ANTHRAX Has Six Or Seven Songs Written For Next Album

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

Charlie Benante says that ANTHRAX has written six or seven songs for its next studio album. The follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" will be ANTHRAX's third full-length release since the 2010 return of singer Joey Belladonna, who came back into the fold for the "Big Four" shows with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, in the process helping inspire a new wave of creativity. During a "HardDrive DL Roundtable" with HardDrive Radio's Lou Brutus and CROBOT's Brandon Yeagley and Chris Bishop, Benante stated about the progress of the ANTHRAX songwriting sessions (see video below): "There is new music — there actually is. There's about six, seven songs. And it's really good." Asked if ANTHRAX fans can expect to hear some of the new material soon, the drummer said: "I don't think anybody's thinking anything is coming out until… The first thing I wanna see come out is a vaccine [for the new coronavirus]. Then we're gonna put a record out." As for how ANTHRAX will spend the remainder of 2020, Benante said: "There'll be no shows for us. The first show we have is next year in Japan — Knotfest in Japan — in the beginning of the year. Other than that, we're probably just gonna work on this record." At last year's Download festival in the United Kingdom, Benante said fans can expect to hear some surprises on ANTHRAX's next disc. "There's some extreme stuff on this record that we touched on," he said. "There's different things that we're gonna try and do that's gonna make it next level." Earlier last year, Benante told Australia's "Everblack" podcast that ANTHRAX's new music is shaping up to be "a little more in the aggressive style." "For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the band experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".