Anthrax guitarist talks touring, Big Four and new album.

In an interview with www.geeksofdoom.com Anthrax lead guitarist Rob Caggiano discussed many topics of interest. Chatting candidly about Anthrax, John Bush, Joey Belladonna, the Big Four shows, The Damned Things and other issues Rob also talked about the new Anthrax album. Here is an excerpt:

Geeks of Doom: You’ve been playing Big Four shows for over a year now, how are you finding it?


Rob Caggiano: Oh they’re amazing. We did a short little tour in Eastern Europe with the Big Four line up and it was phenomenal. And obviously we just did the one in Indio, California, which was amazing, it was like 60,000 people there or something like that. I don’t know if you know, we’re actually doing Yankee Stadium in New York now, September 14th. That’s like the dream gig for me! Being a New Yorker and a Yankee fan, that’s like a dream gig for all of us!


Geeks of Doom: How will you cope without Scott Ian in July? Did you know Andreas [Kisser, Sepultura guitarist] before he agreed to cover?


Rob Caggiano: Yeah, we’ve known Andreas for a long time. He’s a great guitar player. It’s definitely going to be a little strange having an Anthrax show without Scott Ian. But I think Andreas is definitely going to pull it off and it’s going to be fun. I mean it is what it is; Scott’s having a baby, we’ve got to understand and respect that.


Geeks of Doom: But Andreas is a great replacement! Ok, if you could pick one band to make a Big Five, who would you choose?


Rob Caggiano:One band to make a Big Five? That’s an interesting question! Wow. The Beatles! [laughs]


Geeks of Doom: [laughs] Do you think that would go down well with Anthrax fans?


Rob Caggiano:Yeah, absolutely! [laughs]


Geeks of Doom: Were you a fan of Anthrax before you joined? And how did it all happen?


Rob Caggiano:We were all basically friends just from the New York music scene, you know, and we had a lot of the same friends in the music circle here. I’ve been a fan of Anthrax forever so basically grew up listening to that stuff. I don’t know, one thing led to another and there was an audition and it just kind of happened. I definitely made it clear to them that I wanted to play! [laughs]


Geeks of Doom: It worked out very well! Were you a fan of a particular era; the Joey Belladonna era or John Bush era?


Rob Caggiano:You know, that’s an interesting question. I like both eras of the band. You know, obviously Among The Living is one of my favorite records of all time. But so is Sound of White Noise. So I like both eras.


Geeks of Doom: You worked with John Bush for a long time, so were you excited last year to get to work with Joey?


Rob Caggiano:Yeah, you know I didn’t really know what to expect from Joey. Prior to that the only line up as far as Anthrax goes that I was involved in was with John Bush. I was real comfortable with that because John’s an amazing singer, he’s a great guy. I really didn’t even know Joey. I met Joey once in New York a while ago, but I didn’t really know him so I didn’t know what to expect. But we did the first show in Poland and it was phenomenal. He’s singing better now than he ever sang, I think, and the band sounds killer with him in it. He’s a great frontman, we’re really psyched to have him on board.

Geeks of Doom: ...And just to round up, can you tell us a bit about Worship Music, what we can expect in September?


Rob Caggiano: Worship Music is going to be a crushing Anthrax record. It’s got all the elements. There’s moments where it has the spirit of Among The Living, at the same time it’s also a progression from We’ve Come For You All, certain aspects. Joey sounds phenomenal on the record, so excited about it. All of us have been working on these songs for so long, this record’s taking forever! But it’s great to actually finally hear a lot of these tunes finished and with the right vocalist singing! [laughs]

Joey Belladonna Tweets about recording next Anthrax album.

Joey Belladonna has updated fans on progress of the new Anthrax album via his Twitter account. The band has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast for their next album due late in 2011. This will mark their first original music since 2004's We've Come For You All and their first recording in twenty years with Belladonna. Of the the recording process Joey tweeted:

“It's sounding great.......Everyone loves it! ….......I am killing it!”

Anthrax is making their second attempt to finish their latest album which was previously titled “Worship Music” and was recorded with singer Dan Nelson (now in Blackgates) who was briefly in the band from 2008- 2009. No word yet if that title is still in the mix or if new artwork and merch, some of which had been leaked would be redone. Other than a few shows in Europe in 2009 former vocalist John Bush has retired for the most part from music (specifically touring) to concentrate on his voice over career, most notably for Burger King and to spend time with his family.

Belladonna is in his third go-round in the New York metal legends, and has been back in the band since last summer when Anthrax took part in the “Big Four” concerts throughout Europe. Joey is re-recording some of the tracks Nelson had done as well as some new songs specifically written for him since he rejoined.

Anthrax will play the first American “Big Four” concert in Indio, CA on April 23^rd. For ticket info click here.