ANTHRAX FISTFUL OF METAL 10" 3LP

If Anthrax’s 1984 debut sounds unlike any of their other albums — and it does — that’s because two key members were fired shortly after its release. (Bassist and main songwriter Dan Lilker went on to form Nuclear Assault while vocalist Neil Turbin has helmed a variety of projects including DeathRiders.) As such, Fistful of Metal sounds more like a thrashed-up Judas Priest than the group Anthrax would soon become, which might be why many old-school headbangers still regard it as their favorite. J. Bennett