Anthrax - For All Kings (2LP) - Transparent Orange Vinyl

Anthrax’s For All Kings arrived in February 2016 as a confident statement from a band that has nothing left to prove yet still plays like everything is on the line. It is their eleventh studio album, produced by Jay Ruston and released on Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe, and it finds the classic-era lineup of Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, and Charlie Benante locking in with new lead guitarist Jon Donais, whose melodic shred threads through the record with real purpose.

The opening stretch tells you exactly where they’re headed. You Gotta Believe starts with a slow-burn build, then snaps into tight, punching riffs and a chorus that hangs in your head long after it fades. Monster at the End rides a hooky vocal line from Belladonna, who sounds energized and unforced throughout. Evil Twin hits harder, a clenched-teeth indictment of violent extremism that recalls the blunt social commentary Anthrax have always been good at. But it’s Breathing Lightning that steals the show. The song blends classic metal melody with thrash muscle, and it earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 2017 ceremony. Not many veteran groups can cut a single that lands with fans, radio, and critics at once. Anthrax did.

Blood Eagle Wings is the record’s towering set piece. It stretches past seven minutes, one of the longest songs in their catalog, and earns every second. The verses brood and simmer, the chorus opens wide, and Donais crafts leads that sing rather than just race. You can hear Benante shaping the dynamics from the kit, pulling the band back to a whisper and then slamming into gear again. The song’s grim title nods to brutal history, and the arrangement mirrors that weight without turning ponderous.

There is a throughline here back to their best work. Scott Ian’s right-hand rhythm playing is still a scalpel, carved tight and clean, but the album leans into melody without softening the attack. Belladonna’s voice, re-established on Worship Music in 2011, is even more central here. He isn’t fighting the riffs; he’s surfing them, stacking harmonies that give the choruses depth. Bello’s bass hums with that familiar grind, always melodic, often menacing. And Donais is a great fit. Shadows Fall fans knew he had taste as well as speed, and he brings both, filling the spaces with lyrical lines rather than just fast runs.

Alex Ross handled the artwork, giving For All Kings the kind of regal, comic-book precision that pops on a big sleeve. It suits the title, which Scott Ian has explained as a salute to the fans. The band are the kings, sure, but so are the people who show up, buy the tickets, argue about B-sides, and care. That spirit runs through the record. It is polished without feeling sanded down. Ruston’s production is modern and clear, yet it keeps the guitars thick and the drums full, so the punch lands.

The release hit commercially too, debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. That is not easy for a thrash veteran several decades in. It speaks to the songs and to the way Anthrax continue to pull in new listeners while keeping faith with the old guard. If you want the essence in one spin, try the run of Breathing Lightning, The Devil You Know style bite in You Gotta Believe, and the long-form drama of Blood Eagle Wings, then loop back to Zero Tolerance for a last burst of venom.

Collectors will be happy to know that For All Kings landed in several formats, and it is a record that rewards large artwork and a full-room listen. If you are crate-digging for Anthrax vinyl, this is a smart pickup. The chorus work and the low-end punch sit nicely on wax, and the Alex Ross cover looks glorious in hand. You will see For All Kings vinyl pop up alongside other Anthrax albums on vinyl from the Belladonna years, and it makes a strong case for being the post-1980s high point to file next to Among the Living. If you like to buy Anthrax records online, that search will turn up a few color variants from the Nuclear Blast side as well as standard black. And if you are browsing vinyl records Australia or hunting the wall at a Melbourne record store, keep an eye out. This one is a crowd-pleaser that also reveals more on every play.

Four decades on, Anthrax still sound hungry. For All Kings is proof, a late-career standout with teeth, tunes, and a beating heart.