Review Summary: *one handed clapping intensifies*
While it’s fair to think of Among the Living as Anthrax’s first proper thrash album away from their speed metal roots, it’s more like their long-ignored hardcore punk influences finally pushing to the forefront. The character-driven crossover sound they experimented with on the side as S.O.D. has certainly rubbed off on them, but combining those tropes to their existing foundation makes for an almost cartoony tone. The gang vocals feel more like teenagers at a sleepover than bloodthirsty rage, the riffs feel more like tv show themes, and even the fast-paced rhythms predict more mozzarella stick-energy than violent beatdowns.
This attitude is made much more apparent by the lyrics having an almost childish veneer to them. Songs like the title track and “I Am The Law” are like tributes to a kid’s favorite books that his parents can’t tell if he’s mature enough to read yet while the socially conscious themes of “Indians” or “One World” feel like something that kid would write while watching a PSA.
It doesn’t always land as something like “Caught in a Mosh” borders on being too immature at times. The party dude flow and almost venomous lyrics also make it hard to tell if “Elifnikufesin (N.F.L.)” is lamenting John Belushi or mocking him Sgt D-style, but it’s more like a regurgitation of some War on Drugs crap somebody told him. He’s just a ten-year-old, but he’s a sensitive boy who just wants to be told that everything is going to be okay before he goes back to his room to watch more Transformers.
With this all established, the band’s even more focused musicianship and songwriting sensibilities keep the album from falling into too much nonsense. The guitars seem to have caught up to the drums in terms of heaviness, putting in an even chunkier tone than before with a greater emphasis on mosh-ready breakdowns. Songs like “A Skeleton In The Closet” and “Imitation of Life” make their upbeat speeds more intense than anything from Spreading the Disease while the title track and “A.D.I./Horror of It All” seem to hint at even darker textures to come.
But in a bitter twist of irony, this shift comes at the expense of the launchpad that got them there as Joey Belladonna’s vocals feel decidedly out of place. His performance is as fantastic as ever, exerting the same dexterous range and infectious hooks, but his melodic wail has an almost goody-goody timbre that makes him seem more like the kid that the friend group just kept around to pick on. Between that and the heightened gang vocals, you can almost hear guitarist Scott Ian’s grumbles about how it’s his house and Mom say it’s his turn to be the one who sings.
Overall, Among the Living is a fun character-driven album whose quirks win out by virtue of the talented performances and righteous songs backing it up. It’s not a flawless album as a couple songs are a little too stuffed and the snot-nosed attitude can make it feel rather at odds with itself. We could talk all day about its impact on thrash or whatever, but it seems more interested in making the listener feel like a kid again. As somebody who may never acquire a taste for nostalgic pop punk, this might as well be the next best thing.
