just ill advised, it’s a sick joke. It’s almost as if jerking the dude around for years wasn’t enough for Charlie and Scott, forcing him to hit the high notes during the chorus of “Anthem” had to be done too. Dicks. Not even Geddy can hit those notes.
5. Then there is the original material. Or rather “original material.” What’s with including a song from Worship Music? On top of that, why is there also a remix of that same song? Is it that they thought the six covers weren’t enticing enough to fans and Anthems also required two versions of a later track from Worship Music to fill it out? Or was this just a case of wanting to suddenly give “Crawl” more attention a full eighteen months after its original release? Either way, the remix is only barely warranted, and the inclusion of the studio version is pointless.
6. In the interest ending on a positive note, gotta mention the Boston cover. And at the risk of contradicting my earlier point that thrash bands tend to tighten up when faced with rockier material, it has to be stated that “Smokin’” is not just the best cover here, it could very well be more addictive than the classic original. Belladona sounds like he’s having the time of his life, the organ is blended perfectly, and the addition of some additional gain on the guitars gives that chorus hook an extra level of bite. Still, don’t let one killer cover out of six entice you to actually shell out money for this prime example of elderly slothfulness.
