RIFF064 - Anthrax - Sound of White Noise
S2025:E33

RIFF064 - Anthrax - Sound of White Noise

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Episode description

Anthrax pivot hard into the ’90s on Sound of White Noise—first with John Bush, last with Dan Spitz—and somehow make it feel inevitable rather than mid-life crisis. We dig into why the songs land (drier drums, thicker guitars) and how a label switch put a new sheen on the chaos. Along the way: Dan Spitz’s surprise second act as a master watchmaker and a brief “It’s-a-me Mario” detour while trying to say “Badalamenti” like adults.

Timestamps

  • 00:00:00 — Cold open: the “journey into sound” sting.
  • 00:09:56 — Joey out, John Bush in; grungier, growlier vocal shift.
  • 00:10:43 — Switch from Island to Elektra; Dave Jordan connection.
  • 00:18:22 — Only flagged as the big single.
  • 00:18:26 — Production chat: dry drums; darker ’90s tone.
  • 00:50:54 — First with John Bush; last with Dan Spitz.
  • 00:51:26 — Dan Spitz leaves to become a master watchmaker (!).
  • 00:56:44 — Black Lodge co-written with Angelo Badalamenti; Twin Peaks nod.
  • 00:56:12 — “It’s-a-me Mario” pronunciation detour (Badalamenti).
  • 01:04:52 — “Biscuits in that snare”—a brief St. Anger tangent.
  • 01:06:31 — Only hailed as a key Anthrax single.
  • 01:19:30 — Wrap-up and polite plea to like/subscribe.

Credits

  • Released 25 May 1993 on Elektra (band’s first on the label).
  • Line-up shift: first with John Bush, last with Dan Spitz.
  • Producer: Dave Jordan (linked here with Jane’s Addiction, Alice in Chains).
  • Singles: Only; Black Lodge (called out as a big single).
  • Black Lodge co-written with Angelo Badalamenti; explicit Twin Peaks reference.
  • Peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

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