Anthrax - “Fight 'Em 'Till You Can't”
With the exception of one (mostly informative) post here on Clang & Clatter, I really have tried to steer clear of all the drama surrounding the Anthrax camp in their attempts to find stability in their lead singer position and put out their new album. Once again, I’m going to take the high road and not mention the firing of Dan Nelson, John Bush’s stint as a fill-in vocalist (by his own choice, by the way) for some European shows, and the re-hiring of former “classic line-up” vocalist Joey Belladonna. Nor will I bring up the fact that despite a successful run with the Big Four concerts, most folks—including many fans of the band—have lost interest in the now-two-years-overdue new album Worship Music which was put on hold and then re-written and then re-recorded after Nelson’s departure. Nope. Not gonna do it.
Instead I will divulge that I was less than excited when Anthrax unveiled the new track “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” (from the aforementioned not-yet-released-but-currently-in-mixing album) as part of their live set. It’s not that I didn’t think it was a good song; it was more that there wasn’t anything special about it that made it stand out. As a result I wasn’t holding out much hope for the new album.
That was until Anthrax dropped the “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” single last week in advance of a September release for Worship Music. Stylistically, the new song picks right up where Belladonna left off on Persistence of Time before his original split with the band. The main riff sounds quite a bit like the opening section of “Gridlock” off that album, and the bridge recalls the call-and-response verses of “Misery Love Company” from State of Euphoria. The studio version has an energy that I never picked up from any of the live footage that I’ve seen—which oddly is quite the opposite usually—and the guitar tones (especially the lead parts) are far better than anything off We’ve Come For You All, the last studio album from the band. It contains all the elements of classic Anthrax, along with some modern metal touches not present in previous work. Drummer Charlie Benante—whom I have always thought was criminally underrated—is in fine form, double-bass-drumming and blast-beating his way throughout the track.
If “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” is any indication of the quality of Worship Music, I’ll definitely be singing my praises after I pick it up later this year.
Enjoy!
