Anthrax’s eleventh studio album ‘For All Kings’ was released in February 2016.  The highly anticipated follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘Worship Music’ was initially available in two versions – a standard and deluxe edition.  Those opting for the affordable deluxe 2CD were treated to a handful of live tracks in exchange for a couple of extra dollars.

In an ideal world, as far as being a fan is concerned, choosing to buy one of either version should be all that’s required.   However, like most bands, Anthrax were not shy of a cynical marketing ploy.  They chose to release the album as a deluxe box set of 7″s later in the year, making sure to include – you guessed it – more unavailable tracks.   Almost exactly a year on from the original release, in February 2017, ‘For All Kings’ was issued for a fourth time.  The 2CD “Tour Edition” didn’t add extra live material, but bizarrely replaced the original deluxe live tracks with some unreleased demos…

Regardless of how you feel about the marketing machine – are we merely being given lots of different opportunities to choose the version that suits us best, or simply being fleeced? – ‘For All Kings’, while not as immediate as it’s predecessor, helps cement Anthrax’s place in the pantheon of classic American metal.

On Saturday April 22nd, fans present at the Los Angeles gig were given a rare treat when the band were joined by session keyboard player (and Queen helper) Fred Mandel and aired their cover of the Kansas classic ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ (available only on the box set edition of the album) live for the very first – and possibly even the only – time.

You can watch fan filmed footage of the performance below.  It’s odd hearing Joey Belladonna reaching for those Steve Walsh notes, but at the same time, both band and fans seem to be having a great time.