Megaforce After recently revealing the release date of their upcoming covers EP, Anthrax have unveiled the full track list for the release, along with the artwork for the cover of the CD (pictured on the left). Along with covers of Rush’s ‘Anthem,’ Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak,’ AC/DC’s ‘TNT,’ Cheap Trick’s ‘Big Eyes,’ Boston’s ‘Smokin” and Journey’s ‘Keep on Runnin’,’ two additional songs on the eight-track EP turn out not to be covers at all. Instead, Anthrax will offer fans the album version along with a special remix of ‘Crawl’ from the band’s latest full-length, ‘Worship Music.’ “These are all bands I grew up with and have listened to forever,” says vocalist Joey Belladonna . “It’s just great music. I had fun singing these songs and I was happy recording together with Anthrax, doing classic rock songs. Fun stuff!” Adds drummer Charlie Benante, “If ever there were a perfect first album, it’s Boston’s first album. The harmony leads they did would later be heard by Iron Maiden, which of course would lead to thrash metal.” Look out for ‘Anthems’ to be released on March 19. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dates-revealed-2013-metal-alliance-tour-anthrax-exodus-municipal-waste/” title=”Anthrax – 2013 Metal Alliance Tour Dates” align=”center”]
Photo by Matthew Rodgers Anthrax fans were dealt a surprise last week when guitarist Rob Caggiano announced his exit from the band . The thrash metal veterans, who have seen a resurgence in recent years, have yet to name Caggiano’s replacement, but that won’t stop fans from speculating who might join the band. We’ve come up with our own list of potential fill-in guitarist candidates and are seeking your opinion as to who you would like to see rocking with the boys. With the ‘Metal Alliance’ tour looming, the most obvious phone call might be placed to Dan Spitz, who held the lead guitarist position from 1983-1995 and then returned to the group from 2005-2007 during their ‘Among the Living’ lineup reunion trek. WIth Anthrax set to play ‘Among the Living’ in full on this tour, Spitz would be a logical choice. Anthrax could stay inside the thrash community for a pair of possibilities. With Metallica off the road and digging through Kirk Hammett ‘s riff catalog , could the guitarist be lured out to join his “Big 4″ buddies? And we know that Exodus ‘ Gary Holt has done an admirable job filling in for Anthrax pals Slayer during Jeff Hanneman ‘s recovery period from a bizarre spider-bite infection. He’s also well versed in the ways of thrash metal and could slide in for Anthrax in a pinch. The rest of our list has more to do with wishful thinking. For instance, Zakk Wylde ‘s name is almost always mentioned when a high profile metal guitarist opening comes up. And after serving under Ozzy Osbourne for years, we know he works well with metal royalty. We also know that Mark Tremonti grew up on thrash metal. As a musician who has juggled many projects successfully, we think he’d be able to join up with Anthrax between Alter Bridge sessions and Tremonti touring. And what about two prominent guitarists who are currently without bands? With Rage Against the Machine not recording or lining up performances, how about Tom Morello lending his slight of hand to Anthrax’s tracks? Meanwhile, there’s no talk yet of Disturbed regrouping and David Draiman seems committed to getting his Device project off the ground, so how about drawing Dan Donegan out of hiatus to rock with Anthrax. And our final suggestion is for Anthrax to pull a fellow New York legend out for some shows. Lou Reed already has experience working with thrash titans Metallica, so why not let him take a stab at it (so long as there’s no ‘Lulu’ prose laid over the top of ‘Indians’). There you have it, our dream list of potential guitarists for Anthrax’s upcoming tour. Who would you most like to see perform with the band? Let us know in the Readers Poll below: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/most-anticipated-2013-metal-tour-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: Most Anticipated Early 2013 Metal Tour” align=”center”]
Megaforce Breaking news from the legendary thrash metallers of Anthrax . Lead guitarist Rob Caggiano has left the band to focus on production work. Having joined Anthrax in 2001, Caggiano stuck with the New York thrash band until the group’s ‘Among the Living’ lineup reunited in 2005. However, Caggiano was brought back in 2007, remaining as Anthrax’s lead guitarist until now. The announcement comes as a big surprise, as Anthrax have been experiencing their greatest success in years on the heels of their critically acclaimed 2011 album, ‘Worship Music,’ which just yielded a Grammy nomination for the track ‘I’m Alive.’ Caggiano explains his departure in statement just released by the guitarist himself: I’m extremely proud of my time in Anthrax. Actually, that’s an understatement! We accomplished so many great things together over the years and I shared some of the best times of my life with these guys. As a band, we also weathered quite a few storms along the way. It’s been a wild ride (to say the least) from Day One and I wouldn’t change one single thing about the last 12 years. This is an extremely difficult and emotional decision for me to make but my heart is just steering me in a different direction right now. I’ve always been one to follow my heart in everything that I do and while this might be one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, it feels like the right one for me at this time. Scott, Charlie, Joey, Frankie (and John Bush) will always be part of my family and this decision doesn’t change the way I feel about that in the slightest. I would also like to say thanks to all the amazing fans I’ve met and hung out with worldwide over the years. You guys always were and always will be the reason why I make music! In this day and age, being a musician isn’t always easy -also an understatement- but the fans truly make it worthwhile for me. I hope to see each and every one of you again really soon. The fact that Anthrax is at the top of their game right now and totally ‘out for blood’ after all these years is a testament to this band’s longevity and conviction! I’m truly honored to have been a part of their brilliant legacy. As for this future, the former Anthrax shredder will continue his career as an in-studio producer: I can’t wait to get back in the recording studio again! Over the years, I’ve been blessed with the privilege of working with a wide range of great bands/artists from Anthrax and Cradle of Filth all the way to Bruce Springsteen, and I look forward to a hopeful continuation of that side of my career while I figure out my next move as an artist. BTW in case anyone was wondering after reading all of this, I do FULLY intend to get back out there on the road very soon in some way shape or form….it’s in my blood! Anthrax have also released their own statement, wishing their friend the best on his new path: Rob has been an integral part of Anthrax for so many years, as our lead guitarist, in a production capacity, but most of all, as our close friend. His contributions to the band have been enormous. While we are sad that he is leaving, we wish him nothing but great success going forward, and hope to share the stage with him again sometime down the road. With the Metal Alliance Tour on the horizon, we have been considering several lead guitarist options, and will be making an announcement on that shortly. Stay tuned for Anthrax’s decision on who will replace Caggiano on lead guitar for the 2013 Metal Alliance tour, along with Caggiano’s future plans as a producer. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dates-revealed-2013-metal-alliance-tour-anthrax-exodus-municipal-waste/” title=”Anthrax – 2013 Metal Alliance Tour Dates” align=”center”]
Photo by Matthew Rodgers Anthrax have just released a triumphant and in-depth video about their road from nearly calling it quits to gaining a Grammy nomination for ‘I’m Alive.’ The New York thrash masters have completed an incredible journey in the past few years, and according to the video, we all owe Lars Ulrich of Metallica a great debt. The introspective video begins with the story of how the very first ‘Big 4′ show was finally concocted. The video begins: “April 3, 2009: Challenges have brought Anthrax to the brink of an uncertain future… Charlie Benante , Scott Ian and Lars Ulrich are having a drink at a Cleveland bar just prior to Metallica’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lars suggests the idea of The Big 4: Metallica, Slayer , Megadeth and Anthrax in concert. It’s just the kick in the ass that Charlie and Scott need…” From there onward, the video documents vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoining the band on May 10, 2010, the recording of ‘Worship Music,’ the various ‘Big 4′ shows that were performed, the declaration of ‘Anthrax Day’ in the Bronx and even the fact that Anthrax became the first metal band in history to have their music played on Mars. Anthrax are now enjoying one of the peaks of their career and are now awaiting the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, where they will face formidable competition in the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category . Check out the story of Anthrax’s resurgence in the video below. Anthrax ‘I’m Alive’ Grammy Nomination Video
Metal Alliance Already boasting a stellar lineup, the 2013 Metal Alliance Tour has just gotten crunchier. Off the heels of releasing their latest full-length masterpiece, ‘De Vermis Mysteriis,’ Californian sludge masters High on Fire have hopped on board the third installment of the trek. This year’s tour is shaping up to be absolutely insane. The previously announced bill already consisted of thrash masters Anthrax , Exodus and Municipal Waste , with a bit of heavy metal peppered in thanks to Holy Grail. Now, High on Fire will round off the lineup a bit more while melting the walls of each venue they hit with their brand of time-traveling, hallucinogenic sludge. Last year, High on Fire were scheduled to invade the 2012 Mayhem Festival but backed out of the trek when frontman Matt Pike chose to enter rehab for alcohol issues. After completing treatment and taking a break from the road, High on Fire embarked on a solid club tour with Goatwhore , Primate and Lo-Pan at the tail-end of 2012, which we were lucky enough to check out on its Brooklyn, N.Y, stop . As previously reported, the 2013 Metal Alliance Tour will feature Anthrax performing their classic 1987 album ‘Among the Living’ album in full. Be sure to check out this tour, as it is definitely shaping up to be one of this year’s must-see events. Check out the entire list of tour dates here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/high-on-fire-hung-drawn-and-quartered-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”High on Fire – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images Right after Anthrax ‘s ‘I’m Alive’ was nominated for the 2013 Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance Grammy Award , we hopped on the phone with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante for a congratulatory conversation. Having been placed against Halestorm , Iron Maiden , Lamb of God , Marilyn Manson and Megadeth , Benante shared an excited and interesting perspective on the Grammys, both past and present. This is Anthrax’s fourth Grammy nod, the band’s first since their collaboration with Public Enemy, ‘Bring the Noise,’ was nominated in 1994. We asked Benante about past winners and if they deserved the golden gramophone, along with a b-sides and covers album that Benante says may be released in early 2013. Your Grammy opponents are pretty tough this year. You’re against Halestorm, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, Marilyn Manson and Megadeth. What are your thoughts on those artists? Well, this is a difficult question because some of the artists I don’t really listen to. Some of the artists I do know and listen to. With Megadeth and Maiden … we look up to Iron Maiden so much. If you took Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, the common denominator there would probably be Iron Maiden. In some way, shape, or form, we all kind of modeled our band with Iron Maiden in mind. Not just that band; there’s other bands but I’m saying they played a pretty big role in the shaping of those four bands. So to be nominated with Iron Maiden, it’s just f—ing awesome. Looking up your past nominations for the Grammys, the one thing that’s easy to spot is that all those nominations came when Joey Belladonna was on vocals. So to you, how essential is the performance of Joey when it comes to these nominations? Well, it’s the classic Anthrax sound when we were nominated prior. I couldn’t be happier with the way that this record [‘Worship Music’] came out and you know, it’s something that I touched on in the statement that we made was this record, more so than a lot of other records, there was so much blood, sweat and tears that went into this record and I don’t know if those other records that are nominated could say the same thing. I mean, I’m not taking anything away from those other recordings, but all I can say is that I know how much went into making our other record. When I saw that we were nominated it just kind of made everything, “Wow, all that hard work and we get noticed.” It made sense to me. It wasn’t just making another record, you know? It was a different thing, it was different experience and it was a life changing experience. The first Grammy you were nominated for was for ‘Persistence of Time’ and you were against Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller,’ which is incredible, Megadeth’s ‘Rust in Piece,’ which is amazing and Suicidal Tendencies, ‘Lights… Camera… Revolution!” But then the Grammy went to Metallica’s ‘Stone Cold Crazy.’ [Laughs] Yeah, I remember that! I think that was soon after the Metallica /Jethro Tull thing. It’s kind of funny where the Grammys have gone. I remember the first rap category, it wasn’t televised and there was a big uproar about that and then nowadays, there’s like three rap categories or more are on there and that are televised. It’s funny to see how it’s turned. It’s unfortunate that the metal one isn’t going to be televised though. Well, yeah. Take out one of those other categories and you know give (a category to metal) because I always said this: heavy metal and hard rock — the fans are the most loyal fans that really attach themselves to a genre of music. It’s not a fickle form of music. You can tell a metalhead walking in the street, you can tell what they are all about and it’s a lifestyle, it’s a way of life. It’s funny how people go that route and it’s how other people don’t go that route. I always found it kind of fascinating how I grew up listening to the Beatles and yet when I was in my teens, I latched onto that style of music, but I always kept the Beatles as my main sort of influence. So looking back on it your first Grammy nomination in 1991, who do you think should have won? I think Metallica should have won it for their ‘Black Album’ in 1992. I don’t agree with ‘Stone Cold Crazy,’ but you know, it’s hard to say who should have won. Of course I’ve got to pick myself, but it did include Megadeth and Judas Priest in there as well, those are all albums that went on to have legendary status. But, you know, look at the Grammys back in the day. Did the Beatles ever win or did Led Zeppelin win a Grammy at that time? Fun facts: Led Zeppelin have never won a Grammy and were only nominated once for Best New Artist in 1970. However, Zeppelin were given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2005. The Beatles won only five Grammys from 21 nominations during their active career. In 1995, Anthrax’s collaboration with Public Enemy, ‘Bring the Noise,’ went up against Megadeth’s ’99 Ways to Die,’ Pantera’s ‘I’m Broken,’ the Rollins Band’s ‘Liar,’ and the band who won that year was Soundgarden for ‘Spoonman.’ Do you think you guys should have won that year? I think Anthrax and Public Enemy should have won that year, but the people would have said, “No, because that’s not heavy metal.” But isn’t that what the Grammys are all about? You know, kind of branching out, different forms of music combining, different art forms? Anthrax and Public Enemy should have won the Grammy that year. That was definitely a strong piece of metal history. So when it comes to 2013, I’ve read that you guys would “like to” release an album sometime next year. Are there any solid plans right now for a 2013 album? The only thing that we’re working on right now, as far as a record, are some B-sides and some cover songs that we’ve been really, really enjoying making. It’s been a while, but it’s just because the band has been busy doing shows and stuff like that. [We’re covering] a lot of classic rock songs that we’ve just ingested throughout the years and shaped a lot of us and the musicians that we came to be. There’s a song by Boston, there’s a Rush tune, there’s a Cheap Trick tune, there’s a Thin Lizzy tune, there’s an AC/DC tune … We just said ‘F— it.’ These f—ing songs may be very popular, some of them may not be very popular, but we’re going to do it. That’s what we set out to do. So, this record will probably be out the beginning of the year. 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Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Anthrax bassist Frank Bello was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about the band’s journey and their success with their latest record ‘Worship Music,’ as well as the forthcoming re-release of the album. He also dished about being in the film ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ and much more. Read the full interview with Frank Bello below: The last couple of years have been a whirlwind for Anthrax – Joey Belladonna rejoined the band, you had the Big 4 shows, ‘Worship Music’ being released, a year long tour with Testament and Death Angel, how important has all of that been in setting up the future of Anthrax? You just said it – it’s all one. The Big 4 actually gave Anthrax a kick in the ass to really get going, we were working on songs – Scott [Ian], Charlie [Benante] and I and that made us really get back to being a serious band again. We were working and saying “We need to get a record out” and that made us finish the record. I tip my hat to Metallica for doing that for us. They didn’t have to put the Big 4 together and they did and it worked out really nicely and there’s a whole new fan base with that, which it great. Right now, you’re recording a few cover tunes for an expanded re-release of ‘Worship Music’ — like Journey, Boston, Rush – how have those bands influenced a faster, heavier band like Anthrax? Anthrax, we’ve done this stuff forever – those are our influences honestly, whether you want to take Journey and the melodic influences, great band, great musicians. I think it’s like a sponge thing like Boston, great harmonies, great vocals, great guitar. All of these things, these are the things we’ve grown up with and we would probably jam out sound check – we never really play Anthrax songs, music’s supposed to be fun and we play Anthrax for the set but it’s just so much fun to get it together. What we’ve always been known to do is to put these on a b-side and people just really dig it. I dig it – I did the Journey song yesterday, this is what we do and just the fun part about it is to hear the result. Joey [Belladonna] at times can sound like Steve Perry and I haven’t even heard his vocals on it and to hear him sing Boston – it’s going to be fun, I can’t wait to hear the finished product. This is special for the fans – you get the re-release yes but there’s always a little something different on top of it so I think it’s a special thing later on. What did it feel like for you guys to comeback with a new record in this time in terms of music and have it receive such high praise? You know what it is, after eight years first off – it was hard enough to get the record out just because getting management, lawyers out of the way all that garbage that gets in the way of music and personalities. We knew what we wanted Anthrax to be again the real deal so again I’ll go back to Big 4, it really gave us a kick in the ass to get back and really clear everything to go forward – ‘Worship Music’ we knew we had something special, we got Joey in on it and that was the cherry on top of it all. We’re fans of this music so we knew we had something good, thankfully the people, the fan base has taken on this record – this is our biggest selling record in a long time. It’s just done really well, thank God and thank the fans out there, great support- that’s why we’re still on tour. In three weeks we leave for a Motorhead tour – pretty much all sold out in Europe, which is crazy. Think about it, 30 years in, Jackie, who would have thought we’re still around – Anthrax, Motorhead in Europe selling out places, we’re very lucky, we’re humbled. It’s a really nice thing that’s going on and we couldn’t be happier, we’re stoked. I have to tell you a funny old school Anthrax story, I grew up in Jersey and in my backyard was the offices for Megaforce Records and when I was a kid – you know you don’t know what a record label does, you just assume that the bands are hanging out there and working there. I must have been 12 or 13 years old and a buddy of mine and I were like “Hey let’s go over and maybe Anthrax is hanging out” and we went into the Megaforce offices like “Hey what’s up is Anthrax here?” There were times where Scott and I and Charlie did go there. It’s funny because it was way out there too, in Jersey and they would be like “Just come by to the office” and I’m not driving from the Bronx to Jersey. There were times where we would get boxes of our stuff to give out to our families, plus all of the Metallica stuff we’d get that was for free if we went there. In ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ you play Richard Hell and you’ve done TV and other films too like ‘One Long Day.’ How does the rush of acting compare to the rush of playing music? It’s weird that you say that and thank you for mentioning it – it’s the same thing for me. It’s really like writing a song and I don’t want to talk acting nonsense but putting little pieces together like a chorus or verse and stuff like that, I like just being somebody else. I think it’s really cool to be somebody else so when you sink yourself into it, it’s just like a song, it’s this little life, you give a song life – it’s the same vibe in my gut that makes me feel good. I have a fire for this music, I’ve always had a fire for acting – who gives a f— about fame, it means nothing, we all know fame is bulls—. The whole thing of being a working actor really turns me on because it’s being somebody else for a little while. Being able to create gets something out of me that I need to get out – I don’t know what it is but it’s a lot of fun and I hope to do more, it was a blast. Compare to ten years ago, twenty years ago, what has been the best thing about being in Anthrax in 2012? Well right now it’s nice to be back and being accepted by not only our audience but there’s a new audience out there: 15-, 16-year-old kids. I got 15-year-old kids coming up to me saying “You’re an influence.” You don’t realize how good that feels – it’s something I’ve done right in my life and I’m very proud of it. It that kid could pick up a bass and feel the way I feel about it and make his day be a little bit better, that’s what it’s all about. It’s like passing the torch a little bit – we’ve been lucky, we’ve had a great time, if I could make somebody feel as good as the bass and music has made me feel that’s what it’s all about at this point. I feel like Anthrax is finally getting the recognition you guys deserve after all of these years, working so hard and putting out music and touring the hell out of your records. I congratulate you guys and I think it’s finally your time. Thank you, well and you know, Jackie people like you and this isn’t a kiss ass – the truth of the matter is we know our friends and people like you have supported the band forever and have been with us along this ride, peaks and valleys. There are no angels in this band, we know you have good times, you have lean times, there have been a lot lean times but it’s good to be back in this kind of way right now. We don’t know where it’s going to go – we hope it goes further but we’re taking it day to day, it’s a good vibe. There’s a metal thing going on right now, there’s a resurgence that we all know is here so we’re very happy to be part of it. We’re humbled that we are still a part of it – 30 years in, come on, we’re having a great time, we’re more relevant than ever, people love this record. For people to say this is our finest work – which we’ve heard in a lot of reviews and thank you for that, God that’s all you could really ask. That means it’s relevant and it made people feel a certain way and that’s what matters. It really got people listening again and we’re ready for it. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed on her next show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .