Tweet
...the goods (the full title wouldn't fit)
Chicago Sun Times
May 2, 2005
BY DAVE HOFER
There's a fine line between a band dragged up from rock 'n' roll retirement to make a much-needed buck and a band that has never ceased to exist inviting back old members for a celebration of its past. Though money was probably an incentive, the classic lineup of pioneering metal band Anthrax was in fine form Saturday night at the House of Blues -- and they stayed well on the side of good taste.
Rather than boasting a reunion of all its original members, Anthrax celebrated 20 years as a band simply by gathering together its best lineup for a handful of American dates and a group of festivals in Europe this summer. A breath of fresh air in a scene quickly becoming stale with ham-fisted nu-metal bands -- whose main objective often is to look cool rather than to create interesting music -- Anthrax offered a great reminder as to why its blend of hard-core and thrash metal in the '80s was so important at the time and remains so exciting to this day.
Opening the set was an overly long video history of the band from inception to present day. With some interesting early studio and live footage, the history lesson was bogged down with information about the band's later releases, which was completely beside the point considering the event at hand. With class dismissed, the band tore into "Among the Living," just one of many classic songs they would play throughout the evening.
The members themselves have aged well, which was especially evident in returning vocalist Joey Belladonna. He hit all the crucial notes, and the audience seemed to agree with him when he said it was as if he had never left; they sang along at every chorus. One of the most underrated drummers in metal, Charlie Benante played metronomically and kept the band completely grounded during such scorchers as "A.I.R." and "I Am the Law" despite bursts of speed and some tricky tempo changes.
Thick in the air, though, was a feeling of desperation from the returning members on behalf of Belladonna. Repeated reminders of how happy they were to be onstage again wore thin -- and suggested that past inner-band turmoil still lingered.
With little time between songs, Anthrax played tracks from all of the records on which this lineup appeared, 1985's "Armed and Dangerous" through 1990's "Persistence of Time," including an excellent version of an even older song, "Deathrider." An encore brought a fairly sloppy and uninspired version of the groundbreaking rap/metal hybrid "I'm the Man," which felt out of place.
Though hindered by the feeling that the band needed a quick buck, the reuniting of a classic metal group was an amazing thrill. For those not old enough to catch it the first time around (pre-1992), Anthrax turned the House of Blues stage into a time machine for fans old and new to enjoy.
Chicago Sun Times
May 2, 2005
BY DAVE HOFER
There's a fine line between a band dragged up from rock 'n' roll retirement to make a much-needed buck and a band that has never ceased to exist inviting back old members for a celebration of its past. Though money was probably an incentive, the classic lineup of pioneering metal band Anthrax was in fine form Saturday night at the House of Blues -- and they stayed well on the side of good taste.
Rather than boasting a reunion of all its original members, Anthrax celebrated 20 years as a band simply by gathering together its best lineup for a handful of American dates and a group of festivals in Europe this summer. A breath of fresh air in a scene quickly becoming stale with ham-fisted nu-metal bands -- whose main objective often is to look cool rather than to create interesting music -- Anthrax offered a great reminder as to why its blend of hard-core and thrash metal in the '80s was so important at the time and remains so exciting to this day.
Opening the set was an overly long video history of the band from inception to present day. With some interesting early studio and live footage, the history lesson was bogged down with information about the band's later releases, which was completely beside the point considering the event at hand. With class dismissed, the band tore into "Among the Living," just one of many classic songs they would play throughout the evening.
The members themselves have aged well, which was especially evident in returning vocalist Joey Belladonna. He hit all the crucial notes, and the audience seemed to agree with him when he said it was as if he had never left; they sang along at every chorus. One of the most underrated drummers in metal, Charlie Benante played metronomically and kept the band completely grounded during such scorchers as "A.I.R." and "I Am the Law" despite bursts of speed and some tricky tempo changes.
Thick in the air, though, was a feeling of desperation from the returning members on behalf of Belladonna. Repeated reminders of how happy they were to be onstage again wore thin -- and suggested that past inner-band turmoil still lingered.
With little time between songs, Anthrax played tracks from all of the records on which this lineup appeared, 1985's "Armed and Dangerous" through 1990's "Persistence of Time," including an excellent version of an even older song, "Deathrider." An encore brought a fairly sloppy and uninspired version of the groundbreaking rap/metal hybrid "I'm the Man," which felt out of place.
Though hindered by the feeling that the band needed a quick buck, the reuniting of a classic metal group was an amazing thrill. For those not old enough to catch it the first time around (pre-1992), Anthrax turned the House of Blues stage into a time machine for fans old and new to enjoy.
Comment