An American heavy metal band from New York City, Anthrax was formed in 1981 by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker.  They spent the next year building a band roster, which changed often in the beginning.  In 1982, they had put together a pretty solid group, with Neil Turbin as their lead vocalist.

Anthrax

Scott and I actually used to laugh, and say “That will be the day when they take Frank Sinatra off commercials, and put an Anthrax song on!” Now everyone seems to have heard of thrash metal, even my grandmother has gotten acclimated to it, there’s thrash metal on TV, it still flips me out to this day!

The Early Years

An American heavy metal band from New York City, Anthrax was formed in 1981 by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker.  They spent the next year building a band roster, which changed often in the beginning.  In 1982, they had put together a pretty solid group, with Neil Turbin as their lead vocalist.  They began to perform in local bars and clubs around New York and New Jersey, and recorded a demo.  By the end of 1981, Anthrax had signed a recording contract with Megaforce Records.

In 1984, they released their debut album, A Fistful of Metal.  Upon its release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour.  By the end of the tour, Lilker had been let go due to his general inability to get along with the rest of the band.  In August of that year, Turbin, too, was fired and was ultimately replaced by Joey Belladonna.  Their second album, Spreading the Disease, was released in 1985, and the band launched a subsequent tour of the US and Europe.

Gaining Momentum

In 1987, Anthrax released their third album, Among the Living.  They drastically changed their image at this point, offering dark, but sometimes humorous lyrics, and dressing in brightly colored surfer shorts.  This was the first album to appear on the charts, and it peaked at #18 in the UK and #62 in the US, certifying silver and gold in those countries respectively.  1987 through 1993 was their most commercially successful period, with three more albums certifying gold in the US and Canada, and charting in these countries, as well as Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and Netherlands.

Moving Forward

Another change in lead singers (this time hiring John Bush) and three more albums took the band to 2003.  The many changes in band members over the years were causing quite a few legal entanglements regarding rights to material, but managed to continue and in 2004, they recorded The Greater of Two Evils as a live in-studio album, including older material, re-recorded with the current roster.  Anthrax unofficially disbanded upon completion of the album.

In 2005, they reunited briefly for a mini-tour, but did not retain a lead singer.  In 2007, however, they returned to the stage, this time with Dan Nelson up front.  In mid-2008, they launched a tour, starting in Chicago, then moving on to Korea.  After touring with Iron Maiden in 2009, Nelson resigned, and Bush returned.  They are currently touring US festivals and planning their next album.

Did you know . . .

1. In the mid-1990s, guitarist Dan Spitz left the band to become a watchmaker.

2. During the chemical anthrax scares in 2001, Anthrax altered their website to include educational information about the substance and links because people were frequently finding their website while seeking information.

3. The album, Among the Living, is dedicated to the memory of Metallica's late bassist, Cliff Burton.

• Unlimited Music Access
• Music File Sharing
• Country Based Radio Channels
• Easy, Fast and Safe!
• 100% Free!