Yes, you heard me right. Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante will be sitting out the European Anthrax dates with Slayer. Charlie, who has been dealing with ongoing issues with the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome he had surgery for nearly two years ago, is replaced once more by rummer Jon Dette (Slayer, Testament, Iced Earth), who covered for Charlie last spring on Anthrax’s North American tour with Volbeat.
Charlie released an “open letter” to the fans via Anthrax’s official Facebook page:
“I want to let all of our fans know what the situation is with my being or not being on the road with the band. Most of you know I had to have hand surgery a couple of years ago for the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that I developed. Since then, I’ve continued to have regular physical therapy and doctor’s office visits, and while my hand has gotten a lot better, it just hasn’t fully healed. My doctor says it could continue to get better, but that’s going to take as much time as it takes. When we were recording our new album, I realized that after three or four weeks straight in the studio, playing every day, not only would my hand start hurting like hell, but I would lose all feeling in it for a couple of days. And the same with being on the road – I seem to be OK for a couple of weeks, but after that, the carpal tunnel flares up, the pain sets in, my hand goes numb, and I simply cannot play the drums, especially with the intensity that Anthrax’s music requires.
“I love being on the road, playing our music live for you guys, and I’m very excited about playing our new songs for you in 2016, but, at least at this point, for those four, five, six or seven week tours, I just won’t be able to be on all dates. Anthrax has just started a European tour with Slayer, and Jon Dette is sitting in for me for the first three weeks or so; I’m planning to join the band on November 21st in the UK and will be on the remainder of the tour.
“If there is a silver lining to this, it’s that the time that I’m not on the road with the band, I am able to stay actively involved in the band’s artwork (very excited for you all to see the cover art for our new album!), be available to promote our upcoming album, and help put together special Anthrax editions like our upcoming Spreading The Disease reissue.
“So, that’s the situation. I wanted to make sure that all of you knew exactly what was going on and that I thank you all for the understanding and support. I sincerely look forward to seeing you on the road!”
Anthrax recently released their latest single, “Evil Twin”, from their long-awaited follow-up to the stellar 2011 album Worship Music. “I was very affected by the Charlie Hebdo massacre as I have been with all of the shootings that have taken place at schools and movie theatres,” said Anthrax’s lyricist Scott Ian. “I can’t figure out what would cause someone to think that was the right thing to do. ‘I’ll show the world, I’ll make my God happy.’ It’s just such bullshit. I’m not bagging on religion, that’s not my intent, but people who go to that extreme, who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man because you or I don’t believe the same thing they do, I think that’s the ‘Evil Twin’ of humanity. Writing words about that is my only catharsis.”
Beginning in the Fall of 2014, Anthrax – Benante (drums), Ian (rhythm guitar), Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), and lead guitarist Jon Donais – took their time in the studio recording the follow up to their Grammy-nominated, critically-acclaimed 2011 album, Worship Music. The band recorded some 20 original songs, almost twice as many as they had ever brought into the studio in the past. In terms of how the new music sounds, Bello said, “The thing about Anthrax…we have this heavy, thrashy music and Joey’s powerful and melodic vocals. I love heavy music, but I also love melody, so the challenge is to blend them together so they sound like Anthrax. I think we’ve done a really good job of that on the new album.”
The new album is set for a first quarter 2016 worldwide release via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe and The UK
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