Band:	Anthrax
Album:	Stomp 442
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	October 1995

01. Acts Of Senseless Violence
02. Fueled
03. King Size
04. Riding Shotgun
05. Perpetual Motion
06. In A Zone
07. Nothing
08. American Pompeii
09. Drop The Ball
10. Tester
11. Bare

I'll go out on a limb and say this is one of Anthrax's better albums, and probably one of the strongest 90s releases from an 80s thrash band. Anthrax go full groove metal on this release and manage to hit the sweet spot between White Zombie and Prong to great effect. Creating a niche in which they are able to draw inspiration from others yet establish their own sound, Stomp 442 is an overlooked gem by even fans of the band.

From the opener to "Nothing", the band go on a run of back-to-back quality tracks; from chug-a-thons such as "Random Acts Of Senseless Violence" to barnstormers like "Riding Shotgun", this is one of the strongest opening runs to an album. Anthrax find the perfect balance between maintaining the power and heaviness of their past while channelling it through new riffs and structures. "Riding Shotgun" manages to do this seamlessly in one song, starting off as a groove metal song, but gradually upping the intensity throughout, to the point it matches their earlier output; what it lacks in speed it does not compromise in power.

Bush fits this sound perfectly, providing a voice that is powerful while also showing character and depth that adds to the songs. Songs like "Perpetual Motion" are just built for the voice, pulling the rest of the song along with him. The riffs of Ian may not be as memorable as on tracks like "I Am The Law", but they have a crunch that will cave your skull in from their weight. Benante and Bello again offer up strong performances behind the drums and bass respectively. All these elements are combined and balanced perfectly in a package, with a mix that is tailor-made for this new sound.

That said, had this album been an EP, it would have been perfect, as the second half of this album does drop in quality quite considerably. "American Pompeii" aside, the last five tracks are expendable. It is clear what the band attempt with these songa, but they do not pull it off with any success. "Drop the Ball" is a shell of a song, devoid of energy and seemingly pointless in its conclusion, serving only to break the momentum the album had built towards. Less is more, and that is certainly the case here.

Go find a copy of this album and give the trauma ward notice before you hit play, you will be sure to injure your neck headbanging; highly recommended.