Metal Anarchy

During a recent interview with Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello offered an update on the band’s upcoming album. According to him, the effort will be released in May.

Bello said the following:

“The record will come out in May. I’m very proud. It’s so heavy. Some parts are really hard to play — really hard to play, which I’m happy to say, ’cause I like the challenge of it all. Joey [Belladonna]’s vocals — I don’t understand how the guy could sing like that, but he still is killing it. And I’m very psyched.

If you like the last two records we’ve come out with and the past stuff, I think everybody’s gonna be happy, ’cause as fans, we’re very stoked. And it’s been a while, guys, so thank you for waiting. It’s been 10 years [since the release of the last album]. So we made sure it’s worthwhile.”

He also added the following when asked about the creative process:

“We had to get over the COVID thing, like everybody else. We couldn’t be one of those bands that were doing it over video, ’cause the latency, number one… Say we were jamming on something, it would come out a half a second later. It’s, like, ‘Oh,’ and you lose the vibe. So we would just send files to each other and stuff like that. And then we got together when it was safe to get together, when they told us it was safe. So the three of us — Charlie [Benante, drums], Scott [Ian, guitar] and I — got together, as we’ve done all our lives, and started exchanging ideas. And from the files we’ve had, [we went through it and said], ‘What’s good? Is that good? Does that work here? Back and forth. And then you go home again and see what works. Then we start putting melodies to it, and then we put lyrics… It’s really like making a cake. It really is that. So it starts with the foundation of the three of us getting the music together. Music [comes first] and then melodies, usually. Scott and I usually go back and forth with that a lot. Charlie comes up with a lot of great music ideas, but we all came out with a lot of music ideas in this. And then the melodies. Scott and I would work on that a lot. And it’s an open thing. Everybody can come in with ideas. That’s the idea. And then the lyrics would come on top. And to get it through us, to make sure, as fans, and we’ve been doing this for a while — we cut out a lot of stuff: ‘No’. ‘Yes’. ‘No’. ‘Yes’. ‘Cause you want the best, like everything else. Like mom and my grandmother said, it’s gotta be the best. Work ethic. Editing is really tough, and it’s hard. Sometimes you lose parts that you love, but if it’s not good for the song. It’s all about the song, man. At the end of the day, that’s all we’re about. It’s about the song. And still to this day. Period.”

He continued after the interviewer said you can’t be “married too hard to your ideas”:

“I’m still brokenhearted. And it’s true. I think every songwriter will tell you that. Especially when you’re in a band, when you’re just not writing the stuff by yourself. When you’re collaborating, you have to be open and get ready for that. If that’s not working, you can’t force feed it in, ’cause it’s gonna screw up the song and not make it as potent as it can be. You gotta say, ‘All right, I gotta get rid of that ego thing and [be, like], ‘Okay. You’re right.’ And learn to say ‘you’re right’ and ‘I agree’. And then when you really feel strongly about something, you gotta remember that other side of it and you gotta really fight your way through. And sometimes that works too. So it’s a balance.”

[via Blabbermouth]