Cursum Perficio is the twelfth studio album by Anthrax. I must admit that I was never one of those true die hard fans of Anthrax even though I enjoyed the music back in the old days. Among the Living is still a real masterpiece and there are few, if any, albums from that time period that even come close to it. Of course, back in those days, at least on that particular album, there were some more melodicl lines. For lack of better words, it sounded “happier” and a little more tongue in cheek.
Now, I can’t say when it started but I felt that they became a little too serious with their music at some point and I kinda lost interest. Perhaps that’s the ignorant part of me though. Maybe it’s me and not them? It doesn’t really matter, but I think either Among the Living or State of Euphoria was the turning point for me and I didn’t listen to them for many years. It was only until recently when I wrote about The Sound of White Noise that I got some kind of interest in them again.
So, I guess I’m not completely qualified to compare Cursum Perficio with their earlier work or their previous sound philosophy. Joey Belladonna has been back as vocalist for quite a while though and I think it might have been the John Bush era that set me off. The other spots in the band are about the same as the classic lineup could be. Charlie Benate on drums, Frank Bello on bass, Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais on guitars.
All of them, except Jonathan Donais are credited as songwriters on Cursum Perficio which I find a little bit strange. Is he a hired gun or is that just the way things are, he plays guitar but has no ambition to write songs? I don’t know. But I think the sound itself is very recognizable. There are a few things about Anthrax that usually stand out. First off, Charlie Benante is an amazing drummer and there’s no sign of giving in to any kind of commercialism. At least not in the traditional sense of the word.
But I do find the lack of easily recognizable melody lines disturbing. I would have wanted the more “glammy” feeling of those older albums back. I like Cursum Perficio anyway though, but not as much as I would have wanted to. It’s not as playful as in the old days, but the guys aren’t young anymore, maybe that’s something that comes with the territory. That you start to strive against a more polished and perfected sound instead of sounding like you’re having fun?
It’s a fine album for sure, but I would have wanted more.
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