{"id":896157,"date":"2026-04-01T08:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/interview-charlie-benante-on-anthraxs-return-to-oz-playing-with-pantera-jaws\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T08:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:25","slug":"interview-charlie-benante-on-anthraxs-return-to-oz-playing-with-pantera-jaws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/interview-charlie-benante-on-anthraxs-return-to-oz-playing-with-pantera-jaws\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Charlie Benante on Anthrax\u2019s Return to Oz, Playing with Pantera & ‘Jaws’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Music <\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlie Benante on new Anthrax, honouring Pantera, and why Jaws is still the greatest movie ever made.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few musicians have left a fingerprint on thrash metal the way Charlie Benante<\/a> has. As drummer, songwriter and driving force behind Anthrax, he helped shape one of metal\u2019s most explosive eras \u2014 and decades later he\u2019s still pushing forward.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Anthrax<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s long-awaited return to Australia, Benante talks about intimate shows, the band\u2019s long-awaited new album, stepping behind the kit for Pantera in honour of Vinnie Paul, marrying Carla Harvey with Gene Simmons officiating \u2014 and why the music of John Williams still inspires him.<\/p>\n

BACK DOWN UNDER<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Anthrax are finally returning to Australia in 2026, and the shows promise to be loud, sweaty and close to the fans \u2014 including Sydney\u2019s Enmore Theatre.<\/p>\n

For Benante, though, venue size isn\u2019t what defines a great show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where we play,\u201d <\/strong>he says. \u201cI\u2019m still doing the same thing \u2014 playing drums and seeing the people out there. Whether it\u2019s a huge place or a smaller room, the connection is the same. I\u2019ll play anywhere.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

What fans can expect is a set-list built for maximum impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you haven\u2019t been somewhere in a while, you\u2019ve got to play the standards,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople want those songs. But we like to rotate things too, and maybe we\u2019ll sneak a new one in \u2014 just to add some new blood.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW BLOOD FOR ANTHRAX<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s been nearly a decade since Anthrax released For All Kings<\/em>, an album many fans consider one of the band\u2019s strongest modern releases.<\/p>\n

Benante believes the upcoming record might top it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I think this new album is a step up,\u201d<\/strong> he says. \u201cPeople told me they couldn\u2019t believe we were still writing songs like that at this point in our career. But that\u2019s the goal \u2014 I always push myself to make the music as good as it can be.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was even a moment where he questioned whether bands needed to make new albums at all in today\u2019s music landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry is so different now,\u201d <\/strong>he admits. \u201cThere was a time where I thought maybe bands didn\u2019t need to release new music anymore. But once I started writing and the songs started coming together, I got excited again. When the ideas start flowing, you just go with it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n