ANTHRAX — Fistful Of Metal (review)

ANTHRAX — Fistful Of Metal album cover Album · 1984 · Speed Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Unitron
Anthrax-Fistful of Metal

'Fistful of Metal' is the debut studio album by thrash metal band Anthrax. Anthrax has always been one of my favorite bands, ever since first hearing them when I was very young. I actually didn't grow up listening to their debut, so I never heard anything prior to 'Spreading the Disease' until probably about five years ago.

I found a copy of the album while looking through a box full of CD's, and initially I hated it. For some reason I thought the production was horrid and hated the singer, but years later, I actually really like this album. Maybe I didn't have as much musical appreciation back then, but I really don't see a lot wrong with this debut now.

The album begins with the speedy Helstar-esque 'Deathrider', where Neil Turbin's vocals sound a lot like Helstar's James Rivera. This song is a good beginning to show everything that you'll hear on the album; thrash, speed, and Judas Priest-esque traditional heavy metal all in one. My favorite song on the album has got to be the short but kickass speed of 'Metal Thrashing Mad'. Like the previous song, it has a perfect mix of speed, thrash, and heavy metal. 'Panic' is another favorite, focusing a lot on speed with tons of double bass. 'Death From Above' is another highlight, being the more menacing song on the album. Unlike most of the previous tracks, this song has more focus on heavy metal in the vein of Helstar.

While most of the songs are good, some are quite forgettable. The songs I mentioned are all of the strong ones that stood out to me. The only song I don't like is the cover of Alice Cooper's 'I'm Eighteen', it doesn't fit well with the rest of the songs. I don't like the song in the first place, but it just sounds weird placed among all of the fast songs surrounding it.

Overall, I think this is a great debut by one of the best in thrash metal. I used to hate the production, but I find the rawness of it very fitting now. Turbin's vocals, while not as good as Joey Belladonna, are still very good. It's nowhere near the quality of the Belladonna albums, but if you are a fan of thrash and speed I'd still say pick it up.

Hope you found this review helpful.

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