ANTHRAX: New Album Completed

June 30, 2011

ANTHRAX's long-awaited new album, "Worship Music", will be released on September 13 through Megaforce Records (one day earlier internationally via Nuclear Blast Records).

In a brand new Twitter post, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian writes, "'Worship Music' is finished. I just listened to it LOUD in sequence. Our 10th studio record is fucking killer. Sept 13 my friends!"

"Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't", a brand new song from ANTHRAX, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track is also available for free download at this location.

Not only is "Worship Music" ANTHRAX's first studio release in eight years, but the album marks the return of vocalist Joey Belladonna, whose last full-length studio work with the band was 1990's "Persistence of Time". Belladonna is now firmly back in the ANTHRAX lineup with drummer Charlie Benante, guitarists Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, and bassist Frank Bello.

The 11-track "Worship Music" was produced by ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano and Jay Ruston and recorded over a four-year period at studios in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Belladonna's return to the band prompted some of the songs originally recorded to be re-crafted with fresh lyrics or tweaked to better suit his overall vibe and energy. Some of the songs were completely replaced with brand-new songs and, of course, all have Belladonna's inimitable vocal stamp on them.

"Worship Music" is loaded with stand-out tracks. While "Judas Priest" is a nod to the huge influence that band has had on the members of ANTHRAX and metal heads everywhere. "I'm Alive" is beautiful and grand with a build that demands audience participation. "Crawl" is dark and moody, and filled with a lot of the emotion and stress the band was feeling when it was written. "Fight 'em 'til You Can't" is a song about killing zombies, and who doesn't love a good zombie song? It's the one new track that ANTHRAX has played live since they started touring with Belladonna a year ago, and has been getting tremendous audience response. The song "Earth on Hell" is classic ANTHRAX thrash. "The Devil You Know" is best-described as "an AC/DC groove filtered through an ANTHRAX lens," while "In The End" is epic-sounding and ANTHRAX's way of remembering the late Ronnie James Dio and Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser will fill in for ANTHRAX axeman Scott Ian at 11 ANTHRAX shows in July while Ian spends time with his family following the birth of his first child.

The first shows that Scott will play with ANTHRAX after his "paternity leave" will be the July 23 Heavy T.O. festival in Toronto, Ontario and July 24 Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec (both in Canada).

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

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

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