Ex-VOLBEAT/ANTHRAX Guitarist ROB CAGGIANO Is 'Excited' About His Future

In a new interview with I Ask No One With Kevin Re LoVullo, former VOLBEAT and ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano was asked about his current activities. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[I'm] just keeping busy, doing a lot of recording, writing, all kinds of stuff. There's a couple of things I can't really talk about yet, but there is a young artist that I've been working with working with for a minute now. We're about to start releasing stuff. His name is Grant Dawson. It's like a pop/alternative type of vibe. I've been writing songs with him and recording, producing him for a little bit now, but we're finally ready to start putting stuff out. So I'm pretty excited about that. But besides that, yeah, I've been doing a lot of stuff. [I've been] keeping busy. [I've been] just experimenting in the studio with musical ideas and recording techniques and all kinds of stuff. [I've] just been having a lot of fun lately. But, yeah, you'll see me out there at some point. [Laughs]"

Regarding what he is looking forward to most before he turns 50 in 2026, Rob said: "Yeah, just, I guess, figuring out my next adventure, musically speaking. And, yeah, I'm excited for the future.

"A lot of people, I guess, fear the unknown or however you wanna say it, but there's something really exciting to me about — the world of possibilities is something that I find really intriguing and exciting," he added. "So, yeah, I'm looking forward to everything the future brings."

Caggiano's exit from VOLBEAT was officially announced on June 5, 2023. He has since been replaced on the road by Flemming C. Lund (THE ARCANE ORDER).

On June 12, 2023, Rob — who played on VOLBEAT's last four studio albums: 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", 2016's "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie", 2019's "Rewind, Replay, Rebound" and 2021's "Servant Of The Mind" — issued a statement in which he said he was "extremely proud of everything" he and how now-former bandmates "accomplished together over the last 10 years."

As for why his time with VOLBEAT had come to an end, Rob said: "Sometimes relationships simply run their course. Sometimes certain obstacles, people or circumstances get in the way of the greater good. Sometimes people change and priorities shift. Sometimes it's unavoidable. We had a very special undeniable magic together as a band. It's not something that comes around too often in this life and it's not something to be taken lightly. I certainly do not. However, while this is really a very emotional time for me I'm also extremely excited about what lies ahead in the future. Lots of exciting things happening right now. I really couldn't be more fired up!!"

An acclaimed musician, songwriter and producer, Caggiano joined ANTHRAX as lead guitarist in 2001, appearing on 2003 album "We've Come For You All" and 2004's "The Greater Of Two Evils". He was onstage with the band during the famous 2010-2011 "Big Four" tour alongside SLAYER, MEGADETH and METALLICA, and he played on and produced ANTHRAX's 2011 critically acclaimed album "Worship Music".

Over the years, Caggiano has also garnered five Grammy nominations as a record producer/guitarist and has worked with a very wide range of artists including CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX, VOLBEAT, THE DAMNED THINGS, H20, Jesse Malin and even Bruce Springsteen.

When Caggiano was enlisted as producer for Danish heavy rock quartet VOLBEAT in early 2013, the collaboration was so phenomenally successful that he was quickly invited to join the band as well. The resulting album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", achieved major chart success on both sides of the Atlantic, as did "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie".

In a 2022 interview with Metalshop TV, Caggiano spoke about how he went from his previous gig with ANTHRAX to producing the VOLBEAT album "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" to joining the Danish band as their guitarist. He said: "I decided to leave ANTHRAX back then because I kind of felt like… At that point I had been in the band for a long time, and I kind of felt like my role in the band ran its course, so to speak. And I just kind of felt like I was hitting my head up against a glass ceiling a long time. And it just felt like I needed a change. I wasn't feeling inspired. Don't get me wrong — I love those guys and I loved every minute of my time with them. It was such an amazing, wild ride. But I just felt like I needed to do something else at that time. And the VOLBEAT thing just happened, and it was organic, and it felt right. So, here I am."

Regarding what it was about VOLBEAT's music that appealed to him, Rob said" "I think for me, the thing with VOLBEAT, it's like a mixture of all the sounds that I like. [Laughs] It's a lot of stuff that I grew up listening to all wrapped into one package. When I first VOLBEAT, I heard the MISFITS, I heard METALLICA, I heard a little bit of the RAMONES… There's some SLAYER-vibe riffs. There's just a lot of different stuff. And it's all fun — it's a lot of fun; the music is a lot of fun. And it definitely connects with a lot of people. That's why I do it."