 Anthrax We've Come For You All What's up everybody? Long time no write. Quite some time ago I told Niclas that I would write a review on the new Anthrax disc, "We've Come For You All". It has taken me awhile to do this, partly because I have been very busy, partly because I'm lazy, but also because I almost did not want to write it. The review in a nutshell, this disc sucks. I'm sorry. I don't know how else to put it. I read some excellent reviews about this new one and was really looking forward to it for a number of reasons. One of which is the fact that I am an Anthrax fan. I had some trouble finding the new album at first. None of the record stores here were interested in carrying it. Then I finally got a hold of it and, well, nothing really happened. This disc is very generic. There was nothing on it that really stood out. After reading so many good reviews I had to wonder if it is just me that's the problem. That's why I had reservations about writing this. My first review for Metalshrine was negative and I didn't want to post another negative review. I gave the new music several chances, listening to it in the car, at the gym, it just didn't do anything for me. While pondering this review I had some thoughts that I would like to share with you all. I am wondering if a moment of silence should be given, mourning the death of hard rock/ heavy metal. What the hell is going on with our beloved music these days? Some might say that the funeral took place back in 1991 or so when Nirvana broke out with "Smells like teen spirit". I could agree with that. For the last two or three years it seemed as if hard rock was going to make a comeback. But the resurgence of this music from bands such as the Scorpians, Motley Crue, Cinderella...etc has stalled. Nothing that these bands have put out has had any bite to it. It just seems very flat. I have seen a lot of the "80's" bands live in the last few years and they are still capable of delivering the goods onstage, but why not in the studio? Every band seems to have that period of time where they are in the zone, so to speak, and the new music gets better with every release. I think of Iron Maiden from Piece of Mind through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. And who can deny the leaps and bounds Metallica made from Kill 'Em All through ...And Justice For All. I even liked the "Black" album. But what has happened to these bands today? Where are the balls, and the aggression that these bands used to deliver? Naturally these bands can't stay on top forever and they have to know when to call it quits. Metallica should have committed suicide after the "Load" album. I think the original title to that album was Load of crap, but anyways, if we can no longer rely on these bands and they refuse to fade away, then obviously we need to look to the new bands for the kind of music we crave. Here is where I really start to have problems. What new bands do we look to? I have purchased no fewer than 30 cd's this year and can think of only three that were worth the money. Sevendust: Animosity, Stone Sour, and The Blessed Hellride from Black Label Society. For those of you not so good at math let me spell it out for you. 3 good cd's/30 cd's purchased = I got fucked. This does not make me happy. The bands that are out today are all sounding the same. The same guitar tone, the same song structure, same style of lyrics and no guitar solos. Even back in the eighties when the scene was flooded with a million hair bands, the music was still kickin all kinds of ass! Has anyone ever heard Second Coming from Shotgun Messiah? That is one kick ass album, start to finish, that unfortunately was killed by grunge. I listen to a wide variety of music, anything from punk bands like The Exploited, hard rock bands like Tantric, to thrash bands like Slayer and Testament. This gives a big pool of music to choose from and very little is exciting in any of these categories. It saddens me deeply. I can remember times when buying a new cd from one of my favorite bands gave me butterflies like a little school girl gets when she sees the star quarter back for the football team standing by her locker. Now, when I buy a new cd, I do it with trepidation because I fear it is just another disappointment waiting to be unwrapped. This rant of mine is going nowhere and is pointless to most, so for those of you who made it this far, I'll end it now. But if anybody who reads this has an opinion on what you just read let me know. If there is a band out there that you think I should check out, don't keep it to yourself! Tell me about em! If you want to tell me I'm full of shit and that I'm an idiot feel free to do that to, I just won't put you on my Christmas card list. You can send responses to drew_olm@yahoo.com Until next time, Drew
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