ANTHRAX Bassist On New Album: 'I Haven't Been This Stoked In A While!'

Niclas Mller-Hansen of Sweden's Metal Shrine blog recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Shrine: I'm just wondering, since I've read a bit about the new album ["Worship Music"], how much of it was all new stuff that you did with [returning ANTHRAX singer] Joey [Belladonna]?

Frank: We pretty much erased everything from the past. Scott [Ian, guitar], Charlie [Benante, drums] and I wrote these songs a while back. The good thing with having all this time is that you can pick and choose different parts. For Joey, we took out lyrics and melodies that we didn't want from the past and everything was Charlie, Scott and I with the band and I tell you, man, I haven't been this psyched about a record We just got the masters the other day and it's a great fucking time when you're finally finished after eight years. Listening to it I was like, "Oh, fuck, man, I really can't wait to play this shit!" Everybody says that, but I really I think we could play every song on this record if we wanted to. A friend of ours from a magazine in Germany heard the whole record at a listening party and he compared it to certain records, but he said it sounds new and fresh and that's what I wanna hear. It sounds new and fresh and I think it's definitely what we want and I think it's what people are looking for. I don't think anybody's gonna be disappointed! I'm fucking I haven't been this stoked in a while!

Metal Shrine: Yeah, I've heard "Fight 'Em Til You Can't" and it just brought me back. It's got classic ANTHRAX and there's new stuff to it as well and it sounds really good live.

Frank: Thank you! With [ANTHRAX fill-in guitarist] Andreas [Kisser of SEPULTURA], he's a good friend of ours and obviously the right guy for the right job and Scott just had the baby. We're all family and this whole tour is family, man! That's what's great about the "Big Four." Everybody talks about metal, but we talk about families because that's where we're at in our lives. This music is still intense. Andreas, man I had jammed with him before and when Scott was having his baby, he was the right guy and he also brings an intensity to the stage. I'm really stoked and it's a different part of ANTHRAX again. It's the only time Scott hasn't played with ANTHRAX for all these years. It's kind of cool! We were rehearsing the other day for this tour and Scott was on Skype holding the baby and watching us. (laughs) It was so surreal just watching it.

Metal Shrine: This new album, have you produced it yourselves?

Frank: It's ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano and Jay Ruston. Do you know who that is?

Metal Shrine: No.

Frank: I tell you, Jay was the missing link for ANTHRAX because he really worked with Joey really well. Coming into this stuff, Joey rose to the occasion and people are gonna freak out when they hear Joey's voice! Raising to this level with this intensity in the music, I think Joey, where he left off, I think he took it to another level. I'm really psyched of what he did. I'm telling you, dude, I'm really psyched of what he did! Next time I see you, you tell me! It's a good record and the whole fucking thing I'm just psyched!

Metal Shrine: What made you pick "Fight 'Em Till You Can't" to be the first song that you unveiled?

Frank: It says ANTHRAX! Like you said, it sounds like ANTHRAX. I think it has all the elements of old and new ANTHRAX and the way Joey sang it. It's just a little taste and I can't wait for people to hear the other stuff, because if this is like this, wait till you hear the other stuff. There's a song called "In The End" and the first song on the record god I just can't wait!

Metal Shrine: And "Worship Music", the title, where did you get that from?

Frank: It's all about worshipping! This is what we do and it's been eight years. You gotta be in on it, you gotta love it and worship it and then it comes to this! I just think we're lucky enough to make a living doing this, for a long time. We're playing Yankee Stadium, guys from the Bronx! Selling out Yankee Stadium, it's ridiculous! A tribute to METALLICA and this isn't kissing ass! These guys have been my friends forever and I've always loved them. They didn't have to do this, but they did because they believe in it and I love 'em for it! We're having a general good time this whole fucking tour, man! Everyone gets a long and it's all good!

Read the entire interview from Metal Shrine blog.

"Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" audio stream: