Throughout an look earlier right this moment (Wednesday, August 2) on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian spoke in regards to the progress of the writing and recording classes for the band’s subsequent studio album. Requested how far lengthy he and his bandmates have gotten in monitoring the hassle, Scott mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Not far. However we had a session right here in L.A. Charlie [Benante, ANTHRAX drummer], Frankie [Bello, ANTHRAX bassist] and I tracked 9 songs. I completed the guitars on these proper earlier than we went to New York, so I do not know — someday finish of June; one thing like that. Frankie is presently in L.A. monitoring bass on these 9 songs. I’ll the studio Friday… Since I’ve had time, like a month, to reside with my guitar tracks, I’ve heard like a lot of issues that I feel are very cool to sort of add. So I am entering into on Friday and spending a day performing some overdubs. [Jonathan] Donais [ANTHRAX guitarist] is already engaged on solos again east at his house studio. And I’m engaged on lyrics. So I feel we’re properly into it, let’s put it that approach. There’s gonna be one other recording session October, perhaps November. Charlie‘s obtained these two home windows to get in, ‘trigger now we have one other 4 or 5 [songs] we need to observe. We’re hoping, if issues simply keep on the very free schedule now we have, I would prefer to suppose by Christmas, New 12 months’s, we’ll have most of this wrapped up. Possibly not blended, however actually all recorded by then.”

Scott continued: “My aim is to have three songs prepared for [ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna] to begin on subsequent month. Joey, it does not take him very lengthy. As soon as he sort of wraps his head round it and sort of runs it by means of his filter, he is a quick employee. So as soon as he begins, it does not take lengthy. It is extra, I feel, the onus on me of being pleased with the lyrics I am writing. ‘Trigger I really had, like, three or 4 songs written months in the past, after which I revisited them like a month in the past and I threw ’em all within the rubbish; I used to be, like, ‘That is crap.’ However I am in a significantly better place with that now.”

Concerning the musical path of the brand new ANTHRAX materials. Scott mentioned: “Definitely of the 9 [songs] we have tracked thus far, and, after all, the tough sort of demos now we have of a number of the stuff we’ve not tracked with drums but, from a riff perspective, it is positively — I imply it is riffs with all capital letters. Like if you happen to had been going to jot down, you’ll write ‘riffs’ in all capitals with an exclamation level. The riffs are killer. It’s totally riff-centric. There’s a whole lot of quicker uptempo materials, actually.”

Ian added: “I will say there’s a tune — I will not say any titles but, ‘trigger it is nonetheless most likely a working title — there’s positively one tune, it is the quickest factor we have ever achieved. There’s one other tune that we’ve not recorded but that is additionally within the vein, extra of a ‘Gung-Ho’ or a ‘Caught In A Mosh’. As a result of Charlie and I speak on a regular basis. I mentioned, ‘We nonetheless want one thing that is like a three-and-a-half-minute simply ripper. You already know, one thing like that.’ After which we provide you with one thing like that and I am, like, ‘Hey, I forgot I am 60 now, and now I’ve to play this tune for the subsequent three years.’ Simply make my life more durable.”

This previous Could, it was introduced that Ian, Benante and Bello had been within the studio with producer Jay Ruston, laying down primary tracks in preparation for Belladonna to document his vocals and for lead guitarist Donais so as to add his leads and solos.

On the time, Scott wrote on social media: “We began recording the brand new album final week and the primary session was a blast! The songs are killer, difficult and a whole lot of enjoyable to play – Riff-O-Rama. Tones are 1986 nice. Cannot look forward to all of you to listen to what we’re doing.”

Charlie added: “We entered the studio and have begun recording our new document. I really feel that the songs are subsequent degree for us. The primary batch that I recorded had been a bit difficult so far as my drumming goes. The following batch shall be recorded in between my @panteraofficial schedule. I can not wait to document the subsequent batch… some nice stuff coming! The persistence to unfold the euphoric Music we worship amongst all you Kings ( and Queens) has at all times been our mission @anthrax”.

A month earlier, Benante was requested by Robert Cavuoto of Steel Guidelines if his packed 2023 touring schedule with PANTERA will delay the discharge of ANTHRAX‘s new LP. He responded: “We’re really entering into two weeks to begin recording the document. However it most likely would not come out until ’24 anyway. However the good half about it’s we’re entering into to begin recording it. In order that’s superior.”

Elaborating on why it has taken so lengthy for ANTHRAX to finish the writing course of for a brand new LP, Charlie mentioned: “If we did not get hit with this entire international pandemic factor, it could have been out most likely two years in the past, three years in the past. However everyone knows what occurred. However now, being that a number of the songs had been [written] earlier than the pandemic hit, they’re outdated to me. So now there is a bunch of latest songs that sort of got here within the combine. In order that’s a great factor. You may by no means have sufficient… We’re nonetheless engaged on the older ones as a result of we actually like a whole lot of these.”

This previous January, Ian informed Steel Edge that he and his bandmates had “11 musical preparations”, in addition to “some” lyrics, that they had been engaged on for his or her subsequent album. “Clearly, I’ll be engaged on extra phrases and we’re getting there,” he mentioned. “I am hoping in some unspecified time in the future we’ll be capable of get into the studio [this year] and document them.”

Benante additionally loudly questioned if ANTHRAX may give attention to releasing EPs within the foreseeable future versus full-length albums, as has been the case for a lot of the band’s four-plus-decade profession.

“What if it wasn’t a full album?” the drummer requested. “If we launched six songs after which we launched one other six songs. I do know from a document firm’s perspective that basically does not work, however in nowadays…”

“Yeah. It is all so completely different now,” Ian mentioned, leaping in. “SLIPKNOT‘s saying now why even make full albums anymore. I get it. I get all sides of it. I nonetheless love a full album, however on the similar time I completely perceive the thought of what is the level of giving somebody 11 songs. Most individuals do not hearken to albums anymore. So, yeah — why not parse it out? I do not know. All I do know is in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent few months we’ll most likely have 14 or 15 issues after which we’ll should determine when we will document it and the way we will launch it.”

“Give it some thought,” Benante continued. “If ANTHRAX launched 5 songs and you’ve got these 5 songs, and also you take up it in such a special approach these days, too. I feel that could be the best way to go, moderately than give everyone 11 songs and it is like, ‘Oh — I solely had an opportunity to hearken to the primary 4 or 5.’ I do not know. I simply suppose perhaps the enterprise mannequin is completely different.”

“And even for us, enjoying songs reside it is like, you place out a document with 10 or 11 songs on it with the concept, ‘Oh man, I can not wait to play this one reside and I can not wait to play this one reside,'” Ian added. “On ‘For All Kings’, we positively did not play all of these songs at any level. I feel there’s perhaps six songs on the document that obtained performed – and that is it. I virtually really feel such as you’re losing them. I perceive album tracks, however if you happen to put out simply 5 songs it could be simple to play all 5 of these on a brand new tour.”

“And simpler to digest, too,” Benante agreed. “You’d admire it extra if it was simply 5 songs and, ‘These 5 songs are fuckin’ killer. I can not look forward to the subsequent 5 songs,’ realizing that we’ll launch one other 5 – 6.”

Earlier in January, Benante informed Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11 that ANTHRAX was planning to enter the studio someday this spring to start recording the brand new LP.

“Between the PANTERA [tour dates in 2023], we’re gonna be engaged on this document, this ANTHRAX document,” he mentioned. “We’re hoping to have it completed earlier than PANTERA go to Europe [in late May]. I’ve a little bit window after that, earlier than [PANTERA‘s stadium tour with] METALLICA begins. Not less than if I get my drum tracks achieved, then the opposite guys can proceed to work on it. That is the plan. Until one thing else occurs, however hopefully nothing will occur.”

Final November, Bello informed SiriusXM that the band is “not in a rush” to document the brand new album. “We wanna ensure it is the correct document,” he defined. “We won’t simply throw out one thing that is not prepared. So we’re gonna actually ensure it is the correct document and reside with it for a little bit bit. We now have some brutal stuff and a few cool stuff developing — very heavy — we have been engaged on. All people can say that once they’re engaged on a document. However the proof is within the pudding. I am fairly pleased with what we have provide you with thus far.”

In August 2022, Ian praised the manufacturing high quality on a number of the band’s latest albums, together with 2011’s “Worship Music” and “For All Kings”. He mentioned: [On] ‘Worship [Music]’ and ‘For All Kings’, for me, we have actually sort of discovered our sound. We have this base degree the place we’re at proper now with [producer] Jay Ruston the place we all know it is gonna be nice, after which we may push it even additional. Particularly with the songwriting that now we have proper now, going into what is going to ultimately be a brand new ANTHRAX album, it simply lends itself to even a extra aggressive manufacturing which I feel we may have no downside undertaking.”

In April 2022, Scott confirmed to Steel Injection that ANTHRAX had a couple of songs already written for the upcoming LP. “All I can say is we’ll get within the studio after we’re prepared,” he mentioned. “I feel we’re getting there. I feel now we have nice songs. I feel individuals shall be very comfortable.

“To not make a bizarre comparability, nevertheless it’s our third document again along with Joey. Really, it is an odd comparability. I ought to simply say it is our third album since our sort of our reboot in 2010 and our third album again within the day was ‘Amongst The Residing’. I am not saying that that is [like that album], as a result of it isn’t ‘Amongst The Residing II’ in any sense, however I simply suppose now we have some nice songs and there is like a fucking mountain of nice riffs. I feel persons are going to be very comfortable.”

Ian beforehand mentioned ANTHRAX‘s upcoming LP throughout a July 2021 look on Full Steel Jackie‘s nationally syndicated radio present. On the time, he mentioned: “We have been at it for a short while now. We really began writing in ’19 — pre-COVID — and sort of stepped away from issues when COVID occurred. We had been all separate and aside and we’d sort of revisit a number of the demos, however we weren’t actively engaged on it.

“Yeah, it is the identical because it’s at all times been,” he mentioned. “I must suppose by the point we get to the opposite aspect of the writing course of and we determine we’re able to go document it, I must assume it is actually going to symbolize this time in our lives. And the world having gone by means of a pandemic, I might think about actually that is in a roundabout way, form or kind going to come back out by means of this subsequent document. I can not inform you how but, however I must suppose it may.”

ANTHRAX celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2021 with numerous particular actions and occasions. Fashioned by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of many first thrash steel bands to emerge from the East Coast and shortly grew to become thought to be a pacesetter within the style alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Energetic over the previous 5 many years, ANTHRAX has launched 11 studio albums, been awarded a number of gold and platinum certifications, obtained six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 enjoying hundreds of reveals, together with headlining Madison Sq. Backyard and enjoying Yankee Stadium with the “Massive 4”.

“For All Kings” was referred to as by some critics ANTHRAX‘s strongest album thus far. Its arrival adopted a five-year interval throughout which the group skilled a rebirth of kinds, starting with ANTHRAX‘s inclusion on the “Massive 4” tour, and persevering with with the discharge of comeback LP “Worship Music”.