History YMMV / Anthrax

* ItsPopularNowItSucks[=/=]TheyChangedItNowItSucks: They got this treatment and were accused of "selling out" when they chose John Bush as their new lead singer and with their more mainstream sounding album ''Sound of White Noise.'' The band's rhythm guitarist, Scott Ian commented on this in an interview saying, "The bottom line is, everyone in this business is [[MoneyDearBoy in it to make money]]. Myself included."

* Other known songs include "Only", "I Am the Law", and "Indians".

* CompleteMonster: ''Music/AmongTheLiving'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mRDSW9-i_E title track]]: [[SatanicArchetype Randall Flagg]] is as monstrous as always in this retelling of ''Literature/TheStand''. To show-off his powers, Flagg releases [[ThePlague the Captain Trips plague]] that [[DepopulationBomb wipes out most human life on Earth]]. Settling in the destruction he's created, [[DarkMessiah he uses charisma and terror to garner followers]], a fact he takes pride in. With his faction, he roams the wasteland to slaughter anyone in his path, specifically crucifying his victims.

* FaceOfTheBand: Despite being the rhythm guitarist, Scott Ian is considered this due to his being the only member of the band who has been with them for their entire tenure and also largely due to his appearance in various Creator/VH1 commentary shows.
** Casual rock and metal fans can typically name Scott Ian first as a member of Anthrax. His FaceOfTheBand status is probably reinforced by him singing lead vocals on the band's BreakawayPopHit, and biggest commercial hit to date, "Bring The Noise".

* WinBackTheCrowd: ''Worship Music'' was this as it was the band's first album with Joey Belladonna since 1990's ''Persistence of Time''. Reception to the album was very positive by fans and critics alike, it would eventually be placed on many critics' "Best Metal Albums of 2011" lists and is now considered to be one of the strongest albums in Anthrax's discography.

* AudienceAlienatingEra: ''Stomp 442'' and ''Volume 8: The Threat is Real'' are considered this, due to having a more reserved and lackluster alternative speed metal sound compared to their straightforward thrash albums released before and after. They were both commercial failures (the former to the point that it is now out of print) and contributed to the band losing not one, but TWO record labels.
** Some include ''Sound Of White Noise'' (and, by proxy, the entire John Bush era) as part of this, as well, due to its less thrashy sound and obvious grunge influences.
** The AudienceAlienatingEra got worse with the release of ''We've Come For You all''. Not so much because of the album's music (which many considered to be a massive improvement over the previous two John Bush records), but because of the inner-band turmoil that was happening. Around this time, Charlie Benante began complaining about album sales and the American public being stupid, which only resulted in a massive backlash against both him and Anthrax. Sometime after, Anthrax attempted to host a reunion tour but the end result left nobody satisfied, with John Bush deciding he didn't want to be in the band anymore and Joey Belladonna also deciding he didn't want to commit after all. Scott Ian didn't do himself any favors around this time by publicly bashing Joey and making himself look like a major JerkAss in the eyes of the fans. While Dan Nelson joining Anthrax appeared to signal the band getting their act together again, it only churned out more drama with Dan leaving the band on very bad terms. It wasn't until Joey rejoined the band in 2010 and Anthrax releasing the widely acclaimed ''Worship Music'' in 2011 that the band finally got their act together and fans really began to respect and love them once again.
* BrokenBase: ''Hoo boy.'' You've got your Joey Belladonna fans, your John Bush fans, the occasional lonely Neil Turbin fan...Dan Nelson is by and large left out of the discussion, however, as he never released any recorded material with the band and thus hardly anyone actually heard him.
** A subset of fans in the early 80s metal/thrash scene hated the "maturing" of the their sound after ''Fistful of Metal'', which along with replacing Turbin, added more melody and slowed down from the 200 bpm all the time style. Granted, nearly every band of this era moved on similarly (Metallica, Megadeth, and even Slayer to a degree) and received similar accusations of selling out at the time from the hardcore speed metal faithful.

* ItsPopularNowItSucks[=/=]TheyChangedItNowItSucks: They got this treatment and were accused of "selling out" when they chose John Bush as their new lead singer and with their more mainstream sounding album ''Sounds of White Noise.'' The band's rhythm guitarist, Scott Ian commented on this in an interview saying, "The bottom line is, everyone in this business is [[MoneyDearBoy in it to make money]]. Myself included."

** Antisocial off ''State of Euphoria'' has surged into popularity in recent years, partially thanks to its appearance in ''[[Film/It2017 It: Chapter One]]''

* {{Tearjerker}}: "Pieces" from ''Vol. 8: The Threat is Real'', written by Frank Bello as a tribute to his brother, Anthony, who was also Charlie Benante's nephew. Anthony was shot and killed in 1996 and to their grief, the murder was never solved.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Scott Ian met his wife Pearl Aday when she was singing back-up on a failed tour with Motley Crue. [[DorkAge Anthrax wasn't doing so hot at the time either]], [[DrowningMySorrows so they became drinking buddies]]. He grew to love her so much he didn't know how to tell her, and finally expressed everything in a long, heartfelt letter. Turns out she felt the same and they've been HappilyMarried ever since. What's more, they cut back on drinking after that too because they were suddenly so happy.

* SoOkayItsAverage: DorkAge considered, ''Stomp 442'' and ''Volume 8'' do have their defenders. The former is considered a fun album to drive to while mutual Pantera and Anthrax fans are likely to appreciate the slower groove metal tracks on the latter. That being said, generally no one considers either album to be a masterpiece by any means.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: The band temporarily went through this phase after their 2003 album ''We've Come For You All'' flopped commercially (despite receiving fairly positive reviews from the metal press). From Charlie's constant complaining about the state of metal in America to a number of desperate attempts at recapturing past glories (including a failed reunion tour with Joey Belladonna), let's just say that the mid-2000's were definitely not kind to the band.

** The DorkAge got worse with the release of ''We've Come For You all''. Not so much because of the album's music (which many considered to be a massive improvement over the previous two John Bush records), but because of the inner-band turmoil that was happening. Around this time, Charlie Benante began complaining about album sales and the American public being stupid, which only resulted in a massive backlash against both him and Anthrax. Sometime after, Anthrax attempted to host a reunion tour but the end result left nobody satisfied, with John Bush deciding he didn't want to be in the band anymore and Joey Belladonna also deciding he didn't want to commit after all. Scott Ian didn't do himself any favors around this time by publicly bashing Joey and making himself look like a major JerkAss in the eyes of the fans. While Dan Nelson joining Anthrax appeared to signal the band getting their act together again, it only churned out more drama with Dan leaving the band on very bad terms. It wasn't until Joey rejoined the band in 2010 and Anthrax releasing the widely acclaimed ''Worship Music'' in 2011 that the band finally got their act together and fans really began to respect and love them once again.

* DorkAge: ''Stomp 442'' and ''Volume 8: The Threat is Real'' are considered this, due to having a more reserved and lackluster alternative speed metal sound compared to their straightforward thrash albums released before and after. They were both commercial failures (the former to the point that it is now out of print) and contributed to the band losing not one, but TWO record labels.
** Some include ''Sound Of White Noise'' (and, by proxy, the entire John Bush era) as part of this, as well, due to its less thrashy sound and obvious grunge influences.
** The DorkAge got worse with the release of ''We've Come For You all''. Not so much because of the album's music (which many considered to be a massive improvement over the previous two John Bush records), but because of the inner-band turmoil that was happening. Around this time, Charlie Benante began complaining about album sales and the American public being stupid, which only resulted in a massive backlash against both him and Anthrax. Sometime after, Anthrax attempted to host a reunion tour but the end result left nobody satisfied, with John Bush deciding he didn't want to be in the band anymore and Joey Belladonna also deciding he didn't want to commit after all. Scott Ian didn't do himself any favors around this time by publicly bashing Joey and making himself look like a major JerkAss in the eyes of the fans. While Dan Nelson joining Anthrax appeared to signal the band getting their act together again, it only churned out more drama with Dan leaving the band on very bad terms. It wasn't until Joey rejoined the band in 2010 and Anthrax releasing the widely acclaimed ''Worship Music'' in 2011 that the band finally got their act together and fans really began to respect and love them once again.

* {{Tearjerker}}: "Pieces" from ''Vol. 8: The Threat is Real'', written by Frank Bello as a tribute to his brother, Anthony, who was also Charlie Benante's nephew. Anthony was shot in killed in 1996 and to their grief, the murder was never solved.

* TheScrappy: John Bush is this to some, due to how different his vocal style is from Joey's (the band's temporary shift from speed/thrash metal to grunge/alternative metal around the time he joined doesn't help matters). On the other hand, there's also a sizeable group of people who feel he was a ''better'' vocalist than Joey but never really got his due.
** Those who did hear Dan Nelson consider him a Phil Anselmo knockoff, and weren't anticipating any studio material with him. Luckily for those appreciate Joey Belladonna, nothing ever came to pass.

* CompleteMonster:
** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZWZanJhai4 The Enemy]]": A "[[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler solitary man]] whose [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain prejudice]] will spread like a flame throughout the land" takes over. His [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany rule]] results in "enslaving those who would be free", with "those accused" having to wear yellow stars and propaganda hiding "screams in the night" and "scars so deep that they won't mend". In the end, the "FinalSolution was [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust mass genocide]]", with six million lives lost all due to this one man.
** ''Music/AmongTheLiving'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mRDSW9-i_E title track]]: [[SatanicArchetype Randall Flagg]] is as monstrous as always in this retelling of ''Literature/TheStand''. To show-off his powers, Flagg releases [[ThePlague the Captain Trips plague]] that [[DepopulationBomb wipes out most human life on Earth]]. Settling in the destruction he's created, [[DarkMessiah he uses charisma and terror to garner followers]], a fact he takes pride in. With his faction, he roams the wasteland to slaughter anyone in his path, specifically crucifying his victims.

** ''Music/AmongTheLiving'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mRDSW9-i_E title track]]: [[SatanicArchetype Randall Flagg]] is as monstrous as always in this retelling of ''Literature/TheStand''. To show-off his powers, Flagg releases [[ThePlague the Captain Trips plague]] that wipes out most human life on Earth. Settling in the destruction he's created, [[DarkMessiah he uses charisma and terror to garner followers]], a fact he takes pride in. With his faction, he roams the wasteland to slaughter anyone in his path, specifically crucifying his victims.

* CompleteMonster: In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZWZanJhai4 The Enemy]]", a "[[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler solitary man]] whose prejudice will spread like a flame throughout the land" takes over. His [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany rule]] results in "enslaving those who would be free", with "those accused" having to wear yellow stars and propaganda hiding "screams in the night" and "scars so deep that they won't mend". In the end, the "FinalSolution was [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust mass genocide]]", with six million lives lost all due to this one man.

* EarWorm: Practically every song on ''Among The Living'' and ''Worship Music''. Plenty of other songs, as well.
** [[BadassBoast "Gooooooooooooooone! Take your packaged rebellion! And move onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"]]

** The DorkAge got worse with the release of ''We've Come For You all''. Around this time, Charlie Benante began complaining about album sales and the American public being stupid, which only resulted in a massive backlash against both him and Anthrax. Sometime after, Anthrax attempted to host a reunion tour but the end result left nobody satisfied, with John Bush deciding he didn't want to be in the band anymore and Joey Belladonna also deciding he didn't want to commit after all. Scott Ian didn't do himself any favors around this time era by publicly bashing Joey and making himself look like a major JerkAss in the eyes of the fans. While Dan Nelson joining Anthrax appeared to signal the band getting their act together again, it only churned out more drama with Dan leaving the band on very bad terms. It wasn't until Joey rejoined the band in 2010 and Anthrax releasing the widely acclaimed ''Worship Music'' in 2011 that the band finally got their act together and fans really began to respect and love them once again.

** Antisocial as well, especially recently thanks to its appearance in ''[[Film/It2017 It: Chapter One]]''

** Antisocial as well, especially thanks to its appearance in ''[[Film/It2017 It: Chapter One]]''