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Tracklist
Time
Blood
Keep It in the Family
In My World
Gridlock
Intro to Reality
Belly of the Beast
Got the Time
H8 Red
One Man Stands
Discharge
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After an album as great as the thrashterpiece 'Among The Living', its follow-up, the unsure, rushed sounding 'State Of Euphoria' was a bit of a letdown. However, Anthrax possessed a certain chemistry that produced some of the best metal going throughout the eighties and here, on 'Persistence Of Time', the group re-assume Titan-like status with a fresh-sounding blast of well thought out thrash. Having a distinct, signature sound about them by this point, the group that made rap metal, funny shorts, the word 'not' and shaving slogans into your chest hair all the rage tackle eleven bruisers with a hefty dose of enthusiasm.
Opener 'Time' thumps in your chest as Scott Ian finds his most weighty guitar sound yet, chugging like the mosh madman that he is through the track which builds to a fever pitch. Taking a cue from the extended lengths of songs made popular by their West Coast blood brothers in thrash, Metallica, the songs that make up 'Persistence Of Time' are well arranged, with a good balance between catchy, repetitious riffing and the interjection of enough variances to keep the whole affair from having the effect of Robotussin. One must admit that 'Keep It In The Family' wears on a bit. Chopping two minutes off from this seven minute beast might have made the idea a tad more digestible.
Fans will find 'In My World' to be not too far off base in terms of feeling from the group's gem 'Lone Justice' at the onset, but the track develops into a chugging, appealing rout. One of Anthrax' all-time best tracks is realized in 'Belly Of The Beast', as the band grind along, lending a brick wall of power to rest behind Joey Belladonna's highly melodic vocals. With so many crushingly heavy tracks on one album, it's hard to imagine why Island would have chosen the band's version of Joe Jackson's 'Got The Time' as the single, but you have to admit that Anthrax can tear this cut up like nobody's business. Twenty years later, this album stands up as one of the brightest spots in metal pursuant to the grunge takeover that headbangers would find sullenly lurking around the corner.
Review by: Erin Fox
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