JOEY BELLADONNA Finishes Vocals As ANTHRAX Preps First Album In Nearly a Decade

After a significantly prolonged gestation course of, Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna has formally wrapped up monitoring vocals for the legendary thrash band’s extremely anticipated twelfth studio album — their first full-length since 2016’s For All Kings.

The writing and recording course of for the brand new album started throughout the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with longtime producer Jay Ruston (Stone Bitter, Avatar) as soon as once more behind the board. Regardless of the band’s preliminary momentum, progress was gradual. As not too long ago as August 2023, guitarist Scott Ian admitted to battling finalizing lyrics, although Belladonna had already begun laying down vocal elements earlier than the 12 months’s finish.

Now, in a brand new interview with Insurgent Radio 92.5 FM, Belladonna confirmed that his work on the file is full: “You recognize what? I completed the vocals. I am actually proud of what I’ve finished. And the band sounds nice on the file. And so far as I do know proper now, we’re nonetheless ending up a couple of issues. We’re not even mixing but, so at this level I might be simply speculating [about a possible release date]. Clearly, issues are stepping into the precise type and the timing is true. So, all good. I am joyful. You are gonna find it irresistible.”

In a 2024 dialog with Guitar World, Ian revealed the band is eyeing an early 2025 launch for the long-awaited follow-up to For All Kings. He additionally shared perception into the file’s route: “There are crushing riffs and nice, hooky choruses. Even a number of the thrashiest songs have nice choruses. We’re at all times on the lookout for the hook, and I believe we have completed that.”

“With the songs we have written, we would be able to put collectively a nine- or 10-song file that might be thrashier than something we have finished in a very long time. However there would even be a strategy to make it a really totally different type of album relying on which songs we select. And I can let you know, I do know which method I am leaning… We wish this file to punch folks within the face.”

Drummer Charlie Benante additionally teased new sonic territory in an August 2024 interview with Metallic Hammer. He referenced a monitor paying homage to the band’s extra epic compositions, like ‘Within the Finish’ and ‘Blood Eagle Wings’: “There is a tune which has the identical type of epic really feel… It revolves across the journey we have been on within the band. And there are three songs that do not sound like something we have finished earlier than.”

A type of outliers, titled “The Fringe of Perfection”, has a private historical past for Benante: “I had [it] method earlier than COVID, and it has simply stayed with me — the melody and the chords, but in addition the aggression.”