In total, Anthrax cut four studio albums with John Bush in the vocal seat. All four straight fucking rule. Across these four records there isn't a single wasted track. Not one. Every single track on every single Bush fronted Anthrax record kills.
Can the same be said for Belladonna era Anthrax?
Of course it can't. Really, there are only a handful of *decent* tracks from the Belladonna era. Among the Living, sure. Madhouse, yeah okay.
But truly, most of the Belladonna material is shit. Belladonna himself is a dud. Fuck the purists. Belladonna has the stage presence of a cigar store Indian. In fact, the biggest hits from the Belladonna era are songs where he's not even at the mic. Bring the Noise and I'm the Man brought more people to Anthax shows than any other songs in the pre-Bush era.
Seriously, Anthrax didn't come into their own until Bush joined and the band released Sound of White Noise (1993). This album is front to back perfection. Bush himself brought a personal intensity that Anthrax had not really seen until his inclusion. Until Sound of White Noise, Anthrax didn't have a single track with the kind of personal significance to its fans like that Black Lodge did.
The track Only may very well be the absolute best offering in Anthrax' entire catalog. Runners up would be Tester, Toast to the Extras, Cadillac Rock Box, and King Size. All Bush tracks. Bush's vocal range and frontman delivery trump Belladonna in every way possible.
The next time hear someone say that Anthrax died when Belladonna got booted from the band, I am going to punch that person in the balls. Hard.
If you want to talk about the death of Anthrax, it has now finally happened. The band has alienated Bush time again with *Belladonna Reunion Tours* where I'm sure what they do is dig up Belladonna's old stiff corpse, prop it up on the stage, and play a DAT tape with his vocals.
With Belladonna, no one can tell the difference. Belladonna's been dead probably twenty years now. The band that Bush truly made worthwhile, they continually treated him as second rate. And now he's gone.
Now what we have is the remnants of Anthrax working with that asshole from Slipknot in the front seat. Quite possibly the worst musical direction this band could have gone. They could have told me that Young Jeezy got the frontman spot and I'd be happier.
It's like despite all of the lucky breaks these guys have had, they want to suck.
Please, for your own sake Scott, pick up the phone, call John, and apologize your ass off. You don't make Anthrax. Neither does Charlie. John Bush does. He's the best thing that ever happened to you guys.
Do whatever it takes to bring him back.
Love, Elmer.
Commentary
The Funniest Shit I've Seen in a Long Time
Fenomas - July 14, 2007
After reading Elmer's glowing review of the new Disarmonia album I came across this funny-ass vid on Youtube. For all the folks out there who complain that they can never understand metal lyrics, this shit is for you. It's misheard lyrics to "Celestial Furnace."
Now, go change your pants.
Feno out.
Review
Disarmonia Mundi - Mind Tricks
Elmer McCurdy - July 13, 2007
Speed Strid is becoming the next Mike Patton. Like Mike, Speed is successfully juggling four different bands right now. Pretty good ones too. The guy lays down vocals for Terror 2000, Coldseed, Disarmonia Mundi, and of course Soil(fucking)work. All of which are bands that can rock your balls off on their own merits.
The newest release from Disarmonia Mundi, Mind Tricks, picks up right where Fragments of D-Generation (2004), left off. This is still a Prog/Death band with all of the sidewinder key lines and sing-along vocal hooks you'd come to expect.
Picking up a Disarmonia Mundi album, you're not going to get the same experience that a Soilwork or a Coldseed would give you. Here, you'll find a ton of melodic prog lines bouncing against a pummeling rhythm section. This is Speed's *technical metal* diversion.
This is Scandinavia Death Metal for Dream Theater fans. And that's not a bad thing. We've got guttural death growls. We've got a ton of slutty guitar solos. We've got Speed Strid invoking the soul of Rob Halford through his operatic vocal.
We've got a fucking cover of Pantera's "Mouth for War."
The third cut off the album "Celestial Furnace" presents itself as the most immediately accessible track. It fades in with a Mercenary-esque key line that fuses directly with a chunky chorus riff guarnteed to get your noggin bobbin'. One or two repeat listens to this track will provoke in-car sing-alongs almost as a requirement.
The rest of the album easily follows suit. Every track brings its own *I wanna sing too* chorus surrounded by thundering riffs and absolutely brutal keys.
Yes, only the Scandinavians truly understand how to incorporate keys and make them metal. The words "keys" and "brutal" seldom find themselves in the same sentence. With this record, it's legit. The keys on this album are killer.
Other notable tracks, like "Venom Leech and the Hands of Rain" and "Parting Ways" are powerhouses. Given how good this album is, it's a shame that Disarmonia Mundi will probably never play a live show (3 dudes played all the instruments and sang all the vocals on this record). Here's to hoping the band remains stable enough that we'll see a third album, or maybe even a short tour with guest musicians sometime in the future.
Elmer out.
Commentary
The Second Most Frequent Question
Conty - July 1, 2007
The first most frequent question a cab driver will hear is, where's the closest place I can get some booze.
The second is, where's the quickest place I can find a hooker.
This is both men and women, asking these questions. Take me to the booze. Take me to the hookers. And then, take me to my hotel.
Whenever a city first announces that they're going to host the next Summer Olympics, they never mention that the median number of hookers living in that city increases tenfold by the end of July. Go to Beijing in a month and you'll find hookers from Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, and probably even Albuquerque.
Same's true for whichever city hosts the Super Bowl. And the World Cup.
It's not the gambling scene that brings all the hookers to Vegas; it's the endless string of industry trade shows there. Balding suit-and-ties from New York and Chicago fly into the city to attend this week's commercial real estate brokers’ convention.
By the thousands.
Among of the oldest superstitions practiced by prostitutes during the Middle Ages was to leave a pile of lucky coins on the floor of their rooms. The thought was, the coins would cast a hex over the client, bringing them back for repeat business. Placing the coins on the floor, a prostitute would say aloud, “money on the floor brings men with money through the door.”
Every now and again housekeeping staff still find odd piles of pennies and nickels in hotel rooms during routine cleaning. Piles of loose change, right inside the door.
Sometimes you gotta spend money to make money.
After a few drinks, any honest politician will tell you city officials want there to be just enough prostitution to stabilize and support the local economy, but not enough that anyone notices.
According the record books, the largest congregation of hookers ever to convene in one place was in Dallas in 1984. All along Harry Hines Boulevard, from downtown all the way up to I-35, the streets were packed with prostitutes. And not just a handful of them at each corner either, but thousands of them.
Hookers were arriving in Dallas and asking cab drivers at the airport where they could find clients, and not the other way around.
Female hookers, men hookers, fag hookers, Trannies, big fat hookers, dwarves, midgets… whatever. Whatever your particular flavor, you could find that hooker within just a few steps.
From August 20th to 23rd 1984, there were so many hookers patrolling Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas riot police were called in to shove them all closer to downtown, away from the uptown suburbs.
Near Reunion Arena downtown, the hotels had more bookings from hookers than from any other business clientele. Hookers were reserving the rooms before that had clients to fill them with. Business was that good, and that easy.
Any why? Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were in Dallas celebrating their incumbent nomination for the American presidency and vice presidency.
It was the 1984 Republican National Convention.
Supply and demand, baby. Wanna make money? Go to where the money is. All told, the ratio of hookers to politicians in Dallas during the 1984 RNC was probably somewhere around 3/1. Or even more.
Housekeepers were finding multiple piles of quarters and dimes on hotel room floors. Sometimes as many as ten would show up in the morning. Sometimes more.
August 1984 may have been one of the only times in history that after asking, how much, a John's second most frequent question to hookers was, do you know where I can find a cab.
