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''For All Kings'' is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
, released on February 26, 2016. It is the band's first studio album to feature Jon Donais on lead guitar, replacing Rob Caggiano. The album artwork was designed by
Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...
.


Background

In January 2013, guitarist Rob Caggiano left Anthrax and was replaced by Jon Donais of
Shadows Fall Shadows Fall is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1996. Although Shadows Fall has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career, Shadows Fall has been composed of Jon Donais (lead guitar, b ...
. Talk of a follow-up to '' Worship Music'' surfaced later that year, with bassist Frank Bello stating that the band was "getting the itch to write new music". In September that year, guitarist
Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...
confirmed that Bello and drummer Charlie Benante were "coming over to start writing for the next record" and subsequently posted images on Twitter of the band working on new material. By the end of October, the band had arranged seven new songs, with Ian describing the direction of the new music as "aggressive, fast, even riff-ier than the last record". By February 2014, the band had a total of 12 songs written, though were continuing to write so that they would have more material to choose from for inclusion on the final album. Recording began in late 2014 with producer Jay Ruston in a studio in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Some 15–20 more songs were written during the sessions, what the band considered its most productive period. "Soror Irrumator", a song scheduled to appear on ''For All Kings'', was featured on the second volume of the ''
Catch the Throne ''Catch the Throne'' is a two-volume mixtape. The first volume was released digitally on March 7, 2014, and on CD on March 28, 2014 as a free mix tape that features various rap artists to help promote the HBO series '' Game of Thrones''. The alb ...
'' mixtape. A lyric video for the song "Evil Twin" was released in October 2015, and several days later, the album title was announced. The album's release date and front cover were revealed the following month. The artwork, created by
Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...
on a suggestion by Benante, displays massive statues of the band members. The track listing was revealed on December 4. Despite earlier suggestion by the band, "Soror Irrumator" did not appear on the album's track listing. The album was released on February 26, 2016.


Album title and lyrics

Explaining the album title, which is also the title of the album's third track, Ian said: "The meaning, to me, for this title is that everybody can be a king. Everybody can have control over their own lives, control over their destiny, just by growing up and becoming a responsible human being. I'm not necessarily saying that being a "king" is being the boss in your relationship, or any relationship for that matter. A king of yourself is what I mean. Taking responsibility and ownership for your own shit is basically what it means to me." Ian, who writes the band's lyrics, said he tried to incorporate different structural ideas for the lyrics to those featured on previous albums, crediting author David Mitchell as an influence. Ian has said that "Breathing Lightning" is lyrically influenced by author
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
: "If I had to pick one thing that I love the most from him, it would be '' The Dark Tower'' books ..The character
Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
, it's just something that stays with me a lot, this character from those books. So I kind of re-entered that world again. 'Cause I wrote "Lone Justice" way back when, on the '' Spreading The Disease'' record, which was based on that character, and I decided to re-visit it, because, metaphorically, there's so many things you could use it for ..'m kind of weaving in and out of reality and fantasy in that song. And 'Breathing Lightning', of course, is a metaphor for shooting." According to Benante, "Evil Twin" was inspired by events like the 2015 attack on the offices and staff of the French satirical publication ''
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'' and various other mass shootings. Ian added that it was about by the actions of people "who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man", calling this mindset the "evil twin" of humanity. Ian has described "Blood Eagle Wings" as the "centerpiece" of the album, and admitted having difficulty with writing the lyrics. Lyrically, the track concerns "Any great city, whether it’s
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
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,
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,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
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– these cities are alive because of how many people were killed to make them what they are. How much blood was spilled over time."


Release and reception


Sales

''For All Kings'' sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States, entering at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, marking the first time the band has had an album enter at the chart's top 10 since '' Sound of White Noise'' which was released in 1993 and debuted at number 7. The album's sales and chart performance also show an increase over the band's previous album, ''Worship Music'' which had first week sales of 28,000 and debuted at number 12. Eight weeks after its release, ''For All Kings'' sold over 57,000 copies in the US. The album has sold about 73,000 copies in the US as of November 2016.


Critical reception

''For All Kings'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Praise was given for its consistency and focus, as well as the contributions of newest member, lead guitarist Jon Donais, and many critics cited the 8-minute "Blood Eagle Wings" as a standout. Dom Lawson, writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the album a 4/5 star rating, describing it as being "full of the anthemic choruses and hulking riffs that have always driven their sound". He acknowledges that it is "in some ways a more focused effort" than 2011's '' Worship Music'', though also compliments the band's mixing of thrash metal with more radio-friendly hard rock (such as on "Breathing Lightning") adding that "It’s a blend that suits the band – and vocalist Joey Belladonna in particular – to a tee." J.C. Maçek III of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
was also positive, giving the album a rating of 7/10 and stating that ''For All Kings'' "stands out as powerful thrash metal with a distinctive sound that is unmistakably Anthrax." He also points out how the album displays a darker side of the band than they displayed in the 80s, remarking that "It’s hard to imagine this Anthrax donning colorful surfing shorts and performing more comedic songs like “ I'm the Man” but also points out that as a consequence, the album "is somewhat lacking in "fun"". Chad Bowar of ''
Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...
'', like Lawson, observes that the album "delivers the thrash that they are known for, but also sees them explore other sonic pathways without losing touch with their core sound", and also praises vocalist Joey Belladonna for sounding "even better and completely at ease" compared to ''Worship Music'', in which he performed songs not originally written for him. He cites tracks such as "Evil Twin", "Suzerain" and "Monster at the End" as standouts. However, others were more critical of the album. Jon Hadusek of Consequence of Sound cited the album, alongside other recent releases in the thrash metal genre such as
Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
's '' Repentless'' and
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
's ''
Dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
'' as being "a safe and agreeable slice of thrash, but it’s also robotic, formulaic, and dated." He adds that "the songs on For All Kings feel like they were written in haste, by the old tried and true formula" and chided the band for "repeating themselves". He concludes that the album is "A victory lap for victory lap’s sake. The definition of a fans-only release." Joel McIver of
Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
writes that "truly warp-speed thrash beats are, disappointingly, largely absent" on the album.


Track listing

All songs written by Joey Belladonna, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante and Scott Ian Note: The Megaforce iTunes/download version of the album combines "Impaled" / "You Gotta Believe" and "Breathing Lightning" / "Breathing Out" as single tracks, with running times of 7:32 and 6:33 respectively. Although "Impaled" and "Breathing Out" are not indicated on the track listing on the packaging, the CD is mastered with these tracks separately as well. The Limited Edition Box Set of the album includes a cover of " Carry On Wayward Son", which is close to the original of progressive rock band
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
from 1976. Also the artwork of the cover is a deviation of the original
Leftoverture ''Leftoverture'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001. It was the band's first album to be certified by the RIAA, and remains their highest selling al ...
cover.


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Anthrax * Joey Belladonna – lead vocals *
Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jonathan Donais – lead guitar, backing vocals * Frank Bello – bass, backing vocals * Charlie Benante – drums, additional guitars, acoustic guitar Production * Jay Ruston – producer, mixing * Paul Logus – mastering at PLX Mastering, NYC * James Ingram –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
* Josh Newell – engineer * Michael Peterson – engineer * Asim Ali – additional engineering * Andy Lagis – additional engineering * Alex Elsammak – assistant engineer * Ken Eisennagel – assistant engineer * Molly Martin – assistant engineer * Tony Perry – assistant engineer * Michael Miller – drum technician * Ian Galloway – guitar technician Artwork and packaging *
Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...
– album artwork * Charlie Benante – album design * Douglas Hesser – graphic design * Stephen Thompson – additional art


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:For All Kings 2016 albums Anthrax (American band) albums Megaforce Records albums Nuclear Blast albums Albums with cover art by Alex Ross