Anthrax are due to release their new album, For All Kings, later this month on February 26th. As the street date approaches, drummer Charlie Benante opened up to Kristy Love of Houston Press about the process of writing the album, his artwork and politics; an excerpt follows.

Anthrax have been known to push boundaries and themes, as in their groundbreaking collaboration with Public Enemy and their Stephen King-inspired lyrical content. But, For All Kings, is a mature and sometimes political statement piece. And it’s an idea Benante is not afraid to talk about. The new music is timely, and rightfully so, especially in an election year. Politically motivated, like the track “Evil Twin”, Benante doesn’t shy away from his opinion about our current cultural climate.

"I think 'Evil Twin' discusses a topic that not many people feel comfortable talking about because everybody, in this country especially, are so quick to use the racist card, you know? I think that the subject matter of 'Evil Twin' is very topical. We had a lyric video we put out and then a few days later, the Paris bombing happened. We live in a world that has become very scary, and it sucks that [ISIS] uses our planet for this."

"I think that politicians say what they want to say and we will probably never get to the bottom of the cause of all of this why people hate people or why a certain group are retaliating against all of us," Benante adds.

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For All Kings tracklisting:

CD1:
“You Gotta Believe”
“Monster At The End”
“For All Kings”
“Breathing Lightning”
“Suzerain”
“Evil Twin”
“Blood Eagle Wings”
“Defend/Avenge”
“All Of Them Thieves”
“This Battle Chose Us”
“Zero Tolerance”

CD2 (Bonus Live-CD):
“Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t”
“A.I.R.”
“Caught In A Mosh”
“Madhouse”

Drummer Charlie Benante promises that the eleven-song For All Kings will be "aggressive and super-thrashy”. The album was written by Benante, bassist Frank Bello, and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, the dynamic triumvirate whose unique composition chemistry is, in part, what sets Anthrax's music apart from other bands' in the same genre. Add to that Joey Belladonna's breathtaking vocals and the searing guitar leads by newest member Jonathan Donais, and it's no wonder the band is so excited for fans to hear what will be their 11th studio album.

"Breathing Lightning” from For All Kings can currently be heard on FM and Satellite radio. In the clip below, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante and Scott Ian talk about the writing and recording of the song.

Anthrax kicked off its first tour of 2016 with Lamb Of God on January 15th in Pittsburgh. Remaining dates are as listed:

February
4 - Revention Music Center - Houston, TX
5 - Bomb Factory - Dallas, TX
6 - Concrete Street Pavilion - Corpus Christi, TX
8 - ACL Live at the Moody Theatre - Austin, TX
9 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
11 - Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas, NV
12 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA