$75.99
This is a pre-order item shipping on or near September 16, 2006
Anthrax’s Cursum Perficio is set for release on 18 September 2026, and the transparent magenta 2LP edition comes in a gatefold sleeve. It is being sold through official and retail channels as a colour variant of the band’s first studio album in a decade.
As a review, this looks like Anthrax doing the right thing at the right time. They are not pretending to be a different band, and they are not just replaying Among the Living by muscle memory either. Everything around the rollout points to a record that leans into their classic thrash attack while still keeping the bigger choruses and melodic lift that have helped the later Belladonna-era reunion records work so well. The early framing from the band and retailers keeps coming back to the same idea: classic thrash fury mixed with more song-driven, melodic moments. That is exactly the lane Anthrax should be in.
The first clue that this could be a strong one is the tone of the material already being pushed. “It’s For the Kids” has been described by Scott Ian as a deliberate four-minute thrash shot aimed at the band’s roots, and Charlie Benante singled it out as one of his favourites on the record. That matters, because Anthrax at their best have always balanced velocity with a kind of street-level hookiness that separates them from the colder end of thrash. If the rest of the album follows through on that promise, Cursum Perficio could feel less like a legacy release and more like a proper late-period statement.
What makes Anthrax different from a lot of veteran thrash bands is that they have always had a little more bounce in the songwriting. Even when they are angry, there is usually a chorus or a rhythmic snap that keeps the songs moving. Looking at this tracklist, that instinct still seems intact. Titles like “The Long Goodbye,” “Everybody’s Got A Plan,” “The Edge of Perfection,” “NYC 93,” and “Watch It Go” suggest a record that is not just built on blunt-force nostalgia. There is room here for bigger moods and more shape, which is usually when Anthrax sound strongest.
There is also a bit more weight behind this album than the usual “first in years” hype cycle. The record was co-produced with Jay Ruston and recorded at Studio 606, and the band have been talking about it as something they worked on for years rather than a rushed comeback. That long runway can go either way, but in Anthrax’s case it reads as a good sign. They do not need to prove they can still play fast. They need songs that stick, and the whole rollout suggests they know that.
For the vinyl buyer, the transparent magenta edition is one of the better-looking variants in circulation. Rough Trade lists it under catalogue number 727361433437, while the official Backstreet Merch store confirms the format as exclusive transparent magenta 2LP vinyl with the same release date.
Overall, Cursum Perficio looks promising because it does not seem embarrassed by what Anthrax are. It looks like a thrash record with hooks, attitude, and enough confidence to let the songs breathe instead of just redlining everything for the sake of it. If the full album lands, this could be one of the more satisfying veteran-thrash releases in recent memory. That is a big “if” until the whole thing is out, but the signs are good.
This is a pre-order item shipping on or near September 16, 2006
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