ANTHRAX Bassist FRANK BELLO On Band Longevity - "There's No Time For Ego; It's Not About You, It's About The Music"

July 10, 2023, a year ago

news anthrax frank bello heavy metal

ANTHRAX Bassist FRANK BELLO On  Band Longevity - "There's No Time For Ego; It's Not About You, It's About The Music"

Ultimate Guitar has posted the second part of a new interview with Anthrax bassist Frank Bello. Following is an excerpt.

UG: In terms of band dynamics, as we mentioned, 40 years together in buses and vans, man, brothers fight… there are always going to be disagreements and artistic differences. How have you guys learned to work through that? And what advice can you give younger bands that are maybe struggling with some of that stuff?

Frank Bello: "You know, that's a great question. For the younger people who are in a band or starting a band, just be prepared. I've seen Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, all the guys in my band, Joey Belladonna, more than I've seen my family in my life. Think about that. So you've got to realize it's a marriage, it's a brotherhood, whatever you want to call it, but you're with these people more than you will be with your family. I've been in the band 40 years, I've seen these guys way more than I've seen my family in my lifetime. And you learn to have respect. You learn to respect each other's space and respect each other's ideas, and their personalities."

Look, I have flaws, you have flaws, we all have flaws, right? What I try to do is work on it, I say, 'Look, I'll pull back on it. Maybe that didn't go the way I wanted it to, I'll pull back,' and you learn, you have to, the ego shit is right out the door. There's no time for ego. There's no time for fucking ego because what happens with ego, it gets you out of the band and the band doesn't work. Get rid of your ego. First off, it's not about you, it's about the band. It's about music. It's about the riff. It's about the steps you have to take to get there. And if there's ego involved with that, well, I don't know how long that's going to last."

Read more here.

On Saturday, May 27th, Anthrax headlined the 2023 Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave / Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Those in attendance were treated to a surprise when Machine Head vocalist / guitarist Robb Flynn joined Anthrax on stage for a rousing rendition of "I Am The Law". Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Noticably absent was Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, who was on tour in Europe with Pantera. Replacing Benante behind the kit was Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Nile), who previously held the sticks for Anthrax earlier this year, when Charlie left the tour for a “minor procedure.” 


Latest Reviews