Even though I was born in '91 and wasnt able to acually be around the early 90's metal scene, I do know somethings: Metallica got very popular, Pantera & White Zombie emerged, S.O.D did a live album,and Slayer & Anthrax released some of their finnest work. White Noise is great all over from the awsome opener " Potters Field" to the slow "Black Lodge". This is, witout a doubt Anthrax's "coming of age" album.

Well, Let's go through a quick rundown here:

With the Sound of White Noise, Anthrax brought a lot of new tricks to the table. First being a new lead singer. John Bush's voice brought a whole new dimension to the band. His deeper, fuller voice does the band's heavy sound much more justice than Joey Belladona's higher pitched wails did. With "White Noise", Anthrax slowed things down a bit. Previously a speed-metal outfit, they are now much more (dare I say it) "Sabbath like". Don't get me wrong, there are NO power ballads or sappy love songs on here. In fact the closest thing would be "Black Lodge". It's very creepy and makes good use of "whammy" effects. It's almost like theme music for an offbeat western film. Very supernatural sounding. Things are sped up quite a bit with tunes such as Hy Pro Glo and Potters Field, but when compared to the "old" Anthrax, this is much more palatable. I'm sure that many of the hardcore Belladona fans did not appreciate this album too much. For them, "Live: the Island Years" was released around the same time as this one. While I love the earlier Anthrax, I believe that their "Bush" days are the best and most consistent. I have rambled way too long here so I'm gonna answer my own question. "Is this the best metal album ever?" I believe it is. It has enough power house riffs and attitude to satisfy ANY headbanger. Also "Stomp 442" is one to check out. I believe this to be Anthrax's most solid album to date.

This indeed reflects a mature band. 1993, the guys arent 23 years old anymore. No band can put out album after album that features 250 beats per minute thrash songs throughout. That coupled with the fact that drummer Charlie Benante's wife cheated on him which in turn resulted in him comprising 90% of this albums material, is at least inspiring.

Sound of White Noise is their first album with ex-Armored Saint vocalist John Bush. The lyrics are great, John Bush is an overall better vocalist than Joey Belladonna. They mixed grunge, hard rock, groove metal and alternative for an overall more accessible sound than on Persistence. It isn't thrash but it's still a metal album. Includes their '90s hit Only which is one of my favorites also. My other favorites include Burst, Packaged Rebellion, Black Lodge and my personal favorite C11H17N202SNA (Sodium Pentathol). I prefer the classics like Spreading the Disease, Among The Living and Persistence of Time but White Noise is still solid and a great album.

Anthrax, along with Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth were the 4 bands that converted me into a metalhead in the 80's. They always seemed to produce consistent headbanging material. However, I was a little concerned that this consistency would be broken when I heard that John Bush would be replacing Joey Belladonna at lead vocals for the 1993 release "The Sound of White Noise." Once I heard the album, I was concerned no more.

Believe it or not, I instantly preferred Bush's vocals. Every album that Joey appeared on was solid and consistent and followed the basic headbanging formula. Not that this is a bad thing, but Anthrax never really seemed to stray too far from the norm. John Bush brought a level of maturity with him and "The Sound of White Noise" became their most mature album up to that point.

With this album, Anthrax dared to challenge themselves with more complex song arrangements, much deeper melodies, and more thought provoking lyrics. It's almost as though Joey was holding them back from expanding out of the thrash box that they were in. Bush's vocals are tremendous and allow for more powerful choruses and hook lines. Each song is as memorable as the next with plenty of headbanging material to go around. However, songs like Packaged Rebellion and Black Lodge are unlike any previous Anthrax songs, but are just as great. Other high points are Potter's Field, Hy Pro Glo, Invisible, and Room For One More.

Do I think this is the best Anthrax album? It depends on my mood. If I'm looking for straight up headbanging with killer riffs and pounding drums, I prefer Among The Living. If I'm looking for the entire package, The Sound of White Noise satisfies all of my metal cravings.

As with any review, these are my opinions and not everybody will agree with them which is what makes these reviews so much fun. Enjoy!