Photo – Jimmy Hubbard
In this exclusive editorial, the magazine sat down with three of the tour’s central figures: Charlie Benante, Anthrax’s legendary drummer and backbone of their unmistakable sound; Mille Petrozza, the fierce and visionary leader of Germany’s Kreator; and Eric Peterson, the riff-master behind Testament’s enduring intensity.
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Below are some excerpts from Charlie on the new Anthrax album and his experience drumming for the recent Pantera shows…
When asked about the long gap between ‘For All Kings‘ (2016), and the new album, he commented; “It’s always been a priority to finish the new Anthrax album”, he says with conviction. “I don’t want people to think that my involvement with Pantera had anything to do with prolonging the completion of the new Anthrax album. It just came down to the fact that some of the material wasn’t finished. We went back and re-did some things we were not entirely happy with. You have to understand that some of these songs are pre-Covid, so we’re going back on ideas from a long time ago“, he reveals.
“After we started layering all the parts of the new songs, it was a unanimous feeling that some of the stuff we were doing just felt out of date” he says. “So we decided to give it some time and re-visit at a later stage. We are just trying to make this new record the best that we possibly can”.
With a busy Summer touring the controversial Pantera live shows now out of the way, he gives his afterthoughts on performing those classics songs, and the overall experience of sitting behind the kit and playing Vinnie’s drum parts to those classic songs…
“It’s awesome. I don’t take any of this for granted”, he says sincerely. “I feel extremely privileged that I’m in this role. I love those guys and my history with Pantera, as a band, and also Vinnie and Dime goes way back. My relationship with Rex and Philip is as important, as it was with Dime and Vinnie”.
“There have been days on tour where we are all just hanging out and the stories will start to come out about the brothers and I can see Philip and Rex just light up when we’re sharing memories of the guys. I really think this experience, for both Philip and Rex, is really what they needed, not only for the fans, but for those guys…this has been a very therapeutic experience for all of us, but especially for Rex and Philip”, he says fondly.
When asked about adapting his style to that of Vinnie Paul’s, he responded; “I’ve never told this to anyone before, but Vinnie told me on numerous times that he’s taken pieces of my drumming and applied it to Pantera”, he says casually.
“Vinnie was like; “You know that part on ‘Spreading the Disease’? I took that idea for this track.” When he told me that, I was like; “Dude! Are you serious?”, and his response was, “Absolutely!” So, now when I listen back, I can actually hear what he was talking about.
“And if Vinnie was still here, I’d be showing him some drum parts I’ve used on a few Anthrax tracks”, he admits laughing. “Some drummers have really big egos and they don’t usually discuss things like that. The truth of the matter is, whatever you were listing to during the course of your life from a teenager to an adult, that style and flare in the music is inevitably going to be an influence. I’ve had Joey Jordison (former Slipknot drummer) tell me the exact same thing that Vinnie told me, saying the he got some licks and ideas from my drumming for Slipknot, and I’m totally honoured when I hear that”, he says proudly. “I do the same thing and tell other drummers; ‘Hey, I got this idea from your playing on this track”.
Anthrax, Kreator and Testament are currently on tour across the Ireland, UK and EU. Check dates below…
For the full exclusive interview with all three bands, pick up your copy of Fistful of Metal Magazine here.
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie
