Customer Reviews

Stomp 442

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anthrax originally released STOMP 442 in 1995, and it couldn't have been at a worse time (this is a re-release); 1995 was a hard time for metal, if one wasn't Metallica: old school metal was passe and New Metal was in Kindergarten. All of the other established bands were finding it hard to find a place in the era of post-grunge inbred clones (or, rather, the record company marketing execs were looking for the next inbred offspring of Nirvana and ignored the metal bands in their roster). Corporate upheavals severed the relationships that led to the signings of metal bands to big labels in the early nineties. Hence the mid-90s abandonment of so many great bands, like Prong, Biohazard, and C.O.C., all of whom came up from the underground scene to the majors in the early 90s to be subsequently dropped by mid-decade.
Anthrax, of course, is on the very short list of ground-breaking and influential metal bands of the 1980s. In addition to being one of the fathers of "speed-metal", their tongue-in-cheek renditions of the Beastie Boys way back in 1987 and their collaboration with Public Enemy certainly planted the seed for the "rap-metal" style of young metallurgists a decade their junior. When these kids mockingly throw around the term "Addidas Rock", do they know what they're referencing (credit must also be given to RUN D.M.C.)?
By 1992 Anthrax had evolved to a such a point creatively that they parted ways with long-time vocalist Joey Belladonna. In Armored Saint singer John Bush they found a jolt of creative and energy and began, or so they had hoped, a new era for the band. They signed a lucrative three-record deal with Elektra, home of Metallica. 1993's SOUND OF WHITE NOISE was a creative, critical, and chart success.
Unfortunately, Anthrax was no exception to the above scenario. The people who signed them at Elektra had departed by the time 1995's STOMP 442 was released. The execs in suits didn't see them as viable in the musical climate of the time, and therefore ignored them. Consequently, STOMP 442 was neglected, not promoted at all, and criminally ignored by the buying public. Scott Ian, the rhythm guitarist, has said that "Random Acts of Senseless Violence" (STOMP 442's frontal assault) is "Heavy. Too bad no one heard it". Ian has also said that Anthrax's last three records (including 1998's VOLUME 8: THE THREAT IS REAL, another unseen masterpiece now out of print due to the label closing its doors! Hopefully to be reissued as well) have been the most satisfying creatively. Again, a crime they haven't reached many ears, ears that, in my view, would eat this stuff up.
Flash forward to 2001. In the April issue of Rolling Stone (Julia Stiles cover), STOMP 442 was NUMBER 20 on the Reader's Poll!! In the same list as the BEATLES!!! As a flabbergasted Ian said, "who knew?!?!" So there are people out there who know of STOMP 442, have heard it, and like it. Unfortunately it has been out of print. But now it and 1993's SOUND OF WHITE OF NOISE are back and better than ever, remastered with extra goodies!!
Probably as far back as 1996, with the launching of OZZ-FEST, metal has been back en vogue and harder than ever (had Anthrax been on the bill....). Iron Maiden makes a double-barrel comeback. New Metal with all its trappings has helped make metal relevant again. And now Anthrax is busy and ready to bust @#$! up. New label, tour (with Judas Priest), record in the works, collaboration with John Carpenter on the score to GHOSTS OF MARS (great stuff--check it out, if only for their contribution). The Elektra records are finally back, from their new label, Beyond Music, remastered with extra tracks and Ian-penned liner notes. What more could a metal fan ask for?! Content-wise, this stuff has aged better than fine wine. More like a strong small-batch barley wine. It packs a punch harder than ever. Case in point: it had taken me 5 years to get into this record.

This material is so relevant today, in this stale musical climate. STOMP 442 features tighter arrangements than ever before; tight, crunching musical statements in 5 minutes or less. Emphasis on songwriting: Simple yet whiplash-enducing riffs, melodies and hooks that leave a bootprint on your brain. And John Bush's vocals: he had fully integrated himself into Anthrax's sound. Hopefully now that time has given us some perspective, STOMP 442 will finally get the attention it deserves. If the Rolling Stone poll is any indication, there are hungry ears waiting to devour this addictive slab of metal. In short: BUY IT. IF YOU ARE A METAL FAN, OR JUST LIKE GOOD MUSIC, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?! ....

Anthrax is my favorite band, so my opinion may be biased, but this is an underrated classic, probably because it goes in a much more aggressive direction than SOWN does. "In a Zone" and Drop the Ball" are two of the heaviest songs they have ever done. They alone are worth the price. "Nothing" is a melodic song in the vein of "Only". "Bare" is a nice ballad, but not up there with "Black Lodge". This album expands upon the sound they created with "Persistance of Time" by mixing churning, crunching riffs with melody lines that are much darker than those found on State of Euphoria.

If We've Come For You All is half this good, It would blow me away. From beginning to end blistering riffs. "Tester" and "In a Zone" rule...

From begining to end the album is fresh, fast, and has flow. The songs on the album have a unity which makes the track progression completely in sync. I didnt feel any of the songs were filler or forced in nature they all felt as though they belonged. My negatives about the album: the cover art is terrible which probably aided in the demise of the album sales, and some of the lyrics were mediocre. Aside from that the album is really good. How does it stack up against previous efforts? I think its one of their best however, I am not going to rank it with previous efforts because all of the bands albums seem to fit a different niche or tone. It gets 5 stars from me because I felt it was a complete album with a great payoff.

Originally released in 1995, Stomp 442 was the second album of "the Bush era". I was always aware of Anthrax growing up, but aside from their goofball "I'm the Man" single, the band never really made much of an impact on me until they replaced vocalist Joey Belladonna with Armored Saint's John Bush. Bush's energetic and intense yet still melodic vocal style just seemed like such a better fit for Anthrax's brand of thrash, and I still view that lineup's debut - 1993's Sound of White Noise - as the best Anthrax album ever.

Stomp 442 carries on the same tradition of Sound of White Noise. It's great to hear an album so unrepentantly metal at a time when metal had become a 4-letter word to most music buyers. This was not some weak attempt at grunge. Despite the absence of founding guitarist Dan Spitz, Stomp 442 had all of Anthrax's signature thrash style, but with an intensity that would have been right at home on a hardcore punk album. Songs like "Riding Shotgun" and "Drop the Ball" are just punishing. Bush's vocals are as good as ever, and seem to me to be the glue that holds the whole album together. Stomp 442 doesn't have the immediate impact that Sound of White Noise had, but it doesn't take too many spins before you realize you're getting a first-rate metal album, and one that is more than worthy of the Anthrax name.

The 2001 reissue of Stomp 442 features 4 bonus tracks, all of which are impressive. I love a good cover song, and Anthrax serves up three - Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor", Huskur Du's "Celebrated Summer", and KISS's "Watchin' You". All are quite good, but Celebrated Summer alone is worth the price of the disc if for no other reason than that it is just about the last song you'd expect a metal band to cover. If you're one of the faithful who bought Stomp 442 the first time around, you may want to consider replacing your old version. My only complaint, however minor, is that they didn't include the song "Poison My Eyes", which was originally featured on the Last Action Hero: Music From The Original Motion Picture soundtrack.

At a time when being left field was mandatory Anthrax pulled an awesome move by ... not being left field! Instead the band let fly with perhaps their best ever album in terms of pure metal though thrash devotees may still prefer earlier stuff like State of Euphoria. Instead of trying to encapsulate the entire album in a review I'm going to just point out a few reasons that I love this ablum.

Passion - There is oodles of passion here, a missionary zeal in love of metal, a hearty raising of the fist as proof of a rejuvenated band setting out to throttle the naysayers. Top flight self belief in their mission and it shows in the gusto with wich these songs are attacked.

Talent - Anthrax were never a band which rose or fell on their musical chops but with a lot of the songs it's hard to see where they could be improved. A couple of the songs - Drop the Ball and Riding Shotgun for instance, aren't top notch while American Pompeii and In A Zone are only dragged into the 'very good' category through John Bushs' force of will, but as for the rest it's all cruising in top gear.

Professionalism - Apart from the above two points this album reeks of professionals doing a job. That's actually a compliment in this case - the band putting out good product and then refusing to bow to the grunge tidal wave, talking to every and any media outlet that would give them the time of day and touring any and every toilet to promote the album (including The Palace in Newcastle, Australia - man, the thought makes my neck ache all over again!).

This is a great metal album that deserves a place in the 'A' section of your collection. Hard driven songs with heft and heart. The sort of (almost) masterpiece that can convert people to the enjoyment of metal.

I think there was a period in the 90's where Anthrax ended up in a bit of a rut, as far as the critics may have seen it. The series of recordings with Jon Bush at the mike continued to be strong, with high-powered rhythms and great songs, but with the glut of other bands and a lot of pretenders, some of the stuff got lost.

"Stomp 442" had another slab of great heavy metal rock, with "Random Acts," "Fueled" and "Tester" among the stellar tracks.

You have with Anthrax a band that chooses to continue to pound away with heavy sound, but the songs stretch out from the ludicrous to the dead bloody serious.

There is really nothing wrong with this album. I still like it, and it fits in well with others such as "Sound of White Noise" and "Among the Living," as well as "We've Come For You All."

The best songs on this album are "random acts of senseless violence", "fueled", and "riding shotgun". There is some weak tracks on this album and is not as humorous as some of the earlier Anthrax albums which is a minus. As for the extra tracks, the cover of Celtic Frost's "dethroned emperor" is incredible. Bottom line: if your an Anthrax fan buy this but buy some of their other albums first, like Sound of White Noise or Among the Living.

Stomp 442 definitely showed that Anthrax had rediscovered thrash and consequently it packed one HEAVY punch. However, it lacks that certa9n something that makes a good album great. Sure, Random Acts of Senseless Violence, Fueled, Riding Shotgun, and Tester all shred, but overall it's not on the same level as SOWN, POT, and ATL. Anthrax clearly retained the thrash element of Stomp 442 and combined it with Sound of White Noise to produce the killer Volume 8: The Threat is Real. If you liked liked Anthrax back when they were thrashy, definitely pick this one up.

Okay, I love Anthrax, I think they are one of the greatest bands in the history of rock music, but I can't lie. This is probably their worst album. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, but it's not great. It does contain about 3 of the best Anthrax songs ever written, but also the worst. This is painful, but lets get to the review.

1:Random Acts of Senseless Violence-Probably the second best song on the album its a great way to kick off the record. The song is a full-bore onslaught by the band, leaving you with the distinct impression that your ass has just been kicked. The song is fast, oh so heavy, and with great lyrics.
2:Fueled-The third best song on the album and one of the best songs in Anthrax history. Great melody, great lyrics, exceptional drumming. A thoroughly exceptional song.
3:King Size-This song has some great melody, but the way it's arranged takes away from it.
4:Riding Shotgun-Exceptional drumming, moshable riffs, and provocative, agressive, lyrics. A good fast song.
5:Perpetual Motion-Good up until the chorus, were the imagination disappears. Great guitars, but a forgetable song.
6:In a Zone-Completely forgetable, enough said.
7:Nothing-One of the best Thrax songs ever written, it showcases the band at the hieght of their more than formidable musicianship. The lyrics are wonderfug, the guitars masterful and melodic, the drumming exception. Great in every respect.
8:American Pompeii-Good strong song. Great lyrics, good guitars, just plain good!
9:Drop the Ball-Worst Anthrax song ever written. Stupid (not humorous) lyrics, annoying riffs, annoying chorus. can't listen to it all the way through!
10:Tester-Almost as bad as Drop the Ball, good lyrics, but arranged poorly. Musicianship is lacking.
11:Bare-Great song, thoughtful, reverent lyrics, good guitar work.

I won't cover the bonus tracks. Sorry Anthrax! I hope you can forgive me, its my opinion.