Opinion: ANTHRAX's Association With SLAVE TO THE METAL FOUNDATION Is Disturbing

Shawn Macomber of www.returnoftheprimitive.com has issued the following report:

I'm not going to pretend that the reunion of the classic ANTHRAX line-up — responsible for such incomparable records as "Among the Living" and "Persistence of Time" — isn't a cause for celebration in Shawnworld. But I am a bit disturbed by the political spin the band that put fun in thrash metal is injecting into their reunion tour press conference, which is also being used to push the agenda of the Slave to the Metal Foundation, an organization that purports to "raise awareness and provide funds to those organizations and individuals that fight against the misuse of heavy metals."

These folks have led musicians to say some lamentably stupid things, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna's statement that, "It has come to us from the most legitimate and politically correct activist circles that our headbanger support is sorely needed to make the public aware of these atrocities," being just one. Eh, actually Joey, the only thing headbanger support is good for is...selling heavy metal records. And even for that it's sometimes not so good, as you can surely can attest.

Well, "poppycock" says my associate Timothy Sheahan. And he should know: Aside from playing in a fine rock band, FINISHING MOVE, he is also a scientist and a PhD candidate studying infectious diseases such as SARS at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Sheahan has likened fighting diseases to rock n' roll in previous conversations.) Meanwhile, Bob Merrigan asks the salient question of Mr. Sheahan, "How long do you have to take guitar lessons to become a scientist?"

Read the rest of the article at www.returnoftheprimitive.com.