Anthrax

Formed in 1981 in New York around guitarist Scott Ian, Anthrax emerged in the first wave of American thrash metal and became one of the genre’s Big Four alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. From the outset, the band cultivated a fast, razor‑edged sound defined by tight riffs, a knack for shout‑along choruses, and influences drawn from both hardcore punk and classic heavy metal. With landmark albums such as Fistful of Metal (1984), Spreading the Disease (1985), and especially Among the Living (1987), Anthrax refined a songwriting approach where social themes, pop‑culture references, and caustic humor coexist. Vocal shifts between Joey Belladonna and John Bush periodically altered the band’s sonic character, as they ventured into heavier, more alternative territory on Sound of White Noise (1993) and then Stomp 442 (1995). Anthrax’s collaboration with Public Enemy on Bring the Noise in 1991 opened a widely cited rap‑metal chapter, before a decisive return to thrash on Worship Music (2011) and For All Kings (2016), sustained by steady appearances on major international festival stages.