Anthrax are due to release their new album, For All Kings, on February 26th. In a new interview with RollingStone.com, guitarist Scott Ian discusses the new album, as well as Phil Anselmo’s recent racism scandal. An excerpt follows:

RS: Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo, whom you are friends with, recently made a Nazi salute onstage and shouted "white power." You posted to Instagram that you'd like him to make a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. What went through your mind when you saw him do that?

Scott Ian: “There was a lot of screaming in my brain: "Oh no. Please don't let this be real!" First and foremost, we are friends. I love Phil Anselmo like a brother. He's family to me. We've known each other for 30 years almost. This isn't something like where I'm just like, "Fuck this guy!" I know deep down, truly that he's not that person. But I had to say something publicly about it, because to me, silence is being complicit.

“Phil is taking a deep hard look at himself and his life, and he is going to do what he needs to do to fix things. Kids who listen to this type of music shouldn't think that this is OK. I've seen so much rhetoric out there saying, "What's the big deal?" Ugh. I don't think I need to explain history to tell you what the big deal is. I've even seen a comment as stupid as, "Well, why does Scott ask for a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center? That's a Jewish thing. White Power has nothing to do with the Jews." So that's the stupidity that's out there. This is a big fucking deal and everybody needs to know that. Education needs to happen.”

Read more at RollingStone.com.

For All Kings album details can be found below.

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.