ANTHRAX Guitarist Thinks 'Big Four' Tour Will Eventually Be 'A Worldwide Adventure'

METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — will play together for the first time in history tonight (Wednesday, June 16) at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland.

Commented ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian: "This is a metal fan's dream.

"Looking at this, not only as one of the bands playing on the show, which is fucking awesome, but from the point of view of a fan of SLAYER and MEGADETH and METALLICA, I just think it's the best show.

"The guys in the bands have all been talking about the possibility of this tour happening for probably 20 years.

"When we did Clash of the Titans in the states in 1991 with ANTHRAX, SLAYER and MEGADETH, we said, 'God, if only we had METALLICA on this, it would be the ultimate tour of all time.' And here we are in 2010 for what is for me the ultimate metal show.

"It's an unbelievable thing for someone to come see this and the fans should know that the bands are just as excited about it as they are.

"The idea of getting on that stage tonight in front of the that giant crowd in Poland and representing the big four as the first one up, I feel we have a responsibility to be the best ANTHRAX we've ever been. I think all the bands feel that way and have a huge sense of gratitude to the audiences coming to see this.

"The bottom line is that a lot of genres of music come and go. We've seen a lot come and go over the past 27 years. But what we do, we keep doing because of the fans and that means so much to us that the music we make still means so much to so many people around the world.

"The rest of the world is clamoring for shows.

"Whether we do the U.S. is out of hands. That's a METALLICA question. For this [European run of dates], we kept hearing the rumors and I kept calling Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] and he kept denying it and then one time he finally said, 'Yes, it's going to happen, but don't say anything.' I think it's going to be the same with other territories. We're already hearing rumors about other places in the world. And I think eventually it will be a worldwide adventure."

The first photo of all the members of the four bands (minus SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman) hanging out in a room together, apparently taken yesterday (Tuesday, June 15),can be viewed below.

These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement to dominate the metal world in the 1980s, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. The metal giants have never before all shared the same stage, despite huge demand.

A second "Big Four" appearance is planned for Sonisphere Switzerland two days after the Warsaw concert, with more Sonisphere shows featuring the awesome combo to follow.

The "Big Four" concert on June 22 in Sofia, Bulgaria will find its way to the U.S. via a satellite broadcast. That day's show, as part of the Sonisphere festival, will be beamed to more than 450 movie theatres in more than 140 markets in the U.S., along with cities in Europe, Canada and Latin America.

The concert will be broadcast to theatres in high definition. Delayed screenings are planned for Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

METALLICA's Lars Ulrich said in a statement, "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's 'Big Four' would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theater near you in high definition (for better or worse??!!). Bring it on!"

Gazeta.pl's Polish-language video report on today's historic concert can be viewed below.

Click here for a bigger version of the photo below.