Returned Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna is trying hard to keep things on an even keel until he feels he’s an equal member of the band again.
He’s back in the fold after the thrash giants sacked short-term frontman Dan Nelson last year, and previous incumbent John Bush refused to return on a full-time basis.
But while he’s delighted to be the man once again, he’s being careful not to antagonise anyone, especially his bandmates – although he does say there was never any need to get rid of him in the first place.
Belladonna tells KNAC.com: "I’m just trying to keep the system intact, in fairness and in making myself feel a part of it where I’m an equal member and we’re working together. I don’t want to hear, ‘We’ll tell you about it later after we’ve done it’ – I want to be there even if I’m not calling the shots.
"I don’t feel the situation is temporary, but I don’t read anybody’s mind. I think this is a good lineup – it works, it’s been successful before and it can be successful again. As long as everybody stays focused and doesn’t try to flip the coin real quick, to find out there’s nothing on the other side."
The classic-era frontman refuses to criticise Bush or Nelson, saying: "I’m not even gonna go there. It got pretty ridiculous, but we are where we are now and we’ve got to move forward.
"I could do without comparisons with John, because we’re talking about two different styles, two different stage presences. We’re two different people, period.
"I understand what they were trying to do with Dan, but it’s not an easy thing. You can’t just throw anybody in there and expect them to buck up and pull it off when they’re not used to a situation like that."
Some elements from Worship Music, the unreleased album recorded with Nelson, will feature on the next release with Belladonna, who explains: "I already sang on one song and it’s pretty cool. Even the guys in the crew who were there for the session said it sounded like a completely different song.
"I don’t pay attention to what Dan did – I don’t think about it. I’ll do what I do and make it right in my mind. I’ve done John Bush songs on the road and didn’t have any problems there."
Ultimately, Belladonna has never been convinced there was any need for Anthrax to part company with him back in the early 1990s, which led to the Bush era regarded by many as a complete regeneration of the band. He says: "I think most people will be happy to see it stay the way it is – the way it was. Who needed any change really? It’s great they did something different, but we could just have kept going. It really could have kept going. I know that’s neither here nor there now, but that’s how I’ve always felt."
Thanks for the report to RockRadio.
