Anthrax’s highly anticipated new album has finally graced my ears. Some are hailing it as the great return to form, whilst others are condemning Anthrax to a fate worse than their namesake would inflict on a human being. I lie somewhere in the middle, more towards the positive. There is nothing bad about “We’ve Come For You All”, but it’s not the so-called return to form that many have claimed it to be. I don’t know if I’d call it “classic Anthrax”, but it is definitely an acceptable new release from one of the grandfathers of thrash. One thing that is true about older bands is that many times they tend to head towards the hard-rock side of metal than their original direction. This is somewhat true of “We’ve Come For You All”; there are songs that give me a distinct hard-rock vibe, namely the slower ones like “Safe Home” and “Cadillac Rock Box”. I kind of like the sound though, especially on “Cadillac Rock Box”, it’s such a western sound. There are some very metal songs though, like the opener, “What Doesn’t Die”, and “Black Dahlia”, which actually has a blast beat! One of the great things about Anthrax is that they have such a distinct sound, which can only be described as undeniably American. In the midst of all the Norwegian black metal, the Swedish death metal, and the German thrash, it’s kind of refreshing to hear some good ol’ American metal. Anthrax is as American as you can get. The other great thing about Anthrax- as is clearly evident on this album – is the fact that Scott Ian is arguably the best rhythm guitarist in existence. Every ‘Thrax song has a sweet rhythm, masterfully played by the great Scott. Few things are greater than a kick-ass beat in metal. It seems like people’s main gripe with new Anthrax is singer John Bush. This I do not understand. I think Bush fits the band perfectly, he has a great voice. So what’s the big deal? I guess it’s the same deal as with Blaze Bayley and Iron Maiden. Just because he wasn’t Dickinson, he was shunned. Same for Bush, just because he isn’t Belladonna, he too is shunned. I don’t get it. Anyway, enough ranting. The new Anthrax is more than decent, but less than masterful. It definitely has its moments, and if you missed both “Stomp 442” and “Vol. 8”, then you might as well check out what Anthrax is about these days. Also if you hated those 2 albums, you might wanna give this one a chance. But if you’re a die-hard Belladonna fan, you can both skip this album and kiss my ass. Wrathchild’s Choice Cuts: Refuse To Be Denied ~ I love the beat, great song Black Dahlia ~ Interesting, very \m/etal