Anthrax is making a big comeback.
Major figure in Thrash Metal as part of the Big 4, Scott Ian (guitar), Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), and Jonathan Donais (guitar) have kept us waiting ten years to release their twelfth album, Cursum Perficio, in collaboration with Nuclear Blast.
The band kicks things off with the ominous sound of Persistence of Memory, an opening track that will likely serve as their stage entrance for upcoming shows, before following up with The Long Goodbye, where we hear the solid heavy/thrash roots that made the band’s reputation, finally accompanied by the recognizable voice of Mr. Belladonna, who takes advantage of the instrumental’s groove to remain quite melodic. No real surprises on this track if you’re familiar with the band, but the acceleration is still enjoyable, as is that of It’s for the Kids, which kicks back into full speed with aggressive old-school tones after a shrill intro. I’ve never been the biggest fan of thrash, but the energy is definitely there, and I find myself getting caught up in it, especially during the mosh part before the long solo, but the band tones things down with the dissonant harmonics of Everybody’s Got a Plan, a track that sounds much more accessible, almost even more modern at times. The song The Edge of Perfection starts off gently—it seemed like it was going to be a ballad, but then suddenly explodes, offering a touch of surprise that doesn’t completely abandon its traces of tranquility but doesn’t hesitate to set them aside from time to time. This lengthy track gives way to Infectious, which also has a very groovy sound but makes the most of a comfortable mid-tempo to give the musicians some leeway to get Heavy Metal fans headbanging before letting us catch our breath with the intro sample from NYC 93. This moment, however, is short-lived, giving way to a much livelier and more infectious rhythm built on choppy riffs, while the vocalist shows us that he’s still got it at 65, just like his bandmates, who don’t hold back as they pick up the pace for the final leading into the title track, Cursum Perficio. While I was relatively curious about this track, knowing its meaning, it seems to be cut from the same cloth as the others, and the only trace of melancholy can be found in the lyrics and the chorus. Then we move on to Target on My Back to rediscover a unifying energy that can’t help but be effective live, even daring to incorporate hints of hardcore to reinforce certain sections. The album draws to a close with the opening track Watch It Go and its choppy rhythm, which serves as a perfect bridge between thrash and a more modern groove, even featuring some screeching leads before settling back into a steady pace heading into My Victory and its slightly more complex, deconstructed elements – an opportunity for the band to prove one last time that they’re still in top form and to bring the album to a close.
While Anthrax is already widely known for its iconic tracks, it’s clear that Cursum Perficio is far from being the most accessible album for fans of pure thrash! It features a little bit of everything, but above all, new influences that are more… surprising!
70/100
