Ever since Rob Caggiano left Anthrax to eventually join Volbeat, the band has "officially" been without a second guitarist. The band enlisted Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais to fill-in for the band for the better part of this year. In a recent interview, Scott Ian was asked if there were any updates on who gets the spot officially, and there was no question in his mind as to who deserves it.
Speaking to the Metal Hammer podcast, Ian says thespot is basically Donais':
"Jon's been with us since February, and I think I can safely say he's passed the audition… [laughs]. I know we haven't said anything official yet, but in my mind, he's the guy. I'm sure some type of official announcement… because in this world, people apparently need that kind of information so they can sleep well at night. But as far as I'm concerned, Jon is the guitar player in Anthrax."
So it's all but official. For Donais, this seems like a no brainer. He might be a bit younger than the rest of the band, and grew up idolizing them, but as a professional musician, this is a far more secure spot than with his own band, Shadows Fall. And who's to say he can't do both? Shadows Fall is currently between albums anyway.
Maybe we'll know for sure when the band hits the stage next month opening a massive show in San Bernidino for Iron Maiden. Coincidentally, that will be Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante's first show back since successful carpal tunnel surgery.
