ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 19, 2012
By Steve Newton
Last year American thrash-metal band Anthrax released Worship Music, its first album in eight years. It was also the first one to feature singer Joey Belladonna—the group’s singer in its mid-’80s heyday—in over two decades. So would that qualify it as a “comeback” album? According to founding guitarist Scott Ian, why not?
What Anthrax has been doing “nonstop” since the early ’80s is test people’s eardrums with the type of metal that got them dubbed one of the “Big Four” of American thrash acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer. And now that the band has got its old singer back it plans on keeping him.
“I’ve gone on record saying this will be the only version of Anthrax until there is no Anthrax,” Ian declares. “That’s how I feel, absolutely, in my heart. I don’t see why we would do anything different. This band sounds so great; we made a great record. And I’m super-excited about the future of this band creatively.”
One of the things about the rejuvenated Anthrax that Ian is most psyched about is the energy Belladonna brings in a live setting; he argues that it’s right up there with that of Iron Maiden’s hyperactive Bruce Dickinson.
“There’s a certain maniacal energy that Joey has on-stage,” says Ian, “and that’s his thing. I mean, if I just compare him to our contemporaries in the Big Four, between James [Hetfield] and Dave Mustaine and Tom Araya you’ve got three frontmen that are all attached to the microphone—but Joey’s all over the place on-stage. He’s a maniac, and I always felt like that was one of the things that gave us the kick in the ass we needed way back when to be able to break through and make it, so to speak.”
When Ian’s not helping Anthrax bring the noise, the horror freak and zombie fanatic indulges his love of all things gory as host of the online program Fangoria’s Blood and Guts With Scott Ian, which is expected to premiere October 3 at nerdist.com/.
“It’s basically me going behind the scenes with a lot of the top effects people and them figuring out really fun ways to kill me,” he explains with a chuckle. “I get killed in almost every episode. I’m like Kenny from South Park.
“It’ll just be a web series,” he adds. “So now I can compare it to Jerry Seinfeld’s new Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. That’s something really cool and really successful, and it’s a web series. So now when people say, ‘What’s a web series?’ I can say, ‘Well, Seinfeld does one.’ ”
To hear the full audio of my 2012 interview with Scott Ian–and my 1991 interview with Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna as well–subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can also eavesdrop on my uncut, one-on-one conversations with:
Dave Martone, 2020
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, 2006
Joss Stone, 2012
Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, 2005
Jack Blades of Night Ranger, 1984
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, 1992
Colin James, 1995
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, 1998
Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, 1983
Ed Roland of Collective Soul, 1995
Taj Mahal, 2001
Tom Wilson of Junkhouse, 1995
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, 2003
David Lindley, 2002
Marty Friedman of Megadeth, 1991
John Hiatt, 2010
Nancy Wilson of Heart, 2006
Jeff Golub, 1989
Moe Berg of the Pursuit of Happiness, 1990
Todd Rundgren, 2006
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, 2001
Steve Earle, 1987
Gabby Gaborno of the Cadillac Tramps, 1991
Terry Bozzio, 2003
Roger Glover, 1985
Matthew Sweet, 1995
Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, 2003
Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, 2001
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, 1995
Steve Hackett from Genesis, 1993
Grace Potter, 2008
Buddy Guy, 1993
Steve Lynch of Autograph, 1985
Don Wilson of the Ventures, 1997
Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, 1998
Trevor Rabin of Yes, 1984
Albert Lee, 1986
Yngwie Malmsteen, 1985
Robert Cray, 1996
Tony Carey, 1984
Ian Hunter, 1988
Kate Bush, 1985
David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, 1984
Jeff Healey, 1988
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, 1996
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, 1993
Colin Linden, 1993
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1995
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, 1986
Elliot Easton from the Cars, 1996
Wayne Kramer from the MC5, 2004
Bob Rock, 1992
Nick Gilder, 1985
Klaus Meine of Scorpions, 1988
Jason Bonham, 1989
Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, 1991
Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, 1985
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, 2003
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, 2003
Steve Kilbey of the Church, 1990
Edgar Winter, 2005
Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, 1990
Randy Hansen, 2001
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, 1984
Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, 2007
Jimmy Barnes from Cold Chisel, 1986
Steve Stevens of Atomic Playboys, 1989
Billy Idol, 1984
Stuart Adamson of Big Country, 1993
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, 1992
Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule, 1998
John Bell of Widespread Panic, 1992
Robben Ford, 1993
Barry Hay of Golden Earring, 1984
Jason Isbell, 2007
Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, 1991
Joe Satriani, 1990
Vernon Reid of Living Colour, 1988
Brad Delp of Boston, 1988
Zakk Wylde of Pride & Glory, 1994
John Sykes of Blue Murder, 1989
Alice Cooper, 1986
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, 1985
John Doe, 1990
Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, 1992
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine, 2001
John Mellencamp, 1999
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1999
Kenny Aronoff, 1999
Doyle Bramhall II, 2001
Jon Bon Jovi, 1986
Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, 1992
Randy Bachman, 2001
Little Steven, 1987
Stevie Salas, 1990
…with hundreds more to come