It is arguable that the return of Joey Bellladonna to the Anthrax fold utterly rejuvenated the band. With zero disrespect intended towards John Bush, who did a cracking job on a number of great albums (not least ‘we’ve come for you all’), the sense of purpose found on ‘worship music’ and the better-still ‘for all kings’ (strangely represented here with only three tracks) is utterly impossible to ignore and a live record of the band (who’ve spent the last seven years seemingly permanently on the road) was inevitable. Finally, it has arrived in the form of ‘Kings Among Scotland’, a two-disc CD / double DVD release capturing the band’s sold-out show in Glasgow’s legendary Barrowland Ballroom. With Steve Thompson’s artwork offering a cheeky nod towards Kiss and DVD special features including interviews, behind-the-scenes and b-roll footage, this is the perfect follow up to ‘Chile on hell’, although it is somewhat bizarre that the band have eschewed the increasingly ubiquitous blu ray option for this release.
A special show for many reasons, ‘Kings among Scotland’ sees Anthrax play the whole of the seminal ‘Among the living’ album over the course of the set, albeit re-sequenced and alongside a number of other classic ‘thrax tracks, and the challenge of playing those songs live has clearly fired up the band, who detonate on to the stage with ferocious energy and maintain it right to the very end. Kicking off with arcing feedback and thunderous drums, what better way to launch a live show than the monumental ‘A.I.R.’ Seven minutes of thrash heaven, the icing on the cake is Joey Belladonna’s assured vocal performance and seriously, the dude sings his ass off on this one. Next up, ‘Madhouse’ has a classic rock vibe that only serves to make ‘Evil Twin’ (from the belting ‘for all kings’) seem all the heavier. An absolutely brutal track from an incomparable album, ‘evil twin’ is a head banger’s dream and pretty much everything you want from an Anthrax track. Heading all the way back to 1985 for a thunderous ‘Medusa’, Anthrax demonstrate just how scything they could be right from the start, before we hurtle back to the present day for ‘Blood Eagle Wings’, a near-eight-minute slab of taut heavy metal with prog undertones reminiscent of Iron Maiden. Joey once again marks himself out as a singer on the form of his life, whilst Jonathan Donais’ lead work blazes assuredly away. ‘Worship music’ gets a crushing look in courtesy of ‘Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t’, a track that remains one Anthrax’s fastest cuts to date. The crowd get involved on ‘Be All, End All’, singing along to the riff that opens that oh-so-familiar track from ‘state of euphoria’ before one last blazing offering from ‘for all kings’ appears in the form of the anthemic ‘Breathing Lightning’ – a track destined to light up arenas everywhere for years to come.
The second half of the set is largely concerned with the evergreen ‘Among the Living’ album, the band kicking off with the title track before flattening Glasgow with a virulent ‘Caught in A Mosh’, delivered with all the energy of a band playing the track for the very first time. Damn if Anthrax don’t sound utterly ballistic here, and the adrenalin rush that greets you when the band launch into the chorus is very real. Blasting through the rolling thunder of ‘One World’ we get another highlight in the form of ‘I Am the Law’, a track that stands out in the thrash world as a near perfect anthem of rebellion and another track that the band deliver with enough energy to power a small city. One of Joey’s favourite songs (“it’s still just as fucking relentless!”) ‘A Skeleton in The Closet’ takes no prisoners and then, following the sneering ‘N.F.L.’ (with deafening audience participation), it’s a dizzying finale built around a triple whammy of ‘Indians’, ‘Imitation of Life’ and, of course, ‘Antisocial’. It leaves the listener sweaty and enervated even in the home-listening environment and you can only imagine what the actual gig must have been like.
Despite the odd decision to release the audio and visual elements separately, not to mention the omission of blu ray, ‘King’s among Scotland’ is pretty much the perfect Anthrax live show, with a wealth of classics and enough new tracks to underscore the band’s continued relevance as a metal force with whom to be reckoned. With a strong mix encouraging you to turn it up loud and bounce around the living room with a pot of excessively-priced lager, ‘kings among Scotland’ is a masterclass in thrash metal from a band who continue to defy the aging process. For Anthrax fans, it’s essential; for everyone else, it’s very highly recommended. 8
