"Anthrax was one of several crucial thrash bands to emerge in the '80s and become highly influential to that decade's legions of metal fans. Their sound evolved and changed several times over their career, with the band at times even experimenting with hip-hop, and often veering away from what could be considered run of the mill thrash metal.The band formed in New York in 1981 with guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz, vocalist Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello. They released their debut album, Fistful of Metal, in 1986. Few noticed, and few had reason to--the band's first couple albums showed promise, but no more than that. By 1987 they had improved considerably, releasing the landmark record Among the Living, which saw them breaking conventions both in terms of their sound and lyrical subject matter. Anthrax' lyrics took a socially conscious bent on this record, with songs like ""Imitation of Life.""""There's nothing I hate more/than all these plastic people/With all their plastic promises/and all there plastic deals/They just can't be themselves, and live their own lives out/They're just an imitation of what life's all about,"" the lyrics of that song go.Living is often considered the band's best record by fans. In 1991, the band covered Public Enemy's ""Bring the Noise,"" a sudden shift from their metal roots. One year later, the band kicked out Belladonna and brought John Bush in as its singer. After that point, the band's music would become more conventional, and many fans lamented the loss of their more experimental side. In 1993 they released Sound of White Noise, which climbed to a peak position of number seven on the Billboard 200. Their records never climbed that high on the charts again, though they continue to record."