Anthrax is back - should we get excited?

 

By Stewart Dowouis

The biggest story in the world of Metal over the past week has been the announcement of Cursum Perficio, Anthrax’s first new record in a decade. This announcement was accompanied by a music video for the album’s first single, “It’s for the Kids,” a highly nostalgic visual experience that harkens back to the band’s early days as one of the most popular and influential thrash metal acts on the planet. I don’t know about you guys, but my social media algorithms were relentless, feeding me articles about this new song/record constantly for at least 48 hours straight. Anthrax was one of the first “extreme” bands to capture my imagination as a youngster, so I was an easy mark for the hype, intrigued and happy to take it all in. 

I’m cautious these days though not to get too excited when classic metal bands…especially the Big Four…announce new records. Marketing strategy from these bands these days always seems to follow the same script: 

1. release a ripping song as the first single making sure that it suggests a return to form 

2. talk a lot about the band’s classic era during the promotional cycle

3. hope no one notices that the rest of the record is kinda meh when it ultimately gets release a few months later

See Metallica’s “Hardwired” and Megadeth’s “We’ll Be Back” for textbook examples of this strategy. Both were promising first singles from relatively forgettable records. 

This new Anthrax song is an old-school ripper. The new video is a throwback to their 1985 video for their first hit, “Madhouse.” The album cover artwork is comprised of elements from all of their classic albums. Oh, man. Are they following the script? Are we being set up for another Big Four disappointment come release day? 

I’m thinking NO. 

Something tells me Cursum Perficio will be different. The phrase translates to “I complete my journey.” I think this record will be an intense statement. We are Anthrax. We’ve been where we’ve been. We’ve done big things. Our time on Earth is winding down. We’re cool with it. We’re not reinventing the wheel. This one could be it. Let’s fuckin’ go!

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