Anthrax kicked off their 40th anniversary tour on July 26 at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ. The band's setlist for the night included the John Bush-era track "Only," which Anthrax hasn't played live since 2011. "Only" is from Anthrax's 1993 album Sound of White Noise and was the first of a albums to feature vocalist John Bush after the departure of Joey Belladonna in 1992.
Catch Anthrax on tour with Black Label Society and Hatebreed at one of the dates below.
7/28 Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV [Tickets]
7/29 The Palladium, Los Angeles, CA [Tickets]
7/30 Heart Health Park, Sacramento, CA [Tickets]
8/1 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO [Tickets]
8/2 Midland Theater, Kansas City, MO [Tickets]
8/4 Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana, Gary, IN [Tickets]
8/5 Oshkosh Arena, Oshkosh, WI [Tickets]
8/6 The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN [Tickets]
8/8 Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX (no Hatebreed) [Tickets]
8/9 Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, TX [Tickets]
8/11 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA [Tickets]
8/12 House of Blues, Orlando, FL [Tickets]
8/13 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC [Tickets]
8/15 The Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, OH [Tickets]
8/16 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN [Tickets]
8/18 The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD [Tickets]
8/19 Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY [Tickets]
8/20 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI (no Hatebreed) [Tickets]
8/22 StageAE Outside, Pittsburgh, PA [Tickets]
8/23 History, Toronto, ON [Tickets]
8/24 Amphitheatre Cogeco, Trois Riviere/Montreal, QC [Tickets]
8/26 Coney Island Amphitheater, Brooklyn, NY [Tickets]
8/28 The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA (no Hatebreed) [Tickets]
In a recent interview, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello said the band is currently writing new material and all he can say right now is that it's "heavy." When asked when the record is coming out, Bello said there's no real rush and that Anthrax isn't interested in putting out something that isn't "right."
"No [it won't be out in 2022]. We have to tour a little bit this year. Look, when it's right, it'll be right. And people know us, man. We digest these songs. We're fans, so it's gotta come from that, it's gotta come from the fans' point of view. It's gotta be right — the right record — so there's no rush. We're itchy, believe me, but there's no rush. But we know it's gotta be right before we put it out."
According to guitarist Scott Ian in a recent interview with Kyle Meredith, the band is planning on releasing a new record in 2023 depending on when they can hit the studio. Though first, Anthrax will hit the road this summer with Black Label Society and Hatebreed to celebrate the band's belated 40th birthday.
"We didn't get to tour [in 2021], so we're doing the 40th anniversary tour in our 41st year," said Ian. "Obviously, we couldn't go out last year and do it when we wanted to, so we've got this summer run coming up with Black Label [Society] and Hatebreed. And we're calling that part of our 40th anniversary. We've got 40th-anniversary dates in Europe after that, in the fall. And who knows? I like to think this U.S. run with Black Label [Society] is gonna do pretty well, and maybe we get to do a second run of those dates at some point early next year. And then I'm sure next year at some point there should be a record, depending on when we get in the studio."
