ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante was interviewed on a recent edition of the syndicated radio show "Noize In The Attic - Where Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You". You can now listen to the chat using the widget below. Speaking about ANTHRAX's tendency to write lyrics that tackle social, political, and cultural issues, Benante said: "You can only go so far before being labeled [right wing or left wing]. But the thing about being political, especially when you're living in your country, and things affect you and things bother you and things make you worry because you have kids and children who have to go on and probably deal with this when they're older, then you just get people who just fucking… Man, they just don't hold back; they just tear into you. I think the country's in a very weird state right now, and I don't know what's gonna happen." Benante, who said he "just came back" from Europe with ANTHRAX, was asked what the response has been to Americans from people in Europe during his last visit there. "I'd rather not go there," he said. "I'd rather not talk about that." A year ago, the drummer spoke about the 2016 presidential election, saying that it was "a very, very scary time out there" and slamming the Republican party for "never [giving] Obama a bit of a chance to really do things." He added: "Maybe this whole Donald Trump thing is meant to destroy the Republican party, what it's become. Maybe this is what he's trying… Because he was a Democrat, and he went over to the Republican party. Maybe this is… He's sabotaging them without them even knowing it." Benante went on to criticize the two political parties for being unwilling to work together, both sides wanting things to go their own way entirely. He said: "Things have been heating up and heating up. I always thought that the Republicans never gave Obama a bit of a chance to really do things. And, of course, even me just saying that, if people read what I just said, they would come down hard on me for saying that, because they hate Obama so much. And, I mean, he has done some things that have been good, but other people would look at it as, 'No. He's the worst.' But I don't think anyone was as [bad] as the way George [W.] Bush fucked this country over. And these Republicans don't even acknowledge that — that he fucked this country up so much. He put us in a war that we didn't have to be in. And I truly think that ISIS and all that is because of that whole situation." ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE kicked off "The Killthrax Tour" on March 29 at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey. With ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE rotating the closing slot over the course of the dates, the tour will criss-cross the continent, wrapping up in Boston on May 7. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is providing direct support on all dates. ANTHRAX's February 15 concert at the Barrowland in Glasgow, United Kingdom was filmed for a DVD, to be released later this year via Megaforce. The DVD is being produced and directed by Paul Green of the Manchester, U.K.-based Paul Green Productions who has filmed concerts for OPETH, THE DAMNED, Gary Numan, THE LEVELLERS and many others.
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