Oh boy, get ready to dust off your battle jackets and dig out those air guitars, because ANTHRAX is teasing a new song during their Canadian tour with MEGADETH and EXODUS. That’s right, the thrash titans are finally giving us a little taste of what’s been cooking in their secret metal laboratory for the past decade. 🍲
Fan-filmed videos from Edmonton and Saskatoon show the band playing snippets that sound… well, like ANTHRAX. Shocking, I know. But hey, after 10 years of waiting for new material, I guess we’ll take what we can get. 🙄
The album, which is tentatively due in May (because metal bands love being vague about release dates), will be coming out via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe. Because why make it simple when you can confuse everyone with multiple labels?
Frank Bello, the band’s bassist and resident hype man, recently spilled some beans to Dan Coniglio from Long & McQuade. He’s “very proud” of the new material, which is “so heavy” and “really hard to play.” Wow, groundbreaking stuff there, Frank. Heavy and hard to play? In a metal album? Who would’ve thought? 😒
He also mentioned that Joey Belladonna‘s vocals are “killing it,” which I guess is good news unless you’re one of those fans who prefers the John Bush era. Sorry not sorry.
The creative process apparently involved a lot of back-and-forth, editing, and ego-checking. Because nothing says “thrash metal” like carefully crafting every detail and making sure everyone agrees. I’m sure Scott Ian and Charlie Benante had some passionate debates about whether that riff should go in the bridge or the chorus. The drama! The passion! The metal! 🤘
Speaking of Charlie Benante, he’s been popping up everywhere lately, talking about how amazing the new album is. He’s compared producer Jay Ruston to George Martin (because every metal band needs their own Beatles comparison), and he’s hyped about the album cover designed by some artist who worked with David Blaine. Because when I think “thrash metal,” I immediately think of magicians and conceptual art. Obviously.
The band has been around for 40 years now, which is longer than most marriages last these days. They’ve released 11 studio albums, been nominated for six Grammys (and lost every single time, but who’s counting?), and played thousands of shows. But hey, who needs commercial success when you have integrity and a dedicated fanbase that will wait a decade for new music?
So mark your calendars for May (or don’t, because it’ll probably get delayed), and get ready to hear what ANTHRAX has been working on since “For All Kings” came out in 2016. Will it be worth the wait? Will it reinvent thrash metal? Will it make you want to headbang until you throw your neck out? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, enjoy those 30-second teasers and try not to get too excited. We wouldn’t want you to have unrealistic expectations or anything. 😏
ANTHRAX: Keeping the thrash alive, one decade-long album cycle at a time. You’re welcome, metal fans. You’re welcome. 🙌
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
