Apparently opening up the show tonight were Collapse and Revoker – the former missed due to late arrival; the latter, with their nods toward Machine Head, providing too much of a good excuse to go drink some hideous beer away from the decibels. The one and only reason for coming tonight anyway, was obviously Anthrax. Or more accurately, Anthrax with Joey Belladonna. As someone who worshiped the ‘N.F.V.: Oidivnikufesin’ and ‘Through Time P.O.V.’ VHS tapes throughout the 90s, Anthrax’s classic line-up and sound seemed condemned to the same eternal fate as that of the dinosaurs. But then, there was 2005’s ’80s reunion’ (including a show atColchester’s tiny, hallowed Arts Centre that I’ll never forget), which whilst spectacular, was built on entirely fragile foundation$. What happened next with Dan Nelson was ill-conceived and vague even by Anthrax standards. Seeing the line-up with him in 2009 resulted in one of the worst and most telling gigs I’ve ever been to – and it wasn’t down to him. With a natural bias towards the ‘classic’ era, the smatterings of that material with the monotone Bush songs was a complete anti-climax; on one hand, there was energy; on the other, pure middle-of-the-road. Drifting and devoid of identity, Anthrax could quite justifiably have been put to sleep.

Thank Metallica then for the whole ‘Big 4’ package coming together. Despite Dan Spitz’s absence, the crucial aspect was for Anthrax to recognise the context of where they came from and what they did best. Besides, Rob Caggiano – as he proves here tonight – is the perfect replacement for the band’s old lead player. So, with no further digression: the gig. The lights go down and the band launches straight into ‘Worship/Earth on Hell’ and ‘Fight ’em til You Can’t’ from last year’s reconfigured ‘Worship Music’. Although the mic is silent for the first few seconds, things soon straighten out, and immediately, the impact of Belladonna’s voice on the second track is head-and-shoulders above the rendition which I witnessed from the Nelson ‘era’. ‘Caught in a Mosh’ and the francophone-pleasing Trust cover, ‘Antisocial’ follow, whipping up the crowd into a minor state of sing-along frenzy. Given some of the stone-faced crowds witnessed in this country, Anthrax are very quickly succeeding where others have inexplicably fallen flat on their faces (thinking specifically of poor old Deicide). Yet more of the new material follows with ‘Devil you Know’ and ‘In the End’, slotting nicely alongside dyed-in-the-wool anthems such as ‘Indians’ and ‘Got the Time’. Highlights of the set include ‘Among the Living’, ‘Medusa’ (“Ready to strike / Gorgon!!”), an encore of ‘Deathrider’ and the surprising inclusion of ‘Be All, End All’ from 1988’s ‘State of Euphoria’.

During that last track, Joey Belladonna – as he has done throughout the evening – gets almost the entire crowd chanting along with a chorus of: “Wo-oh, wo-oh, wo-oh, wo-oh etc.” By the end of their climactic anthem, ‘I Am the Law’, my voice has unexpectedly been worn away by excessive, bad ‘singing’. The only remedy, as I found later, was to eat a giant hot sausage outside the venue (that’s not a metaphor for any of the prostitutes who frequent this part of town…) Anyway, the night was excellent. Despite a less than stellar sound, it didn’t matter. Joey’s positive enthusiasm and infectious rapport with the crowd was one factor. The other was to see Anthrax being Anthrax, and playing their definitive material. Watching them, it’s hard to understand how they couldn’t revel in their 80s music: Scott Ian churning out his incredibly fast, crunchy riffs; Benante abusing his drum kit with impeccable double bass and fills; while Frank Bello is afforded the opportunity to stomp around the stage like a wild man. Let’s just hope that in the future this line-up manages to stick together, create some more albums along the lines of their thrash roots and continue kicking arse like this in the live environment.

Jamie Wilson