Live: The Island Years

Recorded during a historic genre-shattering tour which they co-headlined with Public Enemy, LIVE: THE ISLAND YEARS is wonderfully illustrative of why Anthrax entered the '90s as one of modern metal's brightest hopes. Not only are they able to sustain their thrashy grooves for extended-play length (nine of the twelve tracks are over five minutes long), they do not allow the rubble of shrieking riffs to overwhelm the songs inside 'em. And though vocalist Joey Belladonna left the group soon after the album's recording, the five-piece outfit performs each selection with a collective rhythmic thrust (evocative of Metallica but far, far funkier), like a fist being clenched and un-clenched to the beat. plus...

Having paid their dues in New York's hip-hop drenched musical climate, Anthrax were among the first metal bands to incorporate rap rhythms and textures into their sound--so much so that Public Enemy name-checked the band on their epic "Bring The Noise". Here, the two bands team up for a noisy take on that anthem--brilliantly using PE's "Too Much Posse" as an entry-way--that offers the best of both worlds: Terminator X's razor-sharp scratches AND Scott Ian's monster riffs. It is a voyeuristic glimpse at a marriage of two unique sounds, and further proof that initial musical breakthroughs tower over the imitators they spawn.

Entertainment Weekly (4/15/94, p.63)
- "...a reminder that at its best, Anthrax was more than just another thrash band..." - Rating: B-