Of all the charter members of thrash metal’s Big Four, Anthrax have arguably had the most eventful career and, by extension, studio discography -- let us count the ways.

First and foremost, Anthrax emerged as the lone New Yorkers in a group of Californians -- Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer -- and the only quintet in this bunch of quartets to boast a free-standing singer, which may or may not have contributed to Neil Turbin being replaced by Joey Belladonna being replaced by John Bush (don’t forget Dan Nelson!). Belladonna has been back with the band for the past two albums, and Anthrax are firing on all cylinders once more.

This membership turnover (let’s not even get into the rotating lead guitar slot) certainly contributed to the diverse range of heavy sounds explored by Anthrax over the years, but the band’s core songwriting duo of drummer Charlie Benante and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian (plus nearly as tenured bassist Frank Bello) have nonetheless brought continuance to the group’s eleven studio albums over the past quarter century.

Sure, some of these experiments have aged better than others, or simply seem more relevant to fans listening today, but there’s something of worth to be found in all eras of Anthrax’s evolution: from the thrilling salad days of ‘80s thrash (never mind their groundbreaking dalliances in rap and hip hop), through the alt-rock-tinged 1990s, to the welcome aesthetic advances of the new millennium, which have allowed the band to reconnect with their core while moving ever forward.

We can thank all of the these creative and commercial twists and turns for making a trip through Anthrax’s studio albums into such an entertaining, intriguing and, sure, sometimes even bumpy ride – so tag along as we dive right in.

Scroll through the gallery below to see how we rank Anthrax’s albums!

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