ANTHRAX Guitarist: Just Don't Call It A Comeback

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian recently told Canada's Chart Attack that he's slightly miffed that their latest album, "We've Come For You All", is being touted as their "comeback album" when they never left in the first place.

"We didn't have a studio album for five years, so they put a 'comeback album' spin on it?" he said. "There are bands that take longer than that to record, but everyone latched onto it. If we'd said that we were done and eventually might come back after a hiatus, then it's a comeback. But we've been constantly working since 1998."

When asked why did this "comeback album" twist came about, Ian said, "I guess the journalists weren't creative enough to come up with another spin for it. Our bio didn't help either. 'First album in five years!' So what? For some writers, this is a comeback because they haven't written anything on us in five years. I wish it was as simple as saying that we've made a bunch of great songs so you should spend your money on it. You could make the greatest album — the one that's comparable to going to heaven — and if it's not marketed right, it won't sell at all.

"[The music scene is] not like it used to be where people were more clued-in with what was going on in the small world of heavy metal," Scott explained. "People have gotten lost in the past decade. There's so much more now to take your attention with video games and… well, I'd just say video games. Music isn't the number one focus in people's lives anymore. There isn't that sense of community. I had one interviewer ask me, 'So, what have you been doing for the past five years? Hanging out?' Yeah, I've been hanging out! Going to the store down the block and talking to the guy at the counter. That's the stupidest question I've ever been asked. He's like, 'I haven't seen you since you opened for MAIDEN.' Well, then it all makes sense."