Released: Sep 13, 2011
Genre: Heavy metal
Label: Megaforce
Number Of Tracks: 13
‘Worship Music’ is Anthrax’s 10 studio album release with Joey Belladonna rejoining the band on vocals. This is Anthrax’s first release in 8 years and a strong comeback album.
Worship MusicFeatured review by: UG Team, on september 15, 2011 5 of 7 people found this review helpful
Sound: While I like thrash metal, Anthrax comes in third behind Megadeth and then old Metallica. I wasn’t expecting too much from ‘Worship Music’ and so I was pleasantly surprised. ‘Worship Music’ will never be my favorite thrash album but it is a very respectable album, especially after 8 years of nothing from Anthrax. There are 13 tracks on the album, and the album has a respectable length. ‘Worship Music’ does seem like at times it isn’t quite fast enough to be considered thrash metal, but only at certain points in the album.
The guitar sounds are okay, but to me it seems like the tone doesn’t meet the standards that Anthrax has set with some of their previous releases. Possibly my feelings about the guitar tone are more my feelings about the overall mixing of the album. The drums leave me unimpressed – while the drum parts are competent and fit the songs they aren’t really inspiring. While I wasn’t really impressed with the guitar tone on the album, the actual guitar work was competent and at points really impressive. I think this would definitely be close to my favorite Anthrax album. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: The vocal delivery fits really well with the music. Joey Belladonna has returned since 2010 to provide vocals for Anthrax, and I couldn’t be happier about that – he is without a doubt my favorite Anthrax vocalist. According to interviews I read with Joey Belladonna, he had no creative input on this album and that is a shame. From what I read he came into the studio alone and tracked his vocals and e-mailed them to the rest of the band to approve. I’ve read conflicting accounts – some say Belladonna had to come in and just record pre-written lyrics and other accounts say that he did rewrite some of the lyrics. Either way, I was impressed with Joey’s vocal delivery.
As a rule, I’m not usually impressed with the lyrics in thrash metal with just a few exceptions. While none of the lyrics from ‘Worship Music’ are mind blowing, they are all pretty solid. They do avoid the pitfall common to a lot of thrash metal lyrics as none of the lyrics seemed to be overly dramatic and stupid. All the lyrics felt right in the context of the music. I’m glad to see Joey Belladonna back with Anthrax and hopefully we won’t have to wait 8 years for their next release. // 7
Impression: The first track on the album, ‘Worship’ is a complete waste of space on the album of 1 minute and 40 seconds. There are no lyrics, no real instrumentation – just some very light ambient noise. My favorite song off of ‘Worship Music’ is ‘In The End’. ‘In The End’ is actually really impressive to me and I am going to be trying to tab it out. It really manages to have a creepy epic feel to it. My second favorite song is ‘I’m Alive’. I really enjoyed the main riff from ‘The Constant’ as well.
I’m really conflicted on how I feel about ‘Worship Music’. On the one hand, most of the songs are really solid and a few I really like. On the other hand, there is some serious trash and waste of space on this album. ‘Hymn 1’ and ‘Hymn 2’ are as worthless as ‘Worship’ and it kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth for so much filler in an album. I would much rather have received an Anthrax album with 9 solid songs on it instead of a 13 track album with a quarter of the album being filler trash. I’m an album type of person vs. a single song type of person and sometimes a few bad songs will ruin an album for me. // 6
Worship Music
Reviewed by:
Masterofknees, on september 15, 2011 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Anthrax has returned with their first album in 8 years, and their first album since legendary vocalist Joey Belladonna returned. Much is awaited from Anthrax's return, can they live up to their expectations? We'll see. The album consists of 13 songs and 1 hidden track:
01. Worship (1:41)
02. Earth on Hell (3:11)
03. The Devil You Know (4:46)
04. Fight 'Em Till You Can't (5:48)
05. I'm Alive (5:37)
06. Hymn 1 (0:38)
07. In The End (6:48)
08. The Giant (3:47)
09. Hymn 2 (0:44)
10. Judas Priest (6:24)
11. Crawl (5:29)
12. The Constant (5:01)
13. Revolution Screams (15:54)(with hidden track, a cover of Refused's 'New Noise')
1. Worship: This song is the intro to the album, and its really just a bunch of ambient sounds leading up to the next track. Its a nice way to open the album, its neither too long or too short. As the track ends it gets louder, thus starting the next song.
2. Earth on Hell: This is the most thrashing song on the album, it starts out with Charlie blast beating the shit out of the drums, and then it goes over to the classic Anthra thrasing. Its by now you realize that the old Anthrax is back, and better than ever. Joey's voice fits so good into this song, it isn't even funny, although this was written before he returned, it feels like this song was written for his pleasure. A classic Anthrax thrash song, and arguably the best song on the album. This is kinda like Battery on Master of Puppets, the fastest and heaviest song on the record.
3. The Devil You Know: You should have heard this one, if you haven't, then go do it. Scott described this song pretty darn well himself, its an AC/DC song that went through a Anthrax filter. Its not as much thrash as its just ordinary good hard rock, its nonetheless a really good track, and a real earhanger.
4. Fight 'Em Till You Can't: If you haven't heard this track yet, then you probably haven't even noticed anything about this album's release yet. Another really thrashing tune, and its even about killing zombies, who can resist that? A really great tune, but lets be honest, you've all heard it, so I'll just continue on to all the 'new' new stuff.
5. I'm Aliv: This is a real sing-along! Its starts out with Scott playing a few chords before Bello, Charlie and Rob kick in, and soon Joey comes chanting in. This one really takes me back to Persistence of Time, the main riff, the vocal pattern, this song might aswell have been written 20 years ago. Also, I foresee that this will be a live favorite due to it being a really good and catchy tune.
6. Hymn 1: Now this is an oddball. Its kinda this slow symphonic track which follows the rhythm of I'm Alive. It leads up to the next song the same way Intro to Reality leads up to Belly of the Beast, although this is waaay shorter and not quite as catchy.
7. In The End: It starts off with bells chiming, as though we were at a funeral, and that fits the meaning of this song perfectly, as it is written for the deceased metal legends Dimebag Darrell and Ronnie James Dio, close friends of the band. Its really heavy, dark and catchy, real Anthrax style. It follows the main riff's rhythm all the song through, as with most of the other songs on this record. This is also one of the favorites this album offers, and I foresee many people will call this the best track on the record.
8. The Giant: This one starts out real Pantera style, and then goes right into old-school 'Thrax thrashing. Not much else to say, you get the hint, also a really memorable track, and one of my personal favorites.
9. Hymn 2: Here we go again. This one doesn't sound like the other one at all, this one is basically Charlie thinking he is a march drummer for 44 seconds. This one doesn't go over into the next track as well as the previous Hymn did, it does however use the rhythm of the forthcoming track.
10. Judas Priest: A tribute to the legendary metal band Judas Priest, this song does the band honor. It kinda reminds me of Blood off of Persistence in the way the song is built, but more complex. there's also a short bass solo on this song, which sounds a little like Got the Time's more extended bass solo.
11. Crawl: This is the only song on the album which sounds like something taken right out of the Bushthrax era. Joey does a really good impersonation of Bush at the start of the song, but you can still hear that he sings it with his own style. Fans of the Bush era will love this song, but for those who want straigt out Joeythrax should probably consider skipping this one.
12. The Constant: This is probably going to be the underrated song on this record, as it reminds me A LOT of One Man Stands, again off of Persistence. This is definately one of the songs that really shines through and proves that Anthrax has returned for good.
13. Revolution Screams: This one is also quite new sounding, it does sounds kick ass though, but its not as much in the style of old Anthrax as the other songs on the album. Its another real good sing-along, and Charlie really wanna prove himself in this one it sounds like.
Overall a really solid setup of songs, and they're placed in just the right order so it doesn't get tiresome to listen to. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: ''Welcome to your Earth on Hell
The worse that it gets
The better it sells! ''
The lyrics are really diverse on this record, going from the apocalypse (Earth on Hell), to mourning the dead (In The End), to Iron Maiden like fantasy (The Giant). Ofcourse since its thrash, the lyrics are mostly about negative things, and its a good way for the guys in Anthrax to express what have been going on in these 8 years which could have ended up completely tearing the band apart.
Now the big thing about this album is ofcourse the return of Joey Belladonna himself. Whether you prefered him or Bush, Belladonna pulls off every song flawlessly, and proves once again that he has earned his place among the best metal vocalists out there. // 10
Impression: Scott wasn't kidding on his Twitter/Facebook when he said that this was the best record they've done to date, cause it could very possibly be the best one they've recorded, atleast its the best one in 20 years. If you're missing the classic and old Anthrax, this is a must buy, cause it is way up there with Among the Living and Persistence of Time as a must buy from these thrash veterans, and I have a feeling that the rest of the Big Four will look in awe when they'll blast this beast live at the Yankee Stadium the 13th.
No disrespect to Bush or Nelson, but Joey was the right one for this record, without him it would feel empty and really dull. Joey is definately the best thrash vocalist out there at the moment, and I'm glad that Scott and the crew finally woke up and saw the light. The most memorable songs on the record have to be Earth on Hell, Fight 'Em Till You Can't, I'm Alive and In The End. The production is also very good, it isn't over compressed like most new metal albums today, it isn't as loud as thunder, but it ain't too quiet neither. You can also clearly hear the bass, unlike many other metal records, and the bass drum is also mixed very good into the sound.
9.5/10 stars for this one, Anthrax proves that they still have the thrash spirit so many bands have lost over time, and this is definately the record of the year without a doubt, can't imagine how anyone can pull off a better album anytime soon.
Worship Music
Reviewed by:
Battman1993, on september 19, 2011 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Before I go on, I must admit that I never listened to much Anthrax before 2011. I liked Caught In a Mosh, Bring The Noise & I'm The Man, but I had never bothered to sit down and listen to all of their albums. I was more of a fan of Scott Ian than Anthrax as a whole. But that's the same way I feel about Slayer & Megadeth. However, I heard that Anthrax was recording a new album with a new singer, Dan Nelson. I looked up some of the new songs Anthrax performed with Nelson, and I got really excited. After Ian & Co. Booted Nelson's ass to the curb, I was worried about who would replace him. But when Anthrax revealed that Joey Belladonna was back in the band and would sing on what we now know as Worship Music, I was psyched beyond belief! I heard The Devil You Know on Youtube and was so excited about that one song that I ran out today and bought Worship Music. I'll simply state it, the polls might be closed on album of the year in 2011! But, I'll reserve making that distinction outright until I hear Machine Head's Unto The Locust. But, Worship Music is definitely the best Big 4 album to come out this year! The funny thing is, most of these songs aren't straight-up thrash metal rippers! Many songs are more groove than thrash, but it's still a guitar-driven album. The riffs are in abundance on Worship Music. From the Damned Things/ACDC-esque riff on The Devil You Know, to the slow-chug on In The End, guitars are on their peak on WM. The guitar solos also kill! Many people have complained about the guitar tone, but I like it. It sounds really beefy and heavy. Charlie assaults his drumkit on Earth On Hell, but also lays down some great grooves on The Constant and In The End. Surprisingly, whereas the bass guitar on most metal albums is mixed out of existence, you can plainly hear Frank's bass underneath the guitars. It's quite refreshing to hear the bass on a metal album! // 9
Lyrics and Singing: If Worship Music isn't the Album Of The Year for 2011, Anthrax at least the 2011 MVP of the metal world. It's very nice to hear Joey singing in Anthrax. He belongs in Anthrax and nowhere else. Nobody else can quite fill his shoes in this band. But enough about that. Joey's voice is still as powerful and dynamic as ever. I don't know why more people haven't noticed the Dio resemblance in Joey's voice, because he hits a lot of Dio-esque notes on Worship Music. It does pain me a little that Joey was essentially brought in as a hired gun to sing already-written lyrics. Scott Ian writes most of the lyrics, which I never knew before. However, the lyrics that Scott wrote for Worship Music are beast! They're not ground-breaking or terribly original, but Joey can make anything sound good! // 9
Impression: Yeah, I gave it a 10. I'm overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is Worship Music! It slays all other metal albums that have come out before it! I love the songs In The End, The Devil You Know, The Constant, and I'm Alive, but every song is great. I don't have any gripes about this album, it's perfect! I would congratulate the person who stole this if they stole it for having such good musical tastes! I'd replace it immediately if it were lost! // 10
Worship Music
Reviewed by:
mrozzy123fest, on february 20, 2012 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: When I heard that joey would be returning I got excited and soon bought the album. The first track is a symphonic thing that starts the album and then a furious thrash song "Earth On Hell" kicked in. And that was probably the weakest on the album. The next "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" was no disappointment. "The Devil You Know" is a great song that mixes hard rock and thrash together and sounds great. "I'm Alive" is a great radio friendly song. My favourite "In The End" is a mid paced heavy song that gives you that Dio feel. "The Giant" is similar to "Earth On Hell". "Judas Priest" shows a different Joey trying a more Bobby Blitz style. "Crawl" is similar to "I'm Alive". "Revolution Screams" is a thrashier song. "The Constant" features an amazing chorus. Basically its all awesome. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Joey's voice has only gotten better over time and "Worship Music" shows him using a much deeper voice with power. The lyrics were also quite good showing a much more thoughtful type of Anthrax. "In The End" is about the life and death of Cliff Burton and Dio. Although I liked Anthrax when there lyrics were funny these gave the album a much more mature feeling to it. // 8
Impression: My favourite songs from this album are "In The End", "The Constant" and "The Devil You Know". This album sounds very modern yet still at the roots. This is probably my second or third favourite Anthrax album which is a lot better than most thrash bands. If I lost this album I would definitely buy it again. // 9
Good reviews. This album may be the best so far in 2011. 'In The End' truly is epic, while songs like 'Fight 'Em Till You Can't,' 'Hell On Earth' and 'The Constant' are all standouts. My only disagreement with the review was on the level of production....I actually like the production that was put into this album.
No Comments, yet? Normally i don't like Anthrax, but on this record, there are some really cool Songs (The Devil You Know is great). Sound: Very overproduced, but in a way very cool.
Honestly, with the first listen it hit me with just a ho-hum kind of impact, but now even on the second listen, it's really getting good. SO glad to have Joey back on an actual new Anthrax album!
Possibly my feelings about the guitar tone are more my feelings about the overall mixing of the album
I can understand what you mean by that, the album suffers from 'modern thrash syndrome'. Basically all the new tech that is here now wasn't around back in the 80's, so they relied on big trebly distortion for guitars. Now, like most modern thrash bands, the tone is TOO trebly, has practically no distortion and lacks any real energy...
Okay, on my copy, it doesn't have Hymn 1 or 2 marked, and so when I listened to it, it said "In The End" was "Hymn 1", and then all the tracks got off, and then it said "Judas Priest" was "Hymn 2" and got all the tracks off by two. So, pretty much, "Revolution Screams" is track 11 instead of 13, and everything is mixed up. What I'm really trying to ask is, is anyone else having the same problem?
Okay, on my copy, it doesn't have Hymn 1 or 2 marked, and so when I listened to it, it said "In The End" was "Hymn 1", and then all the tracks got off, and then it said "Judas Priest" was "Hymn 2" and got all the tracks off by two. So, pretty much, "Revolution Screams" is track 11 instead of 13, and everything is mixed up. What I'm really trying to ask is, is anyone else having the same problem?
Nope, mine was fine when I ripped it to my computer, but if you mean on the back of the actual cd, then yeah, hymn 1 and 2 aren't included which is kind of odd
I Give Anthrax Album a 6/10 at the moment could grow on me but who knows?
Only Track i Loved was 07 In the End "Amazing Song"
But all the others are just Average at best?
I love Anthrax Always have, but this album is a let down for me.
Before you call this a let down, you might want to check how high your standards are.
Your standards SHOULD be low because they haven't released anything in 8 years, and their last three albums were disappointing. Although Joey is back, which raises the bar, the writers are still the same as they were before Joey.
So considering that they haven't released much good since Sound of White Noise (which was okay at best), this record is amazing.
metalhed0294 :
Okay, on my copy, it doesn't have Hymn 1 or 2 marked, and so when I listened to it, it said "In The End" was "Hymn 1", and then all the tracks got off, and then it said "Judas Priest" was "Hymn 2" and got all the tracks off by two. So, pretty much, "Revolution Screams" is track 11 instead of 13, and everything is mixed up. What I'm really trying to ask is, is anyone else having the same problem?
I had the same problem. Just go into your music program and re-do the tracklist. That should fix your problem
metalhed0294 :
Okay, on my copy, it doesn't have Hymn 1 or 2 marked, and so when I listened to it, it said "In The End" was "Hymn 1", and then all the tracks got off, and then it said "Judas Priest" was "Hymn 2" and got all the tracks off by two. So, pretty much, "Revolution Screams" is track 11 instead of 13, and everything is mixed up. What I'm really trying to ask is, is anyone else having the same problem?
I had the same problem. Just go into your music program and re-do the tracklist. That should fix your problem
thx man. how exactly do i do that tho? i know nothing about computers.
Okay, on my copy, it doesn't have Hymn 1 or 2 marked, and so when I listened to it, it said "In The End" was "Hymn 1", and then all the tracks got off, and then it said "Judas Priest" was "Hymn 2" and got all the tracks off by two. So, pretty much, "Revolution Screams" is track 11 instead of 13, and everything is mixed up. What I'm really trying to ask is, is anyone else having the same problem?
Nope, mine was fine when I ripped it to my computer, but if you mean on the back of the actual cd, then yeah, hymn 1 and 2 aren't included which is kind of odd
when i ripped it onto my computer, the tracklisting is just like on the back, with only 11 tracks. Basically, "Revolution Screams" was track 11, and tracks 12 and 13 were labled as "[untitled]". thx though.
ok. putting up my flame shield, but i havent ever really gotten into Anthrax. not that i dont LIKE them, i just havent given them a chance. is this a good introduction album for them? if not, which one is?
Well, no offence to UG, but that UG team reviewer can go suck balls, i just bought this album, im listening to it as i write this, and i absolutely love it.
Worship/earth on hell is an absolutely epic, end of the world style opening and the devil you know, im alive, the giant and fight em till you cant are just metal quality, the hymn songs are strange but interesting and as a whole the album is just great.
Best anthrax album since among the living id say, and definetly the best album to come out in 2011!
Well "Brandon" I can tell by the tone of your review that you don't have a real appreciation of this kind of music. I've been listening to music and metal in particular since you were a twinkle in your parents' eyes, and am also a musician. Your review couldn't be more off the mark. This album isn't good or even great. It is absolutely outstanding!! There is no way anyone could expect a modern Anthrax record to possibly sound or be any better than this. The way it merges melody and heaviness is remarkable. Do you have any idea how hard that is to do. And the passion! Man the music on this cd has turned me on like nothing in a very long time. EPIC, OUTSTANDING and yes, quite possibly their BEST WORK EVER! MONSTROUS IN ALL ITS GLORY!
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