Ignored by all but diehards, Stomp 442 found Anthrax in creative freefall, shackled to ideas that had ceased to be interesting years ago.
Apparently, the band realized they were in dire straits -- that's the only explanation for the ambitious cavalcade of sounds on Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, the follow-up to Stomp 442.
Coming on the heels of Anthrax's blandest effort, the whirling array of styles on Volume 8 is welcome, but it also hides the fact that the group hasn't exactly bounced back from a songwriting slump that first reared its head on Sound of White Noise.
Sheer energy and attitude go a long way, however, and for a while the album is genuinely engaging.
The speed metal has actual bite, and the departures, from the heavy percussion of the opener, "Crush," through the country stomp "Toast" to the unlisted acoustic closer, "Pieces," are nearly all successful.
The problem is, the entire thing adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
At first, the revitalized and newly creative Anthrax is enthralling, but soon it becomes apparent that all of the change is on the surface -- beneath the stylistic games, there aren't many memorable songs.
Still, the surfaces are quite appealing, suggesting that Volume 8 is a transitional album that will lead Anthrax into new, uncharted territory.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrushCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 2 | CatharsisCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 3 | Inside OutCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 40 MB |
| 4 | P & VCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | 604Charlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 00:35 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 6 | Toast to the ExtrasCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | Born Again IdiotCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | Killing BoxCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Harms WayCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 10 | Hog TiedCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 11 | Big FatCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 42 MB |
| 12 | CupajoeCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 00:46 | 1 MB | 5 MB |
| 13 | Alpha MaleCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 14 | Stealing from a ThiefCharlie Benante, John Bush, Scott Ian | Anthrax | Play | 05:36 | 12 MB | 42 MB |
| 56 mins | 128 MB | |||||
| 56 mins | 414 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthrax | Arranger, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Frank Bello | Bass, Vocals |
| 3 | Charlie Benante | Composer, Drums, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion, Photography |
| 4 | John Bush | Composer, Vocals |
| 5 | Paul Crook | Producer |
| 6 | Tim Gabor | Art Direction, Illustrations |
| 7 | Scott Ian | Composer, Guitar, Photography, Vocals |
| 8 | Paul Shatraw | Assistant Engineer |
| 9 | Chris Sheldon | Mixing |
| 10 | Brian Smale | Photography |
| 11 | Mark Weiss | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |