Frank Bello says Anthrax are in a really good place as a band ahead of Cursum Perficio, out 18 September.
Frank Bello has described Anthrax as being in the strongest shape he can remember, a month out from Cursum Perficio, the band’s first studio album in a decade. The bassist told the “BREWtally Speaking Podcast” that four decades in the same group works the way a family does, and that the arguments matter less than what happens once the five of them walk onstage.
Put to him that being in a band resembles being married to several people at once, Bello took the comparison further.
“Oh, it’s a total marriage. It’s a total marriage,” Frank said. “You know what it is? It’s a family. What happens is it’s a family. You have brothers and sisters — some people do, some people don’t, but if you do, you understand. Or even cousins, whatever it is. Occasionally, look, some s**t goes on, and that’s the bottom line. You have to weather the storms. I mean, like everything else, man. It’s, look, life,” Bello said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Bello continued: “People have different personalities. People get married to different people. All that stuff happens within this whole process of being a band for 40-some-odd years, we’re together. And you know what? The one thing that we do know that this works, and what makes it all work for us when we get together as a band, that step onto the Anthrax stage, there’s no feeling. To this day, I could tell you, honestly, dude, there’s no feeling like stepping onto an Anthrax stage for me. I think the other guys feel the same. There’s an energy that I can’t explain that there’s no other part … I don’t have it anywhere near in my life that the energy going on an Anthrax stage, because it just goes from 1 to 10 immediately, and you’re on. And everything, everything for me is fulfilled. It’s just the audience, and you’re one with the audience, dude, and that is the drug you keep going after. And all the other s**t goes away. Everything else goes away. Whatever. You had a bad day, whatever. You had an argument with one of the bandmembers, whatever, and that s**t happens. Every band has arguments. It doesn’t matter. The idea is that you have to get over it and move on because it’s for the good of the band and the good of the music, and that’s why I think we’re still around.”
Asked how consciously he manages those dynamics after more than 40 years, Bello said the difference is in what he does before reacting.
“Always. And I’ll tell you this: after all this time, what you learn after a while, take the step back instead of being right away, without thinking it out, just being in attack mode,” he replied. “No, you gotta pull it back and listen to everybody’s view. I think that’s really important. That’s what you learn after… Maybe it’s wisdom after a long time. You get to know everybody’s vibe. And it’s really [about having] respect for everybody in the group. It really is that. It’s just taking that step back. And look, I haven’t always done this, other people in my band haven’t done this, but we know this works. So, we all know we’ll get over it at the end of the day. But there isn’t a lot of that anymore, honestly, because I think we’re so into what we’re doing. That was the growing stages.”
Bello said the response to the three singles has caught the band off guard, and that the audience has been changing.
“Anthrax, as we speak, coming out with this new record, [Cursum Perficio, on] September 18th — shameless plug — after 10 years, dude, I can honestly say we’re in a really good place as a band. I just feel like everybody knows this works, and we made what we think is a great record, and the reaction for the first three singles has been insane. We’re so humbled. Humbled is seriously the word. I can’t believe the reaction we’re getting, the great reaction, and we can’t wait to play this stuff. So, yeah, it’s been 10 years for a record, and you know what? It’s paying off for us because we’re feeling the vibe from the people. And I think Anthrax is in a really good place as a band, and from what fans and newer fans are showing — we’re getting a lot of new fans now, which is awesome. It’s turning over. I didn’t see that coming, to be honest with you. But the demographics are changing, which is awesome, along with our normal fans that have stayed with us through this whole time. It’s great, dude,” he said.
Cursum Perficio is Anthrax‘s twelfth studio album and follows 2016’s For All Kings, which reached the Billboard 200’s top ten. Ten years is the longest gap between records in the band’s history, and Scott Ian has explained where the time went.
The band began recording in earnest in 2022 at Dave Grohl‘s Studio 606 in Northridge, California, with Jay Ruston producing alongside them — the same partnership behind Worship Music and For All Kings. The Latin title translates as my journey has come to an end, my journey is over, or I complete my journey.
Three singles have appeared: “It’s For The Kids” on 15 May, its video nodding to the band’s 1987 “Madhouse” clip and shot with fans in Pennsylvania; “The Edge Of Perfection” in July; and “Everybody’s Got A Plan” in early August. The band first played “It’s For The Kids” live on 26 May in Sofia, Bulgaria while supporting Iron Maiden.
The sleeve is the work of artist Mark Stritzel, who developed the characters on it with Charlie Benante. Since late July the band have been releasing short animated films introducing each one, animated by Emmanuel Cappellini.
Anthrax mark the release with a midnight in-store in Kentucky. Straight after their 17 September set at Louder Than Life, the band head to Guestroom Records at 1330A Bardstown Rd in Louisville, signing copies from 12:01am on 18 September. Places are limited and only albums pre-ordered through the shop qualify for entry.
Cursum Perficio comes in the following editions:
- Standard CD
- Target-exclusive CD with a fabric patch of the album cover
- Standard black double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Target-exclusive red zoetrope double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Amazon-exclusive purple zoetrope double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Merch-exclusive lilac double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Metal Injection-exclusive white double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Talk Shop Live-exclusive signed red ripple double LP with pop-up gatefold
- Indie-exclusive red, orange and yellow double LP with pop-up gatefold
