Charlie Benante says that ANTHRAX‘s follow-up to “For All Kings” album will be “more extreme” and “more angry” than some of the band’s previous output.

Released in February 2016, “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 2010 “Big Four” tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP “Worship Music”.

Asked earlier this month by Australia’s Heavy if ANTHRAX has begun putting together the new disc, the drummer said: “There’s been a lot of good ideas, but nothing has been recorded yet. I mean, I’ve done demos — I just have my demos — but next year is when it’s probably all gonna start to take shape.”

As for a possible musical direction for ANTHRAX‘s new material, Benante said: “I know this next record is definitely gonna be a little more extreme, a little more angry in places, because I just think that’s where I am at this point in the world. Right now I’m very angry with a couple of things that have happened; I’m also very happy. So I think it’s gonna be a really good blend of anger and happy.”

Charlie, who is ANTHRAX‘s main songwriter, also talked about having to compose songs for four different singers over the course of the band’s career — Neil Turbin, Joey Belladonna, John Bush and Dan Nelson — and how the vocalist changes have affected ANTHRAX‘s sound.

“It’s easier for me to write when I have a voice in mind, and especially with Joey‘s voice, it’s easier for me to write, because I already hear his voice with the idea,” he explained. “So I think that’s encouraging. Same thing when John was in the band years ago — I’d hear his voice and I could write accordingly, and it just helped a lot. So nowadays, I have Joey‘s voice in my mind all the time, and it just really helps to shape and create, and I know exactly where we’re going.”

ANTHRAX‘s upcoming disc will be the band’s third full-length release since the return of Belladonna, who came back into the fold for the “Big Four” shows, in the process helping inspire a new wave of creativity.

ANTHRAX‘s latest release was the live-in-concert DVD, “Kings Among Scotland”, which came out in April via Megaforce.

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net