>>PREVIEW
ANTHRAX
Friday, October 21
Pengrowth Saddledome
It didn’t seem as though the seminal lineup that brought Anthrax to legendary status was ever going to return for an encore no matter how deafening the applause. Lead singer Joey Belladonna was fired in 1991 despite an extremely successful decade highlighted by three gold albums. In 1995, their incredible lead guitarist Daniel Spitz propped up his guitar and left music altogether to quietly study watch-making in Switzerland.
As the years went by, discussions about reuniting the classic Anthrax lineup occurred, but plans never came to fruition until this year. A personal conversation with Damageplan’s Dimebag Darrell (two weeks before the guitarist was murdered) inspired Charlie Benante to return to his old bandmates. John Bush, who has been the voice of Anthrax since Belladonna’s departure, gracefully stepped aside for the forthcoming tours.
The re-formation was a no-brainer for guitarist Scott Ian – the most recognizable member of Anthrax as the sole founder and, of course, by that trademark goatee (est. 1988). Ian, Belladonna, Spitz, Benante and bassist Frank Bello have just begun a tour opening for Judas Priest and Ian says it’s as if the band never parted.
"The first rehearsal was actually pretty tight considering we hadn’t played together as this lineup in 13 years," he says.
Many of their stereo shredders appear on the latest double-disc greatest hits compilation and companion DVD, Anthology: No Hit Wonders (1985-1991). Between fiercely chugging guitars, a predatorial rhythm section and sleek vocals that could slice steel, it’s easy to see how Anthrax rallied music fans from the deepest corners of every genre – punk, rap, metal and pop. The quintet has instinctually produced pulse-quickening music with lyrics ranging from outright goofy to the intensely socially conscious.
Inspired by the new wave of British heavy metal movement of the late ’70s, Ian founded Anthrax in 1981. He instantly began pushing the envelope by inventing rap-metal in his mother’s apartment in Queens, N.Y. with pal John Rooney. With the singles "I’m the Man" and "Bring the Noise" (with Public Enemy), Anthrax ambushed the mainstream Top 40 in the late ’80s and introduced fans and a new generation of musicians to a brand new genre.
Anthrax continue to be leaders in the world of speed metal, according to fans and peers like Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, who praises them as pioneers of the metal scene. Their league of fans include Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Chuck D (Public Enemy), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan), trip hopper Tricky, Roger Daltrey (The Who) and Sean "Diddy" Combs. They’ve sold more than 10 million records, appeared in two movies and been nominated for three Grammy awards.
Ian is 41 now, and despite being a metal legend himself, the band’s recent tour has brought out a little bit of his inner fanboy.
"Shows have been amazing. There’s only a few bands out there that we hadn’t played with. We’ve toured with Priest before, but not with Rob (Halford) and that was an amazing tour. We loved that tour. So, getting the opportunity to do this now with Rob in the band, it’s just mind-blowing for us. Not only do we get to go out and play and play to big crowds and have great shows, but we’re on tour with Judas Priest.
"I sit in catering and I’m eating dinner and there’s Rob Halford sitting across from me eating dinner and I’m immediately 15 years old again, standing outside Madison Square Garden thinking ‘I wonder what they’re doing right now?’ And now I know what they’re doing."
As proved before in Anthrax history, band members tend to reappear when you least expect it. For the meantime, fans will have a remarkable return to the glory days and, as always, a taste of more Thraxism to come as one of metal’s finest groups continue to fill their insatiable need to create more fire-breathing albums. |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.