"Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" is an album by the renowned American heavy metal band, Anthrax. Released on July 28, 1998, it is the band's eighth studio album. Anthrax's line-up at this time included vocalist John Bush, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, lead guitarist Dan Spitz, bassist Frank Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante.
This album marked an important phase in the band's career as it took them to a more experimental platform. It featured a broad range of musical styles and elements such as punk, country music, gothic rock, and even hip-hop influences. Noteworthy guest musicians on the album included Dimebag Darrell from Pantera and Phil Anselmo from Down and Pantera. However, despite this experimental approach and the inclusion of several renowned guest musicians, the album didn't perform as well commercially.
Following the anthemic feeling of the prior album, "Stomp 442", "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" continued Anthrax's departure from their thrash roots, leaning into a more traditional heavy metal sound. One of its famous tracks, "Inside Out", won a nomination for the Grammy awards. Other popular tracks include "Crush", "Catharsis", and "Born Again Idiot". The album is also notably the last Anthrax album featuring longtime guitarist Dan Spitz.
After this album, Anthrax got into label-related issues leading to contractual disputes that caused a hiatus, before they got back into the studio for their next album, "We've Come for You All" in 2003. Despite the commercial underperformance, "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" remains significant for Anthrax fans for its daring stylistic experiments and collaboration with several renowned artists.
