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Editorials

A MORE DETAILED LIST OF GRIEVANCES AGAINST JOEY BELLADONNA

 Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 11:30am by

The other day this rumor started to spread that Joey Belladonna is reuniting with Anthrax yet again, and I expressed displeasure. And a lot of you expressed displeasure with my displeasure. And there seemed to be some confusion over why I actually dislike Joey B. So I thought I’d try to present a semi-rational argument explaining why I so greatly prefer John Bush.

First of all, I don’t hate the Belladonna-era Anthrax recordings. There wouldn’t be a Sound of White Noise or We’ve Come for You All if there hadn’t been a Spreading the Disease or Among the Living. Of course I respect those albums! I love a whole lotta those songs, too. But when I was a kid and I heard “Madhouse” and “Caught in a Mosh,” I usually thought something along the lines of “Gee, this is a good band. It’s too bad their singer sounds like a vagina.” If you ask me, Joey Belladonna was the James LaBrie of his day.

So, yeah. John Bush sounds like a man. That’s definitely one point in his favor. Ever heard him do “N.F.L.?” It sounds about a million times heavier. And betterer.*

Also, I’ve seen Bushthrax and Bellanthrax live, and Joey just isn’t as much fun to watch. Why? Again, James LaBrie syndrome: he’s a tool. He doesn’t have half the amount of charisma or presence as John Bush.

But beyond all of that… I really just think that as Anthrax’s career progressed, they got heavier and heavier, and had just outgrown Belladonna. By the time Anthrax recorded Persistence of Time, Belladonna just sounded out of place.

And that’s the real reason I don’t want Belladonna to re-join the group: artistically speaking, he’d be a huge step backwards. Anthrax aren’t gonna record another Among the Living any more than Metallica are gonna record another Ride the Lighting; the difference is, Anthrax’s creative progression was AWESOME, and showed the band continuing to rock fucking faces off, while ‘Tallica teamed up with Ja Rule and released a song about flushing the toilet.

And so, once again, I’d like to say that I really, really, really hope John Bush is back in Anthrax for good, and I really, really, really hope that Joey Belladonna is not. And if you still disagree with me, well… pppppffffftttt.

-AR

*And, yes, I know it’s hypocritical to be pro-The Greater of Two Evils when I’ve always been anti-re-recording of old material with a new line-up in the past. I give Anthrax a free pass because Evils is a collection of songs, not a single album, like Exodus’ Bonded by Blood redux, Let there be Blood; and unlike Arch Enemy’s song collection re-recording, The Root of All Evil (geez, these people really like using the word “evil” for these things), it’s all single takes done live in the studio with a small group of Anthrax fans present, so it’s almost a live album. These are fine distinctions to make, I know, but I’m a nerd – fine distinctions are what I live for.

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  • Kevin

    I agree completely. I just can’t get into 80′s Anthrax as much as I would like. Belladonna’s voice sound so out of place for me.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Winnett/504952291 Daniel Winnett

      Seconded. While the old songs are good, the old recordings don’t do them justice, the newer versions with Bush at the helm just sound so much better.

  • http://www.theoppositionmachine.wordpress.com the opposition machine

    ive never seen old anthrax live but i can attest to the awesomenss of bushthrax live…dudes blow away bands half their age on stage…

  • http://heavystreet.com Sat

    Joey B will always be the Steve Perry of thrash for me. John Bush is alright. What Anthrax really need to do right now is get Jim Gillette, Mike Tramp, or Donnie Vie on vocals…..now we’re talkin’!!

  • Mr. Sandwich

    I have kept quiet long enough. John Bush made Anthrax for me. Growing up, I hated Anthrax. That is, until I heard Poison My Eyes from the Last Action Hero soundtrack. I had never heard such a powerful song at such a young age. Having heard Belladonna on the previous albums and what the band had become with Bush, I instantly became a fan. And I feel like every song from every album with Bush on it is a million times better than that pussy douche Joey Belladonna. Thats even a pussy name. Joey Belladonna. But, even songs like A Toast to the Extras, which is almost a country song, kicks more ass than anything pre-Bush. They just sound more professional and respectable as musicians with Bush as the lead. I side with Rosenberg. Boom.

    • Randy

      While I do like Joey Belladonna a lot, I just wanted to agree with you that Poison My Eyes is an amazing song.

  • Coop

    It really gets on my nerves when a band goes through a million different singers. I mean, sometimes it’s necessary to change once or twice, but when a band has almost a completely different line-up and a completely different singer, I feel like they should just be a new band, you know? It doesn’t feel the same, and it kind of sucks that so many otherwise great thrash bands do this.

    • joshkid

      Thats another reason why Metallica is so great in my eyes (and in the worlds).
      Look at bands that have kept their lineup pretty much the same throughout all the years, and have kept at least 2 or 3 of their core members, those bands have lasted for years, and have grown and don’t stop growing.
      For example:
      Metallica
      Slayer
      Lamb of God
      Mastodon
      etc.

      • Matthew Grant Anson

        Gojira.

        • joshkid

          Fuckin Rules.

      • Sackattack

        agree altho tallica lost there most important member besides james and one of the greatest bassist of all time….cliff brought most of the progressive outside of the box shit to metallica while james is probably the best writer left…kurts only interesting with his solos and even then hes a slave to his influeneces and satriani

        also a song about flushing the toilet with ja rule….stupidity and degeneration or pure insane genius? this is the band who recorded metal up your ass after all

  • http://www.last.fm/user/M60Patton Patton

    This might be why I never got into Anthrax, I only heard the stuff they did with Joey. I really need to check the shit they did with Bush now …

  • Andy Synn

    The term “Bushthrax” sounds like some sort of vaginal disease.

    I think Bush is by far the superior frontman.

    The difficulty is that with Belladonna Anthrax recorded much of their most “classic” material, so nostalgia IS a factor. Plus the Bush-era was somewhat inconsistent, although I think many of the highs were just as good as the preceeding era. SOWN is a classic, Stomp has only a few good songs however… Volume 8 is highly under-rated (apart from the annoying interlude bits, god I hate those) and WCFYA was a great album (although did anyone else find the production a bit “flat”, for lack of a better word? A lot of the songs are heavier than they actually sound, if that makes sense?)

    Essentially one might say (might) that their song-writing was stronger with Belladonna, but the vocals weaker, whilst the songwriting was weaker with Bush but the vocals stronger. I generally don’t rate a lot of Belladonna’s vocal lines very highly (not talking lyrics, that’s a WHOLE other subject) as they’re neither particularly catchy or impressive a lot of the time. The Bush delivery live and on record is infinitely superior.

    But the REAL question is this…

    What if they get Neil Turbin back?

    • MetalAC13

      “The term “Bushthrax” sounds like some sort of vaginal disease.”

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.

    • Bassquatch

      Exactly what I was thinking.
      The difference between Belladonna and Bush is like the difference between Ozzy and Dio in Sabbath; the former has the more memorable material while the latter is the overall better singer.

  • Lordassenfroth

    who fucking cares

    • noobpotato

      clearly the people commenting…

      • http://www.segadriven.com Hairyman

        Zing!

  • Zilch

    I don’t buy “manliness” or “toughness” as a yardstick against which to measure metal vocalists. Too often that translates into “blandness”, i.e. no depth.

    A perfect example is Guy Speranza of Riot (from my era). Mother fucker could sing, had lots of nuance and character, but definitely wasn’t wimpy.

    That said, I saw Anthrax back in the 80′s and Belladona seemed overwhelmed by the power around him. I just didn’t think he had what it takes to hold it all together like a frontman should.

    Bush is kinda generic.
    So fuck Anthrax altogether.

  • Robert

    Sorry, dude, that Bush version of N.F.L. sounds like ass. Listen to how he sings “shit” at the start of the song. It sounds like he’s actually shitting. Plus it’s slower and more ponderous. Maybe it is a generational thing, but “Among the Living” is faster, it flows better, it sounds more stripped down and immediate.

    Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I never considered Anthrax without Joey to be Anthrax.

    • CrapMcPoopin

      I back your play, sir.

      • Ken

        i second that!

        • Afficionado

          I second that too.

          I totally understand where the youngsters come from. Of course they like Bush better. But Among the living tipped me over at the age of 12 from AC/DC to the Thrash side of things. And when that happens, well, you have a different lookout on things. And definetly Anthrax sound much more generic with Bush and they lost a lot of the humor there was in the band before.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Simon-Threadgate/1049955838 Simon Threadgate

            I’m setting up my tent here at the Belladonna camp. Saw them with both Bush and Belladonna, both were awesome shows, but to me the fact that Belladonna wasn’t another gruff voiced dude in a sea of them was part of the unique attraction of classic Anthrax, I felt they took a step toward blandness with Bush. I’m not bagging him, again I love seeing them live with Bush, but I’m never quite satisfied when they play the Joey stuff without Joey singing.

            A douche he is not.

  • Dan

    Amen, Axl.

  • morbidman

    ehm.. but.. BELLADONA IS GOD!
    all the good stuff was on his era, Bush was kinda generic, with him they were just another metal band.

  • brian roach

    i’m in the Belladonna camp. yes, bush is a better singer, but the bottom line is that when Anthrax was big and their best albums came out, it was with Belladonna. other than ‘sound of white noise’ no one cared about or bought their bush-ere records. that’s not an artistic evaluation, just a fact. Whether they like it or not, at this point i’m afraid Anthrax is a nostalgia act, and that nostalgia will sell more concert tickets with belladonna. plus, i hope bush told them to piss off, they screwed him over so badly, as human beings they don’t deserve him back…

    • Dirtman73

      Sorry, but Anthrax didn’t become a nostalgia band until they kicked Bush to the curb. And yeah, as much as I’d like to see a Bush lineup again, I hope he refuses. They’re only gonna kick him out again after a couple years.

  • OBEY1019

    Belladona fits Anthrax perfectly for me…John Bush is just meh.

  • Randy

    The Greater of Two Evils was weak. Boring re-recordings that I listened to once and I didn’t even make it through the whole thing. That shit is on my CD shelf at home, gathering dust now.

    The fact is, Joey Belladonna’s voice fits that era of songs and John Bush’s fits the stuff he wrote with the band. I wouldn’t really want Joey singing Only and I don’t want John singing Indians.

    • stu1

      I FAR prefer Bush on the Belladona era songs than Belladona. FAR

  • Alex_P

    James Labrie is to Dream Theater as Loïc Rossetti is to the Ocean: a mainstream-sounding singer making non-mainstream music, yet somehow fitting the sound perfectly. I wouldn’t want Dream Theater to ditch Labrie; I’d possibly actually stop listening.

  • pigchop

    Bah. Blast bong hits and crank up Kreator’s Pleasure To Kill. And with that, what need of Anthrax have you?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Carosello/1360764011 Nick Carosello

    I agree 100% I hope to god John Bush rejoins Anthrax and not Joey. John Bush makes the older Anthrax stuff so much better and Sound Of White Noise is one of my favorite albums of all time.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Devon-Czekaj/550092101 Devon Czekaj

    Belladonna>Bush

  • Trux

    I for one, will say that The Greater of two evils sucks donkey balls big time !!…. those Bush renditions of old Belladona Classics are embarassing !

  • Sammy

    It’s really like two different bands. Both good in their own ways. But yes, Belladonna’s time was certainly over and should stay over.

  • Kuranes

    I think the Greater of Two Evils was kind of disappointing, but not because of Bush. It sounded very rushed. Like they didn’t seem to have time to locate a cello for the beginning of “Be All End All”. I think Persistence of Time is their high-water mark and that Joey Belladonna fits perfectly on it. But as I said before, some of the older stuff doesn’t stand up as well these days (Armed and Dangerous still sounds good to me for some reason though). And I agree that Joey is the more embarrassing stage presence.

  • fester

    sigh.

    I just wish they’d get neil turbin back.

  • ferocious_fetus

    fuck this band.
    The Bush/Rob lineup put on a good show but the reunion with Joey and Spitz was the REAL deal Anthrax. Too bad they’re all a bunch of greedy tools and couldn’t work shit out. I’d rather have no Anthrax than whatever abortion/circus act they try and Frankenstein together, They already pissed all over the legacy’s of BOTH Bush/Joey eras. No more bullshit.

    Charlie is easily the most talented dude of the whole bunch. I say he starts an extreme band and just fucking grinds all day like you know he should.

  • http://www.theatomicbombaudition.com Alee Karim

    Belladonna in addition to being high-pitched has the weirdest, most inelegant delivery at times. His lyrics, unless they are hyper-literal synopses of a comic book or a Stephen King story, don’t really make sense line to line and definitely lack focus. He drops some of the most obtuse lines ever (“You can think with your dick but it can’t shout!” – huh?) like it’s imagery fit for a T.S. Eliot poem.

    And I love it for some reason. As it was said more succinctly above, he was far more interesting than Bush in that band. As much as bands may hold an idealized image in their heads of how they wish to sound, sometimes their inability to realize that vision brings out their strengths and their signatures.

    • http://heavybrutal.com/?cat=24 familyghost

      from what I heard scott ian wrote alot of the lyrics actually. scott and charlie do alot of the lyricss. it’s pretty much their baby apparently.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

    I’ve always been a Bush man… excuse the pun.

    Stomp 442 was a huge album for me in my teenage years

    ‘I see, something wrong, and I fix it with my hands !!!’

  • deanerhead

    The thing about Joey Belladonna is that he’s too inconsistent. I think he sounds his best on Live (The Island Years) but shitty on the Hammersmith Odeon video. If you look at Youtube clips from the reunion, some nights he was on, others he was definitely not.

  • http://thenumberoftheblog.com Snagon

    I still wholeheartedly disagree with you Axl. Classic era Anthrax cannot be beat, i will try and seek out We’ve All Come For You. I will say this though, one of those 2 better be in and not that asshole they threw out faster than Gary Cherone

  • http://heavybrutal.com/?cat=24 familyghost

    I disagree with Axl on this one. John Bush era Anthrax sucks. if by “heavier” you mean shitty groove metal than yes they got heavier. The only good albums they did with Bush were white noise and WCFYA. Joey era anthrax had better songs and better albums in my opinion and obviously others as well because they sold better than Bush era Anthrax. In the end it’s all left to personal taste though, and Bushthrax was boring and inconsistent in my opinion. once again, just my opinion.

  • http://heavybrutal.com/?cat=24 familyghost

    oh and I love James Labrie too. We disagree on few things Axl, these 2 things being the small number of things we do disagree on;.

  • enemyofgod72

    I have to say I completely agree. I loved Among The Living and End All Be All but by Persistance of Time Joey’s voice just didn’t stand up and was the weak link the entire time. When they released Sound of White Noise I thought “Wow this is what Anthrax should have sounded like all along!” When I heard Bush had left I didn’t figure I’d listen to Anthrax ever again. Now I do have to say that although my fav ‘thrax albums are all Bush era my least favorite is also in there in Stomp 442. That album sucked from beginning to end but then they redeemed themselves with WCFYA. I hope like hell they come to their senses and make Bush rejoining the group official and stop dicking around!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Logan-Holloway/1100588308 Logan Holloway

    This didn’t do anything to change my mind. If anything it did just the opposite. I’m glad that some one likes bush better, but it is by in far not me

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Lopett/1657496210 Andrew Lopett

    I like Belladonna more, I dont care that his vocal style isnt the manliest. He has a unique vocal style for thrash, Bush is not bad by any mean I just got into Anthrax with joey’s singing.

  • Shithead

    I’m to busy listening to The Ocean to really give a shit about this right now. I just wanted to give Axl a quick round of applause for making all the points I was to lazy to do myself.

    Peace ya punk bitches! Have fun arguing about something you have absolutely no control over.

  • pigchop

    In related news: suck it up, fuckers. It is looking more likely that Belladonna will play the ‘big four’ gigs…as he should: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=139630

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gabsung-Lim/568375471 Gabsung Lim

    Belladonna Anthrax is the best thrash band ever. END OF STORY.

  • 92ud

    Jesus fucking christ…Bushthrax or whatever stupid ass name you want to call it doesnt even sound like Anthrax…sounds like a mediocre cover band with a very ordinary singer…what people arguing over who is better are missing is that Anthrax stood out in the 80s as a unique sounding band with a fun attitude and some of the greatest music of the era while thrash metal was slowing degenerating into formulaic macho bullshit….and when Joey was kicked thats exactly what they became,melting away into the backround noise without any distinguishing features

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sara-Petrocelli/519197405 Sara Petrocelli

    Seriously? You’re going to compare the beauty of Joey Belladonna doing “N.F.L.” to this crapfest with Bush singing it? I have absolutely NO hate in my heart for John Bush, but man…he should NOT be in Anthrax. Maybe I’m old school. Maybe I dig on bands that have a singer that can truly wail. I don’t know. I’m not even old enough to have grown up with Belladonna as the singer of Anthrax, but that’s the Anthrax that actually caught me. Not until I got to dive into the old Anthrax did I find out exactly why they were one of the Big Four. Bush couldn’t make Anthrax the way Belladonna did. I’ll say it a million times. Stay in Armored Saint, John. It’s better for you and for all of us in the end.

  • JRTME

    It doesn’t change a thing.

    Among The Living is perfect how it was recorded. No new version of it will ever stand up to the original. No matter who is singing.

  • Boogyman

    Axl you Suck…!!!!! (Call yourself a metal dude ….wtf)

    Joey is the man…he should have never left Anthrax, Bush has no Punk fuck kick in yo face attitude that the thrax needs, besides Anthrax used to be fun spunky shit in a time when crossover was just startin and they were the influence the spark which started it all and said it was ok to mix punk, metal, thrash and hardcore…One thing is for certain they have not dissapointed all these years …unlike metallica so don’t even join them in the same room, Bush has always been a serious dude unlike Joey who is a more funny and active dude and overall better singer IMHO.

  • BC

    In all honesty I don’t know if it’s just me but I frankly don’t give a damn. Maybe it’s because I didn’t hear of Anthrax until I moved on from thrash and into straight up death metal but I always found them boring. I mean most of the songs I’ve heard by Anthrax that i like are from the Belladonna era but the reason I don’t listen to them much is because I find his voice annoying and the few songs I heard from the Bush era well I found them boring but Bush’s vocals seemed to be the only redeeming quality I could find. Please Anthrax fans help me see what it is I’m missing because I want to say I like Anthrax but I just don’t seem to get it

  • the devil’s advocate

    My friends and I were all about Belladonna-era Anthrax when we were in high school; no one sounded like they did.

    When SOWN dropped in ’92 or whatever it was, no one sounded like that either (except Armored Saint). I figured out that you have to listen to it with a different set of ears so to speak, a different mindset. The trick is to treat it as 2 separate entities; after all sometimes you’re Roth and sometimes you’re Hagar.

  • jason

    Belladonna is the voice of classic Anthrax, period. The only good shit they did with Bush is SOWN. After that = down hill. Plus Joey fit their earlier goofy/comic-book side perfectly, and his voice on POT sounds awesome (as my friend said, POT is the album where Anthrax really started giving a shit about something)…at least, I’m convinced when he sings “you walk this earth without a heart…”. John Bush is ok, but definitely not as great as he’s made out to be. He sounds like he’s trying too hard to be the proverbial tough guy and that shit is just stupid. Plus the mix of Bush’s NFL vocals sucks.

  • Sackattack

    not the biggest thrax fan but all ive really heard is belladonathrax and its alright…will spin some bush and return to this thread with some better opinions….also i think scott ian plays better bass then guitar check his performance at VH1 rock honrs for kiss playing god of thunder with rob zombie…he just fits in that spot

    also IAN+KISS= Douchestorm

  • Metal Fuckin’ Dave

    It’s always gonna be Belladonnathrax for me. John Bush sounds like a radio rock singer. Belladonna is more akin to the Halford/Dickinson school of metal vocals and that will always be more appealing to me.

    • Metal Fuckin’ Dave

      I should correct myself….I would prefer if they brought Neil Turbin back over either Belladonna or Bush.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sara-Petrocelli/519197405 Sara Petrocelli

        I’d honestly prefer Turbin too, but I’ll take Belladonna.

    • Manthrax

      That is exactly how i would describe Bush as well.

  • Manthrax

    Joey Belladonna is a far better singer than Bush. Once They got bush it was over for me. Bring on the Belladonna!!