Anthrax has been one of the most influential and acclaimed bands in the realm of Thrash Metal. Their early albums were more aligned with the Bay Area sound, the birthplace of the genre’s Big Four in the United States (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax). Their speed set them apart for many years, often being compared to bands like Exodus.
All of this changed in 1993 with a new style that could be considered radical. They opened the doors to new possibilities, leaning more towards Heavy Metal and Nu Metal. This shift, practically pioneered by them with this album, marked a departure from their earlier sound and was embraced and mastered by other bands in the years that followed.
What can we hear?
A completely new sound for the band, this album also marks the debut of John Bush as the vocalist, bringing a style with qualities different from Joey Belladonna, the previous vocalist. Bush and Belladonna are practically polar opposites, with the former having a very limited vocal range, and the latter showcasing incredible highs. The addition of this new voice to the band opened up the opportunity to experiment with a more relaxed sound, moving away from high speeds and focusing much more on groove.
Guitar riffs vanish, replaced by powerful chord progressions that envelop the band in a consistently heavy sound. Anthrax changed their tuning, making it lower, creating a very different feel compared to their previous works.
The groove in Charlie Benante’s drumming is crucial on this album, as he explores other structures in his instrument, leaning more towards Heavy Metal. The rhythmic foundation contributes to this album being considered a radical departure from their past style, completely stepping away from speed. The toms in his drum kit are well-produced, forming an organic and pleasantly compressed drum sound.
An important album in the history of metal
Very important, but also highly underrated. “Sound Of White Noise” opened up a series of new possibilities in the genre: a slow yet powerful sound, vocals that lean more towards rap than melody, guitars with distorted chords that don’t necessarily have to form traditional riffs, and a bass that enhances the entire band.
This album is the last with Dan Spitz on guitar, who also underwent a radical change in his style. He was known for his incredible speed in both hands, a factor he had to modify. His solos on the album still showcase his technique, but he also shifts towards something more “Hard Rock.” The guitars also incorporate the use of new effects like the tremolo, among others that they had never used before.
For the first time, we hear something resembling a ballad with “Black Lodge,” mostly featuring clean guitars. This demonstrates the band’s desire to experiment with a new style of composition.
Possibly the only thing they retained from their past style is the use of palm muting on the guitars, as it is the closest to the thrash metal sound you can hear. Speaking of the genre, “1000 Points of Hate” is the only track where they come closer to thrash in its intro.
The only constant is change
Without the existence of “Sound of White Noise,” we might not have heard bands like Korn, Deftones, or even Limp Bizkit. Anthrax plays an indispensable role in the history of Rock and Metal with their openness to creating new music from 1993 onwards. They were, in fact, the first among the famous “Big Four” to undergo such a radical change, followed by Megadeth with their album “Risk” in 1999.
“Sound Of White Noise” is a lengthy work (1 hour and 14 minutes) that is worth experiencing from start to finish. It holds a lot of history, power, and influence.
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