Aftershock: The Island Years 1985 - 1990

After various “hits” collections tried to whittle down Anthrax’s innovative \'80s output to single discs, the forces that be relented and assembled *Aftershock*, which collects all four of the band’s classic Island albums in their entirety, along with bonus tracks. What’s amazing about listening to this box set now is seeing how quickly Anthrax developed in such a short period of time. When *Spreading the Disease* was released in 1985, they were still focused on Judas Priest–influenced rock songs like “Madhouse” and “Medusa.” By 1991, they were turning out the slow-burning riffs of “Keep It in the Family” and the complex, highly textured attack of “Time.” In between are some of thrash’s most accomplished songs (“Among the Living,” “Be All End All,” “Efilnikufesin \[N.F.L.\]”) and some of its most unusual (“I’m the Man,” “Pipeline,” “13”). Anthrax were more willing to experiment than most of their peers, and their adventurousness paid off. Some of the best tracks here are the unreleased recordings. Don’t miss the band’s rollicking cover of The Sex Pistols’ “Friggin’ in the Riggin’” or the hip-hop–infused sound collage of “Who Put This Together.”