ANTHRAX Singer JOEY BELLADONNA Is 'Totally Psyched' About Reunion

Tartarean Desire recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX frontman Joey Belladonna. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Tartarean Desire: What do you think of the criticism you guys received from people like [SLAYER's] Kerry King, who claims that ANTHRAX has chased trends too often, particularly with the recent inclusion of the pentagram symbol?

Joey Belladonna: "I don't even know where [the pentagram] came from. Y'know, when I got [back in the band] it was on the shirt and I don't really know where they originally got it. Although I think it's been changed a little bit recently..."

Tartarean Desire: Oh, I didn't even notice. Yeah, it's not really a pentagram anymore is it?

Joey Belladonna: "Yeah, y'know, at this point I've been with these guys so long, a lot of times things happen and I don't even know where or when they've happened. I just roll with it. And sure, there are times when I wonder [what happened], but then I can't really [say anything]. I don't know. I mean, I guess there's a lot of people using stuff like this, so it's really hard to differentiate, y'know?"

Tartarean Desire: I also read in an interview that you said you could or would have done a reunion without Dan [Spitz, guitar] or Frank [Bello, bass]. Did you mean to say that it didn't matter to you whether or not they came back, or were you just saying that if circumstances had proven more difficult for Dan and/or Frank that you would have been able to do it without them?

Joey Belladonna: "No, no. Someone asked me if I wanted to do the reunion and [asked] would I do it without Frankie and Danny. And I said, 'Yeah, I would love to do something with Scott [Ian, guitar] and Charlie [Benante, drums] or whoever.' But God, if Frankie and Danny wanted to play together in a band or something, I might do something with [just] those guys, too. Y'know, I'm with these guys in a very round about way, but of course I'd rather do it all together and of course I'm glad that [the reunion] happened this way."

Tartarean Desire: Gotcha. So in comparison to the earlier years of the band, are you enjoying yourself more or less [now]? Do you still get the same rush to be on stage and is it everything you remembered it to be?

Joey Belladonna: "Totally the same. In fact if anything, other than not knowing the future [of the reunited band recording together], or knowing where we stand [in terms of the reunion's longevity], I'm totally psyched about this whole thing because it's really neat to just pull it all back together. Plus we're one of the bands that's had the longevity and it would be a shame for us not to come out again [with another tour or a new album in this 'classic' lineup]. I think that's where everybody's coming from."

Tartarean Desire: Any developments concerning the future [like a new recording] or is it all still up in the air?

Joey Belladonna: "Well, I don't really know. It's always a possibility. I mean, I don't wanna rule it out, but it is gonna be.... Well, it would be very important to make sure that we all have the time and effort to sit down in a room and put something together, y'know? It would have to be pretty slammin', y'know. We could hack something together, but we're not gonna do that."

Read the entire interview at www.tartareandesire.com.