"I don’t think anybody knows what’s next, but we’re hungrier than ever," Anthrax bassist Frank Bello says as the thrash legends announce their 12th album, Cursum Perficio.
Anthrax are back with their first album in ten years, Cursum Perficio, and released its lead single It’s For The Kids.
The thrash legends’ 12th studio album - the follow-up to 2016’s For All Kings - will arrive on September 18 via Nuclear Blast. Its Latin title ominously translates to ‘my journey is over’ or ‘my journey has come to an end’. However, drummer Charlie Benante has clarified that it’s not necessarily their last record.
The band began working on Cursum Perficio all the way back in 2022, after their plans to knuckle down and create new music were delayed by the pandemic. As they began piecing together the album, they were working out of Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles.
“It was quite a journey from the inception of this album to its completion,” says guitarist Scott Ian "We were supposed to make this in 2020, but the universe had other plans for everyone. After the pandemic, we got to be a band again. When we started working on the record, we were just happy to be in a room together. It was so exciting that it was like being reborn in a way. All of that energy and emotion went into the music. The fear of being forced out of our lives and the joy of coming back together are present. The title Cursum Perficio feels like Anthrax. It resembled what we went through to get to the point of finishing the record.”
“There was an awful lot of growth between Worship Music in 2011 and Cursum Perificio,” adds drummer Charlie Benante. “This album is a culmination of everything we’ve learned. I was watching a Marilyn Monroe documentary, and I saw Cursum Perficio written on a tile in her last home. When I found out what the phrase meant, it immediately clicked with me. We aren’t saying this is our last record, but our journey has come to an end. I believe we’ve completed the task.”
“We had to make Fistful Of Metal and Spreading The Disease to be able to write Among The Living,” Scott goes on. “In the same respect, it took Worship Music and For All Kings for us to be able to write Cursum Perficio. I very much compare this record to Among The Living.”
“We left it all on the table,” agrees bassist Frank Bello. “We really know who we are as Anthrax, what turns us on, and what we need to do. I don’t think anybody knows what’s next, but we’re hungrier than ever. From here on out, we’re going to go full throttle for every fucking minute.”
Anthrax have also debuted the album’s lead single, It’s For The Kids - listen to it below.
“A friend of mine said, It’s For The Kids is a straight-up love letter to your fans,’” Scott says. “That’s exactly what I wanted it to be. The album needed a four-minute thrash song that harkened back to our first era. Whether it’s the aggression or the big chorus, it represents all the best parts of Anthrax in a very angry four-minute package. For the video, we wanted to throw back to our ‘Madhouse’ video--thematically it just made sense and this idea opened the door for us to share the experience with our fans. For all of us!”
Jonathan Donais adds, “‘It’s For The Kids’ is a right to the point thrasher. It’s fast, aggressive, catchy and definitely going to be a fun one live. I love the ‘madhouse’ inspired throwback vibe of this video. Involving the fans and capturing their reactions to a new song adds some energy that really stands out.”
Vocalist Joey Belladonna says: “When I hear certain tracks, I immediately go, ‘I want to do this song. It might have a shot. Even the first time I started singing a tune like ‘Madhouse,’ I figured it was going to be a strong one. You just know. There’s a lot of variety to each of our records. To me, It’s For The Kids is nice, straight-up Anthrax. It has a lot of fire and a punch to it. Vocally, it’s really cooking. It was definitely fun to hammer down on this one and put a lot of drive into it.”
