Did you read my review of Persistence Of Time? Sound Of White Noise sees Anthrax kick out Joey Belladonna (for artistic differences, if I remember correctly) and recruit ex-Armoured Saint frontman, John Bush and Anthrax sound much better for it!

First Impressions

Sound Of White Noise is a vast improvement on Persistence. The overall sound quality is much clearer and more modern than Persistence Of Time. The songs are more individual and catchy too. Where Persistence was very straight ahead, almost bone-headed thrash in places, it lacked grooves, refinement.

The album is based around themes of anger and hatred, in keeping with earlier Anthrax material, but I think Bush’s voice carries the songs much more effectively than Belladonna.

The Best Bits

Potters Field, an excellent intro track with a really funky riff. I can’t remember Anthrax ever attempting anything like this before. Black Lodge is the first time I’ve heard Anthrax tackle a more atmospheric type of song. The tremolo in the intro, and the subdued vocals are excellent and easily my favourite track on the album.

I love the earlier tracks in the album, especially Packaged Rebellion, Room For One More and Only. Once you get into the album, you’ll be singing along to every track. The outro vocals on Only are excellent for singing along to - really throaty and gritty!

The Worst Bits

I can’t think of a single weak track on this album! I’ve been listening to Sound Of White Noise in the car for about three weeks now and unlike Persistence, I haven’t yet begun to tire of it. I’ve been terrorising the roads of Northern Ireland for weeks, singing this at the top of my voice!

The Verdict

Despite being twelve years old (Sound Of White Noise was released in 1993), it still sounds fresh today. This is an important Anthrax album, because it marks a very successful transition between lead vocalists. Joey Belladonna had been synonymous with Anthrax for years, and the departure of such an established lead singer could have signalled the death of better bands!

Anthrax survived this and hit back with possibly the best album of their career. I haven’t heard the earlier albums Among The Living or State of Euphoria in a while, but I’m betting they haven’t aged nearly as well as this. If you’re a fan of Anthrax, you should already have this!

This review was kindly donated by The Levee Breaks blog.

This review of Anthrax’s Persistence Of Time started out differently to what you are about to read. Earlier this week, I was listening to Persistence in the car. The thrash-fest of Got The Time had just ended and H8 RED had begun. H8 RED = HATRED. “All this hatred, I can’t take it,” sings Joey Belladonna on the track. So, how long did it take me to figure out that H8 RED was actually ‘hatred’? Only 15 years! I’ve been listening to this album on and off since it was released in 1990 and only today did I make the connection! There is no excuse.

Initially, I was still impressed with Persistence. It was only when I started to think about the album for this review that I realised something: It’s nothing special.

The first few days of listening to Persistence was reliving it. I loved this album when it came out. I could sing along to the lyrics, wail along to a few of the guitar solos and generally rock along to Charlie Benante’s drumming. Maybe I’m slightly more discerning these days, but now it sounds a bit samey.

The Good Bits

Well, the major standout track on this album is Got The Time. Anthrax play this one punky, fast and don’t outstay their welcome - I think the song is less than three minutes long!

For me, the other standout tracks are Intro Into Reality/Belly Of The Beast, In My World and Keep It In The Family. There’s no real reason, just that I like these a bit more than the other tracks.

Where did it all go wrong?

Persistence Of Time was Joey Belladonna’s last ‘proper’ album with Anthrax (not mentioning Attack Of The Killer B’s). Maybe I’m tuned into this at the moment, but Belladonna’s voice on Persistence Of Time is very irritating! Many of the tracks are mediocre and have no real hooks.

This next point is purely personal, and probably comes from me living in a rural area, but the guitar sound on some of the tracks is like a tractor engine. When I was listening to this in the car, I found myself looking to see where the farmer was!

It didn’t help that I had burned a couple of early Anthrax tracks to the same CD: I Am The Law and Antisocial. The old classics sound much better by comparison, although I’d have to dig out State Of Euphoria and Among The Living to confirm this.

The Bottom Line?

Persistence isn’t the worst album ever realeased, but it doesn’t break new ground, won’t hold your attention and certainly won’t change your life. By a bizarre co-incidence, I happened to hit the Anthrax website while researching this and discovered that Belladonna is back in the band along with Dan Spitz (I didn’t know he’d even left!). There’s much consternation about this one the web - seems people actually liked John Bush! Time will tell how this one goes, but I’d go to the show if they ever land in Northern Ireland!

This review was kindly donated by The Levee Breaks blog.