Rare Bird recently announced the release of Anthrax bassist Frank Bello’s Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax, co-authored with Joel McIver, including a foreword by Gene Simmons of KISS.

During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello talked about Metallica and the group's two classic bassists, the late Cliff Burton and his successor Jason Newsted.

UG: In the book, you also talk about meeting Cliff Burton. What was your first impression of Cliff, and how did you react to his playing when you first heard him?

Bello: "Well, my first reaction - it's been my lasting reaction with Cliff - he played outside the box, which I love. He was experimental, and Cliff was himself. Cliff was his own person, which I love about him. He was Cliff Burton.

That guy you saw right there, it showed in his playing, he was always gonna try things that were always different, and that's what I loved about him. He didn't stay safe, he was a great bass player, rest his soul, but he was also a very innovative player. When we'd tour with Metallica, I'd watch from the soundboard every night - I watched Metallica every night because Anthrax and Metallica played a lot in those days. I was there at the soundboard, and it was a great show, but I always watched, always focused on what Cliff was playing - 'cause, every night he'd be doing a great little bass run and something different with the Wah - WAAAAAH - and get these enormous sounds out of it. And I was like, 'What the - YES!!' And I'd get all charged up at the soundboard, 'YES! Did you hear that?! That was amazing!' I'm a fan - I'm a fan.

I'm a student of bass, I'll always be a student of music and bass, I want to learn every day. Cliff was showing me this completely different, beautiful side of the bass. I wish he was still around, just so I can see what he'd come up with - cause I'm sure it would be beautiful, and just tasty stuff - I would be so happy. I would love it. But, you know, I always have him in my mind, the spirit of Cliff."

Read more here.

Frank Bello, bassist with the legendary New York thrash metal band Anthrax since 1984 – one of the “big four” of thrash metal - has sold over 10 million albums, travelled the globe more times than he cares to count and enthralled audiences from the world’s biggest stages. He and his bandmates have even been awarded keys to the Bronx in recognition of their status. His long-awaited memoir would be a gripping read even if its pages only contained stories about his life as a recording and touring musician. While those stories are indeed included - and will blow your mind - Bello also focuses on deeper subjects in Fathers, Brothers, and Sons. Once you’ve heard his life story, you’ll understand why.

Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Frank’s mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with Anthrax from his early teens—first as a roadie, and then as the group’s bass player. International stardom came Frank’s way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony.

Two decades later, Frank is a father himself to a young son. Like many men who grew up without the guidance of a dad, he asks himself important questions about the meaning of fatherhood and how to do the job well. This is the wisdom which Fathers, Brothers, and Sons offers readers. Despite the emotive nature of these topics, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons is a funny, entertaining read. A man with a keen sense of humor and the perspective to know how surreal his story has been, Frank doesn’t preach or seek sympathy in his book. Instead, he simply passes on the wisdom gained from a lifetime of turbulence, paying tribute to his loved ones in a way that will resonate with us all.

Frank Bello is an American musician, most notable as bassist for the legendary thrash metal band Anthrax. On hiatus from Anthrax, he briefly performed with Helmet, but he has appeared on every Anthrax release since 1985. He lives in New York.

Joel McIver is the bestselling author of Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica, which has been translated into nine languages, and several other books. He has written for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and he is the occasional guest on BBC. Classic Rock magazine has called him “by some distance Britain's most prolific hard rock/metal author.”

Fathers, Brothers, and Sons was released worldwide in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook on November 2nd. A percentage of sales will be donated to charities assisting abandoned families.