Anthrax’s The Edge of Perfection: A Nostalgic Metal Opera

The last new music we got from Anthrax was back in 2017, so you could imagine my surprise when I saw that they were releasing a new album, Cursum Perficio. Now, a lot of the 2000s / 2010s Anthrax left me a little cold. I missed the hard thrash, theatrical vocals and tinny stripped back killer rhythm guitar from the late 80s / early 90s Anthrax. But, never say never…so I thought I would see how Anthrax was doing in the 2020s. Before we get into the track itself, we need to take a look at the band. Anthrax is known for having members get fired, come back, leave again and then sue the band. This 2026 version of Anthrax is pretty close to the original. You have a founding member in rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and then some early 80s members in Charlie Benate, Frank Bello and Joey Belladonna. Jon Donais is the newest member and came on board in 2013. Having said that, Ian is the only consistent member with other members coming in and out of the band. However, most of this band was together during the late 80s / early 90s peak of the band, so let’s see what’s cookin’.

Back in the day the big bands in thrash and metal were Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Iron Maiden. I gravitated more towards Metallica and Slayer, but Anthrax was ever present. What really made the band was Ian’s machine gun guitar and the raw power behind that electric crunch. It’s been about 40 years since that famous chin bearded maniac shredded like that….so has time caught up with him? Musically, I would say no. You don’t get those epic riffs like in Madhouse, Antisocial or even Bring the Noise. This is the more theatrical side of Anthrax. We saw this on Be All End All, which started with a string section before going into some deep guitar crunch. In Edge of Perfection a lot of that early 80s thrash is replaced by complex arrangements of crunch, overlapping solo guitar sections and pounding drums. You feel this track in your chest and you can feel Ian grinding his guitar into dust. This is some classic throwback metal that any 90s metal fan will love.

Vocally the song holds up its end of the bargain. I would have to say that this is where you feel most of the 40 years wearing on the band. You don’t get those classic early 80s metal falcetto notes. That contrast between the deep crunch and the high vocals is what really made 80s/90s metal tick. Hey, they’re trying, but the vocals don’t quite get there. Don’t get me wrong, the vocals do work, but they aren’t quite what you remember. Vocal effects in post are also used to hide a bit of the vocal wear and tear. They aren’t distracting, but they are definitely there.

All and all this track is a bit of a squint a little and you can see the late 80s Anthrax is still there. For me, that’s all you can really ask for. You get a bit of that Anthrax vibe, which may seem a bit too much of a throwback…but in the land of modern metal a taste of that old 80s/90s narcotic is refreshing.

Listen to Edge of Perfection