ANTHRAX's SCOTT IAN: Why I Love Touring With SLAYER

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has told BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter" that he initially connected with the members of SLAYER nearly three and a half decades ago at a concert on the East Coast. "The first time we met, we were all hanging out at a MERCYFUL FATE show at L'Amour [in Brooklyn]; it would have been late '84, early '85-ish," he recalled. "They were in town, and I remember a bunch of beers, certainly with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals], I remember specifically having beers with them. And then the first time I saw them [perform] would have been right around that time too, I think at L'Amour in Brooklyn, and yeah, they were great. I'm pretty sure that's the show my brother broke his nose in the pit; he got slammed across the face [and was] bleeding and [he] left the pit. I went to check on him, and he's, like, 'My nose is broken,' and then five minutes later, he was back in the pit. I remember it being a great show and everyone in New York being very excited to see those guys."

Ian went on to say that SLAYER was "probably the last band" that he got in the moshpit for." I'm thinking even into the 2000s at some point, I think I still got in the pits for SLAYER; they were like the last band," he said. "I just couldn't control myself."

Scott said that he's had a fantastic time supporting SLAYER on the legendary thrash band's final world tour. "A lot of people have asked, 'Was there a weird vibe out there?' because it's part of the 'goodbye' tour and all this," he said. "And I'm, like, 'No.' There's no melancholy on a SLAYER tour; it just doesn't exist. It feels like any other tour we've ever done together; every band is just bringing their best every night. It sounds cliché to say that, but I think there's something about playing with a band like SLAYER, playing with a band like [IRON] MAIDEN — there's a short list of bands I could say that certainly give you that extra kick in the ass knowing that you're sharing the stage with these guys; like, you'd better be on fire. That's why I love touring with SLAYER, because it really keeps me focused. And I get to see SLAYER 30 more times."

This past January, SLAYER announced that it would do one last concert tour around the globe to thank its fans for all of their support over the years.

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "For All Kings", which came out in Februayr 2016. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the band experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".