ANTHRAX Record Store Day Release Details Revealed; Acoustic Track Goes To Radio

2016 has been a banner year for thrash masters Anthrax: the February 2016 release of its 11th studio album For All Kings (Megaforce), two collaborations with director Jack Bennett for the grizzly music videos “Blood Eagle Wings” and “Monster At The End”, a Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance that paired the band with the iconic Robert De Niro, and sharing stages with bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Lamb of God, and Avenged Sevenfold. But the celebrations are not done yet.

In support of Black Friday’s Record Store Day (November 25th), Anthrax will release a limited-edition 7-inch single pressed onto lilac and gold spatter vinyl (Megaforce) for the tracks “Monster At The End” and “Vice Of The People” the latter previously released only in Japan as a bonus track and being made available in North America for the first time.

In addition, an acoustic version of the band’s song “Breathing Lightning”, also on the For All Kings tracklisting, has just gone to radio. The song was performed and recorded at a special in-studio session at El Paso’s rock radio station KLAQ-FM on October 27th, the final date of Anthrax’s recent North American tour with fellow Big Four members Slayer.

Anthrax – Joey Belladonna/vocals, Frank Bello/bass, Scott Ian/guitar, Charlie Benante/drums and Jonathan Donais/guitar – will head to New York next month to co-headline (with another Big Four alumni, Megadeth) the 2016 Epiphone Revolver Music Awards on Tuesday, December 13th.  

As Benante put it, “Anthrax looks forward to blowing the roof off of the Revolver Awards and making metal GREAT again.”

In February 2017, Anthrax will be back on UK soil for their first full UK headline tour in over a decade. These UK dates will see the band perform their classic 1987 album Among The Living in its entirety alongside fan favourites.

Scott Ian commented: “Finally! We’ve been looking forward to headlining in the UK for so long! We have a killer set planned, new stuff, old faves, deep tracks and Among front to back. You’d better start getting in shape now for the epic wardance!! See you soon my friends.”

These special shows will mark 30 years of the iconic album, with support from up and coming British metallers, The Raven Age.

In addition, the band has confirmed dates for Europe immediately following the UK tour and running until March 16th, when Anthrax will wrap things up in Paris, France.

Tour dates are as follows:

February
9 – Birmingham, England – O2 Institute
10 – London, England – O2 Forum Kentish Town
11 – Bristol, England – O2 Academy
13 – Nottingham, England – Rock City
14 – Manchester, England – Academy
15 – Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowlands
16 – Newcastle, England – Northumbria University
17 – Norwich, England – UEA
19 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Rhonda
20 – Antwerp, Belgium – Trix Hall
21 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle
22 – Stuttgart, Germany – LKA Longhorn
24 – Nurnberg, Germany – Lowensaal
25 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Werk
27 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Pustervik

March
1 – Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
3 – Umea, Sweden – House Of Metal Fest
4 – Stockholm, Sweden – Berns
6 – Copenhagen, Denmark – AmaGermany Bio
7 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks
8 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batshschkapp
9 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys
10 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
12 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
13 – Vienna, Austria – Rena
14 – Milan, Italy – Live Club
15 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex
16 – Paris, France – Elysee Montmarte

(Photo – Travis Smith)