Nolan Schimdt from the Fargo Monthly caught up with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and they discussed the feeling of supporting Slayer on their farewell tour.

Benante said, “For me, being the same age, playing the same form of music, we were outsiders back in the day. We were different and we choose a form of music that you have to love if you’re going to do it because it’s not music that is played on the radio, it’s not friendly. Watching all of this play out with them is really bittersweet. It’s like retiring a player’s jersey.”

Benante also talked about what separates them from the other Big Four acts (Slayer, Megadeth, and Metallica) and replied, “The thing about us is we call ourselves a heavy metal band but we also love rock and roll. We enjoy different forms, like, I love funk, especially as a drummer, that type of music is very primal. When rap hit I was one of the first to bring it into what we were doing. Then, we ended up working it into a song with Public Enemy, which was one the highlights of my career. I think that’s what makes us different, we are not afraid to push boundaries with different forms of music.”

On January 23rd, Slayer announced that it would wrap up its 37 years together with one last tour around the globe. Dates for the European leg of the tour, with special guests Lamb Of God, Anthrax, and Obituary, have now been confirmed.

Tickets for the shows are available at slayer.net/tour, and a new video trailer can be found below.

Dates:

November
1 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena
3 - London, England - Wembley Arena
5 - Cardiff, Wales - Motorpoint Arena
7 - Birmingham, England - BCA
9 - Manchester, England - Arena
10 - Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
12 - Glasgow, Scotland - The Hydro SSE
14 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle
15 - Zwolle, Netherlands - IJsselhallen
17 - Madrid, Spain - Palacio Vistalegre
18 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
20 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum
21 - Zurich, Switzerland - Halle 622
23 - Vienna, Austria - Stadthalle
24 - Freiburg, Germany - SICK-ARENA
26 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclaycard Arena
27 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
29 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
30 - Erfurt, Germany - Messehalle

December
2 - Berlin, Germany - Mercedes-Benz Arena
3 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
6 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
8 - Helsinki, Finland - Helsingin Jäähalli