Anthrax

Anthrax stood alongside Metallica and Megadeth as a driving force behind the birth of speed and thrash metal. By fusing the rapid tempo and aggression of hardcore punk with the weighty guitar work and vocal style of heavy metal, the group forged a fresh offshoot of the genre across its initial releases. Founding guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz delivered a potent combination, unleashing rapid-fire riffs and leads that avoided any sense of self-indulgence. In contrast to Metallica or Megadeth, the band wisely balanced its frequently somber material with generous portions of wit and straightforward perspective. Following the debut Fistful of Metal, vocalist Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello entered the lineup. Belladonna guided the outfit further from standard metal tropes, and across the subsequent five albums—apart from 1988's State of Euphoria, which found the musicians constrained creatively—Anthrax could be seen as frontrunners of speed metal. As the decade turned, the group expanded its explorations into hip-hop, reaching a high point with a 1991 tour alongside Public Enemy and a collaborative remake of the latter's "Bring the Noise." Throughout the rest of the 1990s the musicians kept stretching their sonic range while facing persistent challenges from personnel shifts and record-company difficulties, resulting in only occasional performances by 2003. Seven years later, following an extended break, Anthrax reassembled for Worship Music, widely regarded as their strongest work since Persistence of Time in 1990.

After their most influential stretch in the late 1980s, the band dismissed Belladonna in 1992 and installed John Bush, formerly of Armored Saint, whose rougher, lower register aligned closely with typical metal expectations. This change rendered their music less distinctive, and their following diminished modestly; after moving to Elektra for Sound of White Noise in 1993, they departed the label following the release of Stomp 442 in 1995. At that juncture Anthrax, now operating as a quartet of Ian, Bush, Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante, constructed a personal studio in Yonkers, New York, and resurfaced after another three-year pause with Volume 8: The Threat Is Real on Ignition. Their initial compilation of hits, Return of the Killer A's: The Best Of, arrived in 1999 on Beyond and featured a version of "Ball of Confusion" that paired Bush with Belladonna. Plans for a joint tour were announced but collapsed just before it began when Belladonna withdrew, reportedly over financial terms. The itinerary proceeded anyway, with the band joining a summer 2000 package alongside Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, only to exit after a few shows.

In 2001 Anthrax contributed a cover of "Destroyer" to the Twisted Sister tribute Twisted Forever and started tracking their next record. Ian also hosted VH1's Rock Show on a regular basis and portrayed a member of the fictional group Titannica in Run, Ronnie, Run; the network later substituted Sebastian Bach for him, yet the musicians were already preparing to record again. Rob Caggiano joined on guitar in spring 2002 in time for those sessions. A year afterward the band issued We've Come for You All on Sanctuary. Their core approach remained consistent, and the supporting tour proved highly successful. The live CD/DVD Music of Mass Destruction: Live in Chicago, documenting two decades of activity, followed in 2004. In 2005 the original lineup of Ian, Spitz, Belladonna, Benante, and Bello reunited for shows and the retrospective Anthology: No Hit Wonders 1985-1991, while Alive 2 captured performances from that summer's dates.

Dan Nelson, previously of Devilsize, assumed vocal duties in 2007. John Bush's return was announced in 2009 without being presented as a permanent arrangement. The following year Belladonna rejoined for upcoming performances and to begin work on fresh material. The resulting Worship Music, Anthrax's tenth studio album and first collection of originals since We've Come for You All, appeared on September 13, 2011. It earned a Grammy nomination, after which the group released the 2013 EP Anthems, a set of 1970s rock covers. Shortly before its arrival Caggiano departed, with Shadows Fall's Jonathan Donais filling in live and becoming the permanent lead guitarist in August. Late 2013 marked the start of sessions for another studio record. Chile on Hell, a concert DVD, surfaced in 2014. The next year the musicians toured with Volbeat, Caggiano's new band. For All Kings, their eleventh studio album, arrived in February 2016. Anthrax then supported Iron Maiden on the Latin American portion of the Book of Souls World Tour. Kings Among Scotland, a concert film and album recorded February 15, 2017, at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom, followed in 2018. Marking their 40th anniversary, the band staged a global livestream performance in 2021 at a Los Angeles soundstage, delivering a two-hour selection of favorites and lesser-known tracks. The full concert and additional footage, released in 2022 by Nuclear Blast as XL, also incorporated a Scott Ian-guided tour of key New York sites.