ANTHRAX Singer On Next Album: I'm Already Into My Fourth Or Fifth Song As Far As Pre-Production

Thomas S. Orwat Jr. of RockMusicStar.com recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

RockMusicStar: Your solo band BELLADONNA has just scheduled a few shows in the upstate New York area and the mid-west. Why did you decide to do solo dates at this time?

Joey Belladonna: Well, I'm always putting dates together. Right now, I'm working with some agents and we found some places to play. But, I'm always pursuing that, regardless. I've been doing this solo for so long and even though I'm with ANTHRAX now, I'm still doing it. It's not just because I have nothing to do, but because it's what I do. We really aren't working that much (with ANTHRAX) anyhow, but at the same time it really doesn't have anything to do with that. But, the dates are just falling in this year, as opposed to last year. I also play out every weekend, locally. I have a cover band called CHIEF BIG WAY. And we do a classic rock covers from BOSTON, JOURNEY, FOREIGNER, LED ZEPPELIN and bands like that.

RockMusicStar: Do you plan any releasing a new BELLADONNA CD anytime soon?

Joey Belladonna: I have about three-quarters of a record ready. And we are trying to finish it up. It seems like it takes forever, but it's really a matter of who is available to work on it and finish it. And of course, I have to start working on some ANTHRAX material as well. I have been, but there is still more work to do on that one. So that's going to take some time, but that shouldn't interfere with what we are doing to finish up the release. But, I'm really enjoying the music that we are creating.

RockMusicStar: I agree. Now, how much of the new ANTHRAX CD is completed at this point?

Joey Belladonna: Well, there are three or four more cuts that need to be recorded. Vocally, I'm already into my fourth or fifth song as far as pre-production. I'm not laying down anything for real yet. I'm working out what I can move and what I can do and how I can make it better.

RockMusicStar: Is all the material already written?

Joey Belladonna: Yeah, the three or four that I'm talking about may have some changes. But, I've had my moments of looking at some of the tracks and thinking how I'm I going to do this one and make it cool. It would be cool if we were starting from day one, but we are moving from point "A" to point "C" at this point.

RockMusicStar: It must be a bit of a challenge because of the fact that most of the material was written for a different vocalist.

Joey Belladonna: I kind of hate that someone was already singing this stuff and now I have to kind of dance around it and do it all over. They (ANTHRAX) have in their mind already how they want it to sound, so it's kind of hard to shake it away. They are not going to say to me, "Go on and do something totally different and we will just dig it." [Laughs] It's hard, but I'm not worried about it.

Read the entire interview from RockMusicStar.com.