Anthrax show their metal on new release

Heavy metal band Anthrax may have called their debut album Fistful of Metal, but after three decades of punishment to his hands, drummer Charlie Benante learned the hard way that his fists are flesh and bone after all.

Benante needed surgery in 2013 to address a long-running battle with carpal tunnel syndrome. As he recuperated, he was sidelined for some of the band’s tour dates. That downtime had an upside, though, as Benante’s convalescence produced a prolific burst of songwriting that formed the basis of the group’s new album.

“I would become so possessed sometimes with playing by myself and writing songs that I would forget what I was doing,” Benante says.

While Benante, 53, is primarily known as Anthrax’s drummer, he’s also a guitarist and has been the band’s primary riff generator for most of its 35-year history.

When Anthrax began work on a follow-up to 2011’s surprisingly successful Worship Music, Benante brought 20 song sketches to his writing partners, guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Frank Bello. Working with twice the amount of material they usually draw from, the three finished a dozen songs for the new album, For All Kings, which comes out on February 26.

This songwriting trio relies on an established – albeit somewhat loose – composition method that begins with Benante’s sketches.