ANTHRAX have announced a brand new album!
The New York thrash metal legends have announced their twelfth studio album, Cursum Perficio, set for release on September 18th via Nuclear Blast Records and Megaforce Records (North America). The record marks the band’s first new album in ten years, following 2016’s For All Kings.
Speaking on the new album, guitarist Scott Ian shares, “it was quite a journey from the inception of this album to its completion. We were supposed to make this in 2020, but the universe had other plans for everyone. After the Pandemic, we got to be a band again. When we started working on the record, we were just happy to be in a room together. It was so exciting that it was like being reborn in a way. All of that energy and emotion went into the music. The fear of being forced out of our lives and the joy of coming back together are present. The title Cursum Perficio feels like ANTHRAX. It resembled what we went through to get to the point of finishing the record.”
Drummer Charlie Benante adds, “there was an awful lot of growth between Worship Music in 2011 and Cursum Perficio. This album is a culmination of everything we’ve learned. I was watching a Marilyn Monroe documentary, and I saw Cursum Perficio written on a tile in her last home. When I found out what the phrase meant, it immediately clicked with me. We aren’t saying this is our last record, but our journey has come to an end. I believe we’ve completed the task.”
Bassist Frank Bello shares, “we left it all on the table. We really know who we are as ANTHRAX, what turns us on, and what we need to do. I don’t think anybody knows what’s next, but we’re hungrier than ever. From here on out, we’re going to go full throttle for every fucking minute.”
Alongside the announcement, the band have released a new single, It’s For The Kids, taken from the upcoming album. Speaking about the new single, Ian says, “a friend of mine said, It’s For The Kids is a straight-up love letter to your fans. That’s exactly what I wanted it to be. The album needed a four-minute thrash song that harkened back to our first era. Whether it’s the aggression or the big chorus, it represents all the best parts of ANTHRAX in a very angry four-minute package. For the video, we wanted to throw back to our Madhouse video – thematically it just made sense and this idea opened the door for us to share the experience with our fans. For all of us!”
Benante adds, “the video for It’s For The Kids turned out really well. I don’t necessarily like doing videos and this one had elements of things that I really love. There were fans in it, they showed up, they enjoyed it, it made me enjoy the video just seeing them enjoy it. Hearing the song for the first time, their reaction to it, and just the interaction with them was just great. I think the director did a great job on it. It’s kind of a throwback to our first ever video, Madhouse. So I think fans are gonna see it and think ‘oh look at that, I see what they did.’ But yeah, great song and a great video. It’s For The Kids is one of the songs that I felt was so strong, and the riff behind it and the rhythm behind it was almost like a tug of war, it’s like a push pull. It has this tension to it where the drums are just playing at a high pace speed, and the guitars are doing pretty much quarter notes with it. And the drums are just going full speed ahead. One of my favorite songs on the record and one of my favorite riffs. I really think this song is a gift to ANTHRAX fans who have been with us throughout the years. This basically is ANTHRAX at its best. Fast paced, thrashing, melodic fucking metal.”
Vocalist Joey Belladonna shares, “when I hear certain tracks, I immediately go, ‘I want to do this song. It might have a shot,’ Even the first time I started singing a tune like Madhouse, I figured it was going to be a strong one. You just know. There’s a lot of variety to each of our records. To me, It’s For The Kids is nice, straight-up ANTHRAX. It has a lot of fire and a punch to it. Vocally, it’s really cooking. It was definitely fun to hammer down on this one and put a lot of drive into it.”
Guitarist Jonathan Donais adds, “It’s For The Kids is a right to the point thrasher. It’s fast, aggressive, catchy and definitely going to be a fun one live. I love the ‘madhouse’ inspired throwback vibe of this video. Involving the fans and capturing their reactions to a new song adds some energy that really stands out.”
Watch the official music video for It’s For The Kids here:
Also, you can view both the track list and artwork for the upcoming new album below:
Track List:
- Persistence Of Memory
- The Long Goodbye
- It’s For The Kids
- Everybody’s Got A Plan
- The Edge Of Perfection
- Infectious
- NYC93
- Cursum Perficio
- T.O.M.B
- Watch It Go
- My Victory
Cursum Perficio is set for release on September 18th via Nuclear Blast Records and Megaforce Records. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.
For more information on ANTHRAX like their official page on Facebook.