Attack of the Killer B's
Compilation album by
Anthrax
ReleasedJune 25, 1991
Recorded1989–1991
GenreThrash metal, rap metal
Length44:24
LabelMegaforce, Island
ProducerAnthrax, Mark Dodson, Charlie Benante
Anthrax chronology
Attack of the Killer B's
(1991)		 Return of the Killer A's
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert Christgau(dud)[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Attack of the Killer B's is a compilation album of B-sides, covers and rarities by the thrash metal band Anthrax and the band's last audio album released before vocalist John Bush replaced longtime Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna in 1992. The album was released in June 1991 by Megaforce Worldwide/Island Entertainment. The "B's" in the album's title refers to b-sides previously unreleased and compiled for a single release. In 1992 the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Metal Performance.

Album information

Though a collection of "B-sides", the album featured one of their biggest singles; a collaboration/cover of Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise". Attack of the Killer B's was certified gold by the RIAA. The two live tracks, "Keep It in the Family" and "Belly of the Beast", were recorded during the 1990–91 Persistence of Time tour. Also included is an updated version of their 1987 single, "I'm the Man", and three songs previously released only in Europe and Japan on the 1989 EP, Penikufesin ("Nise Fukin EP"), recorded during the State of Euphoria sessions.

Two versions of the album were released: the uncensored version contained full expletives and the song "Startin' Up a Posse", and the censored version which excluded the aforementioned track, and in place of the explicit words, a buzzing noise (like bees) is heard. The track "Startin' Up a Posse" is a tongue in cheek attack on the Parents Music Resource Center. The sample at the end of the track was taken from the final scene of the Marilyn Chambers movie "Insatiable". The compilation also includes covers of songs by Discharge, Kiss, Trust, and the surf rock staple "Pipeline", recorded by The Chantays.

The song "N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)" was intended to illustrate the band's disdain for power ballads, which were very fashionable in the commercial metal scene at the time, and parodies 80s glam metal power ballads. The band also covers two songs ("Milk (Ode to Billy)" and "Chromatic Death") originally recorded by Stormtroopers of Death, a mid-80s side project by Anthrax members Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, and then-bassist Dan Lilker. The "Billy" referenced in the title is S.O.D. vocalist Billy Milano.

"Bring the Noise" is a collaboration with rap group Public Enemy, making this song one of the first rap metal collaborations (albeit some years after the Aerosmith/Run DMC 1986 collaboration on "Walk This Way"), although Joey Belladonna and Dan Spitz had collaborated with Untouchable Force Organization on a song called "Lethal" in 1987 that was released as a single. "Bring the Noise" has been a live staple since Anthrax first played it on the Headbangers Ball Tour with Helloween and Exodus in 1989,[6] and it later appeared in the videogames Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Milk (Ode to Billy)" (S.O.D. cover)Billy Milano, Charlie Benante, Danny Lilker, Scott Ian3:44
2."Bring the Noise" (Public Enemy cover)Carl Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Anthrax3:28
3."Keep It in the Family" (Live, Birmingham, England)Anthrax7:19
4."Startin' Up a Posse"Anthrax4:14
5."Protest and Survive" (Discharge cover)Kevin "Cal" Morris, Roy "Rainy" Wainwright, Garry Maloney, Tony "Bones" Roberts2:20
6."Chromatic Death" (S.O.D. cover)Milano, Benante, Lilker, Ian1:28
7."I'm the Man '91"Anthrax, John Rooney5:00
8."Parasite" (Kiss cover)Ace Frehley3:14
9."Pipeline" (The Chantays cover)Bob Spickard, Brian Carman2:00
10."Sects" (Trust cover)Norbert Krief, Bernie Bonvoisin3:06
11."Belly of the Beast" (Live, Birmingham, England)Anthrax6:01
12."N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)"Anthrax2:16

Personnel

Anthrax
Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 50
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 50
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[10] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 13
US Billboard 200[12] 27

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Anthrax: Attack of the Killer B's". AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer's Guide: Anthrax". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 20. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. ↑ "Bring the Noise by Anthrax Concert Statistics". setlist.fm. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  8. ↑ "Chartifacts – Week Ending September 2 1990 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 34)". Imgur.com (original document published by Australian Recording Industry Association). Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1647". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Anthrax Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Anthrax – Attack of the Killer B's". Music Canada.
  14. ↑ "American album certifications – Anthrax – Attack of the Killer B's". Recording Industry Association of America.
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