I've used this line in countless reviews: every band needs to get their start somewhere. It's not common that a band's original lineup is the same one that achieves their greatest level of success (though it can happen).
In the case of New York's thrash metal outfit Anthrax, their journey to fame began with a different lead singer and bassist than what fans came to know on such albums as Among The Living. Fistful Of Metal, their 1984 debut, has a good portion of the speed and flashy guitar work one would come to expect from the band. If you got into Anthrax after vocalist Joey Belladonna joined the group, you probably don't view this disc in the greatest light - and, I freely admit, it wasn't among my favorite releases when I was a young headbanger in the late '80s.
But, the truth of the matter is that Fistful Of Metal turns out to be a surprisingly good album. And, for that first step, Scott Ian and crew could have done much worse.
Neil Turbin's vocals are in a higher, more operatic range, similar in many ways to Geoff Tate of Queensryche's early style. The thing is, his vocals fit the material well. From the opening track "Deathrider," the listener is quickly locked into the journey the band is about to take them on.
For the first half of the album, Anthrax make precious few mistakes. "Metal Thrashing Mad" is rightfully seen as an early classic of theirs, while "Panic" could be a hidden gem. The only misstep is a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" - not a terrible job, but one questions its inclusion when there was so much strong material surrounding it.
Readers are probably expecting a line saying the second half of Fistful Of Metal is a disappointment in comparison. Actually, no... if anything, some more chances are taken with tempos and song structure. A lesser band probably would have fumbled such a challenge. Instead, Anthrax handle it well on songs like "Soldiers Of Metal" and "Anthrax".
As for many of the things fans came to expect from Anthrax, they're all here. Charlie Benante double-basses the hell out of his drums, often at breakneck paces. The twin guitar attack of Ian (rhythm guitar) and Dan Spitz (lead guitar) might have lacked some of the fireworks later releases would showcase, but the core talent is definitely present.
What about the performance of bassist Danny Lilker? Oh, he does an admirable job - but, unlike Frank Bello (who became the band's bassist when Lilker was fired), his playing doesn't have the same kind of charisma. It's good, but doesn't really stand out.
Could Anthrax have reached the same level of success had Turbin remained as the singer? Look, I'm a huge fan of Joey Belladonna's, so I mean him no offense... but it might have been interesting to have seen how Anthrax could have grown as a band with a second effort featuring Turbin fronting the group. That, unfortunately, will fall to the "we'll never know" department.
Fistful Of Metal was the kind of album that 17-year-old me listened to on rare occasion, if only to thumb one's nose at its content (as well as the infamous artwork) before throwing on Spreading The Disease or Among The Living. However, 53-year-old me would love the chance to bitch-slap my younger self and command him to show some respect to that album. Is it Anthrax's greatest moment? No... but it certainly is not terrible by any means of the word.