ANTHRAX Guitarist Is 'Excited' About Rumored Tour With METALLICA, SLAYER And MEGADETH

September 8, 2009

MetalMachine.net conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian this past weekend. The chat, which focuses primarily on Ian's upcoming two-issue Lobo comic for DC, Lobo: Highway To Hell, that is being drawn by artist Sam Kieth for release this November, can be viewed at this location.

Regarding ANTHRAX's current status, Ian said, "We're playing the Loud Park festival in Tokyo [Japan] on October 17 with John Bush singing, and that's what's going on with ANTHRAX right now. There's really nothing else to say. John [who sang for ANTHRAX from 1992 until 2005] came back and did the Sonisphere show in England, and there was like 60 or 70 thousand people there losing their minds. [It was] our first time back on stage together in four years, and I would have to say, probably the best show I've ever played in the history of this band. There was so much emotion and so much energy and such an unbelievable wave of positive feeling from that audience at that show. Everything clicked, it was completely seamless, and it was like we had played with him the day before. It was just so amazing to have my partner back. And now John is committed to doing the show in Tokyo on October 17. And we're just taking things as they come at this point. I look at it this way: If it means that eventually we're back and this is the lineup again — from 'We've Come For You All' — then I'm a very happy person."

Ian also commented on the rumor that stemmed from a recent interviewSLAYER guitarist Kerry King gave to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine in which King stated has heard through the grapevine that METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich is plotting a tour that would include METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. Scott said, "There's this big rumor that we're gonna do METALLICA, ANTHRAX, SLAYER and MEGADETH next summer in Europe, and this is supposedly coming from the METALLICA camp. So whether it's true or not, I'm really excited about it, and I'll say right now that we will absolutely do it. So we're in. [laughs]"

Professionally filmed video footage of ANTHRAX performing the song "Safe Home" with John Bush at U.K.'s Sonisphere festival on August 1, 2009 can be viewed below.

ANTHRAX parted ways with singer Dan Nelson in July due to what has been described as "personal differences." As a result, the band canceled 10 European shows and pulled out of a U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT which was scheduled to take place in August and September.

ANTHRAX's manager, Izvor Zivkovic of Split Media, told BLABBERMOUTH.NET on July 21 that the band's new album, "Worship Music", which was previously due in Europe on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Records, will now be "pushed back to a later date." According to Ian, Dan Nelson's tracks will most likely be erased from the CD, which was recently mixed at a New Orleans studio by Dave Fortman (a former member of UGLY KID JOE who has also worked with artists such as MUDVAYNE, EVANESCENCE).

Scott Ian talking to MetalMachine.net about what's next for ANTHRAX:

ANTHRAX at U.K.'s Sonisphere:

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