Listening to Anthrax always pulls me back to my teenage years. They were the first thrash metal band I listened to as my mates would run about shouting the lyrics from ‘Caught In A Mosh’ and adorn their school bags with the band’s logo. State of Euphoria was my introduction and despite never finding them a firm favourite I’d ritually purchase their albums throughout the years. With a ten-year gap from their last album For All Kings, the lead tracks from their 12th studio album Cursum Perficio grabbed my attention. Working out of Dave Grohl’s Studio 666 the band have been working on this album since 2022. Jay Ruston handled production with help from the band, and the resultant sound is sharp and heavy, in the vein of my favourite Anthrax album, Sound Of White Noise. Having said that, guitarist Scott Ian feels the album has similarities with Among The Living.
The creeping tension of introductory piece ‘Persistence of Time’ bleeds into ‘The Long Goodbye’ which rolls with a steady chugging monotone riff before opening into an expansive chorus. Jonathan Donais’s guitar solo is sharp and succinct, a most satisfying way to open the album. Cursum Perficio is latin for “My journey has come to an end”, a theme across the album, as Joey Belladonna asks “There’s nothing left but memories, where did it all go?”. Comeback song ‘It’s For The Kids’ has a razor-sharp riff that needles into your head over Charlie Benante’s pumping drums. The song pulls me back to State of Euphoria as it has that aura about it, referencing “thoughts and prayers”. There’s a slam-dunk riff that drops around the halfway mark that instantly makes the neck muscles tighten and the head bang.
‘Everybody’s Got a Plan’ is prime Anthrax with a charging riff, spinning guitar hooks, Frank Bello’s pumping bass groove, and a stupendously good melody from Joey. It ticks a lot of boxes with mighty riffs and ace solos a plenty. I can imagine this one would be a belter played live too. The aptly named ‘The Edge of Perfection’ is simply one of the best Anthrax songs of all time. Opening with a delicate clean guitar strum the song bursts into life with a furious passage of black metal blast beats and guitars. It caused eyebrows to raise when released as an early track and I was all for it. The “Whoaaaa” gang vocals usher in the main song which is full of hooks and twisting riffs. Joey’s vocals are excellent as he soars out the majestic chorus. Jonathan’s solo is melodic and perfectly complements the atmospheric of the song. Once you get this song in your head it is hard to shift, I’ve been singing it for weeks.
I can’t help but think that the placement of ‘Infectious’ after such a brilliant song distorts my appreciation of it somewhat. The main riff sounds a little stretched and the tempo of the song makes it sound like the band are a bit whacked, after the fast pace of the previous tracks. ‘NYC 93’ thankfully pulls us back in line with powerful riffs and propulsive thrashy drums. The gang chant vocals remind us that “It ain’t worth doin’ unless you do it to death!” recalling ‘Caught In A Mosh’. The title track ‘Cursum Perficio’ is another song that could easily have appeared on Sound of White Noise with a brilliant charging riff undercarriage and melodic hooks everywhere. The dynamics of the song have perfect drops allowing tension to build then release, with a mighty heft. ‘T.O.M.B’ swings like a wrecking ball with a monster riff and thumping drums. Whilst it doesn’t have quite the same pull as the best tracks on the album it’s still an enjoyable enough song.
The manic ‘Watch It Go’ goes for the throat with full-on thrash grooves, blurred drums and Joey’s voice heavily treated with effects. These old boys can still mix it with the young upstarts based on this super nasty track. ‘My Victory’ ends the album with a final stomp of pounding drums and waves of riffs sweeping you along. It covers most of the Anthrax trademark sounds and vocalisms and leaves the listener feeling that the band are still very much a leading contender.
For those of us old enough to remember, it feels like Anthrax have been around forever. Like other stalwarts of the metal scene, Van Halen and Iron Maiden, they’ve experienced their vocalist leave and return, effectively splitting up their back catalogue. Some folks will prefer the John Bush-era Anthrax, his throaty rasp and vocal style varying from Joey Belladonna, which impacted the songs. This collection pulls in sounds from the Bush era and fuses them in a way that really works, it feels like Joey has altered his singing to mirror the songs. With excellent production throughout Anthrax sound as fired up as ever and Cursum Perficio is a riot of riffs and majestic melodies. Here’s hoping their journey is not at an end just yet.
