I’ve been searching for the right way to describe Anthrax. They’ve assumed a role as some kind of elder statesmen of the thrash scene, but although their dedication and professionalism shines through they’re not exactly weighed down by gravitas. It would be hard to do so, given the milieu.
Last night in Lausanne they treated us to an absolutely storming show, combining power, precision, melody, brutality and humour. Long since gone are the cartoony, skate-obsessed days of their youth, but what they now bring along is maturity and intelligence, coupled with a desire to enjoy themselves on stage and make sure that the audience is fully involved.
It’s a pleasure to see Joey B back on vocals and he’s clearly loving his work, inciting the crowd to sing along and relishing the reaction he gets. For some bands, bringing back the lead singer from the glory days of the 1980s could be seen as an admission of defeat and a sign that all they had to offer were retreads of old material, but he has brought a real dynamism to the band and the songs from the latest album Worship Music stood up well alongside the classics. In addition, a frequent hesitation about metal singers is that as they get older they lose their range and power. This certainly isn’t the case with Joey, who at 51 is in better voice than ever and could certainly show a lot of young frontmen how to do it.
The rest of the band was as tight and precise as you’d expect, with a particular mention for Charlie B on drums who laid down a solid platform with some ferocious drumming throughout.
It’s hard to believe that it’s 25 years since I first encountered Anthrax, when the Among The Living album came out and changed my way of listening to music. I couldn’t imagine then that I’d still be going to see them play live now. I’m glad that I did, though.