Vocalist Joey Belladonna fronted New York City thrash metal giants Anthrax during the band's finest hours. Between 1984 and 1992, Anthrax released some of the finest thrash albums ever made and broke down musical barriers by touring and recording alongside rap icons Public Enemy.
By the early nineties, it became more and more apparent that Belladonna's partying ways were starting to affect his performances, ultimately leading to him being fired. Both Anthrax and Belladonna continued to write, record and tour separately over the next decade, before the classic Anthrax line-up reunited in 2005. Now these legendary thrashers are on their way back to Australia to partake in the sold out Soundwave Festivals as well as three headline sideshows.
Anthrax played at the 2010 Soundwave Festivals with previous vocalist John Bush, and now fans will get to see Anthrax performing at Soundwave with the one and only Joey Belladonna for the first time.
“I'm very excited,” says Belladonna. “This is my first time doing Soundwave and outdoor shows there in Australia. Playing big festival shows is neat, everything is different; there's a lot more people, the layout's different, the stage, the equipment, the dressing rooms, there's a lot of things to endear. We've got the new album ['Worship Music'], some fresh tunes to play, the band's gotten so much better… these shows will be very exciting.”
I ask Joey what he recalls from his previous Australian visit, and his memories are fond. “We got to ride around a little bit and seen the sights,” he says. “We actually went to the zoo... that was pretty fun, we went go-karting and that was cool. We did more stuff in Australia than most places I've been, to be honest.”
In 2011, Anthrax released the long-awaited 'Worship Music', which was praised by fans and critics alike. The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and climbed the charts around the globe. Since being released, 'Worship Music' is now regarded as one of the band's greatest albums to date. With tracks like 'The Devil You Know', 'I'm Alive' and 'In the End', it's easy to see why.
“'In the End' is the track closest to me,” Belladonna reveals. “There was something going on with that song... it sounded great right out the box. It was about Ronnie James Dio and it was a year to the day of his passing when I sang it. Maybe there was some magic in the air! The album came out so well that I can't say that I was disappointed in any of the process. The results came out great.”
Belladonna rejoined the group at a time when the band had began working on the album with another vocalist, before line-up changes emerged and material was scrapped and worked on from scratch once again. “I don't even want to bring up a phase with someone else,” a laughing Belladonna says. “That's always disappointing to me.”
By the time Belladonna rejoined Anthrax many of the tracks had been re-worked and re-written. “I wish I was there for more of the process to see it evolve and see everything take place,” he admits. “At first I didn't know what I was getting into material wise but once I started, it wasn't a problem at all.”
Over the past two years Anthrax have lived out on the road, conquering the United States, Japan, South America and Europe, as well as partaking in massive outdoor performances alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer (collectively dubbed 'The Big 4'). They recently announced a brand new EP, to be released in March, titled 'Anthems'. The eight track mini-album features six cover songs from Journey to Rush, AC/DC and Thin Lizzy.
It's sure to raise an eyebrow or two, but Anthrax are no strangers to covering classic rock tracks, having paid homage over the years to the likes of Thin Lizzy, Sex Pistols and Kiss. “The EP was something that we felt like putting together just to have some fun,” Belladonna says. “It was something to do whilst on the road, on buses, in hotels. It's nice to have something to throw out for the fans to listen to.
“When it comes down to the six tracks that we did, we didn't put too much thought into what to cover. I think if we sat around talking we'd say 'what about this one?' or 'how about doing that one instead?' You don't want to get too caught up it. Obviously there are some different styles of songs on it — you would never expect to hear Anthrax doing, like, Journey or Boston — but you'll see!”
Although the band are ready to unleash another a great collection of cover songs, it will only be a matter of time before fans start screaming for a brand new full-length album.
“There are ideas there, [but] we don't have any specific lift-off to start writing and do anything,” Belladonna says. “I can write at any given time. Depending on what day it is you may have a little more inspiration and other days you may have a little then walk away, but I can write at any time, to be honest with ya.
“We recorded one song in Berlin and it hasn't been released yet. It may be used for some TV show. Whether it makes the next album or not, we haven't really done anything. We just have the 'Anthems' EP that we're putting out before going on another road trip!”
Anthrax play The Hi-Fi on Thursday February 21 and Soundwave Festival at RNA Showgrounds on Sat Feb 23.
