New Anthrax Album Gets Release Date

Anthrax’s new album, Worship Music, is tentatively due out on September 13 in the U.S. and September 12 in Europe. The metal titans will put out the record on Megaforce Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records overseas, according to Blabbermouth.net.

The album has been in the works for more than a couple years. Originally, the band worked with singer Dan Nelson, but those tracks were scrapped when Joey Belladonna returned to the group. As it happens, Worship Music will be the first Anthrax album to feature Belladonna on vocals in two decades.

“Some of the songs we tweaked, some of the songs we did more than tweak,” Anthrax’s drummer Charlie Benante said to Revolver magazine. “Some we started from scratch, and some were written just for this album.”

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Anthrax Guitarist Talks Touring Without Scott Ian

Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano said it’s going to be weird when the band tours this summer without band founder, guitarist and figurehead Scott Ian. Scott’s taking some time off because he and his wife are expecting a child. Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser will be filling in.

“Yeah, we've known Andreas for a long time,” Caggiano told GeeksofDoom.com. “He’s a great guitar player. It’s definitely going to be a little strange having an Anthrax show without Scott Ian. But I think Andreas is definitely going to pull it off and it's going to be fun. I mean, it is what it is; Scott’s having a baby, we’ve got to understand and respect that.”

Caggiano also talked about the group’s forthcoming album, Worship Music.

“Worship Music is going to be a crushing Anthrax record. It’s got all the elements,” he said. “There’s moments where it has the spirit of [1987’s] Among the Living, at the same time it’s also a progression from [2003’s] We’ve Come For You All, certain aspects.”

He said a key component to the album was the band’s reunion with vocalist Joey Belladonna.

“Joey sounds phenomenal on the record, so excited about it,” Caggiano said. “All of us have been working on these songs for so long, this record’s taking forever! But it’s great to actually finally hear a lot of these tunes finished and with the right vocalist singing! [Laughs]”

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Slash, Slayer, Anthrax and Korn Pay Tribute to Metallica

One of the most important bands of the metal era is Metallica. The Bay Area rockers have sold in excess of 100 million albums worldwide since their 1983 debut, Kill ’Em All. Recently, ArtistDirect.com asked some of rock’s biggest artists when they first discovered Metallica and what the band means to them. Here are some highlights:

Slash: “I first discovered Metallica when they came out with their first EP. Metallica has always been one of my favorite heavy metal bands. I think that they are one of the most versatile metal bands that came out in the ’80s. They are also one of the most creative. I think that James Hetfield is one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists to ever walk this earth.”

Kerry King (Slayer): “I imagine it was at The Woodstock in Orange County, when Dave Mustaine was in the band. I instantly became a fan. I couldn’t believe Mustaine was ripping these incredible leads way back then and not even looking at his fingers. I’m still [expletive] looking at my fingers. [Laughs] There were no records then; it was just seeing them. I think Metallica might’ve just been on the Metal Massacre compilation or something.”

Scott Ian (Anthrax): “I was actually at Johnny Z’s record store, Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven, in New Jersey. He played me the No Life ’Til Leather demo, so that was the first time I had ever heard any Metallica. It was pretty mind-blowing to hear for the first time. One of the coolest feelings about hearing it was just knowing there was another band out there on the West Coast that had the same mindset. Certainly, we didn’t sound alike at the time. Just the fact that they were playing their own music and had their own thing going on was how we felt about what we were doing as Anthrax in New York.”

Jonathan Davis (Korn): “I first heard them on either Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning. I was at my buddy’s house, and this guy came over and said, ‘You’ve got to hear this [expletive]!’ I was 14 years old or something; I can’t even remember how old I was. [Laughs] This dude put Metallica on, and I was like, ‘Wow, what the hell is that?’ They’re one of my favorite bands. I look up to them. They’ve been doing it for so long. That’s truly the band I look up to – them and Ozzy Osbourne. We’ve also toured with Metallica a bunch; it’s [expletive] awesome!”

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