Anthrax – Stomp 442

Electra/Warner

1995

Released on October 24, 1995 Stomp 442, Anthrax’s seventh studio album, was released to mostly negative reviews. Stomp 442 would be the follow up to the hugely successful Sound of White Noise and was the second record to feature vocalist John Bush, previously of Armored Saint. Stomp 442 was recovered by the Butcher Bro’s at Studio 4 and with long time guitarist Dan Sptiz having left the band some time after the Sound of White Noise tour cycle, touring member Paul Cook would handle lead guitar duties on Stomp 442, without ever actually being an official member. Stomp 442 is mostly reviled by fans and even the band themselves have largely ignored it’s existence in the years following; you will not hear any material from Stomp 442 being played live anytime soon again and while the album is underwhelming in some parts, truth be told Stomp 442 is still an enjoyable album and certainly one that contains some memorable material.

The mid nineties was a tricky time for thrash metal bands of the era. Grunge was king in the early part of the decade and yet by the time Stomp 442 was released even that musical movement was starting to give way to a new strand of musical hybridization called Nu Metal. Hence, most thrash metal bands were doing their best to stay musically relevant whilst also flexing some new creative muscles with varying degrees of success. Anthrax were actually initially quite successful in this new musical landscape with Sound of White Noise, a record which sought to emulate and sit alongside the grunge bands dominating the airwaves and audiences attentions at the time. Apart from some memorable moments on Sound of White Noise, I don’t consider that album a tried and true Anthrax record; Anthrax were always the goofiest of the “Big Four” of thrash yet they also had the songs and musical chops to comfortably sit alongside the likes of , say, Slayer. Stomp 442 then would ultimately fall between two stools; the ending of grunge and the beginning of Nu Metal. Consider Stomp 442 something of a bridge.

Stomp 442 kick things off with “Random Acts of Senseless Violence” a hulking, awkward slab of brawny metal complete with heavy down-tuned guitars featuring an anthemic chorus of sorts from the excellent John Bush, it is a useful introduction to an album that will be in parts experimental, in parts heavy and in some parts misguided. “Random Acts of Senseless Violence” is a fine Anthrax tune, which is not quite the stomper it could have been but memorable none the less. “Fueled” , the albums lead single, follows and it is one of the best tracks to be found on Stomp 442 with a satisfying gasoline soaked main riff leading into a defiant sing along chorus reminiscent of more alternative metal than Trash. The song also featured a memorable music video which someone related to Metallica obviously decided would be a useful point of reference for their video to, you guessed, “Fuel” some two years later.

“King Size” is next, a serviceable enough tune greatly improved by a guest solo courtesy of the late Dimebag Darrell, it’s a song however that never really goes anywhere of interest. Much of the same can be said of “Riding Shotgun”, despite starting off promisingly with jaunty, slightly demented guitar work from Crook over a rumbling bass line from Frank Bello, it is a middling song at best and generic enough sounding at worst. “Perpetual Motion” is next up and it’s possibly the worst track on Stomp 442 which I have only ever listened to once and honestly, at this stage Stomp 442 is starting to wear a bit thin for most listeners, which is a shame because the first two tracks where sufficiently different to be interesting enough to bring the listener in. The band most have realised this themselves because the second have of Stomp 442 is a great deal better.

“In a Zone” is an excellent Anthrax tune, a song brimming with menace and maniacal lyrics( I’m wearing out my skin I’m under pressure, pressure makes me burn it makes me ache) and vocals from Bush. The track is a genuine welcome presence after the previous three fairly dull tracks and is a definite highlight of the album. The genuinely fun and bouncy “Nothing”, the records second single, is up next featuring an insanely catchy sing along chorus with cast iron riffing. Along with “In a Zone” it is one of the better tracks on Stomp 442 and featured a memorable and gloriously stoopid video to boot.

“American Pompeii” follows featuring crunchy guitars riffs and another excellent vocal performance from John Bush. The song is typical of the material found on Stomp 442; experimental with a slight alt metal edge while all the time still sounding like Anthrax, albeit a watered down version. Nevertheless, the tune is memorable and doesn’t outstay its welcome. “Drop the Ball” is next, a fairly middling song with an irresistible head banging middle section which sadly doesn’t entirely redeem the song with the tonally out of place solo which follows.

“Tester” is much better and may very well be the best tune on the record, featuring menacing riffs and a rumbling rhythm section with gritted teeth vocals from Bush, it is the most Sound of White Noise sounding track on Stomp 442 and a definite album highlight. “Bare” ends Stomp 442 on something of a maudlin note; the track is essentially a ballad and a heavily grunge inspired one too. The songs starts off promisingly enough with appropriate acoustic guitar but soon descends into overwrought lyrical cliches and a musical transition towards the end of the track which was quite ill advised. It’s not a terrible song by any means but the tracks main saving grace is Bush’s vocal performance on “Bare” and frankly, John Bush could sing the phone-book and it would still sound stellar.

As mentioned previously, Stomp 442 did not receive glowing reviews from critics or indeed fans nor was it particularly well promoted. Speaking in 2017 to Eon Music about the record, John Bush stated that: ” I thought Stomp 442 was a really cool record, but it came on the heels of major change at Elecktra records, where the head of the label, Bob Krasnow- who basically created the label – was fired and they brought in a new president who told us right after we had recorded Stomp that she would never had made the deal with Anthrax. And so we were thinking as we were in that meeting “that doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a good thing!“. It would appear then that Stomp 442 never stood a chance. After the release of Stomp 442 the bands trajectory would continue to fall. 1998 would see the release of Vol 8 – The Treat is Real which was released on an almost immediately defunct label and it would be 2003 with the release of the return to form We’ve Come for You All before another Anthrax album would drop which would also happen be the last album to feature John Bush.

Stomp 442 is certainly a product of its time, and is something of a curiosity piece as a result. It can’t compete with, say, the mighty Among the Living, but in all truth it’s far from the worst metal album released in the mid nineties. The record has a certain charm which is hard to put one’s finger on and for this reviewer I personally feel the record has more soul than Sound of White Noise. That is an unpopular opinion granted, but I feel that if Stomp 442 was a more focused album with some of the lesser tracks cut and perhaps more time spent in the studio on certain songs (“Bare” for example) Stomp 442 could have gone down as a classic Anthrax record. As it is, it is something of a missed opportunity, yet it remains my favorite John Bush era record – flannel, unsuspecting cows and all.

Works cited:

O’Neill, Eamon.(2017, January) Armored Saint-John Bush interview. Eon Music.