Making up one quarter of Thrash Metal’s big four, alongside other huge names like Metallica, Megadeath and Slayer, Anthrax are a sonic force to be reckoned with.
Formed in New York in the early 80’s, the band picked a name that they deemed ‘sufficiently evil’ sounding and immediately began to draw notoriety from its rowdy live performances.
After signing with heavy metal powerhouse Megaforce Records, things were looking good for the band however they struggled to a find a line-up that worked. With a debut album in the bag they eventually settled with Joey Belladonna as the frontman.
They began to release albums like ‘Spreading The Disease’ and ‘Among the Living’ which is widely considered the band’s breakthrough record and is often cited as a fan favorite. During this time they toured with big names such as Living Color and Metallica and were on the tour that saw the untimely demise of Metalica’s much beloved bassist Cliff Burton.
In the early 90’s the band embarked on an unlikely partnership that turned out to be one of their best moves. After collaborating successfully with Rap group Public Enemy on their track ‘Bring The Noise’, the group embarked on a US tour with the group and the meeting of Thrash and Hip Hop turned out be a successful pairing.
The band has continued to tour and release albums under a variety of line ups and have come to be respected and worshiped amongst metal fans. In 2010 the band headlined the UK’s Sonisphere Festival as part of the big four event and the reaction from hundreds of thousands of people was the ultimate sign of respect.
Chilly Gonzales
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