Sometimes you just need an album to kick you in the face and just keep on kicking. Blackened thrash is usually the way to go when you’re in that mood since re-joining those conjoined genres is a pretty good way to get albums that simply go. The mix of those…
A new year always brings with it a bevy of renewed personal/cultural expectations. I have historically tended to gravitate mentally toward the hopeful notion that a new trip around the sun brings with it some form of clean slate where possibilities are endless, causing my excitement for what life’s next…
While I don’t want to hold it against any particular artist, some subgenres have a tendency to sound a bit stale over time. In order to fit into some kind of description, you have to walk down a fairly narrow and rigid path that doesn’t allow for any kind of…
Welcome back to the Pit, fellow moshers! We’re back to tell you about the thrash you need to know. Josh and I actually had a tough time this quarter. While there really aren’t enough releases to do this bad boy monthly, there were way too many good releases this quarter.…
What exactly defines music as “accessible”? Here on this blog, we thrive on the most niche of sounds. Dissonant black metal? Oh yeah, we got that for all 12 of you who love it. Epic funeral doom? Of course we have that, and we have it in 20, 30, 40,…
What is it about black metal that keeps us coming back? In the last few years, I’ve personally become a bigger and bigger fan of black metal. Anything blackened has my attention. There’s a certain artistry and aesthetic to it that calls me back. Atmosphere is a huge part of…
If there’s one thing the world needs more of, it’s blackened thrash. In some ways, it’s the original black metal sound. It’s chaotic and raucous, just like we all love our metal. However, it’s also overtly dark and evil sounding, a constant grind on your senses that still has its…
Not every band kills it with every release. A friend and I were recently discussing a question: how many bands can you think of that have 5 objectively good albums? It’s a tough question even if you get past the discussion of what qualifies as “objectively good.” Very few bands…
God, I love blackened thrash. Thrash metal always seems like it could be so evil. Just take Slayer to a logical end and BLAM! You got yourself a stew going, baby. It’s dark and riffy and evil and aggressive and just such a fun trip down an avenue you don’t…
Guys, I really tried with Anthrax. I fully intended to write a defense of Anthrax as a Big 4 band. Ask my girlfriend. Ask the editors. Ask anybody who lets me talk about the blog to them. I really wanted to do that. I had a great plan! I intentionally started the Testament column with “ANTHRAX SUX LOL” because I wanted to write, “And whoever that idiot was who said Anthrax sucks can go play in traffic!” It was going to be so great. Self-deprecating humor is disarming, even if total comment thread dopes can’t understand tongue-in-cheek humor via the written word.
I had listened to some Anthrax records before, so I had some idea of what I was in for. “Sure, there might be some stinkers here, but overall I’ll find what I need.” And then I started listening. And I kept listening. Fistful of Metal. Spreading the Disease. Among the Living. State of Euphoria. When I got to Persistence of Time, a thought occurred to me.
I still can’t defend Anthrax. I just can’t do it.
