Anthrax 1981 年 6 月成立于纽约。在 80 年代的速度／鞭笞金属（Speed / Thrash Metal）浪潮中,Anthrax 是在过去的 5 年里坚持并适应着摇滚乐坛这一疯狂时尚的为数不多的几支乐队之一。他们将硬核朋克的速度、狂暴与重金属的卓越的吉他技法和演唱结合在一起,以其早期专辑参与创立了重金属音乐的一个分支。与 Metallica 或 Megadeth 不同的是,他们具有一种良好的意识,可以用幽默和现实主义来调节常常过于严肃紧张的音乐。
乐队最初的成员是,主要作曲者 Scott Ian（吉他手）、Danny Spitz（吉他手）、Dan Lilker（贝司手）、Neil Turbin（主唱）和 Charlie Benante （鼓手）。他们几人对滑板、连环画和纽约的硬核朋克音乐有共同的爱好,这使他们的早期作品深受影响。
1982 年乐队在一些小城镇进行了一次激动人心的巡演,之后,他们遇到了鞭笞金属教父 Johnny Z,他的 Megaforce 唱片公司与乐队签约并发行了《 Soldiers of Metal 》,迎合了当时当时摇滚乐迷们的口味。在 Johnny Z 的介绍下,乐队为 Manowar 和当时刚出道的 Metallica 做暖常1984 年乐队发行了首张专辑《 Fistful of Metal 》。其中的吉他演奏速度野蛮凶狠,歌曲名称也骇人听闻,但专辑未引起多大注意。不久以后,Lilker 离开 Anthrax 组建了 Nuclear Assault,Frank Bello 加入。这样的成员没有稳定几天,Turbin 被开除,先由 Matt Fallon 接替,而后又换为前 Bible Black 的成员 Joey Belladonna。
Belladonna 强有力的、歌剧式的演唱风格使 Anthrax 以后的作品具有前所未有的深度和光彩。1985 年,发行了现场版的小 LP 专辑《 Armed and Dangerous 》。其中改变自 The Sex Pistols 的名曲《 God Save the Queen 》成为乐队最受欢迎的现场演出作品。被大公司注意到后,1996 年乐队为 Island 唱片公司录制了下一张专辑《 Speading the Disease 》。该专辑使乐队步入主流,并实际上奠定了此后五年间的音乐基调。其中有些歌曲是金属音乐常用的题材,如核战争（Aftershock）、神话里的怪物（Medusa）,而像《 Madhouse 》、《 Lone Justice 》这样的歌曲使乐队获得了大批歌迷。
在 1987 年的专辑《 Among the Living 》里,Anthrax 的风格有了改变。在富有传奇色彩的制作人 Eddie Kramer 的指导下,他们制作出许多杰出的作品,如《 Indians 》、《 Skeleton in the Closet 》、《 I Am the Law 》等,这些歌曲许多取材于真人真事。该专辑在美国成为金唱片,在英国登上排行榜第 18 名,其中热门单曲《 I'am the Man 》登上英国榜第 20 名,其说唱风格运用得非常成功。
翌年,乐队的新专辑《 State of Euphoria 》使他们巩固了已有的商业成功。其中单曲《 Make Me Laugh 》登上英国排行榜第 26 名,但翻唱 Trust 的歌曲《 Anti-Social 》却显得不协调。
一场发生于乐队Yonkers 录音棚的大火是他们放慢了前进的脚步,这次事故毁坏了10 万美元的设备。1990 年,专辑《 Persistence of Time 》轻而易举地登上排行榜第 13 名,其中又有一首翻唱歌曲,Joe Jackson 的《 Got the Time 》成为单曲榜上的热门歌曲。由于乐队一直在进行说唱乐的尝试,他们同 Public Enemy 的 Chuck D 一起创作了歌曲《 Bring the Noise 》,并于1991 年发行了专辑《 Attack of the Killer Bs 》。该专辑混合了说唱歌曲、早期 SOD 的歌曲和B 面歌曲。
这些迹象表明,乐队开始不再是一个整体了。1990 年初的 Grunge 风潮使摇滚音乐经历着一个巨大的转变,同时重金属音乐也趋于流行化。在这种局面下,Belladonna 搞起了 Grunge,继而同他人合作。他最终离队,代之以技艺稍逊但作风硬朗的 John Bush。
到1993 年 Warner 公司发行专辑《 The Sound of White Noise 》时,乐队已经做出了最大限度的努力,以求吉他演奏更具当代风味。尽管该专辑登上《公告牌》排行榜第 7 名,但它并未达到在以前的努力下应得的高度。乐队想有所改变,但 Danny Spitz 的演奏风格和缺乏激情的舞台表现拖了其他人的后腿。他对乐队创作少有贡献,并且把自己排斥于乐队活动之外,这导致他 1995 年离开乐队。
尽管 1995 年 Anthrax 为 Warner 公司出的第二张专辑《 Stomp 442 》中的吉他分别由 Benante、Ian Dimebag、Darrell（Pantera 成员）和 Paul Crook（曾在 Belladonna 以前的乐队里弹吉他）弹奏,但这是他们迄今为止最好的专辑。在 Grunge 甚嚣尘上之时,他们仍旧保持着重金属的本色。Anthrax 是最不妥协的乐队之一。
Nearly as much as Metallica or Megadeth, Anthrax was responsible for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. Combining the speed and fury of hardcore punk with the prominent guitars and vocals of heavy metal, they helped create a new subgenre of heavy metal on their early albums. Original guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz were a formidable pair, spitting out lightning-fast riffs and solos that never seemed masturbatory. Unlike Metallica or Megadeth, they had the good sense to temper their often serious music with a healthy dose of humor and realism. After their first album, Fistful of Metal, singer Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello joined the lineup. Belladonna helped take the band farther away from conventional metal clichés, and over the next five albums (with the exception of 1988s State of Euphoria, where the band sounded like they were in a creative straitjacket), Anthrax arguably became the leaders of speed metal. As the 80s became the 90s, they also began to increase their experiments with hip-hop, culminating in a tour with Public Enemy in 1991 and a joint re-recording of PEs classic Bring the Noise. After their peak period of the late 80s, Anthrax kicked Belladonna out of the band in 1992 and replaced him with ex-Armored Saint vocalist John Bush — a singer that was gruffer and deeper, fitting most metal conventions perfectly. Subsequently, their sound became less unique and their audience shrank slightly as a consequence, and after signing to Elektra for 1993s Sound of White Noise, the group left the label after just one more album, 1995s Stomp 442. At that point, Anthrax — now a four-piece consisting of Ian, Bush, Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante — built their own studio in Yonkers, NY, and after a three-year hiatus returned with their Ignition label debut The Threat Is Real, Vol. 8. 1999 saw the release of Anthraxs very first hits collection, titled Return of the Killer As: The Best Of, also their first release for the Beyond label. The album included a cover of Ball of Confusion, which featured a duet between current frontman Bush and former vocalist Belladonna. A proposed tour that was to include both vocalists was announced, but on the eve of its launch, Belladonna pulled out, reportedly for monetary reasons. The tour carried on, as Anthrax signed on to participate in a package tour during the summer of 2000 with Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, but left the tour after only playing a handful of dates. Anthrax appeared on the Twisted Sister tribute album Twisted Forever in 2001 (covering the track Destroyer), and began recording their next album the same year. In addition, guitarist Ian found time to regularly host the metal television program Rock Show on VH1, plus he appeared as part of the fictional metal band Titannica in the film Run, Ronnie, Run. VH1 programming heads eventually replaced Ian with Sebastian Bach, but the band was ready to head back into the studio anyway. New guitarist Rob Caggiano joined in the spring of 2002, just in time for the recording. A year later, Anthrax made their Sanctuary debut with Weve Come for You All. The bands dynamic hadnt changed, and touring in support of that album was met with overwhelming success. The CD/DVD set Music of Mass Destruction: Live in Chicago, which arrived in spring 2004, celebrated Anthraxs two decades in the business. Then, in 2005, Anthraxs entire original lineup of Ian, Spitz, Belladonna, Benante, and Bello reunited for a tour and the CD/DVD retrospective Anhtrology: No Hit Wonders [1985-1991]. Anthrax also issued Alive 2, recorded during their summer 2005 reuninon tour.