So Joey Belladonna is back as the singer for Anthrax. That’s the big news here, right?

Did I really see a review where someone asked what Joey had been doing for the past 20 years? Did I really see that? Well, he didn’t exactly carve out an illustrious solo career for himself, but he did release four albums under the Belladonna moniker and he also plays in his own cover band, Chief Big Way. Another important thing people seem to be forgetting is Joey actually had his first reunion with Anthrax when he rejoined and toured with the band in 2005-2006. However, Worship Music is the first Anthrax studio album featuring Belladonna since 1990’s Persistence of Time. (Wow, I was barely into high school when that came out, yet I remember playing the shit out of that CD. Or maybe it was a tape?)

For all the outstanding reviews being written and the accolades Worship Music is sure to receive, I’ll start this off with a few faults I have with the album. While it is certainly great in a novelty sort of way to have Joey back singing on a studio album, to me, this isn’t necessarily the album of the year either. Yes, this truly does seem like Anthrax again, yet to some extent, this seems like a dumbed-down version of the “classic lineup” sound. From the things I was hearing and the hype surrounding Worship Music, I was expecting something along the lines of Persistence of Time. But expectations are just that. Anthrax plays it safe, something I wasn’t prepared for. Where is the band that released “Indians,” “Caught in a Mosh,” “I’m the Man” and “Keep It in the Family?” They’re not here, so I guess that means they’re still back somewhere in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. I wasn’t expecting to see the “Not Man,” (though I think that's him on the album cover, peaking out under the logo), nor was I expecting a guest appearance by Public Enemy, but come on, guys, give me something.

Maybe it’s just the changing of the times or evolution. Maybe the band’s confusing vocalist situation over the past few years had an effect. Whatever the case, I don’t care what everyone is saying, this isn’t classic Anthrax, but rather a combination of material from the John Bush era, Belladonna’s vocals and a newer, more modern direction for the band. Which doesn't mean it's bad. And please, everyone stop downplaying the Bush era. It’s almost like he was never in the band now. Sound of White Noise was a phenomenal album and one of the band’s best. Of the other releases, Stomp 442, falls in second for me—it didn’t match its predecessor, but was still a decent album in its own right. And I also remember We've Come for You All (2003) being one of Live-Metal.net writer Greg Maki’s favorite releases of that year.

After you get accustomed to the nature of Worship Music, things begin to get a bit clearer and take shape. “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” is the closet thing here to classic Anthrax. It’s a great thrasher, with the trademark stomp and shout-along Scott Ian chorus. This is what I was expecting most of the album to be. After the cello opener, “Worship,” “Earth on Hell” is the next best thing and is one of the heaviest Anthrax songs ever. “The Devil You Know” has seen some airplay and is probably the most commercially accessible song on the album, and besides the instantly memorable chorus, the middle section of this song (“It’s just the devil in me”) is Belladonna’s finest hour here. I definitely could hear this song alongside something like “Only.” “I’m Alive” does sound old school. It’s like classic Anthrax, but with an Iron Maiden-like chorus. Other songs like the much-heralded and talked about “Judas Priest,” “The Giant” and “The Constant” don’t exactly make me resist the urge to mosh. “Crawl” is a good atmospheric metal ballad, bearing resemblance to Alice in Chains. With Joey’s long monotone vocal style here and the guitar tones, the song is similar to something on Facelift or Dirt.

Worship Music is a worthy comeback, and it features great performance from Belladonna. He sings in a lower range here than in the band’s glory days—in other words, you can tell it's Joey, just a more “modern” than “‘80s metal Joey.” With the immense hype that surrounded this release, I expected to be blown away. Yeah, those are pretty unrealistic expectations, I suppose, but in any case, I was at least hoping for something more daring and exciting from the thrash metal legends. This will do for now, but the question is, will they make another one with Joey? Because I think it would end up being even better, but there I go with those expectations again.