Review ANTHRAX “Cursum Perficio”

Anthrax fans have had to be patient. The New York thrash metal veterans have remained a regular presence on the live circuit, but it has been quite some time since the band delivered a new studio record. For All Kings arrived back in 2016, followed by a handful of live releases, but a new studio album remained nowhere in sight. That finally changes now.

Ten years after For All Kings, Anthrax return with Cursum Perficio. Naturally, that raises the question of what a decade has done to the band. Have they evolved? Stayed the course? Or perhaps managed to do a bit of both?

The first thing likely to catch your attention is the album title. Cursum Perficio translates roughly as “My journey has come to an end,” which inevitably makes you wonder what journey the band is referring to. Is this supposed to be Anthrax’s final album? For now, that remains speculation, and there is little point in getting lost in that particular rabbit hole. Much more interesting is what the band is delivering here and now.

Fans have already received a taste of what was coming with “It’s For the Kids.” The lead single has plenty of classic Anthrax DNA, pairing hard-edged riffing with a chorus that sticks. It carries the spirit of the band’s earlier years without sounding like a museum piece. You can practically picture the live audience already: heads moving, fists in the air, and a mosh pit waiting for its cue.

The album gets underway with the intro “Persistence of Memory,” a title that will inevitably make longtime fans think of Persistence of Time. The music itself, however, takes a different route. Dark, dystopian and atmospheric, the intro could almost have escaped from the soundtrack to Escape from New York. It sets the mood before handing the reins to “The Long Goodbye.”

The track opens with a crushing Scott Ian riff and immediately makes one thing clear: Anthrax have not lost their appetite for heaviness. At the same time, there is a distinctly modern edge running through the song, creating an interesting link between the band’s early days and the present. By this point, it is obvious that Cursum Perficio is unmistakably Anthrax, even when the band takes a few unexpected turns.

“Everybody’s Got a Plan” is one of those turns. The modern touches continue, but this time Anthrax lean into melody and groove. The song does not reveal all of its cards immediately. Give it a few spins, though, and its rhythm starts to sink in. Sometimes an album needs to be lived with rather than consumed in one sitting.

Then comes “The Edge of Perfection,” arguably one of the most mature pieces Anthrax have recorded across their long career. The opening alone demands attention. A laid-back beginning suddenly gives way to a massive blastbeat, creating a sharp contrast between restraint and outright aggression. Rarely do the quiet passages and explosive sections collide with such little warning. Yet the song is not simply about brute force. Anthrax weave subtle atmospheric touches underneath the heavier passages, and it is the tension between these opposing elements that gives the track its energy. And yes, there is a chorus built for audience participation. Consider that the cherry on top.

The stomping “Infectious” brings things back toward more familiar territory before “NYC 93” takes center stage. The title already tells you where this one is heading. Both lyrically and musically, the song looks back toward New York and the early 1990s, delivering its message with very little interest in taking the scenic route. It is a straight-ahead thrash number driven by the kind of groove that has long been part of Anthrax’s musical vocabulary.

The title track is another curveball thrown into the mix. Clocking in at more than six minutes, it is also one of the album’s longer compositions, with multiple layers, twists and changes that take some getting used to. Staying with the baseball analogy, once you have seen the pitch a few times, you know what to do with it. “T.O.M.B.” is considerably more direct, its pulsating rhythm heading straight through the strike zone.

All of Anthrax’s raw signature comes to the fore on “Watch It Go.” This is an energetic thrash attack with little interest in compromise. Carefully placed breaks give the arrangement some breathing room and keep the momentum moving, but at its core, this is an aggressive track designed to hit hard and keep moving.

The album closes with “My Victory,” a moshpit-friendly finale that sends Cursum Perficio across the finish line without suddenly changing direction. This is certainly not musical fast food. There is enough going on here to make you come back for another serving.

Cursum Perficio may take a little time to fully reveal itself, but that is part of its appeal. Anthrax have kept the familiar ingredients – sharp riffs, infectious grooves and that unmistakable attitude – while adding enough fresh ideas to keep things interesting. This is not a nostalgia trip, nor is it an attempt to recreate the glory days. It is Anthrax looking forward while keeping one foot firmly planted in their own history.

As for the title, Cursum Perficio may translate as “My journey has come to an end,” but the music tells a slightly different story. Anthrax are still swinging, and they clearly haven’t run out of pitches. There are curveballs, fastballs and the occasional changeup waiting on this record, but the veteran ballclub still knows how to connect.