ANTHRAX Guitarist: 'From Day One, All I Ever Wanted To Do Was Play With Other People'

January 6, 2017

Hit The Pit's Eric Yelowitz and Chuck Meyers recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked how he gets so much energy to put into his live performances, Ian said: "I just really enjoy playing. From day one, all I ever wanted to do was play with other people — like be in a band — and then be able to have that band play in front of people. So that's my favorite part of being in band — my time on stage. I don't really need much motivation more than that — just the idea of standing in front of people who are there to see you do your thing, that's all I need. And even if they're not there. I mean, when we were first starting, it's not like anybody was at our shows, and I was the same way onstage. So, for me, it's all about just really being there with my band and getting onstage, and we start a song. It's kind of involuntary. It's just who I am as a person and how the music moves me."

Regarding what ANTHRAX does to "stay so up with the times in this ever-changing music scene," Ian said: "We don't do anything. [Laughs] We're just ANTHRAX. We don't do anything. We just write the best songs we can. We make records, and we try and be the best live band we can be. There's no playbook for this, being in a band. Or if there is, somebody neglected to send us one. But we don't do anything. We're just ANTHRAX."

ANTHRAX will embark on its first full European headline tour in more than a decade in February. All shows will see the band celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of its classic "Among The Living" by performing the LP live in its entirety along with fan favorites from throughout the band's rich 35-year career.

In support of this upcoming trek, ANTHRAX will release a limited tour edition of its latest studio album, "For All Kings", on February 17. In addition to the regular album, it will include "Vice Of the People" (previously only available in Japan) as well as a bonus disc of demo versions of several of the album's songs.

"For All Kings" sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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