ANTHRAX

Older fans may still pine for the speed and fury of an earlier era, but in creative terms, ANTHRAX have had a pretty successful and energetic 21st century. Much like their Big Four brethren in SLAYER and METALLICA, the New Yorkers have hardly been prolific: "Cursum Perficio" is only their fourth album of new material in 25 years. But when it comes to preserving a hard-earned legacy and, in particular, maintaining a reputation for being an audaciously entertaining live band, ANTHRAX have seldom put a foot wrong. Admittedly, the decade-long gap between this, their 12th album, and its immediate predecessor "For All Kings", suggests that the creative process has become more arduous than before. However, taking into account several years lost to a global pandemic, and unexpected rebirths for MR. BUNGLE (featuring Scott Ian) and PANTERA (featuring Charlie Benante),"Cursum Perficio" is probably arriving at the optimum moment.

It certainly does not lack intensity, energy or attention to riff-driven detail. With the same, settled lineup that has flown the ANTHRAX flag for the last decade, these ten songs build impressively upon the great work laid down on "For All Kings" and 2011's "Worship Music", and seem to represent a very purposeful step up in songwriting terms. The three singles released prior to the unveiling of the complete caboodle sum it up brilliantly: "It's For the Kids" was an instant, high marker of quality for this new era, with blistering speed, razor-sharp hooks and a general sense of raucous camaraderie and frenzied moshing built into its furious, heads-down-and-try-not-to-lose-your-teeth momentum. Similarly, "Everybody's Got A Plan" is prime, late-period ANTHRAX, with an insistent, chugging core, a stellar performance from the ageless Joey Belladonna, and lyrics that swipe sternly at the state of things with a familiar sense of bruised hope and fully understandable world weariness. Best of all, "The Edge Of Perfection" is arguably the finest song the band have written since Belladonna's return for "Worship Music". A masterful, near-seven-minute monument to melodic classiness, belligerent bombast and old-meets-new-school dexterity, its musical ingenuity is matched by the hard-hitting depths of Scott Ian's lyrics, which contemplate the potential pitfalls and ecstatic crescendos of a loving life with a grace and maturity that stir the soul. We are a long way from songs about Judge Dredd here, but ANTHRAX are still warm, inclusive and relatable to a fault.

Elsewhere, "Cursum Perficio" strikes a decent balance between delivering the expected goods and dropping surprises like cartoon hand grenades. "The Long Goodbye" was perhaps an unfortunate choice of opener, due to its pedestrian gait and mid-paced sturdiness, but it steadily reveals its hidden depths after a few spins. Likewise, "Infectious", and "T.O.M.B." are all slow-burning songs built for the long haul, rather than instant bursts of adrenalin, but as textural milestones along this album's dynamic journey, they are hard to fault. The more invigorating, punked up and punchy "NYC 93" and the chaotic, white-knuckle wildness of "Watch It Go" are as grittily original as anything ANTHRAX have released in a long time, and both the towering, darkly melodic title track and the absurdly catchy "My Victory" hammer home how inspired the band must have been during this album's long-winded gestation. Both qualitatively reassuring and straightforwardly exciting, "Cursum Perficio" confirms that there is plenty of gas left in the ANTHRAX tank.