ALBUM REVIEW: Cursum Perficio – Anthrax
February 26th, 2016. The United Kingdom was still part of the European Union, Barack Obama was US President and any notion of a global pandemic at the beginning of the following decade was not even in consideration. It was also the last time ANTHRAX released a studio album. The thrash metal titans have more than earned their spot in the genre’s ‘Big Four’ despite what some people may say and, given their relatively sparse output (this is only their third album in the last 15 years), it stands to reason that any new music from them is cause for celebration. Released on Friday 18th September, Cursum Perficio is the band’s 12th effort overall and comes via Megaforce and Nuclear Blast.
To the surprise of no-one, ANTHRAX have not decided to turn everything on its head for Cursum Perfico; after four-and-a-half decades, why bother fixing what isn’t broken? What people may not expect to find is that they sound as fresh as ever. Lead single It’s For The Kids is a swaggering, groove-laden beast with that unmistakeable, rhythm guitar tone of Scott Ian coming through loud as it thunders towards a seismic and colossal breakdown. Everybody’s Got a Plan sees singer Joey Belladonna spitting razors in the chorus as it chastises society for dooming itself and NYC 93 starts with a rolling drum groove from Charlie Benante and has a classic ANTHRAX gang vocal hook, “It ain’t worth doing unless you do it to death” – one of those lines that set the band apart and make them feel far more ‘street wise’ than their thrash peers.
And yet, for all the energy and gusto, there is an underlying thread of self-reflection running through Cursum Perficio that starts with the title itself. When translated from Latin, the term means ‘I complete the course’ or ‘my journey is over’ and, while there has not been any confirmation from the band’s camp that this is indeed their last studio effort, there are moments throughout the record where ANTHRAX seemingly, and openly, accept that they’re in the twilight of their career. “The world is getting older/Feels like the memory’s over” muses Belladonna in the poignant The Long Goodbye, setting the tone for some of what is to come. The Edge Of Perfection, which Ian has stated is ‘the greatest ANTHRAX song in the history of ANTHRAX‘ combines pace and stomp with a clean, melodic intro and is lyrically introspective, a lament about the struggles of striving for human flawlessness and never reaching it. Equally, the title track starts very progressively before it develops into an ode to, appropriately, the end of one’s journey and facing death as equals, Jonathan Donais in the spotlight with one of a number of excellent guitar solos scattered throughout the record.
ANTHRAX aren’t getting any younger, and a time will come when they do say their final goodbye, although you certainly wouldn’t put it past them going for another ten years or more. However, if Cursum Perficio is to be their studio swansong, then they’ve not only gone out on their own terms but, importantly, with the biggest bang possible.
Rating: 8/10
Cursum Perficio is set for release on September 18th via Nuclear Blast Records and Megaforce Records.
Like ANTHRAX on Facebook.