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.
| The Greater of Two Evils | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Shepard Fairey | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 23, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | January 24–25, 2004 | |||
| Studio | Avatar, New York City | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 73:04 | |||
| Label | Sanctuary, Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Anthrax | |||
| Anthrax chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock | [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| musicOMH | favorable[5] |
The album is made up of 14 songs from the band's early era that were first released between 1983 and 1990. These tracks have been re-recorded by Anthrax's 2004 lineup, with vocalist John Bush recording new versions of songs originally sung by Neil Turbin and Joey Belladonna. The final track listing was decided by a vote on the band's website. The track list was then recorded by the band "live" in the studio over two days. The album was originally going to be named "Metallum Maximum Aeturnum", with possible plans to change it to "Old School, New School, Our School: Metallum Maximum Aeturnum" or "Metal Thrashing Mad: Metallum Maximum Aeturnum". The album sleeve features liner notes by comedian and Anthrax fan Brian Posehn.[6]
The album did not chart in the US, selling 3,421 copies in its first week.[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deathrider" | Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Dan Spitz, Neil Turbin | Fistful of Metal | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Metal Thrashing Mad" | Benante, Ian, Lilker, Spitz, Turbin | Fistful of Metal | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Caught in a Mosh" | Anthrax | Among the Living | 5:27 |
| 4. | "A.I.R." | Anthrax | Spreading the Disease | 6:21 |
| 5. | "Among the Living" | Anthrax | Among the Living | 5:52 |
| 6. | "Keep It in the Family" | Anthrax | Persistence of Time | 7:25 |
| 7. | "Indians" | Anthrax | Among the Living | 6:38 |
| 8. | "Madhouse" | Anthrax | Spreading the Disease | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Panic" | Ian, Lilker, Turbin | Fistful of Metal | 3:35 |
| 10. | "I Am the Law" | Anthrax, Lilker | Among the Living | 6:03 |
| 11. | "Belly of the Beast" | Anthrax | Persistence of Time | 5:42 |
| 12. | "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" | Anthrax | Among the Living | 5:57 |
| 13. | "Be All, End All" | Anthrax | State of Euphoria | 6:29 |
| 14. | "Gung-Ho" "Lone Justice" (hidden track) | Ian, Lilker, Turbin Anthrax | Spreading the Disease Spreading the Disease | 8:48 |
| Total length: | 73:04 | |||
Bonus disc (Japanese edition)
editThe following tracks are available on a 2-disc Japanese version sold in other countries as an import.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anthrax" | Ian, Lilker, Turbin | Fistful of Metal | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Lone Justice" | Anthrax | Spreading the Disease | 4:34 |
| 3. | "In My World" | Anthrax | Persistence of Time | 6:29 |
| Total length: | 87:32 | |||
Trivia
edit- The Japanese katakana writing on the front cover says: スラッシュ メタル, literally Surasshu Metaru (a transliteration of "thrash metal").
- On the original version of the album, "Lone Justice" appears as a hidden track. It begins after "Gung-Ho" ends, and is followed by the sound of "Lone Justice" being rewound. The song was included due to what seemed to be a strong demand for the track to be recorded by the members of the band's official message board, although many on the board claimed that the high votes for the song were a result of internet sabotage of the voting process. This addition to the album was not included on the Japanese edition, which featured an additional disc, on which "Lone Justice" was featured as a separate track.
- "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" is listed as N.F.L. on the cover of the album.
Personnel
edit- John Bush – lead vocals
- Rob Caggiano – lead guitar, rhythm guitar on "Panic" and "Anthrax"
- Scott Ian – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead guitar on "Panic" and "Anthrax"
- Frank Bello – bass, backing vocals
- Charlie Benante – drums
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[8] | 30 |
References
edit- ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Anthrax: The Greater of Two Evils". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (February 2005). "Resurrection Shuffle". Classic Rock. 76. London, UK: Future Publishing Ltd: 90.
- ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Bansal, Vik (November 29, 2004). "Anthrax - The Greater Of Two Evils". musicOMH. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
- ^ "Anthrax - The Greater Of Two Evils". Discogs. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Blabbermouth (December 1, 2004). "ANTHRAX: 'The Greater Of Two Evils' First-Week Sales Revealed". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.