ANTHRAX’s Long-Awaited New Studio Album To Arrive In September/October

At this weekend’s NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello talked to American Musical Supply about his new signature Spector bass as well as the band’s plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We have a new ANTHRAX record [coming out]. And it’s been about eight years. [Laughs] It’s been a while. So, we have a new ANTHRAX record. This bass will be shown everywhere we go. We’re gonna start touring. The record’s supposed to come out September, October. So big touring plans. If you know ANTHRAX, you know what we do — we stay on the road for quite a while. There’s some very big shows being planned right now, which I can’t talk about, but I’m very psyched. So 2025 is the year. And I’m glad that we have this [new Spector bass] ready in the chambers, because this bass is gonna go a long way, and I just can’t wait — I can’t wait, ’cause I know what I have on stage. I’m very psyched about it.”Last November, Bello returned to Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Northridge, California to resume recording the bass tracks for ANTHRAX’s long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s “For All Kings” album.Frank played his first show with ANTHRAX in nearly a year and a half on October 12, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.Bello and ANTHRAX were supposed to perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but their show ended up being canceled due to severe weather.Prior to Aftershock, Bello last played with ANTHRAX in May 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.In April and early May 2024, Bello sat out ANTHRAX’s South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to “personal reasons.” Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX’s debut album “Fistful Of Metal”, was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.Frank made his live debut with Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON on June 6, 2024 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.Bello played bass for SATYRICON for the band’s summer 2024 European festival appearances, including Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.Frank released a memoir, “Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax”, in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.Bello recently joined the Spector artist roster.Frank exclusively played Spector basses for rehearsals, recording and in the fall 2024 during ANTHRAX’s European co-headlining tour with German thrash titans KREATOR with Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT.[embedded content]