92. Armored Saint - 'Punching The Sky'

I'll let you into a little secret, my favourite Anthrax album isn’t either of the much respected “Spreading the Disease” or “Amongst the Living”. It isn’t even either of the underrated follow ups “State of Euphoria” or “Persistence of Time”. It's the John Bush fronted “Sound of White Noise”. I adore his voice. It manages to balance range with pure emotion. John joined Anthrax from Armored Saint, a band that was much touted all the way through the eighties but never seemed to actually make it. The band fizzled out on Bush's departure, but twenty years ago they regrouped and have sporadically been releasing albums ever since. “Punching the Sky” is their eighth full length album. It's a great traditional metal record and at the heart of it is John Bush's stunning vocal cords. The tracks are warm and highly contagious. It just feels fun, like the band have recorded it for no other reason than they like playing together