It’s been 10 years since the last Anthrax album, For All Kings, and the band has been working on Cursum Perficio for the last three years. With such a lengthy gestation period, you would expect something quite special from the band; a real statement of intent.

It’s just possible that the intent is hiding in plain sight. The translation of the album’s title, a latin phrase, is “I finish my journey”. The album’s first two songs are the scene setting instrumental Persistence Of Memory (which alludes to the band’s fifth album Persistence Of Time) and the rumbling thrash of The Long Goodbye. Is it possible that the band is getting ready to call it a day?

For those of a certain vintage, Anthrax have always been a constant in the metal world. Part of the “big four” of thrash (Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth completing the quartet), they were always the band that seemed content to stray from the path. They dabbled with hip hop for I’m The Man and later collaborated with Public Enemy for a take on Bring The Noise and a co-headline tour. Drummer Charlie Benante, guitarist/mouthpiece Scott Ian and original Anthrax bassist Dan Lilker would explore their hardcore influences with the barnstorming offshoot project Stormtroopers Of Death. When grunge started to make its presence felt, Anthrax changed direction and tapped into that sound with their Sound Of White Noise. They were always the joker in the pack. There was the Bermuda shorts period, the ninja turtles guitars, the Stephen King obsession, and the quirky cover versions (who can forget their version of Frigging In The Rigging?). And of course there was the all important MOSH PART.

With Cursum Perficio however, there’s a sense that the band is looking back over the course of their career and taking stock. The razor sharp production does admittedly bring the band into the modern day, with Benante’s drums being particularly punchy and almost mechanical in tone but the first few songs of the album have a distinct “vintage Anthrax” feel to them.

The rumbling bass and riffing of The Long Goodbye instantly calls to mind the Persistence Of Time era. A chugging riff underpins a heartfelt narrative about the loss of a loved one, before a huge chorus pulls things out of the mire. The first thing that becomes apparent is that vocalist Joey Belladonna is in fine form and his return to the band has been essential.

It’s For The Kids harks back to the Spreading The Disease era and even alludes to Medusa’s video in the recent promo. With themes of child endangerment and all the good thoughts and prayers do, this is the political side of Anthrax making itself known. With a crushing mosh section, a lightning guitar solo from Jon Donais and a huge performance from Belladonna, it’s a classic slice of Anthrax.

The first wobble comes with Everybody’s Got A Plan, which is a perfectly serviceable slab of Anthrax, but aside from a couple of nice moments and Frank Bello’s bass, it feels a little generic. Thankfully, The Edge Of Perfection follows, and shows that Anthrax still have that desire to mix things up. Some calming atmospheric chords introduce the song, and are soon consumed by a cresting wave of Black Metal. Blastbeat drums, squalls of guitar and an almost crooned vocal instantly move Anthrax into new territory. They expertly balance it out with some classic old school riffing, naturally, but adding those Norwegian influences and those tonal shifts to their sound feels like the band looking forward rather than reveling in nostalgia.

Sadly, after this experimentation, things go a little flat. Infectious, sounds pretty “stock” as Lars Ulrich would put it. It’s uninspired, and does little to encourage the raising a fistful of metal skywards. The punk thrash of NYC 93, with it’s gang vocals and breakneck pace is a little better while the title track recalls Sound Of White Noise, a time when Anthrax were more a rock band than the thrashers they started out as. At this point in the album, whether Anthrax are taking stock or not, it feels like they’re running on empty.

Thankfully the thunderous riffing of T.O.M.B. gets things back on track and all of a sudden the band sound energised again as they head into Watch It Go, a song switches between all out thrash charge and considered stomp at will.

Ultimately, there are some classic Anthrax moments on Cursum Perficio, but that doesn’t make it an Anthrax classic. The band’s willingness to continue experimenting with their sound suggests that, despite the overtones of finality, there’s still ground for Anthrax to cover. If this album draws a line in the sand and gets the nostalgia out of the way, the next album should be a stormer. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years to find out.