Worship Music

Anthrax do not ease back into relevance on Worship Music. They kick the door open, lock into a groove and spend nearly an hour proving that veteran status does not have to mean reduced impact. This is a disciplined, muscular record built on riffs that land cleanly, drums that keep the pressure high and choruses that understand the difference between scale and bloat.

Worship Music is not nostalgia dressed as momentum; it is Anthrax sounding fully awake again.

After the brief scene-setting of “Worship (Intro),” “Earth On Hell” arrives with immediate force. The rhythm section is the key. The guitars are thick, but the track works because the accents are precise and the drumming gives every change a physical snap. “The Devil You Know” is simpler and more direct, leaning on a stomping central riff and a chorus designed to survive outside the studio. It does not overcomplicate its job.

“Fight ’Em ’Til You Can’t” is the album’s clearest statement of intent: fast enough to satisfy the thrash audience, controlled enough to avoid collapsing into retro cosplay. The verses move with clipped urgency, while the chorus opens up without losing tension. “I’m Alive” follows with a broader, more melodic shape, but the rhythm guitars keep it grounded. Anthrax have always been strongest when melody sits on top of something percussive and slightly abrasive, and that balance is handled well here.

The middle of the album is where Worship Music proves it has more than an opening burst. “In The End” is heavier and more spacious, with a measured build that earns its weight. “The Giant” pushes harder, driven by a riff that feels designed to be played loud rather than merely admired. Even “Judas Priest,” despite its blunt title, avoids becoming empty tribute theatre; its strength is in the pacing and the compactness of the arrangement.

The album is not flawless. At 56 minutes, it could lose some mass without losing identity, and the final stretch does not hit with the same consistency as the first two-thirds. “Crawl” and “The Constant” are solid, but the momentum becomes less immediate before “Revolution Screams” closes the record with renewed bite.

Still, these are structural complaints about an album that gets the fundamentals emphatically right. The production is large without sanding away the attack, the vocals carry melody without turning soft, and the riffs are memorable because they are rhythmically specific rather than merely heavy. Worship Music is not nostalgia dressed as momentum; it is Anthrax sounding fully awake again.