Fistful of Metal is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Anthrax, released in January 1984 by Megaforce Records in the US and Music for Nations internationally. It includes a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen". This is the band's only album to feature vocalist Neil Turbin and bassist Dan Lilker.

Background

Bassist Danny Lilker and guitarist Scott Ian were the original founders of the band, but singer Neil Turbin fired Lilker shortly after the release of the album, without Ian's permission. As his replacement, the band hired drummer Charlie Benante's nephew, Frank Bello, who has played on every Anthrax album since. Turbin had contributed song ideas, lyrics, titles and arrangements to the majority of songs on the album, as well as three songs from the second album Spreading the Disease, but Ian and Benante, who played guitar in addition to drums, felt they needed tighter control on the songwriting. Due to a songwriting partnership between Ian and Benante, with Ian writing all the lyrics and Benante writing the music, Turbin was released from the band. Music journalist Eddie Trunk stated: "Early on, I told Johnny Z that what I didn't like about Anthrax was singer Neil Turbin's vocals." He admits in his writing to pressuring Johnny Zazula and Anthrax into firing Turbin from the band.