“I’m the madman at the wheel”
This classic rager from Anthrax’s 1984 debut album Fistful Of Metal is still one of their best songs. As well as featuring an early use of the “thrash” term, it’s just a great gear-shifting metal tune: the stomping opening riff breaking out into the speed metal of the verse before hitting the power chord open road of its unforgettable chorus. Best of all, Metal Thrashing Mad has survived all the incarnations of the band with subsequent singers Joey Belladonna and John Bush both recording their own brilliant takes on the tune. But I’ve opted for the original Neil Turbin version here cause his vocals send it pleasingly Manowar-d and I recently bought an awesome vinyl edition of the album.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
Pretty cool that they recorded this track at various times with 3 different lead singers! I remember these early Anthrax albums as they got a lot of press here in North America. There was a ton of music back then that I had to keep up on which that year in 1984 with the usual suspects releasing albums(Priest/Maiden/Halen/Hagar and um Krokus) my money could only be stretched so far as 1984 was the year I picked up Deep Purple’s Perfect Strangers album as well which is a classic along with Hanoi Rocks Two Steps….
I like that photo spread at the top which has Exciter listed. Man, that was perhaps my intro to Thrash when I bought Violence and Force. I never heard metal like that before haha
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Great songs on the debut but a lot of just OK stuff too. And the Alice Cooper cover… ever heard that?! Spreading The Disease is in a different league.
That pic is from the gatefold… very nice edition of the album. Looks cool.
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Going to give Exciter a spin. Got V&F and the debut but I don’t know them very well.
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Beehler had a decent voice plus he was playing drums at ridiculous speed!
Pounding Metal what a cool primitive thrash track!
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I was doing a crossword the other day and the clue was something like ‘directional suffix’ – I didn’t get it at the time, but I’m going to go back and try east-Ward thanks to Manowar-d!
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Ha! Glad I could help… I’m more of a cryptic crossword guy myself.
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Great track! Probably my favourite non- Belladonna led track.
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Yeah mine too… Deathrider and Panic are great too off the debut. No harm to the John Bush era either but this song just rules.
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Both of those are good songs too and I’ve always had a soft spot for their cover of Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen.”
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It’s out of place on there I think. But it’s a good version. Would have preferred it as a B-side or on an EP. Scott Ian didn’t play on it supposedly, cause he thought it was a bad idea.
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Didn’t know that about Scott in regards to the song.
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Just read that recently. Not cause be hated the song, just thought it was a bad idea.
It is a decent version though. Like how Turbin sings it. Quite KISS-like.
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I’m going to have to listen to Fistful of Metal again, oh the sacrifices we make, and decide if I’m Eighteen is out of place there.
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I’m probably in the minority, but I definitely prefer the John Bush version. His gravelly voice serves the song well, I think. Still, great song no matter who’s on the mic.
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Wouldn’t argue with that at all. The version on the Greater Of Two Evils is just brilliant!
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Deathrider, too.
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Yep! Really good album that. Still listen to it a lot.
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Much better re-recordings album than testament’s “first strike still deadly” imo
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I agree! Fantastic tune! This is a great version but I’ll take the Bush over it just a wee bit just for the heaviness.
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I think I’d go with Bush version as the best too. But only just… and Turbin’s is the original so i have to give it points for that. But the Bush version is totes amazeballs.
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I love that whole album. It’s like a beefed up greatest hits. Nothing agaisnt the originals. I love those too…. I like Anthrax a lot.
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Yep. I was talking in another thread about that. It’s brilliant. Normally don’t care about albums of re-recordings but that one is ace.
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Aw aye. That’s pretty awrite, innit? Never really listened to Anthrax ever (ever). Although I do like the tune that’s on the Last Action Hero soundtrack (one of my favourite ever movies, by the way). That means it’s two out of two. There’s hope for me yet!
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I can’t remember the Last Action Hero one… what was it called?
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Poison My Eyes!
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Don’t think I’ve heard that one.
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WHIT!?
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