Interview with Frank Bello Of Anthrax
Sofa King Cool caught up with Frank Bello of Anthrax and we talked about Touring, Slayer’s Farewell Tour, More Big 4 Shows, Rock N Roll carrying on with all the big names dropping out, The upcoming live DVD, Social Media, Stores not selling CD’s and His side Project Altitudes & Attitude with Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group was considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene during the 1980s and is one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands with Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer; Anthrax is the only one of the four from the East Coast. As of April 2017, the band has released 11 studio albums, several other albums, and 26 singles, including collaborating on a single with American hip hop group Public Enemy. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Anthrax sold 2.5 million records in the United States from 1991 to 2004, with worldwide sales of 10 million.
https://www.facebook.com/anthrax
It’s not often that two legendary metal bassists come together to create a new project, but Anthrax‘s Frank Bello and Megadeth‘s David Ellefson have done just that with Altitudes & Attitude.
Altitudes & Attitude also harnesses the power of A Perfect Circle drummer Jeff Friedl and Ozzy Osbourne / Firewind shredder Gus G. Additionally, Frank Bello provides vocals to the project, which is somewhat of a departure for the bassist, but he’s been singing for quite a while. “A lot of people have told me I should step up and be the singer,” Bello told us. “I have been touring for about 30 some years and I have done a few B-sides with Anthrax where I sang on some lead vocals and that’s fun.”
Ellefson praises the vocal prowess of Bello, as the duo having worked together in past Metal Masters clinics. “I already knew he had a great voice and just as much as he’s got the confidence to stand up there and sing,” says Ellefson. “To me, that’s a big part of being a singer. He’s got a great tone and a great style. It’s genuine, and to me, I’d rather hear genuine over skill any day.”
As for the project’s name, Altitudes & Attitude represents the lives both Bello and Ellefson have lived. “We’ve been through the highs and lows of being in bands forever and you know this business of ours,” Bello explains. “It was funny, Dave came up with it and I just totally said, ‘Dude, that’s the absolutely the name of this stuff.’ It’s the highs and lows of this life, it’s the altitudes and you have to have a good attitude towards it, you know? To survive it.”
Ellefson goes on to explain the dynamic of two bass players writing for and playing other instruments. “It’s fun because as bass players we’re holding down the lower end of the spectrum and the rhythmic groove section. I think there’s always this yearning for us bass players to wanna be melodic players. These songs coming from they’re written from a guitar player’s perspective not from a bass player’s perspective.”
http://www.altitudesandattitude.com
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