Is anyone's favorite band not Anthrax?

If I had to pick one band I would have to say GWAR. While they certainly aren't the best musicians out there their whole package is pretty amazing. I have seen them live nearly 40 times over the last 20 years. This stage show troupe has definitely seen better times but damn I have had a lot of fun. The smaller venues they tend to play at also helps. I am not a fan of huge venues. I like the close and personal musical show. I continue to go to nearly every GWAR show within 3 hours nowadays. I still haven't made the drive to their annual party in Virginia, the GWAR-BQ, but want to in the next couple of years. GWAR shows are fun and never take themselves seriously. Too much metal wants to do that.

I am enjoying the "Worship Music" Anthrax era and have seen them on Leg #1 of their tour, the Mayhem festival, and going to see them on Leg #3. Anthrax is playing the same size venues for the most part as GWAR so I love getting closer to the action. Also seen them at the Deltaplex Arena with Slayer in Grand Rapids. Slayer always kills live. I have seen Megadeth with Slayer (at the same Deltaplex show) play Rust In Peace live and it was amazing. Was a big fan of Metallica during the Jason Newsted era but don't listen to them or go see them in concert anymore. Always go to Primus concerts too. Try to see the oddball show now and again like the Butthole Surfers or Danzig playing Misfits.
 
Anthrax was always one of my favorite bands, and from 1993-2005 they were my very favorite band. Or at least I thought they were, truth is I love too much stuff to have a very favorite band. I loved Pantera like crazy in the 90's as well as Machinehead and Life of Agony.

As I said I can't narrow down my very favorite.

Anthrax, Down, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, Mastodon, Opeth, Black Sabbath, Faith No More, Guns – n- Roses (NOT Axl's current lame version), Aerosmith (1970's era only), Deep Purple, Megadeth, Metallica (up until Load)...

too much stuff to narrow it down.

I used to love the fuck out of Life of Agony. Talk about a band that fell apart. I was a casual fan of Pantera until I saw them live in 1998 thanks to Charlie B. I was a closet fan of GNR until I grew the fuck up. I was always a big fan of 70's and 80's Aerosmith. I was nuts about Megadeth until Risk came out. Got back in to them recently but have been off put by Mustaine's political rants. Faith no more have always been bad ass. Album of the year brings back so many fond memories.
 
If I had to pick one band I would have to say GWAR. While they certainly aren't the best musicians out there their whole package is pretty amazing. I have seen them live nearly 40 times over the last 20 years. This stage show troupe has definitely seen better times but damn I have had a lot of fun. The smaller venues they tend to play at also helps. I am not a fan of huge venues. I like the close and personal musical show. I continue to go to nearly every GWAR show within 3 hours nowadays. I still haven't made the drive to their annual party in Virginia, the GWAR-BQ, but want to in the next couple of years. GWAR shows are fun and never take themselves seriously. Too much metal wants to do that.

I am enjoying the "Worship Music" Anthrax era and have seen them on Leg #1 of their tour, the Mayhem festival, and going to see them on Leg #3. Anthrax is playing the same size venues for the most part as GWAR so I love getting closer to the action. Also seen them at the Deltaplex Arena with Slayer in Grand Rapids. Slayer always kills live. I have seen Megadeth with Slayer (at the same Deltaplex show) play Rust In Peace live and it was amazing. Was a big fan of Metallica during the Jason Newsted era but don't listen to them or go see them in concert anymore. Always go to Primus concerts too. Try to see the oddball show now and again like the Butthole Surfers or Danzig playing Misfits.


I really like this Worship Music era of Anthrax too. solid line up. Love Dan Spitz however I'm not missing him as much as I thought I would. I'm pretty confident that WM would have been a piece of shit had Dan Nelson sang on it. I saw Anthrax only once during that line up and I was not even slightly impressed. It's not just the fact that he was an Anselmo wannabe.
 
Hey there Alex,
Anthrax isn’t my favorite band anymore. They used to be, but I have branched out so much farther as the internet has made things to listen to so much more available.

I think my musical journey goes something along the lines of being influenced by family that have come and gone in my life through the years. I remember listening to early Maiden and Sabbath around age 8 or 9 thanks to a cousin.
Around 12 my older sister turned away from Duran Duran and started listening to The Cure, Skinny Puppy, and a lot of modern rock. WHFS was her station (Alex knows). But she also sent some Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, and Dead Milkmen for me to check out and listen to and I liked it. I still listened to all the Top 40, and early rap and R and B, but I had yet to even know about metal.
I first heard Metallica on a radio show from a local station that syndicated it. It was called Metal Shop. I just remember Metallica being the band I heard this was about 86 or 87 I think. I also liked Twisted Sister, AC/DC as well as all the MTV and radio stuff I heard on the top 40 stations.
I moved in 88 to a new town, new school, and found more kids like myself interested in metal and rock. They bullied me and said I wasn’t cool enough to listen to it etc, but one of them stuck up for me and let me copy tons of bands to listen to on my walk man. Hours of Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and even what I think was Black Flag.
I really got into Anthrax in 89 after hearing the I’m the Man EP. I adopted Anthrax as “my band”. I even got more into it when Persistence of Time came out. My life during this time was emotionally hard, given my sister’s near suicide attempt. We spent hundreds of hours with counselors while she was getting inpatient treatment. I was bullied at school, and at home. My love of music, Scouting, and my love of riding my bike, are things that kept me from trying to kill myself and have a nervous breakdown like my older sister did. We lost two of our grandparents we were very close to, on top of being moved further away from my mom and stepdad by my stepmother.
In high school, lots of Anthrax, Iron Maiden, and Flotsam and Jetsam plus I really got into Rush, Led Zeppelin and classic rock thanks to a friend of mine. I also really liked GWAR and Scatterbrain because it was the one of the first times metal was funny. But the weird thing was I wanted to hear music genres brought together that I hadn’t heard before like opera split with metal. More on that.
I remember the first time I heard Pantera in 92 or 93. To me hearing Anselmo was like the vocal extension of all the anger and frustration with things I was feeling at the time. It was awesome. And it scared the shit out of people. I also started listening to Rollins Band and Henry Rollins spoken word. I then met my senior year someone who would influence me musically for a long time. My friend Lee who had an extensive collection of rock music that I used to pick through and listen to for hours while we drove around our town. Lots of Primus, Megadeth, Anthrax, White Zombie, and then also Minstry, Butthole Surfers, and countless other forgotten bands.
I carried much the same music tastes right up through my time in the Air Force, sticking primarily with Anthrax but finding and really enjoying Life of Agony, Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, but also I started listening to Joe Cocker and Pink Floyd a lot more as well. One thing I completely hated was New Country music.
Then around the 00’s I got broadband internet and streaming audio took off. I found to me what was like the lost period of power metal. Bands like Iced Earth, and Rhapsody. Totally loved them plus Stratovarius, Dragonforce, Nightwish and all this Northern European rock and metal. I listened as much as I could inbetween my love of Anthrax.
Nowadays, I still listen to Anthrax but not like I used to. I enjoy Outlaw country like Hank Williams 3, and the classics like Waylon, Willie, Merle, and Hank Jr. and Sr. Which also gets mixed in with my fascination with bagpipes and metal from bands like Skiltron, Tridanna, and the Black Tartan Clan. I also enjoy the pub scene Drop Kick Murphy’s.
So I can’t really say I have a favorite anymore. It just seems to change to whatever pleases my ear and freaks out everyone else.
 
id have to say kid rock is probably in my top 3 now,im just hoping he decides to tour australia one day,i cant wait to c what he comes up with next.
 
to be honest there aint much metal i like these days,no new bands interest me,when u grew up listening to the best metal ever back when i was first exposed to it there aint much thats going to top it these days,ill always c plenty of shows when decent bands come out but i rarely listen to metal at home.
 
Hey there Alex,
Anthrax isn’t my favorite band anymore. They used to be, but I have branched out so much farther as the internet has made things to listen to so much more available.

I think my musical journey goes something along the lines of being influenced by family that have come and gone in my life through the years. I remember listening to early Maiden and Sabbath around age 8 or 9 thanks to a cousin.
Around 12 my older sister turned away from Duran Duran and started listening to The Cure, Skinny Puppy, and a lot of modern rock. WHFS was her station (Alex knows). But she also sent some Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, and Dead Milkmen for me to check out and listen to and I liked it. I still listened to all the Top 40, and early rap and R and B, but I had yet to even know about metal.
I first heard Metallica on a radio show from a local station that syndicated it. It was called Metal Shop. I just remember Metallica being the band I heard this was about 86 or 87 I think. I also liked Twisted Sister, AC/DC as well as all the MTV and radio stuff I heard on the top 40 stations.
I moved in 88 to a new town, new school, and found more kids like myself interested in metal and rock. They bullied me and said I wasn’t cool enough to listen to it etc, but one of them stuck up for me and let me copy tons of bands to listen to on my walk man. Hours of Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and even what I think was Black Flag.
I really got into Anthrax in 89 after hearing the I’m the Man EP. I adopted Anthrax as “my band”. I even got more into it when Persistence of Time came out. My life during this time was emotionally hard, given my sister’s near suicide attempt. We spent hundreds of hours with counselors while she was getting inpatient treatment. I was bullied at school, and at home. My love of music, Scouting, and my love of riding my bike, are things that kept me from trying to kill myself and have a nervous breakdown like my older sister did. We lost two of our grandparents we were very close to, on top of being moved further away from my mom and stepdad by my stepmother.
In high school, lots of Anthrax, Iron Maiden, and Flotsam and Jetsam plus I really got into Rush, Led Zeppelin and classic rock thanks to a friend of mine. I also really liked GWAR and Scatterbrain because it was the one of the first times metal was funny. But the weird thing was I wanted to hear music genres brought together that I hadn’t heard before like opera split with metal. More on that.
I remember the first time I heard Pantera in 92 or 93. To me hearing Anselmo was like the vocal extension of all the anger and frustration with things I was feeling at the time. It was awesome. And it scared the shit out of people. I also started listening to Rollins Band and Henry Rollins spoken word. I then met my senior year someone who would influence me musically for a long time. My friend Lee who had an extensive collection of rock music that I used to pick through and listen to for hours while we drove around our town. Lots of Primus, Megadeth, Anthrax, White Zombie, and then also Minstry, Butthole Surfers, and countless other forgotten bands.
I carried much the same music tastes right up through my time in the Air Force, sticking primarily with Anthrax but finding and really enjoying Life of Agony, Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, but also I started listening to Joe Cocker and Pink Floyd a lot more as well. One thing I completely hated was New Country music.
Then around the 00’s I got broadband internet and streaming audio took off. I found to me what was like the lost period of power metal. Bands like Iced Earth, and Rhapsody. Totally loved them plus Stratovarius, Dragonforce, Nightwish and all this Northern European rock and metal. I listened as much as I could inbetween my love of Anthrax.
Nowadays, I still listen to Anthrax but not like I used to. I enjoy Outlaw country like Hank Williams 3, and the classics like Waylon, Willie, Merle, and Hank Jr. and Sr. Which also gets mixed in with my fascination with bagpipes and metal from bands like Skiltron, Tridanna, and the Black Tartan Clan. I also enjoy the pub scene Drop Kick Murphy’s.
So I can’t really say I have a favorite anymore. It just seems to change to whatever pleases my ear and freaks out everyone else.

Great post! I think a lot of us (metal fans) have had similar experiences. Thank you for sharing!:kickass:
 
Thanks Mikey !

Tonight would be a good example of my interests and tastes in music. I have about a 90 minute commute to work each way, so I hook my cell phone into my stereo and use either Pandora, Youtube, or my Amazon account to play music while im driving.
Tonight I was just picking stuff up off of youtube, and Primus popped in my head. I love Primus because my best friend in high school played bass, and turned me on to Les Claypool. Dude was not only funny but what he could do with that solid maple bass totally blew my ears away. I listened to Jerry was a racecar driver, My name is Mud, DMV, and laughin and having a good ole time alone.

Course I also put on Catharsis because I always do. :D
 
Hey there Alex,
Anthrax isn’t my favorite band anymore. They used to be, but I have branched out so much farther as the internet has made things to listen to so much more available.

I think my musical journey goes something along the lines of being influenced by family that have come and gone in my life through the years. I remember listening to early Maiden and Sabbath around age 8 or 9 thanks to a cousin.
Around 12 my older sister turned away from Duran Duran and started listening to The Cure, Skinny Puppy, and a lot of modern rock. WHFS was her station (Alex knows). But she also sent some Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, and Dead Milkmen for me to check out and listen to and I liked it. I still listened to all the Top 40, and early rap and R and B, but I had yet to even know about metal.
I first heard Metallica on a radio show from a local station that syndicated it. It was called Metal Shop. I just remember Metallica being the band I heard this was about 86 or 87 I think. I also liked Twisted Sister, AC/DC as well as all the MTV and radio stuff I heard on the top 40 stations.
I moved in 88 to a new town, new school, and found more kids like myself interested in metal and rock. They bullied me and said I wasn’t cool enough to listen to it etc, but one of them stuck up for me and let me copy tons of bands to listen to on my walk man. Hours of Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and even what I think was Black Flag.
I really got into Anthrax in 89 after hearing the I’m the Man EP. I adopted Anthrax as “my band”. I even got more into it when Persistence of Time came out. My life during this time was emotionally hard, given my sister’s near suicide attempt. We spent hundreds of hours with counselors while she was getting inpatient treatment. I was bullied at school, and at home. My love of music, Scouting, and my love of riding my bike, are things that kept me from trying to kill myself and have a nervous breakdown like my older sister did. We lost two of our grandparents we were very close to, on top of being moved further away from my mom and stepdad by my stepmother.
In high school, lots of Anthrax, Iron Maiden, and Flotsam and Jetsam plus I really got into Rush, Led Zeppelin and classic rock thanks to a friend of mine. I also really liked GWAR and Scatterbrain because it was the one of the first times metal was funny. But the weird thing was I wanted to hear music genres brought together that I hadn’t heard before like opera split with metal. More on that.
I remember the first time I heard Pantera in 92 or 93. To me hearing Anselmo was like the vocal extension of all the anger and frustration with things I was feeling at the time. It was awesome. And it scared the shit out of people. I also started listening to Rollins Band and Henry Rollins spoken word. I then met my senior year someone who would influence me musically for a long time. My friend Lee who had an extensive collection of rock music that I used to pick through and listen to for hours while we drove around our town. Lots of Primus, Megadeth, Anthrax, White Zombie, and then also Minstry, Butthole Surfers, and countless other forgotten bands.
I carried much the same music tastes right up through my time in the Air Force, sticking primarily with Anthrax but finding and really enjoying Life of Agony, Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, but also I started listening to Joe Cocker and Pink Floyd a lot more as well. One thing I completely hated was New Country music.
Then around the 00’s I got broadband internet and streaming audio took off. I found to me what was like the lost period of power metal. Bands like Iced Earth, and Rhapsody. Totally loved them plus Stratovarius, Dragonforce, Nightwish and all this Northern European rock and metal. I listened as much as I could inbetween my love of Anthrax.
Nowadays, I still listen to Anthrax but not like I used to. I enjoy Outlaw country like Hank Williams 3, and the classics like Waylon, Willie, Merle, and Hank Jr. and Sr. Which also gets mixed in with my fascination with bagpipes and metal from bands like Skiltron, Tridanna, and the Black Tartan Clan. I also enjoy the pub scene Drop Kick Murphy’s.
So I can’t really say I have a favorite anymore. It just seems to change to whatever pleases my ear and freaks out everyone else.


How could I forget WHFS. I used to go to the HFStival every year. Remember the nutracker xmas show they used to host?? I took Anthrax to it one year when they were playing at a club in Springfield(jaxx). I recall telling them about and Charlie really wanted to go. They had it at Patriot Center in GMU, only 15 , minutes away. Charlie got on the phone with whomever to set it up. Scott and I think Bush came along too. Anthrax were playing a little after midnight. So we had plenty of time to go to the show. We piled in my car and pulled up to the Patriot Center by the loading docks where all the tour buses were. I remember security flashing the light in my face and Charlie goes "we're Anthrax" and security was like "oh ok, yeah we're expecting you" and told me where park. As we were coming in, the radio dj's thought I was in the band and Charlie just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders "go with it". I had so much fun. This was in like 1999. Garbage, Hole, butthole surfers, Everlast and some other bands I forgot were there. I recall seeing Courtney and Kurt Cobains kid running around as a toddler. One of the coolest memories I have.
 
How could I forget WHFS. I used to go to the HFStival every year. Remember the nutracker xmas show they used to host?? I took Anthrax to it one year when they were playing at a club in Springfield(jaxx). I recall telling them about and Charlie really wanted to go. They had it at Patriot Center in GMU, only 15 , minutes away. Charlie got on the phone with whomever to set it up. Scott and I think Bush came along too. Anthrax were playing a little after midnight. So we had plenty of time to go to the show. We piled in my car and pulled up to the Patriot Center by the loading docks where all the tour buses were. I remember security flashing the light in my face and Charlie goes "we're Anthrax" and security was like "oh ok, yeah we're expecting you" and told me where park. As we were coming in, the radio dj's thought I was in the band and Charlie just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders "go with it". I had so much fun. This was in like 1999. Garbage, Hole, butthole surfers, Everlast and some other bands I forgot were there. I recall seeing Courtney and Kurt Cobains kid running around as a toddler. One of the coolest memories I have.

Wow that's an awesome story!
 
That is one cool story Alex ! :headbang:

WHFS was my older sister's station. She had been to every single HFS show and festival concert they ever held.

She took me to the Jane's Addiction Show with Live, right after 9/11/01 at Nissan, and then took me again in August at the Lyric Opera House. I used to live in Ellicott City in High School, and so desperately tried to pick up WHVY (the all metal radio station) all the time. I miss that station so much :(.

I have only seen Anthrax once and that was the reunion show at Ram's Head live in Baltimore. I was in the upper balcony area with my wife who bought me the tickets as a present far away from the real action lol.

Other than Lollapalooza in 93 which was amazing seeing Tool and Rage against the Machine in their early stages :). Plus Primus and Alice in Chains
and having a turf throwing war with Fishbone :D. Amazing times.
 
Anthrax is my guilty pleasure.

Jokes aside, I don't really listen to that much metal anymore. I used to when I was younger, and that's when I stared loving Anthrax. My general view of the metal genre is that it's become terribly generic and image oriented (well...it's always been terribly image oriented). It just doesn't appeal to me that much.

There are exceptions of course. I still enjoy listening to Anthrax and I also think that Devin Townsend is a genuinely creative and bold artist whose music I thoroughly enjoy. Townsend is above Anthrax in my book. There are other metal bands that I like listening to as well, but I'm not gonna bother naming them. Because I can't be arsed.
 
id have to say kid rock is probably in my top 3 now,im just hoping he decides to tour australia one day,i cant wait to c what he comes up with next.

Do you mean Devil Without A Cause-era Kid Rock or his country garbage? I was a fan of everything from the early days up until he changed to country.
 
Well they pretty much used to be, until the politics and business prevailed over the music. I still listen to all of their records now and then.