ANTHRAX Guitarist SCOTT IAN

ANTHRAX Guitarist SCOTT IAN Confirmed For Online Chat This Thursday, Drummer CHARLIE BENANTE Issues New Blog

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian is confirmed for an online chat with th eband's official fanclub, the CDC, this Thursday (February 1st) at 9:00pm EST. Registration is required to take part. Go to this location for more information.

In other news, drummer Charlie Benante has posted a new blog for CDC members regarding the band's split with vocalist Joey Belladonna. Click here to check it out. It begins as follows:

"By now I'm sure you have questions about what's going on. My problem with all this is that most of it is very personal. I really don't want to air our dirty laundry all over the Internet. Certain people have "issues", had 'em in the '80s/'90s and still have them to this day. I think it's true that some people are best at what they do worst..."

Scott Ian's press release regarding the situation can be found here.

ANTHRAX Guitarist SCOTT IAN - "I Have No Personal Problems With JOEY BELLADONNA; I Think He's A Great Person"

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was featured on Eddie Trunk's February 9th radio broadcast of Friday Night Rocks. A transcript of part of the interview appears below, courtesy of MetalRage.com:

Q: What's going on in the Anthrax world?

Scott Ian: "We actually are gonna start writing the new record on March 1st. I'm going to Chicago on March 1st. Charlie (Benante/drums) has a studio in his house. We're officially gonna start writing the record and hope to have a record written over the next, whatever, six-to-eight months - however long it takes - and then get in the studio."

Q: But Joey (Belladonna/vocals) is officially out of the band?

Scott Ian: "Yes. The reunion tour is officially over."

Q: And what's the status of Dan Spitz (guitars)? Is he out as well?

Scott Ian: "You know, I actually don't know the answer to that question. I've been e-mailing with Danny back and forth quite a bit. I know he's got a lot going on in his whole other world. Whether people are aware or not, Danny's, like, a big deal in the really, really fancy, expensive watch world - like crazy, super-high-end watches - and he's got his own line of watches coming out. It's weird, because before the reunion I would read this stuff online and I would just kind of be like, 'What the hell…?' But then like after hanging out with the guy for 20 months and you actually talk to him and see the watches and what-not, I was like, 'Holy crap!' It's a pretty big deal. And I know he's been back and forth to Switzerland quite a bit trying to launch his watch line. So truthfully, I would think right now Anthrax is probably the least of his worries."

Q: What can you tell us about what went on with Joey?

Scott Ian: "We had every intention of moving forward. At some point during the reunion tour, we just felt that things were going so well and we had really gelled as a band. And, of course, granted, we were only playing the old stuff. But we just really felt like, 'Hey, why not?' From a musician's point of view, and from a creative point of view, why not see what Anthrax would sound like in 2007 with Joey singing on new material? And at some point, we had decided, 'Yeah, let's do this.' And after we finished in Japan in October, we started making the moves to try and make that happen and go forward, and it just seemed like we were constantly hitting this wall when it came to talking to Joey about it. What we really didn't get was when we had gotten offered to go out on the Heaven And Hell / Sabbath thing with Dio, which we were just, like, unbelievably excited about, and Joey just straight-up didn't wanna do it, and we couldn't believe that. And then over about two months, it just basically came to the point where he just didn't wanna move forward with us. And no matter what we did, no matter what we said, no matter how much we tried, he just didn't wanna do it."

Q: So have you talked to John Bush? 'Cause I saw in a release where you said that you thought that there was some unfinished business with the Bush lineup.

Scott Ian: "We've been speaking to Bush always. So that's something. There's really no answer to that at this point. John… over the last 20 months his life has gone in a dramatically different direction. He has a daughter and he has another child on the way imminently, and he's just in a completely different place right now. We've had some very, very, very long, deep discussions about things. Everyone's still friends and everything's good. It's just a case of right now in his life, it's not something that he could actually commit to. And I understand. If I had a kid coming, if my lady was pregnant and we were gonna have a baby in four weeks, I don't think I'd wanna be talking about writing a record and going on tour. You've gotta have your priorities straight and he certainly does, so… I think with John, it's definitely an open book, and I think it's absolutely a possibility that at some time in the future of this band that we will be working together again. There's just no answer right now. I can't say today that John Bush will be on the next Anthrax record because he's got more important things to deal with right now."

Q: So think out loud for us, Scott. What are you guys thinking right now? Do you have any ideas or are you just kind of chilling and taking a step back?

Scott Ian: "We've kind of just come off the chilling period 'cause we finished in Japan in October and we've been off since then, so we've all had a really good break and a chance to clear our heads. Our attitude - mine and Charlie's and Frankie's (Bello/ bass - is, we're gonna go in full bore and just start writing songs. And who's singing on it? We'll figure it out."

Q: In retrospect, do you regret doing this whole reunion?

Scott Ian: "No. Hell no! Hell no! You know what?! I had a blast. We got to be a band again, we got to reconnect, I got to become friends again with Joey and Danny. Regardless of what's happened and us not going forward with Joey and doing that, I have no personal problems with Joey Belladonna — I love the guy; I think he's an awesome dude, I think he's a great person, seriously, and I only wish him luck in anything going forward. I mean, the fact that I got to spend the last 20 months with him and reconnect and become a band that was actually better than we were in 1987. It was one of those moments that I can look back on now and think. One of the best moments of the band was, we had this idea and not only did we accomplish it, but it turned out better than I ever thought it could."

ANTHRAX Guitarist To Appear At Randall Amp Night In New York This Week

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian will be appearing this Thursday night, March 15 at Randall Amp Night which is being held at Manny's Music on 156 West 48th St in New York City, NY.

Anthrax are currently in Chicago writing material for their new album. Guitarist Scott Ian provided the following brief update:
"Five killer songs. We wrote the fastest, sickest riff we've ever played. It's out of control." It is presently unclear who will be singing on the forthcoming Anthrax disc.

ANTHRAX Guitarist Scott Ian: "3 More Killer Songs Written..."

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has posted the following update at his MySpace page:

"No rest for the wicked. Got back from Chicago Sunday night. 3 more killer Anthrax songs written for a total of 8. We're right on track.

Started guitars on (fiance) Pearl (Aday)'s record Monday. Vocals yesterday. 2 more weeks til we mix. Sound so fucking good.

I can't wait for people to hear all this music. It's great to be so swamped with rock.

Cheers, Scott."

ANTHRAX' "CDC" Updated, New Videos Available; Drummer Charlie Benante Blogs About DIMMU BORGIR Gig

ANTHRAX have issued an update regarding the Official Anthrax Fan Club "CDC".

Says Scott Ian, "New videos including a fan-made 'Any Place But Here' video and 'Madhouse' live from Osaka, 1990.

Also, the first video blog from Chicago is up. You get to see and hear us writing the new songs.

The interweb is a miracle! What will the wizards come up with next? Here's the link. Yes, you gotta join but you get an exclusive t-shirt and a bunch of other goodies that are more than worth the price of admission. If you love Metal you'll love the CDC!

Cheers, Scott."

ANTHRAX' Scott Ian Among Celebrities Hosting 24 Hours Of Video Programming To Raise Awareness For Global Warming

www.CNNMoney.com has issued the following report, courtesy of PRNewswire:

IAC Consumer Applications and Portals, a wholly-owned business of www.IAC/InterActiveCorp , today announced that KELLY ROWLAND, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), LIL MAMA, HINDER, TEDDY GEIGER and JORDAN MCCOY will serve as celebrity hosts at Stage-" - a full-day concert to be held July 7th in it's virtual world, Zwinktopia. Environmental reporters Amy Sedaris, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog will also be participating. Stage-Z will raise awareness of the global warming epidemic and need for climate control reform.

"Global warming is an issue that we need to confront, and I am proud to do my part to help today's teens understand the dire consequences of inaction on this issue," said Kelly Rowland. "Hosting at Stage-Z in Zwinktopia is an innovative way for me to spread this message to the online community."

In conjunction with The Alliance For Climate Protection, Stage Z will broadcast in Zwinktopia (http://blog.zwinky.com ), a virtual world for the more than seven million Zwinky avatars worldwide. Stage-Z will feature a 24-hour block of music videos, interviews, comedy, short films, and exclusive programming from today's top hip-hop, rock, pop, electronic, and metal artists as well as celebrity DJ's, comedians and actors.

The event will coincide with Live Earth, a 24-hour, 7-continent series of 9 concerts taking place on July 7th that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

Read the full story at this location.

ANTHRAX Guitarist Scott Ian Confirmed As Kerrang! Awards Presenter

ANTHRAX' Scott Ian has been confirmed as the presenter for this year's Kerrang! Awards, which take place in London on August 23.

"I'm excited, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun!" says the guitarist. "I've never hosted an awards type of thing before, but I was the minister at my brother's wedding, so I had to get up there in front of everybody and actually be the guy running the whole show, so after doing that this should be pretty easy!"

Ian's memories of K! Awards past, made the decision to get involved this year a no brainer: "I went a couple of years ago when Anthrax got an award and I had a blast, so, I figured it'd be even better this time because I get to be more of a part of it."

ANTHRAX' Scott Ian To Host Live Forum To Talk Guitars





SodaHead.com reports:

"What's your favorite rock guitar riff of all time?

Announcing the Axe to Grind with Scott Ian!

Scott Ian of ANTHRAX is renowned as one of the best rhythm guitar players in the game. These are some riffs that Scott considers to be the best. What do you think is the tightest and why?

Scott will be hosting a live forum on SodaHead to talk guitars with his fans! Autographed Anthrax merch will be given away to the users with the best questions. In order to get an invite to the forum, you must...

1) Embed this poll (GRAB CODE from 'WIDGET' button on the right) on your MySpace profile, Friendster profile, blog, whatever!

2) Post the URL here as a comment in addition to telling us WHY you voted the way you did. (If you post on MySpace, make sure the profile is public so we can see the poll!)

Only users who comment with a valid URL will receive an invitation to the forum!"

Further details at SodaHead.com.

ANTHRAX Guitarist Scott Ian Regarding New Singer - "I Can't Talk About It!"

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian spoke to Gus Griesinger from Glam-Metal.com about a number of topics including the current status of the band. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

www.Glam-Metal.com: What's the status of Anthrax right now?
Ian: "?Were writing a record. We'll keep on writing till the end of the year, and maybe we'll get into the studio by the end of the year and hopefully we'll have a new record by next summer."

www.Glam-Metal.com: Have you guys got a new singer yet?
Ian: "I can't talk about it!"

www.Glam-Metal.com: So, no comment?
Ian: "No Comment."

Read more here.

ANTHRAX Sommelier Scott Ian's Top 10 Of 2007



ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has posted the following entry in his Food Coma column at www.suicidegirls.com:

"End of the year Top Ten lists are a little less annoying than New Year's resolutions. I get at least eight requests for these mind-bending treatises every November. I’m very popular and my opinion is very important. Suck it.

Actually, people know I like to espouse my views on this kind of stuff and I am a listy (anal) kind of guy.

When I put my mind to it this year I was pleasantly surprised to see that I actually could come up with ten things. Ten records that made me want to get stabby!

Then I thought, hey, this is a food column. Should I write about my top ten meals of the year? Who the hell can remember that? My Grappa soaked brain will not comply. Actually I think I can remember a few so maybe that will be part of the next column.

This time I decided I’d do a pairing like restaurants will do with food and wine. I like when the sommelier pairs wine with your meal. Unless you are a sommelier, the sommelier knows better than you no matter what you think your fancy palate says. I’ve met sommeliers whose tongues can blindly tell you the patch of dirt your grape came from. Don’t fuck with the sommelier.

I’m pairing music and booze because like I said, my opinion is a really big asshole. Ok without further ado...

1. MACHINE HEAD – The Blackening. Not only the best album of the year, I think it’s the best metal record of the decade so far. This goes very nicely with Grey Goose and Coke.

2. MASTODON – Blood Mountain. I know it came out in 2006 but I listened to it constantly in 2007. I would pair this with Southern Comfort, straight up and warm.

3. HEAVEN & HELL – Live At Radio City. The Dio/Sabbath reunion was a dream come true for me. And the new song 'Shadow Of The Wind' is so fucking heavy. It sounds like what you would hear when you wake up in Hell. I hope they make a record! You have to drink Absinthe with this. The real stuff, not the fake shit they sell everywhere now. And pour it over the sugar, the ritual is important. It’s everything.

4. EVERY TIME I DIE – The Big Dirty. This band always surprises me. So many influences and styles and it all works. Refused meets Black Sabbath. Riff mania. Paired with a case of PBR.

5. SERJ TANKIAN – Elect The Dead. I know for some Serj is an acquired taste. Either you love him or hate him. I love him. And a bottle of Brunello Di Montalcino (fine Italian Sangiovese) will really help you connect.

6. FOO FIGHTERS – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. I loved the first two Foo records and then I lost touch with them. This record brought me right back. Dave is a master of the hard rock hook. Time for a Black Tooth Grin. I just did a bunch of these with Grohl in Manchester. Shot of Crown or Seagram’s 7 very chilled with a splash of Coke. Repeat 6-12 times. Drink it or wear it!!! Dime forever!!!!

7. LED ZEPPELIN - The Complete Led Zeppelin. I already have all the records. I downloaded the whole catalog from iTunes and have not stopped listening. They sound as fresh and relevant today as they did 30 years ago. Served with a proper Imperial pint (pints) of Guinness.

8. DOWN – Down III: Over The Under. Phil sings his ass off on this record. The riffs are greasy and heavy like the Debris (beef ends and drippings) at Mother’s in New Orleans. I highly suggest a single barrel bourbon with some years on it like Pappy Van Winkle, Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, Woodford Reserve, Sazerac Rye and if you can’t find those, Maker’s Mark will work fine. If you must, one ice cube or a splash of water. Neat is best.

9. ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS – Raising Sand. This album is all about mood, vibe and it’s beautiful. Graham’s 40 Year Old Tawny Port will go down as smooth as this record.

10. PEARL – Pearl EP. I have to mention this because I spent most of the year working on it and it fucking rocks!!! Pair it with a double Patron Silver chilled.

Bang your drunken heads my friends.
Cheers,
Scott"

ANTHRAX' Scott Ian: "I Hate That Stupid 'What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas' Slogan"


ANTHRAX' website has been updated with the following:

"Read Scott's new "Food Coma" at suicidegirls.com.

"I hate that stupid 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' slogan. What's the point of having fun and not sharing?"

Read the full column at this location.