Anthrax is killing me! Anthrax - Be All End All Reaction!

Tonight i listened to Anthrax Be All End All. it was the first time this band had appeared on the channel and i didnt know what to expect at all, other than they were one of the big 4!
i must say, i was disappointed. I dont feel like the song offered me anything special, it was far too reliant on that main riff and i dont feel it went anywhere. I was a bit bored. Maybe it was the wrong song to listen to , maybe i was having a bad night, maybe it genuinely just didnt do anything for me musically. I'll only know by listening to more!
Let me know what song sets this band apart from the rest!
#anthrax #anthraxbeallendall #beallendall

[@jon-pauldupont5746]

State of Euphoria is a really strange album for Anthrax. The album right before and right after (Among the Living, and Persistence of Time) are both phenomenal.

[@NathanCline12-21]

It is a very different album than most especially up to this point but this is also one of my favorite albums.

[@TML0677]

State of Euphoria is the BEST album of Anthrax. By Far. That's why it is strange to you. Your ears are not tuned for music.

[@jewelbell5]

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! Anthrax rocks!!!

[@ianjohnson171]

What I like about your channel is it's an honest opinion, sometimes you like the songs and sometimes you don't. Unlike other reaction channels where the person just pretends to be in love with every song. I like Anthrax, they don't really have overly deep lyrics you're right (although their new album is probably their best)

[@ThomasJ_Music]

Thanks Ian, I’ll always try to be honest! Thanks for watching! I’ll definitely check out some more

[@altaycan389]

I agree. I don’t really like most of their stuff but For All Kings is a great album.

[@progperljungman8218]

You made a simple point: Didn't like the continous repetition. Honest, fair & square!

[@GodFootDaddyG]

Totally understandable that you didnt like it. Took me a while to get used to them given that my gateway into metal was Dream Theater. The songs I usually listen to from them are "Indians", "In The End", and "Among The Living". Those 3 seem to be more dynamic. Dream Theater cursed me into expecting 100 time changes in the first minute of a song and now I can't enjoy most metal, but those songs are bearable enough lol. Edit: there is a live video of the band playing "Indians" in Chile where the sickest mosh pit I've ever seen erupts.

[@mng7096]

Breathing Lightning is my favorite Anthrax song. 🙂

[@deadlyredly1]

Being my favourite group, it guts me when people don't like them lol - but having said that, good on ya for keeping it real man. Would not have been my first choice to introduce someone to the band, but it is what it is! When you say "it's nothing I haven't heard before" it's because 'Thrax is actually highly underrated when it comes to making modern day metal what it is. No doubt other people have and will recommend other Anthrax songs, and I would implore you to give them further shots. Only or Breathing Lightning would be my best suggestions, but please don't count them out based off a song that is on an album that the band themselves have expressed displeasure in!

[@ThomasJ_Music]

Certainly won’t be writing them off. I usually go back and give a few more attempts.

[@deadlyredly1]

@@ThomasJ_Music Good to hear mate! I have watched a few more of your vids tonight, and enjoying your shit. More power to you! Just so you know too, It was Anthrax that brought me to you lol.

[@ThomasJ_Music]

@@deadlyredly1 glad to have you with us!

[@kellrockets101]

Yea man..I don't understand not liking this either. One of the first songs in my youth that got me into them. A classic thrash song

[@przemekz4]

Check out their song Only or Safe Home. You will like it more for sure. Different singer and completely different vibe. Amazing songs. Greetings from Poland 👌

[@africanfartingfrog]

I loved the John Bush stuff. Room for one More is another good one

[@alanwhetstone3922]

Anthrax - I'm the Man

[@SpectralUltra]

I feel just as you. Never been up for this band.

[@718alterego]

The band didn't like this album. They rushed it to go on tour and said it was simply unfinished. Their album before this, Among The Living, is considered their classic album. So many good songs on there, but check out Caught in a Mosh, considered one of their definitive tunes.

[@colemanoke]

Maybe try Madhouse by anthrax, it's definitely more dynamic!

[@jasperlit1345]

I agree, this album was a little different for them.. 'Among the Living' Is their best IMHO.. I would look there for the Anthrax sound>"All Caught in a Mosh" or even "One World" Cheers :)

[@RafaelMartins-wq4bt]

Guess we had to be there in the 80's to fully understand Anthrax's sound. I was !!!

[@deadlyredly1]

ditto man!

[@rodolforodriguez6230]

Anthrax is a great band

[@midibenni]

The Problem is, that no Anthrax Album sounds like the other before. Any Album sounds totally different. For me, that is big Plus of the Band. But James Hetfield of Metallica said, that Anthrax`s "ONLY" Song is nearly the perfect Rock Song.

[@stuartthwaite1236]

Try in the end off there 2013 album worship music. The song is a tribute to Dio and Dime. Or if you wanna try something different by them do Bring the noise a song they did with public enemy.

[@MarkSmith-ws1mb]

A.I.R. from their early days, or just about any song off of their Among the Living album.

[@1vster]

A.I.R., I’m the law, Indians, Skeletons, In my world, Keep it in the Family.

[@patrick1234]

Agree with ur opinion.

[@ericdstraus]

One of the best thrash bands ever! Sorry you didn't like this one. My favorites are Caught in a Mosh, Discharge, Belly of the Beast, and Among the Living. For a great laugh, I'm the Man is awesome.

[@dafella7787]

I really enjoyed your reaction to Trivium “ the sin and the sentence “ please do more Trivium

[@tylerspunucious7420]

Caught in a Mosh or Madhouse are probably the signature songs.

[@jeffreypullis696]

The intro is cool!

[@javiersosa1329]

Anthrax didn't age well but I still love them

[@jon-pauldupont5746]

Disagree. Worship Music is a great album. They are just best with Joey on vocals

[@jeffreypullis696]

Great song!

[@ChaosKnight67]

IMO the live version of this song from the Big Four Concert DVD is much much better. I'm not a huge Anthrax fan and they were one of the harder bands to kinda get into. Among the big 4 Anthrax is definitely very punk influenced at least that's what I think, and that is what makes them different.

[@RafaelMartins-wq4bt]

I remembered something. You're a jazz musician, right? Anthrax made a cover version of Joe Jackson's song "Got the time". The video clip is also cool. Give it a try one of these days. Maybe it will change your opinion, or maybe it helps you understand that Anthrax is "just" like this. Stay safe !

[@jez9951]

The only band out of the big 4 that I struggled to get into. I'm not saying they're a bad band but their sound just isn't for me.

[@APWPaint]

Not a very good intro to Anthrax at all. I always liked these guys and I have this album but I don't even remember this tune. Please try again. Indians, madhouse, or even room for one more.

[@colmhain]

I love this album! Not the best song on this, though.

[@catmanduu66]

I know this is a long time since this reaction. Hopefully you've heard other Anthrax by now and do know they are a really cool band. One of my favorite bands. I see most people suggesting Indians. That's the simple choice. Let me give you something else. If you do read this check out Belly of the Beast, one of my favorite songs and I feel their best song of the old school lineup.

[@matthooper2905]

Not a great song choice in my opinion, I think at the time a lot of bands were really trying too hard to get radio play. The riff in this is I think their attempt at trying to make some thing catchy..but it's too simple and has not got a lot of depth to it. I think my favourite song on this album is who cares wins. Also I think Anthrax were the second fastest out of the big four and some songs right up there for speed and aggression. They definitely have the most basic riff's and only later started becoming a bit more complex. I would say checkout Skeletons in the closet live in Chile (Chile in Hell). They have so many songs and have so many highs and lows, but they are still the most versatile of most thrash bands. Its also worth noting that the side project S.O.D, has some great moments.

[@luisberrios4617]

Oh tommy

[@TheRiehlThing42]

This one is a tough one. Especially for an intro to Anthrax. As others have said, this album was rushed. Another thing, Anthrax in the 80s were heavily influenced by punk compared to the other Big 4. And as you said at the beginning, you wanted to hear a studio version first, and this song was definitely better live. The live in Sofia version of this song is amazing. 80s Joey songs are better live. 90s era with John Bush, and current Joey songs are good studio. Try Among The Living Live in Chile, or Skeletons In The Closet Live in Chile. Those two songs came off of Anthrax's "classic" album, but live is where you'll really feel their power and speed.

[@bryanfreese5155]

Nope, you're wrong! Awesome song.

[@andrewjones1071]

Everyone always talks about a big four thrash metal bands, but, in my humble opinion (and this might be controversial), there was only ever a big three: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth. Anthrax were okay, but very much part of the second tier of thrash bands along with Exodus, Testament, Overkill, etc. I'm not trying to take anything away from those bands, they were great, but they never reached the heights the big three did.

[@njldst2007]

Sorry but there's a reason 'Thrax were a part of the Big 4. During the mid to late 80s when the term was coined, Anthrax was tied with Megadeth in terms of album sales and overall popularity. It's only during the 90s and early 00s that Anthrax started falling by the wayside, but even when we look at post 2010 album sales, Anthrax are almost equal with Megadeth. Anthrax's run of 4/5 albums from Fistful of Metal to either State of Euphoria or Persistence of Time (depending on who you ask) are all considered classics of the genre, and it is that consistency which put them above Exodus, who were arguably the first Thrash band, but failed to have a good run of albums or Overkill, who were earlier than even Exodus (though as a punk band first) but didn't release their first album till 1985 and only caught fire by 1987. Also, Anthrax represented the East Coast thrash bands, had a unique style of thrash and were also breaking boundaries like being involved in creating the first ever rap-metal collaboration with The Beastie boys and also exploring and pushing the limits of hardcore with their side project SOD. To top it all off, the term Thrash metal originated from the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad. So yea, like them or not, they deserved to be a part of the Big 4.

[@andrewjones1071]

@@njldst2007 Thanks for your response. You make many good points. However, I remain unconvinced. I do not have information regarding comparative album sales from the mid to late 80s, but I would suggest that Among the Living is considered Anthrax's standout album, with Spreading the Disease also being popular. A Fistful of Metal was a decent debut but hardly essential listening. State of Euphoria and Persistence of Time were, despite relatively goods sales, rather disappointing albums - I would be surprised if these are considered classics of the genre by many fans. I am rather dubious of this 'consistency' you mention. Simply because they represented the East Coast doesn't justify their inclusion in the Big Four. There are other successful East Coast thrash bands such as Nuclear Assault or (as you mentioned) Overkill. I'm the Man (released in 1987) had apparently originally intended to be a collaboration with the Beastie Boys, but due to scheduling difficulties wasn't. It was fun and silly, but was it groundbreaking thrash metal? Maybe. However, Aerosmith and Run DMC had done something similar in 1986 with Walk This Way, and several others had also experimented with rap/metal fusions before Anthrax (Jon Zazula's Metal Rap from 1984!) And, while Anthrax were fooling around with I'm the Man, 1986 had seen the release of Reign in Blood, Peace Sells..., and Master of Puppets, and, arguably, nothing Anthrax has ever released comes close to those albums. I agree that S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die is an absolute classic (probably more so than most Anthrax albums) but, by my reckoning, this still doesn't get Anthrax into the Big Four. The term 'heavy metal' is often quoted as being first coined by Steppenwolf (“heavy metal thunder” from their song Born to be Wild), but I doubt many would consider this a reason to include Steppenwolf in a list of the greatest heavy metal bands. Just because the term 'thrash' may have been derived from an Anthrax song, doesn't automatically get them into the top thrash bands of all time. I realise all this sounds very negative, and I don't mean to be. Anthrax were a great band and certainly deserve their place in metal history. But I would argue that they are not as critically successful as the other three bands and certainly do not have the brand value or back catalogue of those bands. Nor have they had the longevity that those other bands have had. In my estimation, and I stress that this is largely just my opinion, Anthrax were very lucky to ever be considered in the same league as Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth.

[@njldst2007]

​@@andrewjones1071 You don't sound negative :-D It's always good to have a debate if it can be an open minded discussion and trade/share info with each other, best way to learn new things. Regarding critical reception, the references that I usually go to are Encyclopaedia Metallum and metalmusicarchives, both of which are pretty notorious for having stingy review scores at times, and you'll see that the run of albums I'm talking about is highly rated in both sites. Keep in mind, both are aggregated ratings sites, so it isn't just one reviewer praising the album but accumulated votes of various metalheads. Persistence of Time is in fact the highest rated album from their discog in Metallum, with a whopping 93% from 14 reviews and the second highest on metalmusicarchives with a score of 4.07 out of 5 from 49 ratings. Nuclear Assault and Overkill, and Overkill are one of my favorite metal bands of all time, didn't come close to Anthrax in terms of album sales. Anthrax had 4 consecutive albums get certified Gold by RIAA, Among the Living to Sound of White Noise, something neither NA or Overkill have ever sold close to. With regards to Walk this way, that was Run DMC doing a cover, so it doesn't qualify the same as an original collaboration, especially with how inclusive that 80s thrash scene was, I give Anthrax major props for having the guts to do it. And come on man, you know I wasn't actually stating that Metal Thrashing Mad be one of the key reasons lol, that was more like an interesting tidbit. The fact is, during the 80s, Anthrax were right there with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth at the forefront of the Thrash metal scene, in terms of commercial success, album sales plus being on the covers of the underground metal magazines at the time, as well as pushing the boundaries further musically, Benante is still considered one of the greatest metal/rock drummers ever, Scott Ian one of Metal's greatest rhythm guitarists. In fact, if you want to know what their peers thought of them, have a look at the Get Thrashed documentary where Lars, Mustaine, Gary Holt, etc all acknowledge how big of a deal Anthrax were. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2jafn15iqpnj8k (Starts around 54:30 here) And in terms of longevity?? Dude, for me personally, Anthrax's post 2000 output ranks favorably with Slayer's or Metallica's, with Megadeth having the best and worst post-2000 Big 4 album releases in Dystopia/Endgame and Supercollider respectively. Hope this helps put my points across well \m/

[@johngillespie3409]

@@njldst2007 the rap collaboration was with Public Enemy, not the Beastie Boys.

[@njldst2007]

@@johngillespie3409 Ah yes, my bad. I got confused because Anthrax covered Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, but yes, I'm the Man was with Public Enemy

[@rogerosuna3995]

Avril Lavigne is for YOU. ENJOY.

[@chris_j2665]

None of the 'big groups' ever did anything for me!! Motorhead was ok and I sort of appreciate Metallica a bit more now but that sort of metal has never done anything for me ... Anthrax out of all of them, as Juan already said, hasn't aged well either. Another fair reaction Tommy. 👍

[@njldst2007]

Motorhead?? Different genre there bud 😅

[@raymondmejias7839]

Their early stuff didn't age in well. But the John Bush era was totally different more progressive then thrash I still listen to it.

[@leebredahl6214]

Check out kataklysm outsider

[@colmhain]

No, you got the song right. Anthrax's ......"deal" is that they are half punk and half thrash. They are a good band, one of my favorites, but not a really deep band. Anthrax is kind of a feel-good bubblegum thrash band with real punk vibes.

[@jima6545]

They have some very strong songs. This isn't one of them. So many better tracks on this album

[@ImDembe]

@@jima6545 Exactly my first thought.

[@chrismueller1328]

You heard it before cause they invented it. Lol.

[@steliosemmanouilidis5050]

Some people are gonna kill me for saying this,but black and death metal songs are the same,and even worse. Repetitive,boring and they don't go anywhere. Call me a boomer or whatever but that's just my opinion.The only good death metal band ive listened to is death.But other than that, theres really nothing else.

[@gabolujan]

Gojira and old Opeth are death metal, and they dont sound the same on any song. Also Immortal, Agalloch, and to an extent, Behemoth are all black metal and they don't sound the same. You just have to look for what you like within a genre.

[@MetalED]

Not the best song for an intro to Anthrax..I would recommend something off Among The Living or even better pretty much anything off The Sound of White Noise album. As has been said already,different singer,different sound....try Only, Room For One More, Hy Pro Glow or Black Lodge.

[@efakter1]

Why you picked this particular album, which was their worst album, is beyond me. You have to listen to their first album “fistful of metal”. With Neil Turbin at the vocals. This is heavy stuff. “Deathrider” “Howling Furies” “Soldiers of Metal” “Panic”

[@ThomasJ_Music]

That’s what was suggested to me and won the viewer vote. I will get your suggestions down into it! Thank you!