I don't know how many of you realise that a band of this age is something to really appreciate. I couldn't care less how the new album sounds, I just know I'll love it because it's from a bunch of guys that have inspired metal and music for, not years, but decades. To me that's something special and I fucken love that!
We've seen the end of Megadeth after 19 years due to Mustaine's tendon problem in his arm, which is very sad, because they were hitting a peak as far as band line-ups go.
We've seen Metallica fall to Hetfield's love of country music, yet their sales soar due to naive pop music punters with no appreciation of talented musicianship.
Alas, Iron Maiden have sustained their status from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of being true pioneers of rock and roll. Bruce Dickinson can be contributed to much of that because people loved his voice and loved the sound of Steve Harris' songwriting and production.
Slayer, still selling but with no direction, only a hardcore base of fans which is unfortunate.
These are the big bands of the last 2 decades and this is what has happened.
Anthrax, it is true to say, are in the same position as Slayer only they have better direction. It is a shame a group of very talented musicians with excellent skills can be held back by music marketing wrangles and lack of proper promotion... e.g
(As of John Bush's entry)
Sound of White Noise - brilliant, sold well, great.
Stomp 442 - best album I've heard from any band in years. A few ads in metal magazines and that's it - absolutely no marketing whatsoever. General metal lovers did not know Anthrax had an album out at all.
Volume 8 - Much the same. No marketing.
Let's hope the next album is marketed to the point where everyone knows that Anthrax has worked their ass off to make music for the world to enjoy.
It could be worse. There's a band in nearby New Zealand called Shihad that, after years of hard work building a name for themselves, had to change their name after September 11, 2001 to Pacifier because of the reference to holy war.
Grateful that Anthrax did not have to do the same considering the events that unfolded in the US in the aftermath.
Cheers all,
Richard Dean
Australia
We've seen the end of Megadeth after 19 years due to Mustaine's tendon problem in his arm, which is very sad, because they were hitting a peak as far as band line-ups go.
We've seen Metallica fall to Hetfield's love of country music, yet their sales soar due to naive pop music punters with no appreciation of talented musicianship.
Alas, Iron Maiden have sustained their status from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of being true pioneers of rock and roll. Bruce Dickinson can be contributed to much of that because people loved his voice and loved the sound of Steve Harris' songwriting and production.
Slayer, still selling but with no direction, only a hardcore base of fans which is unfortunate.
These are the big bands of the last 2 decades and this is what has happened.
Anthrax, it is true to say, are in the same position as Slayer only they have better direction. It is a shame a group of very talented musicians with excellent skills can be held back by music marketing wrangles and lack of proper promotion... e.g
(As of John Bush's entry)
Sound of White Noise - brilliant, sold well, great.
Stomp 442 - best album I've heard from any band in years. A few ads in metal magazines and that's it - absolutely no marketing whatsoever. General metal lovers did not know Anthrax had an album out at all.
Volume 8 - Much the same. No marketing.
Let's hope the next album is marketed to the point where everyone knows that Anthrax has worked their ass off to make music for the world to enjoy.
It could be worse. There's a band in nearby New Zealand called Shihad that, after years of hard work building a name for themselves, had to change their name after September 11, 2001 to Pacifier because of the reference to holy war.
Grateful that Anthrax did not have to do the same considering the events that unfolded in the US in the aftermath.
Cheers all,
Richard Dean
Australia
