|
Why Anthrax Need John Bush Back In The Band To Survive |
Article Submitted by: Jamie Giberti
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
|
On the second of August (2009), on the Apollo stage at the Sonisphere festival, something happened that had not previously happened for more than four years - Anthrax played a storming set with their former vocalist John Bush as frontman, stepping in for a "one off" performance to dig the band out of a hole. Much has been written and documented about how Anthrax came to find themselves in their "singer-less" situation, but for the uninitiated here is a brief summary. After roughly 12 years with John Bush being the vocalist for Anthrax, the other members of the band decided to stage a reunion tour with original singer Joey Belladonna. This tour was successful for the band and lasted over eighteen months (and guitarist Scott Ian remarked that he felt the band were better during this tour than at any of the previous eight years Belladonna spent in Anthrax from 1984-1992). However when the time came for a new album to be recorded, after much negotiation, talk and months of trying to work something out, Joey Belladonna decided he did not want to participate. Neither did John Bush, after nearly 2 years of being in limbo with his former bandmates. In December 2007, Dan Nelson was announced as the new vocalist of Anthrax. The band performed a handful of shows throughout 2008, and it was announced in October that all the parts for a new album apart from the vocals had been recorded, and the vocals were to be put down shortly. Fast forward to May 2009, and the album was reportedly complete, and in post production ready for a September 2009 release with the title "Worship Music". Anthrax played a handful of shows, including the pre Metal Hammer awards show on a boat on the Thames river on the way to the O2 Arena in London, England. They also played a show at the University of London Student's Union the next day, as well as a handful of other club dates around Europe. All seemed well, at least from the outside. The band were scheduled to play several festivals on the European summer festival circuit, finishing off with a performance at the new Sonisphere festival in Knebworth, UK on August 2nd. Approximately 2 weeks before this, the band cancels several festival dates, citing Dan Nelson having a "serious illness". A couple of days after this statement, the news emerges that Nelson and Anthrax have acrimoniously parted ways, and their whole european tour with the exception of Sonisphere was cancelled, as was a big support slot on a North American tour with Slipknot in September & October 09. What came out of this a couple of days after, is that former singer John Bush had agreed to a one-off reunion with the band for the UK date of Sonisphere. Having been present at Sonisphere, a very large crowd turned up to witness the unexpected reunion. For the next hour plus (the band overran their slot by nearly 15 minutes, but nobody appeared to attempt to stop them, at least from the front of the stage) an incredible set was performed, kicking off with "What Doesn't Die", the opening track from the most recent Bush fronted album, We've come for you all. They rattled through classics such as "Antisocial", "Caught In A Mosh", "Bring The Noise" and set closer "Indians", Bush in terrific form and geniunely seemed to be having the time of his life. The crowd chanted his name several times and the other members of the band were keen to encourage this. So where do Anthrax go from here? Realistically, if they wish to hold onto any credibility and a wish to be a viable band from a commercial point of view, they need to convince John Bush to rejoin full time. Guitarist Scott Ian posted on his Twitter account shortly after the Sonisphere set that a full time reunion with Bush was "at the front of his mind", so we will wait and see. For all the Anthrax fans out there, if they want to see any more fantastic performances like the one from Knebworth, then they better hope Scott and his bandmates can persuade John Bush to forgive them for past offences. Whether or not it happens, all we can do is watch this space. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
Jamie Giberti is a heavy metal and music fanatic who writes a heavy metal and music blog at www.mysweetshadow.co.uk. He is also a Web Developer and SEO professional and his website also features writing on these subjects and others.
Jamie Giberti is a heavy metal and music fanatic who writes a heavy metal and music blog at www.mysweetshadow.co.uk. He is also a Web Developer and SEO professional and his website also features writing on these subjects and others.
You are welcome to publish this article free of charge on your website, newsletter, or e-zine, provided:
- You don't change the article in any way
- You include the entire article, including the "about the author" box
- All hyperlinks must remain intact, including email addresses, and the link to ArticleBlast.com at the bottom
- In doing so you agree to indemnify the article's author, and ArticleBlast.com and its directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all losses, claims, damages and liabilities which arise out of its use
- It is also recommended that you provide a courtesy copy of your publication to the author of the article
