Anthrax Returns With 'Cursum Perficio,' First Album in 10 Years: Review

The title of Cursum Perficio, thrash metal pioneers Anthrax's 12th album and first in 10 years, means "My journey has come to an end" in Latin. But the quintet, now in its fourth decade, has stressed that this won't be their last record; the name came to them while watching a Marilyn Monroe documentary, and it stuck.

And while Cursum Perficio doesn't exactly sound like a new beginning for the band — Anthrax, perhaps more than any of their peers, has been the most consistent in album quality — this return has been long overdue. False starts, a COVID derailment and other detours led to their longest gap between albums. In a way, the 11 songs sound like a much-needed exhale.

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Four of the five current members, now in their 60s, were on Anthrax's greatest album, 1987's Among the Living, so their long-standing camaraderie is evident. Guitarists Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais (the relatively new guy), drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello and singer Joey Belladonna lock into the grooves with an ease that reflects their time together. The group somersaults in "The Edge of Perfection" would give musicians half their age whiplash.

After a minute-long intro track, the mood-setting, progressive-leaning instrumental "Persistence of Memory," Cursum Perficio gets down to business. "The Long Goodbye" and "It's for the Kids" unspool with rolling drums and jagged guitar riffs, a little more deliberate than before but with just as much determination. This is old-school metal played with a slightly modern edge.

Watch the Video for Anthrax's 'It's for the Kids'

As with their past couple of albums, Anthrax places Cursum Perficio's best songs at the front of the album and includes a handful near or exceeding the six-minute mark (such as the title track and "Watch It Go"), an unnecessary '80s thrash-band hallmark in the 21st century. The leaner, more direct numbers ("It's for the Kids," "Everybody's Got a Plan") are better and waste little of their running time. They've still got plenty of gas left for the journey.