The meaning of the album cover is that symbolism shouldn't be applied carelessly

Full disclosure: Last time I heard an Anthrax full-length, they still had John Bush on vocals. As I came out and revealed recently, I am that ONE weird guy whose favorite Anthrax vocalist is exactly John Bush.

This has a lot to do with age. Around the time when I got into metal, my local libraries and record stores would promote new releases like everyone else. And around that time, the newest Anthrax records happened to be "Sound of White Noise" '(93) and "Stomp 442" ('95). And I don't care what anyone says: Those are great fucking albums.

Yes, I am dead-fucking-serious. This, if any, is the one perk of not having been too indoctrinated into the sounds and lineups of the '80s: I got exposed to the creative choices of hard rock and metal artists in minor existential crises, with an open and unbiased mind, as such being able to appreciate said choices.

But as a true metalhead, of course, one can only dodge those first five Anthrax LP's for so long. They're impossible not to love. I've had the utmost pleasure of seeing the band reunited with Joey Belladonna a good handful of times since that reunion was more or less of a sensation, depending on how big of a fan you were/are. They are a superb fucking live act, and they have demonstrated that every time, last occasion being Copenhell this summer.

This is also where they demonstrated by their newest single, "It's For the Kids", that as a creative unit, they still churn out bangers that, while not making for new classics, kick as much ass as ever. However, as their latest LP showcases, they do more than simply that.

Scott Ian is an overlooked master of those diminutive, but equally savage two-note riffs that end up carrying much more weight than it'd look like on sheet music.

Indeed, opener "The Long Goodbye", is not an opener anyone would expect from any band under any metal subgenre banner, but perhaps least of all from the group that gave us classics like "Caught in a Mosh" and "Madhouse". While you can hear right away by that gritty guitar tone that it's Anthrax, this is not the band anyone's used to, but a matured version. The pace is slower, the drum drive is based on ceremonious toms, and first and foremost, the whole thing is heavily laden with a somber Minor-key tension that never gets resolved. Even Belladonna's vocals and lyrics seem more mature and stately:

"The world is getting older
Feels like the memory's over
Too late, the body's colder
Feels like the memory's over"

Whether this whole move actually succeeds or not is hardly even important; it's unnervingly daring, and it's even still memorable.

Of course, some cuts are as straightforward as they'd kinda have to be. Apart from aforementioned single, "Everybody's Got a Plan" could have easily been on one of the band's aforementioned first handful of LPs. Even among the album's many experiments, the biggest surprise here is Belladonna's voice, because it's fucking powerful, and his melodies have gotten less loose and more defined. And this is coming from a guy who's considered his voice a bit too hysterical around the edges on the classic recordings.

While the song as such is not a new live staple, it is representative of an album brimming with dirty riffs, a surprising amount of infectious hooks, and an energy you'd normally only hear from groups in their 20s. Also sounding like heyday Anthrax is the, indeed, retrospective "NYC 93", ripe with mean riffing, sharp and tight drums, and a riot-enticing gang shout chorus: "It ain't worth doin' 'less you do it to death!". Among the less memorable tracks this time around, this is still liberatingly real thrash in that pure vein of the band, which may not be dark and evil like their contemporaries in Slayer, but still raw and devil-may-care.

These more classic moments aside, a lot of different things are happening on "Cursum Perficio". Check out, for example, "Watch It Go": I still can't make sense of those time signatures, but I think it's a 10/8 and a 7/4, and it seems like Charlie Benante has taken inspiration from Mikkey Dee's signature octopus drive in this one little '95 banger, name of "Sacrifice". And check out the bouncy, yet concrete-heavy chugging "T.O.M.B.", perhaps not catchy, but extremely energetic and performed with a precision you'd only expect from men in their 60s if you're into metal or classical music.

If the album has any artistic peak, it would have to be "The Edge of Perfection", based on a fucking blast beat. In a fucking triplet feel. Not only is the drum sound massive, the verse lines are surprisingly catchy – which can hardly ever be taken for granted with any band. And with the daring tonal variations in the chorus, the group's core identity definitively fuses with their new experimenting edge right here – and succeeds.

With only the third spin, "Cursum Perficio" has hereby grown to enter my personal album top 5 this year so far.

And check out that ending tune, "My Victory". Scott Ian, although these days mostly known from being in every metal documentary ever, is an overlooked master of those diminutive, but equally savage two-note riffs that end up carrying much more weight than it'd look like on sheet music. These are prevalent throughout the entire album, and we end on one such as well. Although the album has long peaked, the energy is unmistakable, and that chorus melody is a warm revisit once you hear it the second time. To reiterate, Anthrax not only sound like themselves, play as well as they ever did, and write catchy, memorable riffs and melodies, but they even manage to piece together a +50-minute LP that remains interesting, relevant, varied, and powerful from start to finish.

Although not having expected much, I was still slightly disappointed the first time I heard the album. It seemed messy, and I didn't get it. With the second spin, the various ideas revealed themselves and started falling into place, and the album grew immensely. And with only the third spin, "Cursum Perficio" has hereby grown to enter my personal album top 5 this year so far.

More like Cursum Magnifico.

Rating: 5 out of 6

Genre: Thrash metal
Release date: 18/9/2026
Label: Megaforce
Producer: Jay Ruston

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