ANTHRAX
Worship Music
Nuclear Blast/Riot Entertainment

By Shane Pinnegar

From the moody scene setting intro ‘Worship’ through to ferocious closer ‘Revolution Screams’, Anthrax seem determined to prove once and for all that, rotating lead singers aside, they are as relevant a musical force as they have ever been.

Joey Belladona delivers perhaps his best vocal performance to date – silencing critics who thought his re-recruitment was a backwards move, especially in light of guitarist Scott Ian’s comments last year that John Bush was the better singer for the band.

Thankfully gone are the rap crossover elements from the band’s “State Of Euphoria” days, leaving a full, rich, traditional metal sound – think Belladona singing the “Stomp 442” era songs.

Standout tracks such as Zombie apocalypse winner ‘Fight Em Til You Can’t’, ‘In The End’ - a mighty tribute to fallen friends Ronnie James Dio and Dimebag Darrel with a Sabbath-heavy touch, and the punchy assault of ‘Judas Priest’ all benefit from the long gestation period of the album, which allowed the band the luxury of time to tighten the screws on the songwriting and iron out any weak spots.

Regardless of how long Belladona stays on board, “Worship Music” rates up there as one of Anthrax’s best – and amongst the best of the year.