Despite it being 8 years since Anthrax’s last studio album, Anthrax haven’t been out of the headlines for long but sadly for all the wrong reasons. The debacle surrounding the merry-go-round of vocalists over the past couple of years has made the release of “Worship Music” more of a circus event than the landmark event that you would expect. After all, the return of former vocalist Joey Belladonna to the fold is a marriage, most would say, made in heaven or Brooklyn at least.

For those who can cast their minds back to 2003’s “We’ve Come For You All” would in the most part admit this was the strongest Anthrax album of the Bush era. So what could Belladonna bring to proceedings that could make the Anthrax of 2011 the force they once were? Well whatever it is the band has had a healthy dose of it, as “Worship Music” is majestic return to form. Now I need to take off my rose tinted spectacles and not wax lyrical about how great “Among The Living” and “State Of Euphoria” were and how Belladonna’s return is like the prodigal son, but the band do appear to have clicked as a unit and really delivered an album of real merit.

Belladonna still has the vocal range which made the aforementioned albums something different from the then Trash crowd, and even with the cheesy lyrics of songs such as “Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t Fight are somehow carried off with aplomb. Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano absolutely shed on this album, you only have to listen to “The Devil You Know” to know you’re in a Thrash master class 101. Caggiano’s solos rather than the customary doodling as a means of filler are executed to perfection and compliment the songs flow, while still tearing you a new one along the way.

“Worship Music” isn’t by any means a reinvention of the wheel and is Anthrax doing what they know best, but unlike some of their mid-90’s releases this album reeks of a band much more mature and focused. Like so many of the old school bands still making music, opinion will be divided between those who will not see beyond “Persistence Of Time” and those who think “Worship Music” is the bands best release to date. The truth, is probably somewhere in the middle ground, but credit where credit is due it would have been oh so easy to turn out “Spreading The Disease Part II”; and they haven’t. Judged on it’s own merits, “Worship Music” is as good a Thrash album you’ll hear in 2011.