Review by Ben for Anthrax - Sound of White Noise (1993)

Just about every thrash metal fan seems to enjoy Anthrax's classic releases (we're talking Spreading the Disease, Among the Living and Persistence of Time). But it seems that nearly all those fans were disappointed with Sound of White Noise. I have to say that I wasn't in the slightest. Yes, it has a new singer (Joey Belladonna left to be replaced by Armored Saint's John Bush). Yes, the style is certainly less thrashing with more groove and grunge than previous outings. But damn, this album is entertaining for almost the entire hour playing time. I'm not suggesting that it's a better or more important release than those aforementioned albums, but it's just as enjoyable in my opinion, and certainly underappreciated.

Firstly, John Bush is a great vocalist. He brings with him a certain level of class and while Joey will always be the archetypal Anthrax singer, Bush is a more superior talent. A lot of fans consider Sound of White Noise to be the album where the band sold out. I think if those fans really listened to Persistence of Time, they would see that the band had already started to concentrate more on song structures rather than silliness or thrashing madness. This really isn't that far removed from that release and in fact, tracks like 1,000 Points of Hate contain more aggression than the band had displayed for a while.

Anyway, obviously I'm a defender of this album. I'll admit that a few tracks don't hit the mark as much as others (Invisible and C11 H17 N2 O2 S Na for example), but Potters Field, Only, Room For One More, Packaged Rebellion and even the ballad Black Lodge are all fantastic Anthrax tracks. If you're into Anthrax at all, don't assume Sound of White Noise is an album not worth checking out. You'd be missing out on a brave and enjoyable release that I for one rate up there with their best.