Anthrax: Attack of the Killer B's

Anthrax: Attack of the Killer B's

1991

Island Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Milk (Ode to Billy)  2. Bring the Noise  3. Keep It in the Family (Live)  4. Startin' Up a Posse  5. Protest and Survive  6. Chromatic Death  7. I'm the Man '91  8. Parasite  9.   Pipeline  10.  Sects  11. Belly of the Beast  12. N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)

Oh, Man...I still remember  the day I bought this album...I went up to the Drug Store (which doubled as the CD and Cassette store in my small town) and was half-assedly looking through the cassettes when I noticed an unfamiliar Anthrax title..

 My eyes just about popped out of my head... I was not expecting this...I promptly bought it and I can still recall scanning the lyric sheet and liner notes on the ride home (as I sat in the back of the truck)...

I played that tape within an inch of its life that summer...Not only was it new Anthrax (well, new to me anyway) but the album was perhaps their most fun and interesting release...As I recall it, Anthrax were known for their sense of humor, but this was mostly relegated to television appearances, interviews and merchandising...There was actually very little in the way of humor in their discography at this point...The album is basically broken down in the following categories:

Cover Songs: The majority of the album consists of covers, and these are probably the most entertaining portion of the album. It functions as a pretty good breakdown of the various elements that constitute the band's sound: Metal (a cover of Trust's "Sects"), punk (Discharge's "Protest and Survive"), hard rock (Kiss' "Parasite") and rap in the form of a collaborative cover of "Bring the Noise" with Public Enemy that was a huuuuge hit, as I recall...The only wild card is a cover of the surf instrumental "Pipeline"...I guess you could argue that instrumental surf shares some DNA with metal shred...I dunno...

 Originals: To be honest, this is the spottiest part of the album...There's a beyond pointless remake of "I'm the Man."  We also have "Startin' Up a Posse," which is one of those old anti-PMRC tirades that (along with anti-televangelist tracks) were mandatory back in the day...I recall thinking it was beyond hilarious when I was a zit-faced teenager, but nowadays I can't even take 30 seconds of it...That orgasming chick has a horrible wheeze that makes me want to claw my ears out when I listen to this on headphones..."N.F.B"  highlights how great Joey Belladonna would have made a great hair balladeer in the mold of Jani Lane. He's so good at it, it's probably my favorite original on the album...

S.O.D Covers: I don't know if I should classify the two S.O.D tracks as covers or originals, since  Scott Ian and Charlie Benante wrote the songs...I really don't like these any more or less than the originals honestly...They're a bit more presentable, so I feel like I should hold that against them, but I don't...

Live Stuff: There's also a couple of live tracks from the then-recent "Persistence of Time" tour...These are nice, I guess..."P.OT." is still my personal favorite Anthrax album, but the band isn't exactly known for their radically different live interpretations...So I can't really imagine someone going out of their way to search these out over the studio versions...

I still consider this a really entertaining listen...Due to all the different approaches, the 45 minutes fly right by...Despite (or because of) its flaws, I'm saying get this and "Among the Living" for a shorthand overview of what Anthrax was all about..."Among the Living" for the serious side and "Attack of the Killer B's" which elucidates their humor and their influences...

Let's listen to some heavy ass metal...Here's "Sect" by Anthrax...