The Zombie You Know – An Interview with Scott Ian of Anthrax

Interview conducted in October 2011
by Melanie Falina
It's been a hell of a year for Scott Ian. Not that the previous years have been uneventful - by far. But 2011 has given birth to two new 'babies' for Ian. The first being his actual first born with singer Pearl Aday; a son - the second is, of course, Worship Music, Anthrax's long-awaited first studio album in eight years.

While Anthrax geared up to hit the road with supporting heavy hitters Testament and Death Angel, Scott Ian took a moment to discuss his bands, his baby, and his beloved zombies.

The new album, Worship Music, is a landmark release in a sense not just because it's been almost a decade since fans have had new Anthrax music to pump their fists to, but it also marks the return of vocalist Joey Belladonna. Belladonna's last studio release with the band was 1990's Persistence of Time.

Since its September 13 release Worship Music has conquered the band's highest chart debut in 20 years ranking at #12 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, the second-highest in their career. The album also debuted at #4 on Billboard's Hard Rock Chart.

"We spent more time on this record than any other record we ever made - it feels more complete than anything that we've ever made," comments Scott Ian on Worship Music.

"We had the luxury of hindsight. It was the first time we were able to do that in the history of Anthrax and that's what makes this record better than any other record we've ever made."

Worship Music as a whole shows obvious growth for the band in terms of their song writing; but for Ian that growth wasn't exactly a conscious effort.

"I don't know, I never think about it. We just do what we do, I have no idea. I just think if there's anything I can say about that as far as the process goes and where sh*t comes from and how it works - I don't have a clue. I just think we get better at maybe knowing what we want so when we're actually jamming stuff and trying to arrange music I think we just get better at feeling it and knowing what's right and what's not right a little bit maybe quicker than we did last time around. That's maybe the only thing. You know, I really don't know because I never sit and think about writing, I never think about how it works, why it works, what we do - it just happens in the room and you just write songs. I suppose other people maybe really think about that process and how they do it and they're super disciplined about writing and all that kind of cr*p but it's something I never think about. Maybe if I thought about it, it would go away. It's something I never think about."

Ian goes on: "It's not a case of learning new stuff or opening up to new things, it's just my approach to the guitar has always been [that] the guitar is only a tool for songwriting for me. I could care less about sitting around and practicing the guitar for hours a day and trying to be the best guitar player on the planet. A guitar for me is pretty much strictly in the context of writing songs for my band, coming up with ideas with my band, and then being able to perform those songs as best as I can on stage - that's what the guitar for me has always been."

Speaking of guitars - and lots of them, Anthrax has had the pleasure of being 1/4th of The Big Four - the powerhouse of a metal tour which also includes Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. What has that experience been like for Ian on a personal level?

"It's amazing. If we could just play Big 4 shows for the rest of our careers it would be awesome. Everything about it is great - like there's nothing negative to say about it. We get to be with all our friends and all these other bands who we've come up with forever. You know, it's great to get to hang out with everybody every time we do it; I enjoy all the other bands from a musical level and a fan level. And then we get to play these giant shows which are just incredible. And since Metallica has given us this opportunity to play to their audience which certainly they've probably heard of Anthrax but maybe have never owned a record or seen us live and now we get to go and do our thing in front of a lot of people who have never seen us before; the biggest metal audience in the world - and to have that opportunity it just amazing, it's an amazing thing. Because if you put us, Slayer, and Megadeth,[we] have toured together quite a bit as late as last year. If you put the three of us together and we can do from like 5,000 to let's say 15,000 people - depending on what city we're in, and then if you add Metallica and you make it The Big 4 those numbers go 50,000 to 100,000 people. So it's just an unbelievable opportunity for us in the most fun way I can ever imagine. It's just awesome".

"And the fans," adds Ian, "I mean on that side of it too, obviously the excitement for the show is incredible all over the world because every city wants the Big 4 show to come to their city and that's something that nobody in any of these bands takes for granted because the reason we all get to do this all these years later is because there are so many people all over the planet that love what we do and love this music. And from that end we all understand that it's an absolute privilege that we get to do this."

So who does Ian think the next Big 4 will be - 20 years from now?

- Read the full interview with Scott Ian at UnRatedMagazine.com