ANThology

Alien Ant Farm’s ANThology is the California band’s 2001 major-label debut, a tightly produced 13-track album that places alternative metal and nu metal riffs alongside melodic, pop-punk-leaning hooks. Produced by Jay Baumgardner and issued through DreamWorks/New Noize, it captures the turn-of-the-millennium rock-radio sound without committing entirely to one style: distorted guitars and forceful rhythm sections support Dryden Mitchell’s agile vocals, which can shift from tense and abrasive to tuneful and vulnerable. The album runs about 55 minutes and opens with the energetic “Courage,” establishing its balance of muscular heaviness and accessible melody.

Its defining moment is the band’s fast, crunchy, highly recognizable cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” which turned Alien Ant Farm into an international mainstream presence. But ANThology is more than its cover: “Movies,” “Attitude,” “Wish,” “Calico,” and “Stranded” showcase a band with a knack for memorable choruses, emotional unease, and occasional shifts into more reflective territory. The closing “Universe/Orange Appeal” expands the record’s scope with a longer, more atmospheric finish. The album’s commercial reach was substantial—peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and earning platinum certification in the United States, among other territories—making it a durable artifact of early-2000s alternative rock.