ANTHRAX Drummer On U.S. Presidential Race: ‘There Is A Very, Very Scary Vibe Going On In Our Country’
ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante has weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, saying in a brand new interview that “it’s a very, very scary time out there” that slamming the Republican party for “never [giving] Obama a bit of a chance to really do things.”
Speaking to Metalholic.com, Benante said: “There is a very, very scary vibe going on in our country, and I’m almost afraid to even talk about it because of the division that there is.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” he continued. “I don’t know if, let’s say, Donald Trump does become president of our country, I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know how it’s going to be perceived globally. It could happen, right?
“You may see an uprising, a very scary uprising in America that… I don’t know, man. It’s a very scary time. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Maybe this whole Donald Trump thing is meant to destroy the Republican party, what it’s become. Maybe this is what he’s trying… Because he was a Democrat, and he went over to the Republican party. Maybe this is… He’s sabotaging them without them even knowing it.”
Benante went on to criticize the two political parties for being unwilling to work together, both sides wanting things to go their own way entirely. He said: “Things have been heating up and heating up. I always thought that the Republicans never gave Obama a bit of a chance to really do things. And, of course, even me just saying that, if people read what I just said, they would come down hard on me for saying that, because they hate Obama so much. And, I mean, he has done some things that have been good, but other people would look at it as, ‘No. He’s the worst.’ But I don’t think anyone was as [bad] as the way George [W.] Bush fucked this country over. And these Republicans don’t even acknowledge that — that he fucked this country up so much. He put us in a war that we didn’t have to be in. And I truly think that ISIS and all that is because of that whole situation.”
The drummer added that he is concerned about our future generations and what quality of life they will have. He said: “[Our kids] are gonna have to deal with this mess too, when we’re all gone and our grandchildren, or whatever, are here to deal with this mess too. I don’t know, man. I don’t know how it can be saved, because it’s so divided and scary.”
Benante‘s sentiments were echoed by ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello, who said in a recent interview: “The way politics are going now, it’s just like another reality show, the way I look at it. I just see it as a chuckle, because nobody has a clue about what the hell they’re doing — nobody, straight across the board. I’m a parent and I love my country, but with the clowns that are up there going for government, I just laugh. It’s true, man. Look, nobody’s speaking for me — nobody’s speaking for me and a lot of people I know. So I just watch it like a reality show. And you know what? Nobody cares what a musician says anyway. I’m just a proud American. But it is what it is, man. This is what we’re handed.”
ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has stated that he found it hard to believe that Donald Trump is running for the highest office in the U.S. Ian told Stay Tuned Interviews: “I look at it this way: if Donald Trump was to become president, then America would actually get what it deserves. It truly would.”
He continued: “The only thing I can say positive about that fucking circus is he really is showing what a circus it is. He’s really showing how full of shit the whole process really is.”
ANTHRAX‘s long-awaited new album, “For All Kings”, was released on February 26 via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.
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