Fistful of Metal | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 6, 1984 [1] | |||
Recorded | Late 1983 | |||
Studio | Pyramid Sound (Ithaca, New York) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:33 | |||
Label | Megaforce | |||
Producer | Carl Canedy | |||
Anthrax chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fistful of Metal | ||||
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Fistful of Metal is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in January 1984 by Megaforce Records (US only) and Music for Nations internationally. The album includes a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen". This is the band's only album to feature original frontman Neil Turbin and original bassist Dan Lilker, who were replaced by Matt Fallon (and eventually by third vocalist Joey Belladonna) and Frank Bello, respectively. Former original guitarist Greg Walls claims that Anthrax "ripped him off" as he claims he wrote the material on the album. [5] [6]
Schoolmates Danny Lilker and Scott Ian formed Anthrax in 1981 in New York City. They both played guitar, but Lilker switched to bass when they could not find a suitable bassist. In 1982, after some lineup rotations, Anthrax added vocalist and fellow schoolmate Neil Turbin. Drummer Charlie Benante and lead guitarist Dan Spitz were added in 1983. [7] Anthrax recorded a five-track demo in early 1983, which led to the band signing with Jon Zazula's Megaforce Records. The label issued a seven-inch single of "Soldiers of Metal / Howling Furies", which sold 3,000 copies in two weeks. [7] Fistful of Metal was recorded in Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, New York and produced by Carl Canedy, drummer in The Rods. The album was released in January 1984 by Megaforce in the US, Music for Nations in the UK, and Roadrunner in Europe. [8]
Shortly after the release of Fistful of Metal, Lilker was fired by Anthrax. In Lilker's own words "After I was thrown out, the guys unfairly said, "Well, it took him 30 times to record the bass track for 'I'm Eighteen,'" and if you listen to the bass track, if you didn't know the whole story, you would say, "Well, that's weird, isn't it?" It's only, like, five notes." [9] [10] The band, at Ian and Benante's insistence, hired Charlie's nephew, Frank Bello, as Lilker's replacement. Turbin had contributed song ideas, lyrics, titles and arrangements to most songs on the album, as well as three songs from the second album Spreading the Disease , but Ian and Benante, who played guitar in addition to drums, felt they needed tighter control on the songwriting. [11] Due to a songwriting partnership between Ian and Benante, with Ian wanting to be more of a central focal point he began writing the lyrics and Benante the music, Turbin was forced out of the band a few weeks after the Roseland Ballroom show with Metallica. [11] Music journalist Eddie Trunk stated: "Early on, I told Jon Zazula that what I didn't like about Anthrax was singer Neil Turbin's vocals." [12] He admits in his writing to pressuring Zazula and Anthrax into firing Turbin from the band. [12] The band did not rehire Lilker when given the opportunity and instead opted for then Anthrax roadie Frank Bello. Former guitarist Greg Walls said he was shocked that the album was released without giving credit to Walls as the primary songwriter on "Panic" and "Metal Thrashing Mad", as well as smaller songwriting contributions throughout the album. [13] [6]
Fistful of Metal was released in January 1984. It was released as a double album by Music for Nations in the UK, featuring extra mixes of "Soldiers of Metal" and "Howling Furies", which were not included on the US edition. [14] Megaforce repackaged a compilation of Fistful of Metal and the 1985 extended play Armed and Dangerous in 2005, which featured a different artwork and some liner notes, but excluded any new mixes and bonus tracks. Commemorating its 25th anniversary, Megaforce reissued the album on three colored 10-inch LPs, also including Armed and Dangerous. [15]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [17] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Critical reception to Fistful of Metal was mixed. Xavier Russel of Kerrang! called it a great debut album, with songs played "at a hundred miles an hour" which could just have been "slightly more original." [20] Writing in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music , Colin Larkin called the cover art "tasteless", but commended the album's small, but steady commercial performance. [18] AllMusic's Steve Huey said Anthrax had not found its distinctive style yet, sounding more like a Judas Priest cover band. Huey found the lyrics utilizing heavy metal stereotypes and opined fans would find the record "off-putting". [16] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the well-produced sound and the "almost operatic anti-thrash vocals" from Turbin, considering the album responsible for "putting New York back on the US metal map, and quality back in the books of bruising and uncompromising underground metal." [17] The term thrash metal was used for the first time in the music press by Kerrang! journalist Malcolm Dome, referring to the song "Metal Thrashing Mad". [21]
Guitar World magazine placed the album on their list of "New Sensations: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1984". [22] In June 2019, Decibel inducted Fistful of Metal in their Hall of Fame, due to its reputation as one of the best early examples of thrash metal. [23]
Most of the songs from the album have rarely been played live since the band rose to popularity with their next two albums, Spreading the Disease and Among the Living , although "Deathrider", "Metal Thrashing Mad", "Panic", "Soldiers of Metal", "Anthrax" and "Across the River" have seen periodic revivals in later years. No songs from this album have ever appeared on any of the band's compilation albums, including Return of the Killer A's , Madhouse: The Very Best of Anthrax and Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985–1991) , though they did re-record the heavily requested "Deathrider", "Metal Thrashing Mad", "Panic", and "Anthrax" for their 2004 album The Greater of Two Evils (the latter appearing on the 2-disc Japanese version as a bonus track).
In 1986, the album was banned in Germany by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons for its violent cover artwork. [24] The ban has since expired.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Deathrider" | Neil Turbin, Dan Spitz, Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Charlie Benante | 3:12 |
2. | "Metal Thrashing Mad" | Turbin, Spitz, Ian, Lilker, Benante | 2:42 |
3. | "I'm Eighteen" ( Alice Cooper cover) | Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith | 4:06 |
4. | "Panic" | Turbin, Ian, Lilker | 4:02 |
5. | "Subjugator" | Turbin, Spitz, Ian, Lilker, Benante | 4:43 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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6. | "Soldiers of Metal" | Turbin, Ian, Lilker | 3:00 |
7. | "Death from Above" | Turbin, Ian, Spitz | 5:10 |
8. | "Anthrax" | Turbin, Ian, Lilker | 3:29 |
9. | "Across the River" (instrumental) | Ian, Lilker | 1:26 |
10. | "Howling Furies" | Ian, Lilker | 3:54 |
Total length: | 35:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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6. | "Raise Hell" | Turbin, Spitz, Ian, Bello, Benante | 4:03 |
12. | "Panic" (live) | Lilker, Turbin, Ian | 3:42 |
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [8]
Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene from the 1980s and is part of the "Big Four" of the genre, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast. The band's current lineup consists of Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais. Anthrax's lineup has changed numerous times over their career, leaving Ian as the only constant member of the band. Ian and Benante are the only two members to appear on all of Anthrax's albums, while Bello has been a member of Anthrax since 1984, replacing Lilker.
Spreading the Disease is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in October 1985 by Megaforce Records and Island Records. It was the band's first album to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello. A special two-disc edition of the album was released in 2015, celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Armed and Dangerous is the first EP by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in February 1985 through Megaforce Records. The band produced the album with Carl Canedy and Jon Zazula acting as executive producer. This is the first Anthrax release to feature Joey Belladonna on vocals, and the first Anthrax release to feature Frank Bello on bass guitar.
Among the Living is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released on March 16, 1987, by Megaforce Records in the US and by Island Records in the rest of the world. The album is dedicated to Cliff Burton of Metallica, who died in a bus accident six months before its release while Metallica were on tour with Anthrax as the opening act.
State of Euphoria is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released on September 19, 1988, through Megaforce/Island Records.
Attack of the Killer B's is a compilation album of B-sides, covers and rarities by the thrash metal band Anthrax and the band's last audio E.P. released before vocalist John Bush replaced longtime Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna in 1992. The album was released in June 1991 by Megaforce Worldwide/Island Entertainment. The "B's" in the album's title refers to b-sides previously unreleased and compiled for a single release. In 1992 the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Metal Performance.
Live: The Island Years is Anthrax's first full-length live album. The album was released in 1994 by Megaforce Worldwide/Island Entertainment. As it is a live album, there were no new singles. The album features vocalist Joey Belladonna, who had been replaced in the band two years earlier by John Bush.
Volume 8: The Threat Is Real is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Anthrax. The album was released on July 21, 1998, by Ignition Records and debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart. The record was produced by the band and Paul Crook. It features the song "Crush", which appeared in the video game ATV Offroad Fury for PlayStation 2 and in the game's soundtrack. Other released singles from the album were "Inside Out", "Piss N Vinegar" and "Born Again Idiot".
Stormtroopers of Death was an American crossover thrash band formed in New York City in 1985. They are credited as being amongst the first groups to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style often referred to as crossover thrash. The band is also known for reuniting Anthrax members, guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante, with their former bassist Dan Lilker. Their instrumental song "March of the S.O.D." from their 1985 debut album, Speak English or Die, was the Headbangers Ball intro anthem for many years. Another song from the same album, "Chromatic Death", was also used during the show as a segue between ads and videos.
Daniel Adam Lilker is an American musician best known as a bass player, but also guitarist, pianist, drummer and vocalist. He has played bass in numerous heavy metal bands, including Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D. and Holy Moses, and grindcore bands Brutal Truth and Exit-13.
Speak English or Die is the debut album by the American crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death, released in August 1985.
The Greater of Two Evils is an album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released in November 2004 via Sanctuary and is the last Anthrax release prior to the band's reunion with Joey Belladonna and guitarist Dan Spitz.
Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985–1991) is a greatest hits compilation of songs by the band Anthrax, which is centered on the 2005 Among the Living line-up reunion which includes current vocalist Joey Belladonna and former guitarist Dan Spitz. This release features only songs from the band's Joey Belladonna-era studio output, which began with Armed and Dangerous and ended with Attack of the Killer B's. Therefore, no songs from Fistful of MetalSound of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real or We've Come for You All are included on this video compilation.
Return of the Killer A's is a compilation / best of album by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in 1999.
Neil Turbin is an American singer known for being the first full-time vocalist for thrash metal band Anthrax. He is the current lead vocalist and songwriter of heavy metal band DeathRiders and a member of hard rock band Bleed the Hunger.
Feel the Fire is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 15, 1985 through Megaforce Records.
Violence & Force is the second studio album by the Canadian speed metal band Exciter, released through Megaforce Records in February 1984. The album was produced by The Rods drummer Carl Canedy, who had already produced Anthrax's debut album Fistful of Metal.
Penikufesin is the third EP by the American thrash metal band Anthrax. Culled from the State of Euphoria sessions, it was released in August 1989 on Megaforce Records/Island Records.
DeathRiders is an American heavy metal band based in Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2001 to support lead vocalist Neil Turbin's solo album Threatcon Delta and is named after Neil's song lyric "Deathrider" which was the first song on the album 'Fistful of Metal' which Turbin wrote in his time as the lead singer of Anthrax.
This January marks the 30th anniversary since the release of Anthrax's debut album, 'Fistful of Metal,' which was obviously one of very first bona fide thrash metal LPs...
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