Arson Anthem has quite the pedigree with members of Pantera, Eyehategod, and Superjoint Ritual in tow. Phil Anselmo, who is joined by Mike Williams of Eyehategod, Hank Williams III of Superjoint Ritual, and Collin Yeo, spearheads the four-piece group. The project came to be after Anselmo and Williams sat around listening to lots of Negative Approach, Poison Idea, Discharge, and others. Interested yet?
Arson Anthem blasts through eight songs is eleven minutes. You don't have to be a math major to know that means you're in store for some super short songs. And that is just what you get, seriously short and fast-paced hardcore/d-beat ragers. Williams is quite visceral on the mic; these are some guttural screams. And when you partner them with Anselmo's heavily distorted, sludgy, blistering riffs and the pummeling drums of III, you've got quite a ruckus. The one weak spot here is “The Avoider,” which is kind of slow and sticks out from the rest of the songs here.
I really didn't know what to expect from Arson Anthem, but I definitely am into what they're doing. This could be the start of a fantastic musical journey. Let's hope it lasts.
