For over forty five years now, Anthrax has been at the forefront of heavy metal. As part of the “Big 4” of thrash metal, Anthrax has undeniably been an influential and inspirational band to so many. The bands twelfth studio album, Cursom Perficio, just came out (more on that later this week). With that in mind, here’s Audioeclectica’s Definitive Album Rank for Anthrax
ALBUM RANK- ANTHRAX:
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When Audioeclectica was first getting going, there were a handful of bands that I couldn’t wait to share with everyone. one of those bands was spacegazers, Sidewave. Think of Failure, Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins and Hum all mixed together. Lush atmospheric soundscapes, heavy guitars and a delicate vocal delivery that all together shines.
The bands first release in quite some time is here and despite the title, it’s leaving quite the big expression. “Big Whisper” is a fuzz driven yet bright shoegaze soaring song. The textures of the song are a trip to explore.
“Big Whisper” is the first release from the upcoming album, Dispel, which will arrive on October 23, 2026.
Sidewave- Big Whisper:
The sheer enjoyment of listening to Corrosion Of Conformity is beyond exhilarating. There’s always so many good twist and turns to complaint the grooves and sludge. While their new album, Good God/Baad Man is one of the best albums of 2026 and in constant rotation, there’s another album of theirs that’s phenomenal as well. That would be 2005’s, In The Arms Of God.
In The Arms Of God deserves a whole article dedicated to it. That’s how great this album is. There’s always one song though that’s always a b-side or bonus track that makes you think, “why wasn’t this on the album?!” And that song would be called “Jaguar.” This song was released on the Japanese release. And in just under three minutes, you get a rip roaring classic COC jam. Seriously this song really should have been on the record. One day I hope to hear it live!
Corrosion Of Conformity- Jaguar:
For the past year, there’s been a band that’s been in constant rotation through my stereo. They are also one of those bands that have gotten better and better with each album. The band is Sylosis and while I’m quite enjoying their new album, The New Flesh, it’s their previous album, A Sign Of Things To Come that’s been the one on constant rotation.
While it’s not as thrashy as their earlier albums, Sylosis really moved into this new territory with a seamlessness that really just goes to show how much evolution has been achieved through the years to this point. The title track “A Sign Of Things To Come” almost feels like it should have been track one. The push and pull of melodic aspects into barreling heaviness brings you to attention. Vocally it’s got bite and an attitude that spits venom. Musically it’s grabbing without being overly catchy. The sum of all the parts together make this a great song. The live versions of it too add even more grit to an already punishingly beautiful song.
Sylosis- A Sign Of Things To Come:
Sylosis- A Sign Of Things To Come (Live):
The Pacific Northwest is an absolute haven for heavy music. The amount of sheer volume that bellows from the area is astounding. Which brings us to the latest single from sludge meets hardcore giants, Great Falls. “Nicotine In The Spine” is a blast of pummeling and noisy post metal. The songs features additional vocals by Peter Clement Lund, the late guitarist/vocalist of Danish band Kollapse. Great Falls will be releasing their new album, The Bite That Grows Up, on October 16 via Neurot Recordings.
Great Falls are one of those bands that have a sound that once you hear it, you want to turn up the volume. Not only that, as a trio, the power being emitted from guitarist/vocalist Demian Johnston, bassist Shane Mehling, and drummer/vocalist Nickolis Parks, will obliterate anything lying in its path!
Pre-Order Great Falls, The Bite That Grows Up HERE
Great Falls- Nicotine In The Spine:
Hullabalooza 1996 and The Smashing Pumpkins are headlining and playing their rifftastic song “Zero” when all of the sudden a giant pink pig balloon floats to the sky out of nowhere. Which of course happened at the hands of the Springfield’s own Homer Simpson, Homer was just being a good dad taking his kids Bart and Lisa to the music festival!
What a time! Season seven of The Simpsons is right around a perfect time for that show. Not only that it was a genuinely amazing time musically. The Smashing Pumpkins were on top of the charts and world with their second masterpiece, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. There’s a fun twist to the episode too in which Billy Corgan is animated with hair, which coincided with a real-life transitional period when he shaved his head around late 1995/early 1996. And who can forget the iconic line when they meet, “Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins.” Homer responds with the iconic, deadpan line: “Homer Simpson, smiling politely.”
Cheers to a great time of television and music coming together! Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth and Peter Frampton are featured on the episode too. And now, everyone go listen to The Smashing Pumpkins!
The Smashing Pumpkins on The Simpsons (1996):
Billy Corgan Discussing The Episode:
Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden is beyond a classic album. Dare to even say better than Superunknown in various ways, especially the recording. But that’s for another day. There is a song on the album that sits at track eight that, for the last few years has been the magnet when the album is picked to play. “Room A Thousand Years Wide” was actually released in 1990 with a previously unreleased B-side titled “H.I.V. Baby,” part of a Sub Pop Records single. When it came to the recording of Badmotorfinger, the band re-recorded it for the album. It’s also one of the few songs in the Soundgarden catalog to have no writing credit to Chris Cornell. The music was written by drummer Matt Cameron and lyrics by guitarist Kim Thayil. Another fun tidbit is this was the first song recorded and released with bassist Ben Shepherd. Chris Cornell took the words and wholeheartedly breathed exquisite life and emotion into them. Then you add in his signature screams and it’s spine tingling. The end of the song had a really great The Stooges album Fun House moment too.
Throughout the bands career, the song was played 134 times live with the majority in 1992 and 1994 respectively. On the bands Motorvision home video, there is a live version that is quite excellent from The Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. A DVD version is on the super deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Badmotorfinger.
On a personal level, this is definitely one of those songs I wish I could’ve heard live. “Room A Thousand Years Wide” is one of those great moments where each member steps into a new role and the end result is something special!
Room A Thousand Years Wide (Album Version):
Room A Thousand Years Wide (Live Version 1992/Motorvision Home Video):
When you think of guitar solos there are a plethora of bands, players and songs that come to mind. There are certain bands though that really standout in that category and Iron Maiden is definitely one of them. There are certain list of songs are a plenty to choose from when it comes to iconic and memorable guitar solos. “Wasted Years” though an obvious choice, is such a classic it truly deserves its due. The build up to it is so catchy with its high note ascension. The way Steve Harris’s bass gallops with a thundering tone makes the climb even more satisfying. Then when Adrien Smith launches his stunning solo it hits a level that like Bruce Dickinson’s voice can reach it’s oh so sweet. It’s not a flashy super technical solo. Instead, what you hear is really tasteful and adds a great section to an already great song. While you’re listening to “Wasted Years,”and this great guitar solo, give the album Somewhere In Time a listen. It’s a great album (in my top 3 Iron Maiden albums of all time), and one of those game changer records. Enjoy!
Iron Maiden- Wasted Years:
Iron Maiden- Wasted Years (Live During The Book Of Souls Tour 2016):
At times it’s a bit strange to think about how long you’ve been listening to a band for. The ones that you heard right at the start and kept with it. Doesn’t matter if the band is not together anymore, those songs and albums still resonate. The other aspect of it that’s fascinating is seeing how your thoughts change as well about certain albums and songs. Which brings us to this updated album rank for The Dillinger Escape Plan. Ten years ago, this list was quite different. It’s probably not the ranking you’d expect either! And now we’ve arrived at Audioeclectica’s Definitive Album Rank for The Dillinger Escape Plan.
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In every band, there’s always at least one member that has a heart of gold. That one guy in the band that goes out of their way to be nice, cool and fun. While already being an absolute force of nature on stage. Which is why it’s really hard to come to terms with Andy Williams being gone.
From his time in Every Time I Die, to becoming a professional wrestler, and starting a new band, Atomic Rule, Andy Williams made sure to follow his passions. The way he played guitar with such love showed in the shows and songs. When you listen back to Every Time I Die songs, you can actually hear Andy’s parts, as they had a distinct tonality and dynamic drive. His stage presence was intimidating but also welcoming. This is a guy who attempted to set the Guinness Book Of Records for most hugs in a day. That tells you what kind of guy Andy was.
The few times I caught him wrestling on TV for AEW, was awesome to watch. As a wrestling fan growing up, seeing Andy as his character “The Butcher” felt like I was watching a classic wrestler.
I had the opportunity to meet Andy after a few Every Time I Die shows and he was always there to take time to talk with you. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold. One of the nicest people you’d ever meet. He’d talk to you about whatever questions you had and make you feel like you were the only one there he was talking to.
Andy Williams will always be remembered and revered by so many. To all his family, friends, bandmates, and fans everywhere, my deepest condolences and sympathies. Andy was one of a kind and should be celebrated as such! Here’s to Andy!
By: Brian Lacy
My Favorite Every Time I Die Albums:
The Big Dirty:
New Junk Aesthetic:
Ex Lives:
Low Teens:
Radical:
ATOMIC RULE:
