After quitting the reunion several years ago, vocalist Joey Belladonna is back.  Dan Nelson has been fired and John Bush said no thanks.  So what? Joey Belladonna is back! Right?  Sorry folks, Anthrax is still Groove Metal even with their famed, Thrash heyday vocalist back in his rightful spot.  Worship Music isn’t a divine return to form.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some Thrash.  In fact, album opener “Earth on Hell” gets pretty close. Starting out with an obligatory blast beat, the song hustles and grooves just like Anthrax of old with their old vocalist at the helm.  But “The Devil You Know” sounds like a missing track from either The Sound of White Noise or We’ve Come For You All.  With a big marching riff and a bigger chorus, Bush could have handled this with ease but Belladonna gives it just a smidge more retro ‘Thrax flavor and personality. “Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t” tries to recapture the Thrash flame and it does so to an extent.  The track is a Thrash/Groove hybrid with a bombastic chorus and lyrics about zombies. It’s got a bite but not much of a full-on Thrash chomp.

“I’m Alive” finds the band fully embracing the Groove while Belladonna stretches his vocal chords a bit more.  The solo blisters and the riff is exceptionally heavy, but the song is a bit stuffy compared to the previous three tracks. “In the End” gets rather grand in its tribute to the fallen Metal Masters. Belladonna’s vocals steal the show from the stomping track, even when it picks up the pace and starts to groove. “The Giant” gets more aggressive and the shift to tighter riffs after the previous two tracks is welcome.

“Judas Priest” feels a bit confused as it retains most of the Groove elements from the previous songs but shows a few moments where it seems as if the song wants to take off.  Towards the mid-section of the track it does, but still seems to suffer a bit as it seems like it want to shake off the Grooves but ultimately can’t.  “Crawl” suffers in the exact same manner.  Except “Crawl” has some nicer chops in spots. “The Constant” continues the big Grooves with the big chorus formula but actually surprises the listener by actually speeding up at times. And when it does pick up the pace, it gets reeled right back in.  Thankfully “Revolution Screams” gets a lot more Thrash-friendly when compared to the previous five songs and just by the sheer fact of having more bite ends Worship Music on a high note.

Yes, Belladonna is back and he sounds great.  However, those expecting even something close to Persistence of Time are going to be bummed out.  Only two tracks here really have some Thrash flavor.  Worship Music ultimately has much more in common with the Bush-era albums than any of the previous Belladonna material. In fact, We’ve Come For You All might have less Groove and more Thrash than Worship Music. But it is Belladonna’s return that completely inflates Worship Music.  It’s not a bad disc and Belladonna’s fans will be glad to hear his contribution.  But as far as Anthrax goes, Worship Music is better than Stomp 442.  That’s it.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Worship
2.  Earth On Hell
3.  The Devil You Know
4.  Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t
5.  I’m Alive
6.  Hymn 1
7.  In The End
8.  The Giant
9.  Hymn 2
10.  Judas Priest
11.  Crawl
12.  The Constant
13.  Revolution Screams

Total playing time: 65:44

Release Date: September 13, 2011
Label: Megaforce Records

Anthrax - Worship Music

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

October 15, 2011