Anthrax and The Raven Age

East Coast metal titans Anthrax have enjoyed something of a career renaissance in recent years. In fact it can all be traced back to the return of former singer Joey Belladonna in 2010. At this time the band joined forces with fellow ‘Big Four’ members Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer for a well-received tour and they haven’t looked back since.

Before they take to the stage at the UEA LCR in Norwich however we have tonight’s support act. London’s The Raven Age have a growing reputation due to high profile support slots for Iron Maiden and Steve Harris’ British Lion. Yes, it helps that guitarist George Harris is the son of Steve, but they are carving their reputation on merit.

The Maiden influence is for all to see with the effort put into their stage setup. Impressive backdrops and props aside, it’s their music that does the talking. Probably best pigeonholed as metalcore, their sound isn’t unique but they do what they do quite well. With their debut album ‘Darkness Will Rise’ due for release next month tracks like ‘The Death March’ and ‘Angel In Disgrace’ show the album has great promise.

With the crowd suitably warmed up, it’s soon time for the main event. Not only is this Anthrax’s first ever visit to Norwich, but this is their first UK headline tour in more than a decade. In all honesty there probably hasn’t been the demand for it until now. But with increasingly impressive live shows and two solid albums released since Belladonna’s return, Anthrax appear relevant again.

Iconic guitarist Scott Ian and vocalist Belladonna are joined by long time members Frank Bello (bass) and Charlie Benante (drums). Completing the line-up these days is guitarist Jonathan Donais following Rob Caggiano’s decision to depart for Volbeat. These are the five members who have returned the Anthrax name to past glories over recent years.

The show tonight is made up of two separate sets from the band. They are in relentless form as they plough through a mix of old and new in set number one. The likes of ‘Madhouse’ and ‘Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t’ have the audience moshing and crowd surfing from the opening note onwards. In fact the crowd tonight are as into it as the band and this creates a fantastic atmosphere in which to savour these masters at work.

Following a brief interlude and stage change up, the band return to perform classic 1987 album ‘Among The Living’ in full. Kicking their second set off with the title track and favourite ‘Caught In A Mosh’, they soon mix the order of the album up. ‘One World’ is followed by ‘I Am The Law’ as the band continue the relentless pace of their first set. Of course being classed as thrash metal you’d expect a fast pace but it’s surprising just how powerful the band are tonight.

With the brilliant ‘Indians’ and ‘Imitation Of Life’ bringing the album to a close surely the band can’t finish the night any better? Of course they can, as they bring the night to a close with the classic ‘Antisocial’ the band end the show and their UK tour on a high. This has been an evening that Norwich won’t be forgetting anytime soon, after all it’s not often a member of the ‘Big Four’ comes to town!