Guitarist ROB CAGGIANO: ANTHRAX 'F*cked Up' By Reuniting With BELLADONNA, SPITZ

Anthrax Reunion Bashing Club has published what appears to be a world-exclusive interview with (former?) ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano about the band's reunion of the classic "Among the Living" lineup and his current standing in the group. A few excerpts from the question-and-answer session follow:

Reunion Bashing Club: What is your opinion on the Reunion Bashing Club site and do you agree with its content?

Rob: "I think the RBC is great!!! I do share a lot of the same opinions as the RBC. I also think it's hysterical that this website actually exists. As far as ANTHRAX goes... they fucked up! The band should have made a new record with [vocalist John] Bush and myself instead of doing this reunion thing. I feel like ANTHRAX lost a lot of momentum by doing this and they also made it a lot harder for anyone to take them seriously as far as 'new' music is concerned. They became a 'nostalgia' act. When I was in the band, we were playing sold-out shows all over the world and the audiences were always packed with young kids! These same young kids would be singing every word of 'What Doesn't Die', 'Safe Home' or any of the 'We've Come for You All' stuff... going nuts!!! It really felt like the band was building its fan base up again. It was proof that after 20 years, ANTHRAX was still relevant in the ever-changing world of heavy metal! This was especially true in Europe, where the band actually had a 'real' record label working the record. Unfortunately the label situation in America for ANTHRAX has been screwy since they left Elektra years ago. The record sales have no correlation to the quality of music (it's like that for most music out there today). I also think the band has been mismanaged since the day they fired Johnny Z but that's a different story altogether... haha."

Reunion Bashing Club: When did you first heard about the ANTHRAX reunion and what were your first thoughts of it?

Rob: "I was actually there when Charlie [Benante, drums] called [vocalist Joey] Belladonna so I knew about it very early on. It was supposed to be a tour of the two lineups but John Bush wasn't into that idea... I don't blame him!! I wasn't into that idea either. Is this a killer metal band or a fucking cheesy Las Vegas act?"

Reunion Bashing Club: According to what you know or think, what was the real reason for ANTHRAX reunion?

Rob: "I think there are a few different reasons for this reunion. I think it boils down to the people that surround this band for the most part, though... It all boils down to money. I'm sure the management is making a lot of money off this circus. One thing is for sure: the 'music' wasn't the reason for the reunion! So I guess that would make all the other reasons.... wrong!! Right?"

Reunion Bashing Club: Do you feel that you and John "got screwed" or not?

Rob: "I feel like this whole thing was handled very poorly from day one. In the beginning of this whole mess, Scott [Ian, guitar] told the press that 'John Bush and Rob Caggiano are still part of the ANTHRAX family.' … OK, cool, if that's the case, why do we have zero presence on the ANTHRAX website? If I was a kid that didn't know anything about ANTHRAX and I went onto the website today, I would have absolutely no idea that John Bush ever existed! He was in the fucking band for 13 years!!!!! Now I'm getting pissed off... Next question!"

Reunion Bashing Club: Scott has stated a few times (even after the reunion happened) that you were the best lead guitar player for ANTHRAX. Do you feel flattered?

Rob: "Of course I feel flattered! ANTHRAX has been my favorite band for as long as I can remember so it was an absolute honor to share the stage with them every night. Having said that, I feel like all the things about ANTHRAX that drew me in over the years and made them my 'favorite band'... seem to be gone now!! The attitude, the passion, the fire, the inventiveness,....gone! A band that always did everything from the heart.... gone! I'm truly baffled by all of this."

Reunion Bashing Club: Have you paid your CDC membership yet?

Rob: "OK, I have to put in a few digs here. This also goes back to what I said earlier about this whole thing not being handled properly from the start... Have you seen the CDC website? Is it just me or do those guys sound like they're reading from fucking cue-cards? This is my biggest problem with the whole reunion thing... Everything just looks and sounds so fucking contrived! It's the total opposite of everything ANTHRAX has stood for since their first record!!!! ANTHRAX was always a 'cutting-edge' metal band that never gave a fuck what anyone else thought as long as they were happy themselves. It's that very attitude that kept this band alive for over 20 years! They were always steps ahead of every other metal band musically as well... Now they've taken about 2,005 steps backwards! for example: I've known Charlie, Scott, and Frankie [Bello, bass] for a long time now and not once has anyone mentioned anything about anthrax vaccines in the fucking military!! What the hell are they talking about with that shit? That's an extremely poor attempt at getting some publicity!! I wish Scott and Charlie could just step out of their own skins for a day and look at the fucking mess they're making! The fans really do see through all this bullshit. Don't forget, I'm a fan myself."

Read the entire interview at ReunionBashers.com.