martytdx's Full Review: Among the Living by Anthrax
Back in the days of "hair metal", most heavy metal bands' songs feel into three categories - 'girls and cars', 'dragons and magic' or 'death metal'. There were seldom other types of songs, but some bands DID stick out with some original material. One of them was Anthrax.
When "Among the Living" first came out, I snapped it up, not knowing quite how good it would be. The band - one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene in the early 80's - produced an album with both musical quality and a high amount of intelligent lyrics (no "yeah, baby, yeah yeah" here).
From the opening track, Among the Living, the lyrical assault begins, spinning creative lyrics with diverse themes. Musically, the New York/New Jersey band moves from songs with classical themes to hard core thrash with ease, defining a style that was theirs from the beginning of the thrash metal days. Anthrax's diversity would show itself time and time again later (including the brilliant metal-rap "I'm the Man"). But their lyrics and subjects set them truly far apart from the masses.
Not only do they tackle such diverse topics as drug addiction (Efilnickufesin - read it backwards to get the idea) and racism (Keep It In the Family), but they branch out into literature to find inspiration. This album alone has two tributes to Stephen King, including the title song, based on The Stand and Randall Flag(tm), while Skeletons in the Closet - a bone-riveting (excuse the pun) song about a hidden ex-SS member and a young boy - examines "Apt Pupil" from Different Seasons. They also tackle comic book hero Judge Dredd in I am the Law.
But it isn't only their subjects but the way they tackle their songs with smart, sometimes funny and sometimes thought-provoking lyrics. Caught in Mosh laments the tragic anguish of dealing with dumb people:
Can't stand it for another day
Ain't gonna live my life this way
Cold Sweat, my fists are clenching
Stomp, stomp, stomp the Idiot Convention.
Which one of these words, don't you understand?
Talking to you, is like clapping with one hand...
Think before you speak, or suffer for your words
Learn to give respect that others, give to you.
In Indians, the Native Americans' plight is shouted at you by supporter Joe Belladonna -
FORCED OUT - Brave and Mighty
STOLEN LAND - They can't fight it
HOLD ON - To pride and tradition
Even though they know how much their lives are really missin'
We're dissing them...
On reservations
A Hopeless Situation
Cry for the Indians
Belladonna and his bandmates were always on the front edge of the thrash-metal scene (members from this band were in several others including M.O.D. and S.O.D.), and expanded upon their fame by expanding into fantastic live shows, "I'm the Man" and ballads in which they cry over an ex hit by a truck ("Dallabnickufesin).
Anthrax is not for everyone. They are not a quaint or quiet band, and their music will keep their songs out of the hearing of the masses. But when it comes to intelligent lyrics on diverse subjects, few from this era of glam metal can stand up against them. But this is perhaps their greatest work, when they finally got the metal world to listen to their messages.
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