Among The Living

Couldn't be bothered. Sounds like a young teen ranting over thrash music. Not for me.

I have never been into Anthrax, and this album didn't sway me too their side. Temu Metallica.

Not my music

Even at their worst, Metallica are better than this. They have the depth, the creativity, the voice and the lyrics on their side. Anthrax still makes good music, but their songs all sound the same through and through, it feels a bit directionless. The singing is also weirdly off, like it doesn't belong, it's too soft. "Smash the wall, it's time to rage", they say, almost politely. I do appreciate the themes on this album tho. It's funny how the media and politicians tried to paint heavy metal as satanic music, and meanwhile here are the metalheads, singing about the need to have compassion for Native-Americans and the need to stop desecrating our planet because we only got one. Behind the semblance of anger, there's humanity and, dare I say, wokeness!!!! However, it's often a bit cheesy, almost preachy. "Ignorance is no excuse for violence!!" they say, like a teenager who's writing an essay about Martin Luther King. It's immature, but earnest, so I'll allow it.

Thrash doesn't do much for me

01) Among the Living - 5,5 02) Caught in a Mosh - 5,0 03) I Am the Law - 5,0 04) Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.) - 5,0 05) A Skeleton in the Closet - 5,5 06) Indians - 6,0 07) One World - 5,0 08) A.D.I./Horror of It All - 5,0 09) Imitation of Life - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,22 (52/100) Current ranking: 976/1074

Slash metal isn’t always my thing, but in some situations (like leg day at the gym) it slaps. This is a good example of slapping.

Love the energy

Muy metal para mi

Thrash metal. Not as harsh as I thought it might be

It was a metal album of the era until I got to the track Indians. That was a surprisingly progressive take for the genre and era. Still a three for me but it wasn't a chore or anything.

It's ok, I guess. Not much variety here.

While I am not a fan of Anthrax, they are perhaps the last of the Hair Band Thrash Genre and it was not surprising to see a few of my college classmates head banging in their cars with the speakers turned fully up to this album. So, while a 2 for me, I recognize the impact.

僕は正直、メタルの中でこのバンドがこうだとかっていうのがあまり分かってないけど、このバンドはドゥルッドゥルッみたいな短いギターのリフが何回も繰り返し使われてるみたいな感じ？後ギターがめっちゃ速いから大変そう。僕の好みとしてはメタルは静と動が明確にあって、動のタイミングで思いっきり暴れるような方が好きかも。このアルバムは常にジャカジャカいってて、僕のメタルの曲の好みとは少し離れてるかなって感じ。

This is better than the two Megadeth albums I've had to put up with for this project, but that's not saying much.

completamente insufrible, es como una canción de 50 minutos

The kind of thrash metal that really bores me.

Repetitive and headache-inducing, some good licks though

I'm not a fan of most 80s metal that isn't Slayer, and this is no exception. Kinda dumb. Not terrible but not something I'd enjoy listening to again.

It’s just Metallica at home It’s definitely a bit more intense than something like Iron Maiden, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Execution is pretty damn good and the speed/talent on display for all the instruments is very impressive. The lyrics are actually a lot more interesting than I thought, tackling issues such as discrimination and war, and doing so in a satirical manner The biggest problems I have with this album are less album specific but more problems with the genre: the variety’s almost always bottom barrel, where every track sounds the same and they don’t do enough to differentiate them like Metallica or something. The other problem is that the vocals are pretty one note, and while they are good for conveying that high energy sound they’re going for, they aren’t exactly pleasant and don’t show off much talent Far from bad but I feel like for me to genuinely enjoy thrash metal I’d probably have to be in a very specific headspace (I.e. driving down the highway at 80 mph and having a good time). I’ll just put on Metallica next time

Caught in a Mosh is a banger, but alas the curse of metal strikes once again. When all your songs are fast and thrashy and heavy, none of them are.

Ah yes, the goobers of metal (affectionate). Anthrax is definitely the most down to earth of the Big Four which allows them to do songs like Indians and have it come off as sincere rather than low hanging fruit of cultural commentary. Plus they have a Judge Dredd song which puts them directly where they need to be at the convergence of comic book nerdery and heavy music.

This is just yelling, not singing. It's kinda weak for metal music too. Just feels a bit limp

Had no clue Anthrax was so good lyrically. Not my kind of music, but much better than I expected b

More melodic than I was expecting. There’s some interesting stuff going on with time signature changes that is fun. Quite liked the vocal style, more my thing than other thrash metal I’ve heard. It did start to feel all a bit too similar by the end. Might just be that I’m not into thrash metal enough to discern big differences between the songs, but to me it just wasn’t varied enough to make me want to listen to the full album again. Fav song: I Am The Law Least fav: Caught In A Mosh

Thrash

this is just not for me in anyway

No thank you

among the mid ass

crazy man

Of the big 4 this is 2nd place easily. Metallica is one of the worst bands of all time, megadeth is ok at best, anthrax is good if not great and slayer is an all timer. This absolutely cements anthrax in that place. This doesnt change my life but I was having a good time listening. I was banging my head and drumming along alot of the time. Its just fun. The riffs are great. I love the vocal versatility on show. Joey belladonna is his name and he kills it. Then Scott Ian is doing his thing. Still a bit too twiddly for me at times but its pretty great otherwise. The drums are super sick too. I was just very very happy with what is here. That first half of the record is excellent. It does loose a bit of steam in the 2nd half but still. I cant fault it too much for thay. Overall super good. Kick fucking ass

Finally something good! I have fond memories of some of the songs on this album. Now, as for the album itself, it's often goofy thrash that tries to be socially conscious at times. However, the lyrics are frequently stupid. The vocals are worse than I remembered them being and probably the worst of the big four thrash bands. Either way, it's a fun album. That's what metal as a genre is all about-FUN. A metal album should allow the listener to let loose their worries in a barrage of noise, and this does that to an extent. So I can forgive the stupid lyrics, bad vocals, and overuse of gang choruses because of that.

Not my usual style, but it met me on the right day

Well it’s definitely not subtle. In your face thrash with great riffs and lyrics touching on deep subjects. A little like a 15 year olds social studies easy - a little earnest with its anger . Metal has a habit of taking itself too seriously, but at least Anthrax bring the fun along with the Noize

It’s fine I guess. Not really a thrash fan, but didn’t hate listening to it.

I thought I was going to absolutely hate this, but I honestly liked it better than the Metallica albums that I’ve heard on this list so far. What I will say is this got grating for me after a while to listen to, but it had some really great guitar licks and solid vocals. Reminded me of Deep Purple. That being said, definitely got sick of it quickly.

So a week ago I was in the depths of a down tempo/ambient week of music. If this keeps up I will get a week of the exact opposite. Both have their virtues but this is perhaps a little too much for the moment. Having said that I then did play some more heavy music so wanting to give it a 3 1/2 again....

Lots of energy, and I appreciate that the vocals were not mumble screamed.

Not many heavy metal bands could beat Anthrax in a tempo race. As frenetic as students told there’s only ten minutes left to finish the essay they haven’t started. Altogether too much.

I guess I like metal…

eh

Meh

“In the walking dude!” Such a fun thrash album. It’s funny because yesterday I had British Steel by Judas Priest and although I understand its importance to all things heavy metal, it’s not an album I listen to. Not this album on the other hand, it’s just fun. Maybe it’s because I was into punk and hardcore before discovering that I liked metal but these early thrash albums are totally in my wheelhouse.

(picture me screaming this) ITS NOT FOR MEEEEEEEE

Basic and mid thrash metal. Also why does the singer on "I Am The Law" sound like Key from that Key and Peele musical skit?

There’s nothing I can say other than metal is by far the worst genre.

I could listen to a few tracks in isolation and enjoy them, but this is too much of the same sound song after song. Eventually it was a wall of noise. The wiki talks about the lyrical content, but I couldn't really make out any of the words. I know it would be even harder to differentiate anything live. I guess this one just isn't for me.

Good metal

I mean, if you like it, no shade. But it is just not for me, man.

This is probably the best Heavy Metal album on this list. The guitar work, drums, and the timing is on point. Really well done.

This was loud, energetic and very interesting. I really quite enjoyed it and it was not really what I was expecting, whatever that was.

am always slightly wary when thrash metal comes up on here but honestly this was really good, a surprisingly easy listen

HELL YEAH🤘🤘🤘🤘

I honestly loved this more than I thought. BANGER. Brilliant 80s thrash.

Not really a thrash fan. What I heard was alright, but had to switch off after a while as it was all getting rather repetitive. Did enjoy the fact that there was tributes to both Judge Dredd and Jon Belushi tho.

Never been able to get this kind of metal

Anthrax are definitely my least favourite of the 'big 4', still mostly quite good. But 'nice fucking life' backwards? Come on..

among the living von anthrax ist okey das album obwohl man sie kennen sollte habe ich sie zum ersten mal gehört

Sangeren er meget hair metal agtig, ikke fan

Fredag ligger tidligt den her uge!

Classic thrash. I was never really into Anthrax - still aren't.

This was fun! The instrumentals are top notch. Sometimes the vocals lose me, but this is fun. The lead singer starts to scream a little too much for me and it sometimes sounds out of key, but the backing vocals beef him up! Actual rating...3.5. Liked Songs: Everything except "One World"

3.5+

Really enjoyed!

This must have blown some minds in 87, I would imagine. Almost 40 years and thousands of imitators later I didn’t find it THAT impressive upon listening to it for the first time but still: my mind fizzled a bit. Good effort

The word trash is very accurate. Wish it could be burned like most of the actual trash…

First time listening to a full album from them. Wasn't too sure about the vocals at first but got used to them and the music rocked too 3/5

punky metal

Fast and tight. Really like the guitar riffs. Good energy.

listened in the morning. in the afternoon thought oh i've gotta listen to the new album today. not very memorable. maybe used to be totally revolutionary in terms of metal? did not leave an impression on my mottled mind

A great punk/ thrash album from one of the Big Four (admittedly not my favourite of them), and it deftly mixes a series of heavy subjects with ultimately a party atmosphere. It isn't an instant favourite for me, but there's definitely plenty to come back to - also Charlie Bernante is a monster on the drum kit, and his playing alone brings my grade right up! Fave tracks: Caught In a Mosh, EfilNikuFesin

The singer had a real cool voice, reminds me a lot of Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden. Apart from that I wasn't too sold on this. I found even the most supposedly standout songs quite lacking of melody and memorable riffs. There was speed and guitar playing for sure, but it never felt quite cohesive. More like trying to include as many notes as possible at as high speed as possible. Strange how one can like Metallica that much, but not this. Weak 3.

There is probably a group of hardcore metalheads who think this is better than Metallica, but to me, it just sounds like “we got Metallica at home.” There aren’t the same great riffs, and no songs really stood out to me. I even tried listening to it at the gym to get in the right mood. It still didn’t connect.

fun rock. fave track - Skeletons. pulled a face and bopped my head.

Can't stand heavy metal, power metal, black metal, death metal or speed metal but thrash metal is really different, very unique

Pretty decent thrash metal before I knew thrash metal was a thing. Quite a good singer which is unusual for these bands, I wonder at what point the genre decided shouting and grunting only was more suitable?

Thrash metal, like its sibling hardcore punk, limits its palette such that appeal is obstinately narrow. I’ve always found its overwrought tenor silly, though at least Anthrax are in on the joke. The Judge Dredd song greatly entertained my inner nerd.

Thrash metal continues its futile pursuit of my eardrums. If the adolescent nature of this genre wasn't clear to anyone, one track appears to be an unofficial tribute to Judge Dredd comics; a later one tackles the holocaust. I've heard worse examples.

The last week of albums has been a bunch of metal or metal-adjacent, and I'm just not into it. There's some metal I can appreciate for the musicians' virtuosity or its long-term impact. This is neither.

Punk voice with metal instrumentals. Pretty neat, but I probably won't come back to this one anytime soon.

No standouts

Heavy 80s metal

I would have put Anthrax after Metallica and Megadeth in the metal pecking order (ahead of Slayer though) before hearing this album. I'm rethinking that ranking though. Rage Against the Machine wouldn't exist without Anthrax. Sometimes you can hear the blending of 70s metal and punk that combined to make thrash metal so clearly it's like finding the Missing Link bones.

Instant add to the workout playlist. We love a high energy album that shreds.

Very reminiscent of early Metallica (complimentary). Solid listen front to back and I’d love to hear more from Anthrax.

Not bad but a little cheesy for thrash standards like Metallica but not cheesy enough for power metal like Iron Maiden.

The masters of the palm muted chugga chugga riffs. Anthrax was a unique animal at this point. Their debut album (Fistful of Metal) was basically power metal and their sophomore album (Spreading the Disease) was classic east coast thrash. But with ATL they were deeply under the influence of New York Hardcore. Take away Joey's soaring classic metal vocals and Spitz' fiery lead solos and you're left with a sound that would've been a big hit at CBGB's in the 80s. They were clearly influenced by bands like Agnostic Front and Cro Mags. Anyway, I love this album and it opened the door to lots of other heavy music for me. It was my soundtrack to the summer of 1987 as a 14 year old kid. I saw live in this tour too, which was amazing. Without that context I could imagine this album might not seem so revolutionary to others. But it truly was unique compared to the SF Bay/West Coast metal sound of the day. I am so pleased to see this album made the list.

When I first started this project I probably would have predicted that metal would be my least favorite genre. But it turns out, not always! AlthoughI don’t love the vocal style of metal, apparently I have an affinity for thrash metal. It feels so similar to punk to me. It’s never going to be my favorite genre, but I like the speed and energy of this.

I hated every moment of this.

Not into it. Anthrax was one of the bands in the mix when I was into metal back in the day, but in hindsight they're just noise with no melody. I think I liked their song with Public Enemy (Bring the Noise) and that's about it.

I can almost talk myself into a 4 for this album because: A) The musicianship on display is crazy in terms of speed and precision. Especially the drums. B) How sort of cheesily positive the messages are. It’s hard imagining adults thinking this band was a band influence as they scream about world peace, Indians getting treated bad and how fake people sick. I think it I liked their singer more, this would have been a 4. What would James Hetfield, Mike Patton or, heck, even Jack Black do with these songs.

Just not my jam.

Pretty good standard 80s thrash. Didn’t stand out to me but not bad

For rock that is as hard as one can get, it's pretty dull. 1.5/5

Just misses the third star. Some enjoyable tracks on here, some less

Sounds like the sort of thing Beavis and Butthead would bump heads to, and I mean that as a compliment

I thought the second half of this album was okay but the first half just felt like a parody of speed metal. I'm sure it was impressive at the time.

Not my bag. The vocals nakenme understand how people can snap

Some good chugga chugga

thrash metal is a genre i feel like i have to be in a pretty specific mood for and honestly, im not really in that mood rn. but this is still pretty good. i think overall my feeling on it is kinda similar to the megadeth album we got a few weeks back, at least as far as like, i enjoy it but am having some trouble locking in. but, i definitely fuck w/ this sound a lot more. the shredding and like.... thrashing i guess, give it a much stronger energy which gives it a lot more appeal imo. this is probably why my favourite track is "caught in a mosh", which goes at full power the whole 5 minutes. it's pretty fuckin sick... im giving this a 4..... but just barely. but i know if i was in the mood for thrash metal that 4 would be much more certain. maybe i should've been playing thps while listening to get into the mindset?