Anthrax — State Of Euphoria-30th Anniversary Edition

To any self-respecting metal fan US Trash titans Anthrax should need little or no introduction- since the early 1980’s the band has carved out their own thoroughly distinctive path in metal, offering up an often tuneful, buoyant & cheeky take on the Trash metal form. Since 1984 the band have released eleven studio albums, and while each have their  moments, for me their fourth album 1988’s State Of Euphoria seemed the perfect refinement of their craft- blending together memorable melodies, great riff craft, & cheeky charm, with very effective moments heaviness, moodiness & a near perfectly flowing track list.

Here on Island we have the 30 year-anniversary release of the album( boy that makes me feel old)-the release comes in the form of a double CD digipak, and this takes in the original album with a great & dynamic remastering, & a second disc that brings together rehearsals recordings, interviews & live recordings. Topping off the set we get a twenty-page inlay booklet- stuffed with quotes, a new write-up, & behind the scenes pictures. There also a double yellow & red vinyl version of this too, to keep fans of the turntable happy too.

As a teen, I was a huge, huge Trash fan- eagerly following the releases of at least two of the ‘big four’ Slayer & Metallica. Both Megadeth & Anthrax rather left me a little cold, Megadeth’s early work seemed a little blunt & shapeless to my teen ears, and Anthrax well they didn’t seem metal enough- with their often colourful skate shorts, back-front caps, detours into rap, and their generally cheeky charm. I can’t really recall how/ when I first heard State Of Euphoria- possible round a metal-head buddies house, but it just pulled me straight in from the moody & dramatic cello-then-darkly chugging riff of the opener "Be All End All", and kept me locked into the end track "Finale" with its blend of rapidly jaunting riff-craft, speed metal fills & punchy sing-along chorus. So I rushed out a picked-up the tape, and ever since it’s firmly stayed my favourite releases from the band- Over the years since I've filled in my missing gaps from their back catalogue, and had enjoyed their 2011 come-back album Worship Music- but none of the other albums seemed to me to come close to either the consistency, flow & balance of State... As you move through the record you go from brooding chug-craft meets maniacal moshing of "Making Me Laugh". Onto the darker & building clear-meets-metallic guitar begins of "Who Cares Wins", which later opens up into great jabbing-to-melodic trashing.  Through to meaty-yet-moodily tuneful riff-craft of "Misery Loves Company", which features some rather neat call & response vocals, and a great searing-to-dramatic bit of soloing.

 

Moving onto  discuss this new edition, and the double CD version I’m reviewing. On the first disc we get the fifteen original album tracks, and these have been giving a really neat remastering- this seems to perfect enhance the albums blend of chugging heaviness, tuneful melodies, and moments of dramatic mood. After the album tracks we get a selection of six B-sides, taking in a French version of "Antisocial",  Sex Pistols cover version of "Frigging In The Rigging", etc.

The second disc comes in just sly of the 80 minute mark, and it rather wonderfully brings together lengthy, but interesting rehearsal takes of each of the album's tracks (aside from the playful & short instrumental "13") - these are intermingled with snippets of an interview with the band from the time, and right at the end of the CD, after a few minutes of silence we get a live treat from the period. I must admit going into this disc I was somewhat sceptical- as I thought it was just going to lower grade/ demo versions of the album tracks- but it’s really a worthy CD in its own right, showing how the band developed & built each track, and you, of course, get some nice instrumental/ jamming versions of classic Anthrax riffage. The interview segments are well placed too, nicely breaking up the whole thing.  If you’re a fan of the album, I’m sure you’ll find this disc as fascinating as I did.
Lastly we, of course, get the twenty-page booklet- this takes in a new four-page write-up about the album & the period around it. The remainder of the booklet is filled with quotes/ thoughts about the album from long-term fans- this was interesting to dip in & out of, and nice to read the impact the album had on other fans. And dotted throughout this write-up are various back stage pics etc- all making it an interesting, yet honest & down to earth inlay booklet, that has none of the pretension other similar reissue booklets can have.

All told this is a great example of how anniversary releases of classic albums should be done- bringing together worthy extra content, with a well put together inlay booklet that’s informative, yet never boastful or contrived.