#stomp 442

Anthrax - Perpetual Motion

“Random Acts of Senseless Violence” opened Stomp 442 with clarity and focus, offering both a streamlined version of Sound of White Noise’s monolithic pummeling (especially on the production side) as well as nod’s to Anthrax’s past, especially in the rap-like cadence of the verses.  Of course, at the time this played like an opportunistic co-opting of the nascent nü metal scene, and while it wasn’t entirely not that, the song largely fit within the context of the band’s recent history.  John Bush toned down his roar a touch, but his bellow was as forceful as ever, while the stop-start chorus straight-up raged and Charlie Benante’s drumming remained fleet and furious.  And the lyrics (largely about Colin Ferguson killing 6 people and wounding 19 others on a Long Island Railroad passenger car) demonstrated that Anthrax remained an NYC band at heart, even if at least half the group lived elsewhere by 1995.  Stomp 442 was almost immediately an underrated record, as its stronger qualities were obscured by bad business and worse timing, but “Random Acts of Senseless Violence” was a worthy and rampaging banger worthy of the Anthrax’s legacy.

ANTHRAX-FUELED

Random Acts Of Senseless Violence Fueled King Size Riding Shotgun Perpetual Motion In A Zone Nothing American Pompeii Drop The Ball Tester Bare

Anthrax - Riding Shotgun

Anthrax’s final album as a major label act reflected both the uncertainty of its time as well as the band’s somewhat awkward attempt at adjusting to it: whereas Sound of White Noise was a monolithic masterpiece that both represented and defined its era, Stomp 442 was leaner and more reactive.  And tunes like “American Pompeii” symbolized the push/pull nature of the record: the newly streamlined Anthrax was as passionate in their delivery as ever, and the track was fundamentally metallic in nature, but it also felt like the group was making concessions instead of raising their fists in defiance.  John Bush was still a phenomenal singer, but his vocals evinced some strain, and actually sounded a bit unconfident in parts, while the strength of the music was hampered somewhat by the Butcher Brothers’ muffled production (Charlie Benante’s drumming was still awesome, at least).  It was really too bad, because “American Pompeii” was fiery and had a killer pre-chorus, but something was missing.  Ultimately, the song proved that while Anthrax could always deliver the goods compositionally, they really needed the push that came from a combination of good producers and good business to get themselves off the ground.