Review by Felix on December 26, 2022.

Whenever I hear the first tones of “A.I.R.”, they catapult me back into the mid-eighties. My metal buddy and me were guests of an English family and “Spreading the Disease” was more or less brand new. Metal buddy had it put on tape and so we were able to listen to it. Analogue times! Moreover, thrash metal heyday, what a great combination.

Did I say thrash metal? Well, is there really a connection between songs like “Lone Justice” or (parts of) “Armed and Dangerous” and the aforementioned genre? “Spreading the Disease” is a border crosser. The almost somersaulting “Gung-Ho” blows the silk pillows out of every poser flat-sharing community. Neckbreaker like “Aftershock” and “S.S.C. / Stand or Fall” point into the same direction. Nevertheless, one cannot fully compare this work with “real” thrash classics that mostly have the word “blood” in their title. But that’s no problem. “Spreading the Disease” plays in its own league and has reached the classic status as well. That’s no matter of course from my point of view, because I never was an Anthrax fan. I don’t like a lot of their outputs, but this one – as well as two or three further full-lengths – is truly great.

Anthrax show a lot of different facets on this album. “Lone Justice” remains the only mediocre offering. It is not a stink bomb, but it doesn’t come to the point. So what; its ambivalent impression is wiped away by the liveliness of tracks like “Aftershock”, The insanely rasping guitars, the up-tempo beat and the “Shock! Shock! Shock!” or “Hey! Hey! Hey!” back vocals do not fail to achieve their effect. Even Joey Belladonna, the singer who definitely never slept in a thrash metal cradle, pulls all the stops. Usually following a very melodic approach, he goes more or less crazy in view of the intensive guitars and the irresistible drive of the composition. A great opener of the B side – and a worthy neighbour of the A side’s closer. “The Enemy” with its simple yet captivating drum intro and its combination of a dense heaviness and a tragic undertone does not leave me cold. The lyrics about the Holocaust are done without cheap gimmickry (“He is the solitary man, whose prejudice is spread like a plague across the land”) and fit perfectly to music. Moreover, the song reveals an unexpected dynamic in the end and thus, it has become my hidden champion of the album.

No doubt, “Spreading the Disease” has its own character, inter alia due to the slightly weird yet mega-catchy “Madhouse”. Okay, one can compare the thrashing eruptions with the early songs of Metallica, Exodus or other pioneers, but it is not easy to find an album with a similar overall picture. I mean I liked the album right from the beginning, although it did not follow the pure thrash dogma and believer me, I was narrow-minded. By the way, I still am. But I don’t want to write about me, but the album. Less furious tracks like the riff-driven “Medusa” or the muscular opener make even today some youngsters look old. And no matter which track you like or hate, one thing is for sure: all songs shine with their coherent configuration. And there is another very positive detail: the solos make sense. They are not just there or annoying, no, they enrich the songs with somehow intelligent tone sequences.

From today’s perspective, perhaps the mix does not fully convince. I know albums that sound more organic than “Spreading the Disease”. It has a little computerized touch, but to be honest: after more than 35 years I cannot imagine the album with another mix. Given this fact, one can also say that the output is perfectly produced – it’s in the eye of the beholder. Anyway, “Spreading the Disease” is a fantastic full-length. Love it or move into the madhouse.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10