Review: Alien Ant Farm – ANThology

The tale of Alien Ant Farm oddly doesn’t begin with ANThology. The band formed in 1996 and would release two EPs leading up to their first full-length record in 1999 that they anointed Greatest Hits. After forming a friendship with Papa Roach due to playing similar music circuits in Los Angeles, California, Alien Ant Farm would eventually sign a Dreamworks Records imprint known as New Noize to begin re-tooling their major label debut of ANThology with the Infest producer, Jay Baumgardner. The set was introduced by the lead single of “Movies” that came out January 2001, but the record wouldn’t fully take off until the Michael Jackson cover of “Smooth Criminal” dominated the rock airwaves that Summer. The rest of the tunes that make up ANThology are really strong for a debut LP, and highlighted the quirky magic of Alien Ant Farm and their captivating front-man, Dryden Mitchell. While the band may be best known for their breakthrough cover of a Michael Jackson song, ANThology deserves another look on its 25th anniversary.