Return of the Killer A's: Best of Anthrax
Return of the Killer A'sis by no means a farewell to 13 years of pioneering metal. Rather, it's an assemblage of classics, B-sides, and covers that sums up their career. Scott Ian and bandmates cowrote the 1980s speed-metal bible in an era when most bands were fixated with hairspray, but the band persevered through metal's lean years. They defied convention by becoming one of the first metal acts to gain mass appeal with their reworking ofPublic Enemy's anthem "Bring the Noise." Their humorous "hit," "I'm the Man," is also here along with such mosh-pit faves as "Antisocial," "Indians," and a sprawling punk-enraged cover of Joe Jackson's "Got the Time." More recent tunes such as thePantera-like "Hi Pro Glu" and "Crush" are included alongside a version of theTemptations' "Ball of Confusion," with early vocalist Joey Belladonna and current frontman John Bush sharing vocal duties.--Shanthi Sivanesan