Anthrax - Among The Living (1987)

Anthrax - Among The Living (1987) album review by Pritham 'Metal Farmer' D'Souza

From metal pics

Track Listing

1. The Living
2. Caught in A Mosh
3. I Am The Law
4. Efinkufsin (N.F.L.)
5. Skeleton In The Closet
6. Indians
7. One World
8. ADI Horror Of It All
9. Imitation Of Life

Line Up

• Joey Belladonna
• Dan Spitz
• Scott Ian
• Frank Bello
• Charlie Benante

If there was a band that got the hardcore fans and metal fans together, in the same room, thrashing and moshing to heavy , fast aggressive, fist pumping and chest thumping music, that band would be, without a doubt Anthrax

One of the most respected names in Thrash Metal, Anthrax was part of the 'Big 4' super heavy weights which included Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer.

while the other 3 bands mentioned here were dead serious on stage, with lyrical content ranging from death, war, suffering and Satan, Anthrax to me always had the image of 'Metal Clowns' and i say that with all respect, coz if one (even now) is lucky enough to be at an Anthrax concert, u can see the band having the time of their lives, laughing on stage, joking about, jumping and going berserk and yet in complete control. crowd favourites any day.

Thrashing, Moshing, stopping for a few minutes to grab a cold beer and starting all over again till you drown in your own adrenaline. That's Anthrax for you.

Scott Ian has to be one of the coolest dudes in metal history and Anthrax is probably the first band to bring the thrash aggression to the East Coast city of New York, which till then had a pretty strong albeit underground hardcore scene.

Anthrax, who always had a massive fan following were mostly a support band and an opening act, but with the release of Among The Living, they started to Headline and had several bands support them.

What makes this album special is the uniqueness in the song writing which is pretty evident with titles like "I am the law" which is a tribute to the comic book hero Judge Dread. "Indians" is about native American Indians, while "Efinkufsin (N.F.L.)" is Nice Fucking Life spelt backwards.

Joey may not be the greatest vocalist in metal , but here he sings in tune, shouts, screams and even sings clean, a concept which was pretty new, especially in a genre like Thrash Metal. Scott Ian keeps the rhythm section tighter than a cork screw while Dan unleashes a flurry of guitar notes during every solo. The bass doesn't get any dirtier than " Caught In A Mosh" and Charlie is an exceptional drummer keeping time for a band that never play anything straight forward.

"Caught in Mosh" is a perfect example of thrash and hardcore getting involved in a head on collision.

In a nut shell, Among the Living has more spunk than most of the so called thrash wannabes that we get to hear on popular social networking sites. How the band manage to juggle Speed, Aggression, catchy hooks, sing a long chorus and just berserk moshing is just beyond me. And this was in 1987!!

recommended tracks for maximum damage " I Am The Law", "Caught In a Mosh", "Indians", "One world" and the title track "Among The Living"

Among The Living is easily the best Anthrax release of all time

My Rating
9/10

watch Anthrax Caught In a Mosh live at Ozzfest 2005

Growing Mint Leaves, Mentha without soil, using Simplified Hydroponics

Growing Mint Leaves, Mentha without soil, using Simplified Hydroponics in Mangalore by Pritham 'Metal Farmer' D'Souza

• Mint leaves or menthe soppu in kannada is a popular aromatic herb which is extensively used for culinary purposes in various dishes.
• Mint leaves extract is used as an insecticide and its most effective against mosquitoes and ants
• mint leaves consumed in the form of tea reduces stomach pain and some believe it is a strong diuretic
• menthol is added in cigarettes as it blocks the bitter taste of tobacco
• common antipruritic used against insect bites
• commonly used in aroma therapy

Since mint leaves love cooler climate and is pretty much a shade loving plant, the challenge of growing such a plant in Mangalore's unforgiving heat conditions was something i was looking forward to

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

Dec 3, 2009 mint leaves stem picked from market and placed in coco peat grow container

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

Dec 9, 2009 grow nutrients added

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

jan 4, 2010 luxuriant growth and green color

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

feb 14, 2010 the mint leaves were then again re transplanted in different containers and the results were still amazing

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

No pesticides used, no chemicals sprayed

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

march 5, 2010 shows no sign of slowing down. even more growth

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

From Growing Mint leaves without soil using Simplified Hydroponics

Note

• the grow containers were kept in my car shed and i didnt use shade net
• even though mint leaves extract is an insecticide the plant is still susceptible to aphids and white flies, hence regular neem spray is a must
• pluck the leaves along with the stalk to encourage more growth and lateral shoots
  

All pics and data by Pritham Denzil D'Souza