The Greater of Two Evils

The Greater of Two Evils is an album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released in November 2004 via Sanctuary and is the last Anthrax release prior to the band's reunion with Joey Belladonna and guitarist Dan Spitz.

The Greater of Two Evils
Cover art by Shepard Fairey
Studio album by
Anthrax
ReleasedNovember 23, 2004
RecordedJanuary 24–25, 2004
StudioAvatar Studios, New York City
GenreThrash metal
Length73:04
LabelSanctuary, Nuclear Blast
ProducerAnthrax
Anthrax chronology
We've Come For You All
(2003)		 The Greater of Two Evils
(2004)		 Worship Music
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Classic Rock[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
musicOMHfavorable[4]

The album is made up of 14 songs from the band's early era that were first released between 1983 and 1990. These tracks have been re-recorded by Anthrax's 2004 lineup, with vocalist John Bush recording new versions of songs originally sung by Neil Turbin and Joey Belladonna. The final track listing was decided by a vote on the band's website. The track list was then recorded by the band "live" in the studio over two days. The album was originally going to be named "Metallum Maximum Aeturnum", with possible plans to change it to "Old School, New School, Our School: Metallum Maximum Aeturnum" or "Metal Thrashing Mad: Metallum Maximum Aeturnum". The album sleeve features liner notes by comedian and Anthrax fan Brian Posehn.[5]

The album did not chart in the US, selling 3,421 copies in its first week.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Deathrider"Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Dan Spitz, Neil TurbinFistful of Metal3:04
2."Metal Thrashing Mad"Benante, Ian, Lilker, Spitz, TurbinFistful of Metal2:47
3."Caught in a Mosh"AnthraxAmong the Living5:27
4."A.I.R."AnthraxSpreading the Disease6:21
5."Among the Living"AnthraxAmong the Living5:52
6."Keep It in the Family"AnthraxPersistence of Time7:25
7."Indians"AnthraxAmong the Living6:38
8."Madhouse"AnthraxSpreading the Disease4:26
9."Panic"Ian, Lilker, TurbinFistful of Metal3:35
10."I Am the Law"Anthrax, LilkerAmong the Living6:03
11."Belly of the Beast"AnthraxPersistence of Time5:42
12."Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)"AnthraxAmong the Living5:57
13."Be All, End All"AnthraxState of Euphoria6:29
14."Gung-Ho"
"Lone Justice" (hidden track)		Ian, Lilker, Turbin
Anthrax		Spreading the Disease
Spreading the Disease		8:48
Total length:73:04

Bonus disc (Japanese edition)

The following tracks are available on a 2-disc Japanese version sold in other countries as an import.

No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Anthrax"Ian, Lilker, TurbinFistful of Metal3:25
2."Lone Justice"AnthraxSpreading the Disease4:34
3."In My World"AnthraxPersistence of Time6:29
Total length:87:32

Trivia
  • The Japanese katakana writing on the front cover says: スラッシュ　メタル, literally Surasshu Metaru (a transliteration of "thrash metal").
  • On the original version of the album, "Lone Justice" appears as a hidden track. It begins after "Gung-Ho" ends, and is followed by the sound of "Lone Justice" being rewound. The song was included due to what seemed to be a strong demand for the track to be recorded by the members of the band's official message board, although many on the board claimed that the high votes for the song were a result of internet sabotage of the voting process. This addition to the album was not included on the Japanese edition, which featured an additional disc, on which "Lone Justice" was featured as a separate track.
  • "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" is listed as N.F.L. on the cover of the album.

Personnel

References
  1. Loftus, Johnny. "Anthrax: The Greater of Two Evils". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  2. Dome, Malcolm (February 2005). "Resurrection Shuffle". Classic Rock. London, UK: Future Publishing Ltd. 76: 90.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. Bansal, Vik (November 29, 2004). "Anthrax - The Greater Of Two Evils". musicOMH. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  5. "Anthrax - The Greater Of Two Evils". Discogs. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  6. Blabbermouth (December 1, 2004). "ANTHRAX: 'The Greater Of Two Evils' First-Week Sales Revealed". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
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