Considered by many, Among the Living is the best work from Anthrax.
Among the living it's more like a powerchord riffage album with a mix of tribute, political lyrics and power vocals.
The Band:
Joey Belladona-Vocals:His work on vocals is diferent of the other thrash metal bands, average vocals;his work on the lyrics is quite a challenge, some have serious themes, but others are just for filling.
Frank Bello-Bass:Even when at that time Master of Puppets and Peace Sells basslines outshined his work, Bello did a very good job on his basslines, not to difficult, but somehow catchy.
Charlie Benante-Drumms:Benante is an underrated drummer, his technique was superior of all thrash bands at that time(except slayer).Benante did a great job on this album.
Dan Spitz-Lead Guitar/Acoustic Guitar:Altought he isn't the best guitarist, the soloing fit perfectly on the album.
Scott Ian-Rythim Guitar:Maybe Spitz was the lead guitarist, Ian's work is superior, maybe Ian was the mind behind all songs, as the leader of the band he made catchy songs and simple awesome riffs.
The Songs:
1. Among the Living 5:16-4/5
The lyrics of the song are based on the Stephen King novel "The Stand", the intro of the song is basically a repetitive powerchord riffs, after the intro ends, a faster riff starts followed by the fast drumm beats, the vocals are ok but the bass isn't as great as the other instruments.
2. Caught in a Mosh 4:59-4.5/5
After the intro, the bass enters with some cool basslines, the verse is just crazy , the drumm beats are very fast, the vocals are very weel done, especially the backing vocals in the chorus, near 2:30 the rythmn of the song changes into some kind of bridge,with great basslines and heavy chords, i'm not really sure but i think this song features a cool dual guitar solo, if it's not the effects are very cool.
3. I Am the Law 5:57: 4.5/5
One of the most famous songs of Anthrax, the intro had cool basslines and it sounds kind of heavy but it's a bit slow, the drumm beats are really cool, one of the high points is the chorus, nothing spectacular but it's catchy; near 3:30 the songs turns into a vicious speed riff mayhem, followed by a crazy solo, the vocals are incredible, the work on Belladona on this song is very different from the rest of the thrash bands.
The lyrics on the song are based on Judge Dredd, a character on the British Weekly publications.
4. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.) 4:54 :4/5
When you hear this crazy dual guitar riffs, you know something good it's gonna happen, the main riffs is somehow similar to the holy wars intro, but a bit slower, the vocals are very well done and the lyrics talk about the late comedian John Bellushi, the drumm beats are great, and the bass sounds very different from the rest of the songs on the album,the backing vocals add some energy to the song, the solo isn't great, but the song itself generates emotion.
5. A Skeleton in the Closet 5:32 5/5
Probably the thrashiest song on the album, as most of the Anthrax songs in this album it starts with the a slow guitarr riff, the verse is just great, it features some cool dissorted basslines; the prechorus and the chorus are very catchy, the double bass work is very good, it reminds me Dave Lombardo; the solo is cool, but the riffs overshadow it, the vocals in this song are annoying, i don't think Belladona is made for screaming.
The lyrics on the song are based on Stephing King's novel "Apt Pupil"
6. Indians 5:40-5/5
The tribal drumm intro is great, the rythmn of the song change constantly, although the riffs are very repetitive; the chorus are one of my favorite moments of the track, the vocals add somehow of emotion to this song, the bridge is very heavy, similar to creeping death. The guitar work including rythmn and leads are great.
Famous line:
"Cry for the Indians"
7. One World 5:56 4.5/5
A fast, vicious and great song, the intro is slow as always, but the basslines are very cool, the guitar work is pure thrash, the vocals are very powerfull and the lyrics are very cool, they are based basically on the fight for peace, the min bridge features cool drumm beats and the solo is incredible.
8. A.D.I./Horror of It All 7:49 :5/5
This probably the best song on the album, starts with an acoustic guitar part, but then turns into the powerfull riffage of the guitars, the vocals sound perfect for the song theme, still the lyrics aren't well elaborated, but the bass and the drumms keep awesomly the beat and even outshined some of the guitar lines.this is also the longest song on the album.
9. Imitation of Life 4:10 :4.5/5
I think thi song is the perfect encore for the album, it resumes all the vicious riifs and all the mad speed; although the intro is very similar to all the other songs the main rythmn is very different, Belladona's screaming sounds great, the drumm beats are pure madness, the show a lot of energy; the bridge features a cool solo, one of the best of the album, too bad the bass doesn't have presence.
-Pros:
*Much better than past works.
*Good Guitar work.
*Best thrash vocals on an album.
*Solid bass and drumm work.
-Cons:
*Similar song structure on all the songs.
*The guitar solos are too short.
Overall view:
Well Anthrax may not be one of the best thrash bands, but this album proves that they aren't a mediocre band, the musical complex in the album is not difficult, but mixing the riffs with the other instruments is quite a challenge.
Among the Living is a good thrash album and all the thrashheads must have it in their colection.
Album Facts:
The album is dedicated to Cliff Burton(R.I.P.)
Some of the songs are tributes to Stephen King and Jonh Belushi(R.I.P.)
The man on the cover if the album it's inspired on Randall Flagg, a character of Stephen King's novel "The Stand"
