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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Belladonna's last stand, this album DEFIES TIME!, May 17, 2005
What a masterpiece. These guys..It just blows me away how good they are...I mean this and among the living were basically late 80's albums, yet the music is not "dated" like so many albums of that time now are (Slaughter, Tesla, etc. etc.)
What Anthrax does is mix some driving thrash with coherent lyrics. What Anthrax does is cover themes from Stephen King to World Government (instead of the usual midevil themes of witchs, knights, dragons etc.) This is music that to me is pure genius, and I actually enjoy it more now than ever before!
Songs like "TIME" and "Keep it in the family" have driving beats. The fast bass-heavy guitar song "Got the time" is fun and "In my world" and "Belly of the Beast" have the darker feel to them that will definitley shake you up. If you have not listened to Anthrax I suggest checking out this album along with "Among the Living"...millions of fans and 20 years of their music being sold can't be wrong!
NOTE: From my headline...this was lead singer Joey Belladonna's last album with the band. Check out all of thier stuff with Joey before forming an opinion on the later stuff with other lead singer/s.
1. Time
2. Blood
3. Keep It in the Family
4. In My World
5. Gridlock
6. Intro to Reality
7. Belly of the Beast
8. Got the Time
9. H8 Red
10. One Man Stands
11. Discharge
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the Belladonna Era Anthrax, March 18, 2003
Of all the albums that Anthrax released with Joey Belladonna, this is most definately the best. It has the thrash of all the preceeding albums, it has serious and topical lyrics (unlike State of Euphoria, Spreading the Disease, etc), it has the longest songs of all the Thrax albums, it has the best production of all the Thrax albums and is the best musically. Joey does much less screaming on this album and sounds [mad] all the time. It is one of Anthrax's darkest albums. 1-Time: Time starts the album off great, a ticking clock builds into rapid fire drums and killer guitars. It's dark, melodic, and fast! The lyrics are great and the singing is some of Belladonna's best. The solo is scathing and the outro is amazing - Charlie Benante's drumming = incredible.
2-Blood: Filled with thought provocing lyrics this one is anchored in a heavy throbbing rhythm and powerful chorus. Charlie's drumming is unique and guitars are great.
3-Keep It In the Family: This is one of their best song. It starts off with a grinding heavy rhythm that builds into a fast metal song. The chorus is catchy and the lyrics are great. The song is not the fastest on the album, rather, it plods along with a slow, seething, feroicity.
4-In My World: This one was released as a single and it is worthy of it. The drums are first rate and the guitars progress in a building up to a surprisingly melodic chorus. The solo is amazing - the best on the album! The lyrics are angry and straightforward, but don't come off as pitiful or whiney. Scott and the boys are capable of writing truly great lyrics at times.
5-Gridlock: The albums only pitfall, this one is good, but it's not really up to the caliber of the album. The lyrics are a tad uninspired and the guitars, while good, are nothing ground breaking.
6-Intro Into Reality: This is one of the best instrumentals I've heard. It is a haunting, melodic, introduction to Belly of the Beast. It starts off slow and builds slowly in complexity and speed. Halfway through the drums come in and it picks up. It foreshadows parts from the following song. The greatest hits compilations leave this one off, I don't know why. Personally I don't think you can get the full effect of Belly of the Beast without hearing this first.
7-Belly of the Beast: The albums dark masterpiece. I think it has to do with the Holocaust and Nazi Germany, but some parts of it remind me of the Soviet Union. Either way it is a great track. The lyrics are some of the best they've ever written: "Who is evil, who is blind? In the name of who do you fight?" The bass work is exceptionally really showing off Frank Bello's talent. The solo is top notch. Pure Anthrax magic.
8-Got the Time: A break from the dark sound of the album, Got the Time is a cover of Joe Jackson. The subject matter actually fits well with the rest of the album. Frank again demostrates his skill in a great bass solo. The guitars are innovative and entertaining.
9-H8 Read: This song is a very thrashy one. The lyrics again are thought provocing. It deals with racial hatred as well as general animosity. The solo is good and the drums are great.
10-One Man Stands: Another masterpiece. This one deals with the Teanimen Square Massacre. The lyrics are amazing and moving. The way the vocals are arranged is intersting and the chorus makes you want to sing along. The guitars are bellicose thunder and the drums are a steady roll. Very political, very intense, Thrax at their best. 11-Discharge: The angriest song on the album, this one is straight up thrash. The guitars are just as dark as Slayer and so are the drums. The solo is great and the vocals are frantic until the chorus where they burst into an amazing dark melody. A very good way to end the album.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anthrax Enters The 90's , August 23, 2004
Persistence of Time(1990). Anthrax's Sixth Album.
In the 80's, Thrash was created in the San Fransisco Bay Area, with bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Slayer, Testament, and Overkill aweing fans and releasing some of the finest and fastest albums ever heard. While San Fransisco was Thrash's breeding ground, New York band Anthrax would soon prove themselves to be one of the one of the best bands of the genre. Blending the fast and furious spitting and raging electric guitars with the often humorous and punky vocals/lyrics, their 80's albums, most notably 'Spreading The Disease' and 'Among The Living', became massive underground hits. Around the time of 'Persistence of Time's release, the world saw the release of '...And Justice For All' and 'Rust In Peace', two albums that revolutionized and popularized the genre. Instead of repeating themselves and using punk influences, Anthrax decided to drop everything but the speed and the heaviness, and the Thrash classic 'Persistence of Time' stands as one of the darkest, heaviest, and breathtaking releases of its time. Although they would go on to tour with Public Enemy and incorporate Rap elements to their music, and go on to Top Ten success with 'Sound of White Noise', 'Persistence of Time' finds them thrashing and rocking, all the while scaring the hell out of the listener. So, is 'Persistence of Time' one of Anthrax's best or weakest albums? Read on to find out!
Track Ratings-
Time- "Tick, Tick, Tick"... BOOM! Anthrax explodes out with the progressive "Time", a track that you won't soon forget. Think Slayer's dark? Just listen to Spitz's riff and you'll see they give Slayer a run for their money. Belladonna's sneering vocals spew out hate-filled lyrics with precision and ease, and the chorus is headbanging gold! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-!
Blood- Wow. Think Lars Ulrich is metal's premiere drummer? Tell that to Charlie Benante and he'll shove it in your face. Sure to get your blood curling, "Blood" has incredible, creepy vocals from Belladonna with constant shouts of "MURDERER!" that are only a taste of the lyrics. Want kick-ass Thrash Metal? Listen up!
Keep It In The Family- "We Are Family"? Hell no! If you want that, go to a disco parlor. On the other hand, if you want headbanging electric riffs, creepy vocals and lyrics, incredible solos, and good-old Thrash metal, I suggest you unpause this song.
In My World- In my world, bands like Anthrax would be at the top of the charts and Good Charlotte and Blink- 182 would appear to be smears on the highway. Unfortuneatly, that won't happen, but we've still got the song "In My World", which features gloomy riffs and dark vocals, not to mention a Spitz solo that's sure to give everyone their daily dose of Thrash.
Gridlock- Muy Bein Benante! Combine Metallica's 'Hit The Lights' and Megadeth's 'Mechanix', with Belladonna's melodic vocals and a wicked solo from Spitz, and you've got yourself 'Gridlock'. Great musicianship here!
Intro To Reality- An intro to "Belly In The Beast", "Intro To Reality" finds Spitz and Scott Ian combining the forces of Rhythm and Electric Guitars to create a breath-taking 3 minute plus song. Great!
Belly of the Beast- Bearing a strong resemblance to Testament's 'Souls of Black', 'Belly of the Beast' is a bass-heavy Thrash rocker that practically bleeds sarcasm and pessimism. Gotta love the chorus!
Got The Time- Although Anthrax officially dropped their punk influences, this clearly points otherwise. Bello's addictive bassline behind Spitz's punky riffs give Belladonna the perfect punk beat to sing his heart out. An energetic, fun Thrasher!
H8 Red- Spitz spits(*) out a demented guitar beat, and Belladonna's questioning vocals only enhance the headbanging quality! Belladonna's melodic vocals work wonders here, and the chorus will simply blow you away. "Do I Hate You?!"
One Man Stands- 'Persistence of Time's masterpiece, "One Man Stands" is a dark, moody Thrash Metal standard not unlike the sound of late- Alice In Chains, except with melodic vocals and a beat sure to give you nightmares. I just can't describe it.. Anthrax progresses through many musical measures with ease, and the chorus is simply phenomenol.
Discharge- Simply *great*. Benante's super-fast pitch, Spitz's record-breaking guitar speeds, and Belladona's powerful vocals deliver a performance you'd come to expect from 80's Metallica and Megadeth. Powerful, ambient musicianship.......crank it up!
Overall, 'Persistence of Time', while not equalling its neighboring albums 'Among The Living' and 'Spreading The Disease', still stands as a terrific looks into one of Thrash's finest bands, Anthrax. The musicianship is *top*-notch, the tone dark, and the volume loud, so if you enjoy that, I suggest you take a listen. After this album, Anthrax would fire Joey Belladonna and hire vocalist John Bush, and would go on to create a Top Ten record and put Rap influences into their music. Unfortuneatly this technique didn't work out and ended up keeping the albums from ever retaining the glory of 'Among The Living', 'Spreading The Disease' and 'Persistence of Time'.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! FANS OF THRASH, HEAVY METAL, AND ANTHRAX WOULD HIGHLY ENJOY THIS ALBUM! THE LAST BRILLIANT ANTHRAX ALBUM!
Killer Kuts- "Time", "Blood", "H8 Red", "One Man Stands", "Discharge", and pretty much everything!
Also Recommended-
Among The Living- Anthrax
The New Order- Testament
Master of Puppets- Metallica
Thanks For Reading!
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