ANTHRAX's Cover Version Of BOSTON's 'Smokin'' Available For Streaming
- Mar. 15, 2013
"Anthems", ANTHRAX's long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s, will be released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast).
ANTHRAX's cover of BOSTON's "Smokin'" can be streamed below (courtesy of Ultimate Classic Rock).
Speaking to Music Radar, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante stated about the decision to cover "Smokin'": "You'll always hear BOSTON blasting out of our dressing rooms or our bus. It's one of those timeless records that doesn't have a bad track on it. It's almost like a greatest-hits album. When I hear it, I think back to being young, it's the summertime, and people are driving by in their cars crankin' BOSTON.
"I love the band, I love the album, and I love the guitar playing. The way they mixed it, the fucking guitars are so loud! It's pretty incredible. You can't help but sit back and go nuts when you hear that guitar sound.
"The original idea was for Rob [Caggiano, guitar] to learn the keyboard part note for note on the guitar, but he didn't get around to doing it. None of us can really play keyboards, so Jay Ruston, who mixed the record, got Fred Mandel to come in and do it. Jay really pushed for it to be a keyboard part, like on the original. And thank God he did, 'cause Fred just nailed it! I got goosebumps when Jay first sent it to me — it was so awesome."
The "Anthems" EP will be available on CD as well as digitally via iTunes and other online retailers. In addition to "Anthems"' cover art, Benante and artist Stephen Thompson have subtly redesigned each track's original album cover art to "Anthrax" it. The "Anthems" EP will first be housed in one of the "re-imagined" digipak covers, and then inserted inside the main CD cover sleeve. The main cover sleeve has been designed in such a way so fans will be able to see which one of the six "re-imagined" covers is inside.
"Anthems" was produced by ANTHRAX, Jay Ruston and Rob Caggiano and recorded for the most part throughout 2012 literally all over the world: at Benante's home studio, in Ruston's New York studio, on the band's tour bus while on last summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, in hotel rooms, and backstage at their Berlin show last December.
The Grammy-nominated ANTHRAX recently hit the road in support "Anthems" with dates in Australia, and will return to North America to headline the Metal Alliance Tour that kicks off March 22. For all of these dates, ANTHRAX is being joined by SHADOWS FALL guitarist Jon Donais.
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