{"id":15044,"date":"2013-02-19T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2013-02-18T21:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=15044"},"modified":"2013-02-15T17:48:05","modified_gmt":"2013-02-15T06:48:05","slug":"frank-bello-of-anthrax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2013\/02\/frank-bello-of-anthrax\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank Bello of Anthrax"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n<\/a>\u201cSo this is an absolute beast that\u2019s coming on the road and we couldn\u2019t be more proud, we feel like we\u2019re back with a vengeance and we\u2019re really hungry, this is a hungry animal and I\u2019m really proud of the band, I couldn\u2019t be more excited, I\u2019m so stoked to be coming over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Press Release: If you have an inkling about heavy metal, you\u2019ll have heard of Anthrax and their meteoric rise in the 80s alongside the likes of Slayer, Megadeth, and a little band that once crashed on Anthrax\u2019s studio floor known as Metallica. You\u2019ll know all about their game-changing, crossover hit with Public Enemy in 1991, \u201cBring The Noise\u201c. You\u2019ll have listened to generations of bands that owe everything to their signature stomp and crushing riffs. And in more recent times, you\u2019ll have witnessed an almost irrational will to survive in defiance of monumental odds. \u00a0The road has not been easy but Anthrax were back to their glorious best in 2012 with their latest album, \u2018Worship Music\u2019 where the band have retraced their steps to a position of greatest strength, and aren\u2019t slowing down any time soon.<\/p>\n

With glass of wine in hand, we had a great chat with Frank Bello all about Anthrax, the band, their new EP coming this March, touring and a heap more as well as just about being a fan\u2026<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start if off with you were at Soundwave in 2010, in that time Joey has returned to the band and you\u2019ve had the new album, how much of a different beast will the band be on this run now in 2013?<\/strong>
\nWell, I mean Anthrax is Anthrax but this anthrax, this is on fire *laughs*, this has been ever since the record came out, even before that we\u2019ve been on tour pretty consistently and I know that because my son keeps saying \u2018Daddy when are you going to stay home for a while?\u2019\u00a0 So this is an absolute beast that\u2019s coming on the road and we couldn\u2019t be more proud, we feel like we\u2019re back with a vengeance and we\u2019re really hungry, this is a hungry animal and I\u2019m really proud of the band, I couldn\u2019t be more excited, I\u2019m so stoked to be coming over there.<\/p>\n

With 3 of the Big 4 on the Soundwave bill, as well as a bazillion other bands, is there anyone that you\u2019re particularly pumped to be playing \/ touring with?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m excited to be with my friends again, I was just at the NAMM show in LA and I was hanging out with Kerry King he\u2019s a really good friend of mine, we were drinking together and it\u2019s going to be great just to hang out. The boys in Metallica, all of them, it\u2019s like a travelling road show, we have a good time together.\u00a0 All the bands, it\u2019s just fun, from the Big 4, we had such a good time and I\u2019m just excited to be with those guys again because it\u2019s a nice thing, it\u2019s a nice environment, Metallica creates this great vibe and Slayer, we just have a great time together all of us. I\u2019m really looking forward to seeing my friends again and let\u2019s face it man, there\u2019s a lot of great bands and probably some new bands I don\u2019t know about that I always want learn I want to check out the new stuff and see who\u2019s coming out.\u00a0 I\u2019m all excited for it, it\u2019s totally worth the trip, the fans are great and just people in general are great there, it\u2019s just a really positive experience.<\/p>\n

I see you\u2019ll be out playing \u2018Amongst The Living\u2019 in full in 2013, can we expect the same down here or if not, what have you got planned for the set on the OZ visit?<\/strong>
\nWell Australia we\u2019ll probably do some of \u2018Worship Music\u2019 as we haven\u2019t been down there with that, we\u2019re very proud of this record, a lot of people asking about it.\u00a0 \u2018Amongst The Living; is for the Metal Alliance tour here but believe me, we\u2019ll be hitting that record for sure.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long our set is there but we\u2019ll definitely be hitting that record for sure.<\/p>\n

It seems since \u2018Worship Music\u2019 you\u2019ve been nonstop, what was it like getting back into a gruelling touring schedule?<\/strong>
\nWell I\u2019ll tell you, thank God for yoga. I\u2019ve been studying yoga for four years, I don\u2019t know if my body can handle what it used to do back when in the 80\u2019s and stuff, but I\u2019ll be honest with you, this feels like the touring we did in the 80\u2019s.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t be more happier, than band is totally psyched, we\u2019re very thankful and very respectful of where we are, we feel like that we came back in a big way, people are saying in reviews that this is our best album to date and you couldn\u2019t be more happy, we feel like we\u2019re in a really good place right now.<\/p>\n

Also with Worship Music taking the amount of time it did to be released, have you seen in essence a new generation of Anthrax fans who may have found you solely through the newest album?<\/strong>
\nAbsolutely, well first off, you have to remember The Big 4 brought a whole new audience to bands like Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, you know the Metallica audience just came over and thankfully checked out these bands.\u00a0 We see fathers and brothers out there passing it on and moms passing the torch saying go check out this band and I\u2019ll tell you I\u2019m out there doing bass clinics and these 13, 14 and 15 year old kids learning bass and they tell me that they\u2019re learning to play bass through my records and that couldn\u2019t be a more complimentary thing to say and for me it\u2019s such a great thing to hear and I\u2019m honoured to hear that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>You\u2019re about to release \u2018Anthems\u2019 which is a great little collection of rockin\u2019 70\u2019s covers.\u00a0 How did you decide what songs to record for this EP?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ll tell you with anthrax, all we do is jam stuff, this is the stuff we grew up on, this is the stuff that moulded the band.\u00a0 If you hear an Anthrax song, these songs have something to do with the formation of Anthrax. Every one of the songs you hear on the Anthems EP, from the song \u2018Anthem\u2019 by RUSH, we\u2019re all, Charlie and I specifically and Joey for that matter, we grew up on RUSH, jamming to RUSH and Geddy lee was a big influence on me as a bass player. Boston, I mean, God, Boston how many hits did Boston have? You just have to love that band.\u00a0 Thin Lizzy of course, Cheap Trick, I\u2019ll tell you right now, growing up Charlie and I jammed every Cheap Trick song possible.\u00a0 These things all formulated the band Anthrax as you hear it now, so this is a big tip of the hat to them tosay thank you, and it\u2019s a great thing to just jam, and thankfully we\u2019re a band that can just jam songs at sound check, it\u2019s kind of what we do.\u00a0 Oh I forgot to mention Journey, and I\u2019m a big Journey fan but Joey Belladonna is one of the biggest Journey fans in the world and for him to actually get the opportunity to sing like he sang and I have to say, he freaked me out on the vocals he did a great job.<\/p>\n

Can we expect to hear \u2018TNT\u2019 belted out when you\u2019re Down Under?<\/strong>
\nOh dude, all I want is time\u2026 I don\u2019t know what our set list is mainly because we love nothing more than to just talk these things out and do them but when you have a certain amount of time for these shows there\u2019s a certain set thing we have to do you know?<\/p>\n

Maybe at the sidewaves?<\/strong>
\nYeah the sideshows! Let me tell you something\u2026 anything can happen at the side shows, we like to mix it up so you never know man.<\/p>\n

Obviously with the departure of Rob recently causing a hole, Jon from Shadowsfall has jumped on board, have you played any shows with him yet?\u00a0 How is he going?<\/strong>
\nJon is great, and everyone should understand, we love Rob, it was very amicable, there was no ill intent or anything like that, no ill will, Rob wants to produce records, he\u2019s a great producer and he should do that.\u00a0 If he\u2019s happy, we\u2019re happy. Jon he steps right in knowing the songs and what\u2019s great about Jon is he\u2019s an Anthrax fan too and not only is he a great player, he\u2019s a great guy to hang out with and it all fits.\u00a0 The way Iook at Anthrax now is we\u2019ve been through so much at this time that we\u2019ll just move on to the next step.\u00a0 We\u2019re happy for Rob and good luck with whatever he does in the future, honestly, all you can do is be honest at this point, everyone\u2019s got their thing, you have to happy in the band and if you\u2019re feeling you want to do producing then you should do producing and that\u2019s really it, man, it\u2019s not a crazy thing, I understand it and I respect Rob for his decision.<\/p>\n

Do you have anyone in mind to replace Rob on a permanent basis?<\/strong>
\nWell right now we\u2019re going to take it tour by tour, he\u2019s going to do these shows and then the Metal Alliance tour and then we\u2019ll see. The boys and I need to write a record this year too so there\u2019s a lot on the plate for us, we\u2019re going to take it step by step.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Leads me to my nest question \u2018Worship Music\u2019 has been out for about eighteen months now, obviously there are plans in the works for a new album?<\/strong>
\nYeah I can\u2019t believe you said that, eighteen months, I swear man I just remember Yankee Stadium and releasing the record and it feels like yesterday, that just goes to show how fast time goes and when you\u2019re touring a lot of the two years you just don\u2019t realise where the time went. We\u2019re hitting our fourth tour in America and thankfully this Metal Alliance tour starting in March they\u2019re selling out shows which is great and it\u2019s going really well and we\u2019re really excited about it.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t realise it would do this well but we couldn\u2019t be more happy.<\/p>\n

The album was given so much praise and even called your best work to date, do you feel now there\u2019s big expectations to top that this time around?<\/strong>
\nWell just from ourselves, the thing is man, we\u2019re our best critics and we\u2019re our worst critics also, we\u2019re not going to let anything out that we don\u2019t think is right, just like we did with \u2018Worship\u2019 if you look at it, we edited the hell out of that thing as we wanted to make sure it was the right record and we\u2019ll do the same thing with the next record whatever it may be, it\u2019s just the way we work.\u00a0 I think we know what we have to do, I don\u2019t think we should judge it too much, it should come out organically, the music\u2019s gonna be there, the riffs will be there, we\u2019ll know, it\u2019s a nod. Like I said we\u2019ll know when it\u2019s right and I\u2019m happy to say that after all these years of song writing I think we know what we\u2019re doing, cause we\u2019re fans, we just want what the fans want and hopefully it will come out as we\u2019re in a good place with the writing department.\u00a0 For me man, life is short I just want to live and be honest and just get to the point, it really is just getting to the point, I\u2019m not going to bullshit anybody, I\u2019ve never done that I don\u2019t live my life like that. I\u2019m just a fan, man, I think people understand that, I\u2019m not trying to get over anybody, I\u2019m lucky enough to play music, I know that, I\u2019m very fortunate, I\u2019m in a band that makes a living playing music and that\u2019s a really great thing, I\u2019m really happy about that and I\u2019m very fortunate and I would never take that for granted and I think it\u2019s great that we\u2019re still around after thirty years *laughs* and I want to keep it going because I\u2019m having a blast, the push behind Anthrax, I\u2019m amazed, it freaks me out and thank God for it.<\/p>\n

You talk about being a fan, so let\u2019s \u2018nerd up\u2019 a little – Did you see the new Dredd movie?<\/strong>
\nI have, I thought it was really violent, good violent you know, but in the back of my mind I said, I don\u2019t know if you did this, and I don\u2019t know if I did this because it\u2019s one of our songs but I said \u2018man, I Am The Law could be right here\u2019 I kept picking different bits and I hear this from all people tweeting me and stuff and just the fanbase talking to me and I get it, it would be great and I kept saying it could go right here or right there, here\u2019s a heavy part, but no, I get it\u2026 at this point there would be nothing better to see it as it just works but at this point there are people with suits on that just don\u2019t agree *laughs*<\/p>\n

Are you excited to check out Battlestar Galactica \u2018Blood & Chrome\u2019 in the next few weeks?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m excited, I went through on the last tour, you know Aaron Douglas, we went to a game together in Toronto, we went to a Yankee\u2019s game, he\u2019s a great dude, he\u2019s an Anthrax fan, he\u2019s a friend of ours and the Battlestar Galactica people couldn\u2019t have been cooler.\u00a0 We went on that set, they took us around on a tour they were so great, they came to our show, I\u2019m just totally looking forward to that.<\/p>\n

Are you going to continue to work with Alex Ross on your album covers?<\/strong>
\nOn the record, sure, I have to credit our drummer Charlie, I grew up with Charlie and I know how good of an artist Charlie is and he\u2019s got some great ideas and he works with Alex really, really well. It\u2019s always something that freaks me out because it\u2019s something that really fits.\u00a0 We trust Charlie and Alex to make it come to life and I really think they do a great job.\u00a0 You know what\u2019s great? And here comes my fan part again, I look forward to the next Anthrax, when it all comes together and you get that package, I buy vinyl and when you open it I just love that part, as a fan it\u2019s just something cool, then you can hear that first song going in to the next song it\u2019s still really special to me as a fan.\u00a0 No matter what record it is but as an Anthrax fan also, I say I can\u2019t wait to the next thing, I remember the first time I played \u2018Worship\u2019 the first time all through, I was so fuckin\u2019 proud and psyched about it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re out of time man, thanks for your time.<\/strong>
\nHey when am I going to see you?
\n I\u2019ll be in Sydney.<\/strong>
\nAlright, I think I have a couple of days off let\u2019s hit one of those pubs woo hoo, hey great questions, thank you so much brother.
\n Thank you, see you then.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> New York, USA<\/p>\n

Band members: <\/strong>\u00a0Joey Belladonna \u2013 Vocals, Frank Bello \u2013 Bass, Charlie Benante \u2013 Drums, Scott Ian – Guitar<\/p>\n

Website: <\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/anthrax.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> Worship Music (Out Now \u2013 Megaforce \/ Riot! Entertainment) \u2013 Anthems EP (coming March 19)<\/p>\n

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL \u2013 FEBRUARY\/MARCH 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL VENUES AND DATES
\n<\/strong>SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY \u2013 BRISBANE, RNA SHOWGROUNDS \u2013 SOLD OUT!
\nSUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY \u2013 SYDNEY, OLYMPIC PARK \u2013 SOLD OUT!
\nFRIDAY 1 MARCH \u2013 MELBOURNE, FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE \u2013 SOLD OUT!
\nSATURDAY 2 MARCH \u2013 ADELAIDE, BONYTHON PARK \u2013 SOLD OUT!
\nMONDAY 4 MARCH \u2013 PERTH, CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS \u2013 SOLD OUT!<\/p>\n

SIDEWAVE VENUES AND DATES<\/strong>
\nTHURSDAY 21 FEBRUARY – BRISBANE, THE HI-FI \u2013 18+ (Anthrax only)
\nMONDAY 25 FEBRUARY – SYDNEY, BIG TOP LUNA PARK \u2013 18+ (Slayer, Anthrax + Kingdom Of Sorrow)
\nTHURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY – MELBOURNE, THE HI-FI \u2013 18+ (Anthrax, Fozzy + This Is Hell)<\/p>\n

For more information head to www.soundwavefestival.com
\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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