They have been one of the most innovative bands on the scene since the early eighties, Anthrax may even be pioneers and trailblazers in a genre that otherwise tends to know straight boundaries. Whoever can go on stage in Bermuda shorts without making a fool of himself has done a lot right. Anthrax was practically fighting to break free of stereotypes when they didn't even exist.
The band tore down barriers with their crossover spirit that no one knew existed at the time. In the '80s, New York's five Charlie Benante (dr), Scott Ian (g), Frank Bello (b), Dan Spitz (g), and Joey Belladonna (v) were part of the so-called "Big Four," the inventors of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. In the 90s they were lucky to be among the few survivors of the heavy metal apocalypse triggered by the grunge hype.
The Reward: Anthrax has sold more than 10 million records worldwide to date, been nominated for three Grammy Awards (2012, 2013, 2014), crossed the globe on more than fifty tours in 32 countries on five continents, released eleven studio albums, and left an indelible mark on the music industry.
On the first album "Fistful Of Metal" (1984, still with singer Neil Turbin and bassist Danny Lilker) the style seems rather inconsistent, the second album "Spreading The Disease" (1985, the first with Joey Belladonna and Frank Bello) is an almost pure thrash album.
With the following albums "Among The Living" (1987), "State Of Euphoria" (1988) and "Persistence Of Time" (1990) they succeed in creating classics of thrash metal, in 1991 they break barriers, mix rap and metal through the collaboration with Public Enemy ("Bring The Noise"). Even after the change of singer from Joey Belladonna to John Bush (Armored Saint) in 1992, they continue to develop their style: "Sound Of White Noise" (1993) is one of the most innovative metal albums of all time. With "Stomp 442" (1995) the trend goes further towards metal, on "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" (1998) they also try it with acoustic guitars. On "We've Come For You All" (2003), Rob Caggiano (with Volbeat since 2013) replaces original guitarist Dan Spitz.
They memorialized themselves with the 2010 "Big Four" concerts as well as the 2016/17 live shows, playing the "Among The Living" album in its entirety. Since then they have been touring the world regularly; especially in Germany they have been able to gain more fans by playing shows with Slayer on their farewell tour in 2018
