The album opens with "Time". A chugging, thrashy riff drives the song at break-neck speeds. Belladonna sounds great, and is definitely my pick for best Anthrax singer. The song is about the omnipresence of the passage of time, much like the rest of the album. Dan Spitz delivers a great solo on the track, and drummer Charlie Benante sounds great pounding on the sticks, an underrated drummer. A great opening song. "Blood" is up next. One of my favorite songs by the band, I love the twin leads of the main riff. Benante pounds away with muscular precision, and bassist Frank Bello delivers some wonderful bass-lines. The song showcases Anthrax's fusing of rap into metal, and Belladonna does rap a bit in the song, but not in a Fred Durst kind of way, Anthrax's fusing of rap and metal actually works most of the time. A great song that receives a fair amount of radio play even now.
"Keep It in the Family" slows down the action. A plodding and chugging slab of metal, the song is as heavy than anything done by Pantera, who were greatly influenced by the band. A decent song, but there definitely are a few issues with tempo and mixing, occasionally, the band seems out of time with each other. Recording for this album was apparently troublesome, and I am not surprised considering the fairly mediocre knob-job. The song seems to be about a screwed-up family, something that many of us can relate to. Not one of my favs, but Belladonna and Benante both sound great here. "In My World" is a pretty loud racket of a song, very modern sounding given the time of the recording. Belladonna's vocals are buried in effects here, again showing some problems with production, far too much echo for such a naturally powerful voice. Despite the hokey production, the song has a pretty heavy main riff, and some killer drumming from Benante. The f-the world lyrics are commonplace for thrash, but will certainly please many. An alright tune.
"Gridlock" has a terrible drum sound (but not bad drumming). The drums sound wooden and thin. Despite this, I like the song. I love how Belladonna mimics the main guitar riff vocally, following almost every bend and note that is played on the guitar with a vocal line. The main riff is the band heading into more progressive thrash territory. Despite the cringe-worthy snare sound, Benante delivers some awesome drums, and the guitar solo smokes. So, an example of a great song with bad production. "Intro to Reality" is an interesting instrumental. A strange fusion of jazz, country, and metal, the song did stand out as quite unique. The song gets pretty heavy in the middle, with one guitar playing a clean riff while the other plays a monstrously heavy riff, an interesting combo. The song picks up and Bello and Benante come in, in the middle. A decent curiosity, but not an Anthrax classic.
"Belly of the Beast" concerns monsters and horror movie-like subject-matter. The song was a fairly big hit, and is still played regularly on modern rock radio. The closest Anthrax got to popular music, some metal-heads saw the song as an attempt at being commercial for the band. I would disagree, but the song is more slickly-produced and polished than many other tracks on the album. A decent song that survives in the modern Anthrax set-list. "Got the Time" is a Joe Jackson cover that has been given a metal makeover. The song shows the band's punk tendencies. Not a fan of the tune, it seems tacked on to an otherwise very original and progressive album. Not terrible, it could have been a b-side. What I do enjoy about the song is Frank Bello's bass solo, a very unsung player.
"H8 Red" is a very common topic of thrash, anger and hatred. The lyrics are utterly banal and laughable, but I like the heavy main riff and speed of the song. But, the album seems to be running out of gas somewhat at this point, not a great song. However, you are awakened from your slumber with a great solo. It almost saves the song. "One Man Stands" is an interesting song. The military-like drumming from Benante builds tension, as do the guitar aerobics by Spitz. The song reaches Metallica-like speeds, and certainly the song is the most Metallica-sounding on the album. The song will certainly appeal of those with a mind for combat, and it seems to be basically an anthem for men and women in service fighting for "freedom". A decent tune. The album closes with "Discharge". The most heavy and aggressive song on the album, I didn't like how Belladonna's vocals lied buried again under the massive guitar sound. Not a bad song, but it could have been left off the album, it screams filler in my opinion.
"Persistence of Time" is a decent album. Not as good as "Spreading the Disease" or even "Fistful of Metal", it will nonetheless please fans of the band's work. The production is a mixed bag, often very modern and clear sounding, and at times wooden and hollow. You could do worse than buy this album, but explore after listening to the albums that broke the band earlier in their career.
Rating-7/10
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