Anthrax Talk New Album ‘For All Kings’ + More

Anthrax are set to unleash their 11th studio album, For All Kings, which has been in the works for quite a while. In an exclusive interview, guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante and bassist Frank Bello sat down with Loudwire to discuss the writing process for the record, the influences behind some of the songs and the ongoing theme in their artwork.

The work on the album began when Ian and Benante began putting songs together at Ian's house with producer Jay Ruston and the relaxed atmosphere allowed the two to welcome influences from all over the metal spectrum. Benante describes the first song that they wrote together, explaining they were in a "thrash state of mind." When writing from home, it can be challenging to decide when a song is finished rather than keep tinkering little parts of the song and the band talked about knowing when it's time to stop writing and leave the song alone.

When talking about the variety of the album, the group talks about the song "Blood Eagle Wings," which is one of the most unique songs in the Anthrax catalog. Ian talks about the working title of the song and what makes them so proud of not only the song in particular, but how it fits in with the context of the songs surrounding it both before and after.

Before hearing the music, seeing the artwork is often the first impression a band gets to leave on their fans and 'For All Kings" boasts brilliant artwork depicting each member of the band as statues with a stained glass background featuring the Anthrax sigil. In the interview, Benante describes his initial vision for the album and how the final piece came to be.

Anthrax fans are well aware of the carpal tunnel issues Benante has suffered from in recent years, which has even kept him sidelined on tours. Since being afflicted with the issue, he reveals how he has changed his drum setup to reduce the risk of flare-ups and takes a definitive stance on magnetic braces that are supposed to reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel.

'For All Kings' is out Feb. 26 on Megaforce and can be pre-ordered here.

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