Charlie Benante says Anthrax’s 11th studio album can’t be released this year – because he’s focusing on a 30th anniversary edition of Spreading The Disease.
The revamp of their breakthrough record is set to appear later in 2015, pushing the follow-up to 2011’s Worship Music into 2016.
Benante tells the Examiner, I’ve been working on this anniversary thing, where I’m putting a bunch of bonus material on the second disc. It’s going to be really good.”
Spreading The Disease was originally released in 1985. It was their first to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello, and the last to include writing credited to former frontman Neil Turbin.
The band are currently recording fresh music – but when pressed for a release date, Benante said, “Probably [the] beginning of next year. Because if we do the Spreading The Disease release at the end of this year, we don’t want to put two things out at the same time.”
Guitarist Scott Ian previously said they wouldn’t be rushed into a release.
additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com
2 Responses
I’m actually kind of disappointed by this. I’m OK with it if the new material needs to be developed a little bit more and needs the extra time anyway. If they were really rolling though and things were going great on the new stuff… I hope the interruption doesn’t lose it.
I can’t believe SPREADING THE DISEASE is 30 years old! Where the Hell has the time gone! I bought that album as soon as I saw the video for “Madhouse”. Anthrax were so different than the rest of the thrash bands at that time. Joey could actually sing and sing very well. He can still sing. He didn’t sound anything like any of the other thrash vocalists back then. And the band itself was great. Scott’s rhythm guitar crunch just hits you right in the gut and when he, Charlie and Frankie locked in to a rhythmic, crunchy, mosh worthy riff, they sounded like an engine revving. And lets not forget Danny Spitz, who’s become an unsung hero of that band’s glory days. His solos and tone fit the songs perfectly. The second I put that album on for the first time and the opening of A.I.R. started, I was hooked. They played with a more sense of freedom and a sense of humor than the other thrash bands. All my friends and I back in high school were way into Metallica by the time RIDE THE LIGHTNING had came out (they had become our favorite band collectively) but I remember taking my SPREADING THE DISEASE cassette to school and playing it and everyone loving it. I’ll definitely buy the 30th anniversary edition of the album.
But I’m also a little disappointed they are pushing back the new album. Charlie’s had some issues physically and I’m wondering how much that has played in the album being pushed back. If it is, I completely understand. I want him to be 100% because he’s one of the all-time great metal drummers.