Happy 20th Birthday Sound Of White Noise!

I remember spotting Anthrax's sixth album in a department store bargain bin, circa 1994 or 1995. On cassette, no less. Their record label had pressed far more copies than it sold, it seemed, and so Sound Of White Noise found its way to that dreaded bin, next to a plethora for far more deserving rejects, wearing its fifty cent price tag like a shamed dog wearing its own shit on its nose.

Today, Sound Of White Noise is regarded as a decent to good album by casual observers, but it was released into a far more hostile environment. In fact, as okay as people seem to be with the album today, Sound Of White Noise effectively ended Anthrax's career. Of course, it's not the album's fault; it was doomed well before release, thanks to what amounted to three pretty significant strikes for a metal band:

1) They had a new singer in John Bush, formerly of Armored Saint. Hindsight has accepted him as a formidable replacement for Joey Belladonna, but fans of the band weren't too happy with this turn of events in '93. It was different, and different meant bad.

2) Speaking of different, there was less thrash metal to be found on Sound Of White Noise, making way for a slightly more alternative slant. Even though Anthrax added these elements to their sound successfully, too many metal bands had tried and failed for most to put their trust in Anthrax.

3) Its release followed the band's two biggest successes; 1990's Persistence Of Time was lauded by critics and fans alike, and the release of the odds and sods collection Attack Of The Killer B's a year later yielded their biggest hit in Bring The Noise.

Add those factors to the band's new label, Elektra (a label that was still swimming in cash from the release of Metallica's "black album"), expecting Metallica-like sales numbers and you had a recipe for failure. The album got a lukewarm reception from critics, and a damning combination of trepidation and apathy from fans. It sold well below Elektra's expectations and, after giving somewhere between slim and none promotion for 1995's Stomp 424, they were relieved of their major label duties.

Sound Of White Noise deserved a better fate than it got; thankfully, time has taken away the stigma of failure. And, as it turns out, the album holds up remarkably well. Is it an undeniable classic? Maybe, maybe not. Is it deserving of commemoration? I absolutely think so, not so much for the music (though I stress that it's quite good and totally holds up) but to remember its origins and hopefully learn an important lesson about preconceptions, assumptions and expectations.

Listen to Sound Of White Noise here.

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2014: And the Winners Are...

It's been a long year, and another great one for rock n' roll. While the pop charts were overrun with barely legals obsessed with their asses, rock soldiered on undeterred even as pundits (hell, in some cases even rockers themselves) mourned the genre. Sure, rock didn't dominate the money game in 2014, but that shouldn't evoke sad nostalgia and eulogies. Even for as little perceived impact rock music made, a hell of a lot happened if people had only paid attention. From grizzled vets adding jewels to their crown (Springsteen, Petty) to new beginnings (Against Me!, Antemasque) to happy returns (Faith No More, The Tea Party) and all points in between, rock continued to thrive, evolve and thrill in 2014. Enough talk. It's winning time. Your Year in Rock winners for 2014 are...

Hear Me Out: Why Do A Greatest Hits Album?

So, Silversun Pickups announced a "singles collection" today. Now, I'm no expert on "singles" or "hits" compilations; even so, I've got to say this announcement threw me for a loop for a couple of reasons. For starters, isn't it a bit early for a band like Silversun Pickups to be given the "greatest hits" treatment? I know, I know, it's a "singles collection". But, come on; it looks like a greatest hits album, it smells like a greatest hits album, so on so forth. More importantly, though, are these really necessary entities in 2014? I mean, who is this album for? Casual fans who've already downloaded the singles they like or established fans who are expected to shill out $15 for one new song?

SOUND BITES

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