The REAL Story on the former band members

[Kefka]

Allright. I have been an Anthrax fan since Among The Living, but I am relatively new to the forums. I was a registered member on the old boards, but I have never been a regular poster. Indians was probably the first Anthrax song I remember hearing. I love Anthrax, but have never really dabbled into the Bands History. I know and love Scott, Frank, Charlie, and John. They are awesome. I have all the Anthrax videos and all that good shit. My favorite Anthrax record is still Sound of White Noise. Nothing can beat the first time I heard that, the transformations Anthrax had gone under between Belladonna and Bush blew my mind. I have bought every single Anthrax CD the day it came out since ATL, but I don't really know shit about all of the transitions in the band.

That is the reason behind this post.

I have always read Metal Edge and the other shitty Metal Mags, (like those are noteworthy sources to get the scoop) but I still find myself wondering what happened to Joey Belladonna, and why exactly he was outsted.

Or Danny Spitz. His solos were awesome. What really happened so severe that he was given the boot?

The revolving door on Spitz's replacement has me wondering too, I had just gotten used to Paul Crook, and now we have this Rob guy with a Mohawk.

Let it be known, that I am 100% behind John Bush, and I think Bush joining Anthrax is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to the band. Rob tore the stage up at the Memphis show too, he handled all of Danny's material with relative ease.


But still, I want to know the scoop.

I don't know shit about what happened. I want to know the details on why guys left and how they found their replacements.

My main source of info on all of this stuff has been fans at metal shows and their theories, Metal Edge, and the VH-1 Behind the Music.

Is the truth even out there?

I know bringing up past band members is always like opening up a can of worms, because everybody has their favorites and is partial one way or another.

But I really want to know, and I have found no information on the site regarding the reasons for the line-up changes over the years.

Anybody wanna clue me in?

 

[Ragamuffin]

metal-sludge.com has interviews with just about every former anthrax member

 

[refuse2Bdenied]

I looked on blabbermouth and found nothing...

 

[Kefka]

The Metal-Sludge interviews shed little light into anything.

Does anybody even know? Or is this information that was never really made public?

 

[thunderhead]

Both Joey and Dan were kicked out for "musical differences" what ever that means.

 

[Lordlindsey]

Well...here we go again.
I though Joey left on his own, when there contract was up.

 

[Deege]

I thought I read that the band said they weren't happy with Joey and he wasn't contributing to the band anymore and didn't really fit the band as well as he used to anyway, and they never got along with him, so they decided to sack him and release the B-sides album to tide fans over until they got things back together.

 

[thunderhead]

They did a tour for the Attack of the Killer B's......They were on the Clash of the Titans when that CD came out.

 

[Kefka]

Ahh. SO I see I am not the only one in the dark.

The way I heard it, which I hold no stock in because it was just rumor, was Joey was becoming increasingly ill and hard to deal with on show days, and wasn't hanging with the rest of the band. He wasn't contributing any material or partaking in the creative process, so they got fed up and axed him.

That is basically the way I heard it, but I have never heard that from a credible source.

I have NO idea whatsoever what happened to Danny Spitz or Paul Crook.

 

[Officer Nice]

Here's my version. I've been a fan of Anthrax since 1988.

It's no secret that Scott and Charlie play metal because of the money.
There's nothing wrong with that and Charlie's admitted in the past he
plays metal because he could make 100,000 a year. His words.
Even Tho Anthrax opened for Kiss and OZZY and had made it big,
the money really didnt come pouring in until Persistence of Time
and did Clash of the Titans and opened for Maiden. Scott and Charlie
got greedy when they saw what Metallica was doing. They canned
Joey and got a more 'commercial' singer and Anthrax jumped ship
from Megaforce and Island and jumped onto Elektra for Sound of
White Noise and they did a ballad "black lodge" and if you remember
Scott used to BRAG nonstop they'd never do a ballad. If I remember
right, the promo flats used to say "12 new songs and NO BALLADS"
In interviews Scott would say he wanted to take it to the next level
like Metallica. Joey was Dannys best friend in the band and very
opposed to Joey being kicked out. Danny was very unhappy and made
no secret about it. Hence Danny never moving around onstage or
smiling and growing that goatee. Danny finally left the band because
he couldnt deal with Scott and Charlies huge egos. Billy Milano may
exaggerate but he's not wrong about Scott and Charlie.
When Anthrax failed to do as well as Metallica after White Noise,
they were booted by Elektra. Then Scott and Charlie flip-flopped
and went on this big thing about being real and being metal and blah
blah blah, but they can't explain that shitty ass ballad on Stomp442.


-My 2 cents
OfficerNice




have always read Metal Edge and the other shitty Metal Mags, (like those are noteworthy sources to get the scoop) but I still find myself wondering what happened to Joey Belladonna, and why exactly he was outsted.

Or Danny Spitz. His solos were awesome. What really happened so severe that he was given the boot?

 

[johnnieCzech]

Here's my take. Joey actually got a boot because he sucked ass as a singer.
Danny didn't want to be part of Anthrax anymore, he wanted to be with his family and probably suffered some existencial depression. Went bananas later.
For some reason, boys didn't want Paul to become Anthrax member. Only they know why.
And yeah, SOWN was a sellout attempt. Still I love this album.
And I love BARE. Dare you say shitty ass ballad?!

 

[Officer Nice]

Here's my take. Joey actually got a boot because he sucked ass as a singer.
Danny didn't want to be part of Anthrax anymore, he wanted to be with his family and probably suffered some existencial depression. Went bananas later.
For some reason, boys didn't want Paul to become Anthrax member. Only they know why.
And yeah, SOWN was a sellout attempt. Still I love this album.
And I love BARE. Dare you say shitty ass ballad?!

Danny suffered any depression at all because his best friend had been
unceremoniously terminated. Bands sometimes pair off into cliques on
the road. Scott and Charlie and Frank are all tight and Charlie and Frankie
are related so Danny and Joey used to hang out. I'm not speculating like
you are. Am I daring to say that "Bare" is a horrible piece of crap?
MOST DEFINITELY. It blows hard. _That_ is not Anthrax and you might
share my opinion if you'd been a fan of Anthrax in the eighties like I was.
And look at the lyrics, c'mon, that's Anthrax writing that?
It'd be the same thing if Slayer wrote that cheesy crap.

METAL IS THE LAW.

-OfficerNice

 

[johnnieCzech]

I quite agree with the first part of what you say. The second one...proves me your head has been up your ass quite lately. YES, I've been an Anthrax fan since 1988. This doesn't matter I can only accept the old, 80's cheesy (yes I mean that) thrash metal, which especially Joey's vocals remind me on. The reason I am not quite able to listen to Among The Living is the vocal, which is sooo gay and cheesy that it doesn't fit to the music at all. I like first Joey's CD because it's kind of melodic rock and his Steve Perry-like vocals fit better to this music. I am very glad that my favourite band has grown and developed into a state in which they can write really powerful and beautiful acoustic rock ballad about life and death. They don't sing about Medusas and Deathriders anymore. Have you noticed? Oh I'm sorry, only TRUE metal is the law. How pathetic. Merry Xmas, if you celebrate them.

 

[johnnieCzech]

And yes, mister, Danny DID GROW A FUCKING GOATEE during SOWN tour. I saw fucking interview with the band in Headbangers Ball and Danny was there, saying how happy he was now with John, when the old songs like IN MY WORLD really ripped. And then I saw the live footage, and Danny WAS there moving onstage, singing the SOWN songs along. Yeah SOWN sure was a commercial movement, but hey, what's wrong about that? It's your job-you just have to make ends meet. Joey never wrote a line or riff for Anthrax they said, and he never denied that. Ï don't give a fuck-at least John Bush is a powerful singer who sometimes write lyrics, when Scott allows him to.

 

[Jono]

I think John Bush deffinately fits the changes the band has made. I feel like the band shows alot more emotion on thier newer albums especially because JB can belt it out. And with the ballads, God forbid any metal band show any emotion other than anger. When i was younger i thought anything but balls out thrash metal was crap. when i was younger than that I thought all metal was noise. Now that i'm older i've gotten alot more appreciative of all kinds of music. when i was 14 i might have scoffed at Black Lodge and Bare. I think it shows way more talent when a band can put together badass music in all forms. Anthrax can out rock, out thrash, out ballad many of the greats.

love
-Jono-

 

[jdelpi]

I don't think Black Lodge is a ballad. It was inspired by a show where a crazy man killed hot chicks.

 

[Officer Nice]

And yes, mister, Danny DID GROW A FUCKING GOATEE during SOWN tour.

Duh. I made note of that.



I saw fucking interview with the band in Headbangers Ball and Danny was there, saying how happy he was now with John, when the old songs like IN MY WORLD really ripped.

Are you completely misguided? OF COURSE Danny's gonna talk up
the new singer. If Danny says bad things on TV, Anthrax isn't a united
front. It's obvious Danny was unhappy with Joey not being in the band.
The Band has to appear united. It's called Publicity. Publicity is about
appearances and perceptions.


And then I saw the live footage, and Danny WAS there moving onstage, singing the SOWN songs along. Yeah SOWN sure was a commercial movement, but hey, what's wrong about that? It's your job-you just have to make ends meet.

Anthrax was doing pretty good before SOWN. Just because they arent
Metallica doesnt mean they were broke. They were making ends meet
very easily. They were making pretty good 6 figure salaries.


Joey never wrote a line or riff for Anthrax they said, and he never denied that.

Singers are like that. Sometimes Singers just sing.
Doesn't make them any less equal.

Ï don't give a fuck-at least John Bush is a powerful singer who sometimes write lyrics, when Scott allows him to.

"When he allows him to"- That would make John Scott's Beotch.
Which is true anyway.

 

[Officer Nice]

I quite agree with the first part of what you say. The second one...proves me your head has been up your ass quite lately.

You'd be an expert on head-in-the-ass syndrome.



YES, I've been an Anthrax fan since 1988. This doesn't matter I can only accept the old, 80's cheesy (yes I mean that) thrash metal, which especially Joey's vocals remind me on. The reason I am not quite able to listen to Among The Living is the vocal, which is sooo gay and cheesy that it doesn't fit to the music at all.

Among the Living is a classic. You have to be retarted not to think so.
State of Euphoria and Persistence of Time are not cheesy. Joey's vocals
fit the music nicely. Joey is in the same category as Ozzy and Halford
and Dickinson in terms of vocal sound. There's much more to metal
than the low growl vocal thing that became much more popular in the
latter years of heavy metal. You idiot. John Bush's vocals on Stomp 442,
a Pantera rip off, dont fit one bit. Bush's vocals did fit on SOWN and
some on vol8 and much more on WCFYA. It's not Bush's fault Scott Ian
was trying to be Dimebag on 442.



I like first Joey's CD because it's kind of melodic rock and his Steve Perry-like vocals fit better to this music. I am very glad that my favourite band has grown and developed into a state in which they can write really powerful and beautiful acoustic rock ballad about life and death.

And who's that? You can't be talking about Anthrax.


They don't sing about Medusas and Deathriders anymore. Have you noticed? Oh I'm sorry, only TRUE metal is the law. How pathetic. Merry Xmas, if you celebrate them.

You're funny. Sounds like you wouldn't know true metal if it bit you in
the ass.

-OfficerNice

 

[ThraxDude]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

 

[Officer Nice]

I think John Bush deffinately fits the changes the band has made. I feel like the band shows alot more emotion on thier newer albums especially because JB can belt it out.


I think the word 'belt' should be used cautiously. John's gettin old
and he can't 'belt' the way he used to. I've stood inches from John
while he's singin' and he's not 'beltin' the way he used to.

-OfficerNice.