Multi-GRAMMY® award-nominated New York heavy metal titans Anthrax - Scott Ian (guitar), Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), and Jonathan Donais (guitar) - will unleash their long-awaited 12th full-length studio album Cursum Perficio on September 18th via Nuclear Blast Records and Megaforce Records (North America). It marks the band’s first record in ten years since 2016’s For All Kings, which debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. Cursum Perficio will be available in various physical configurations to pre-order/pre-save; click HERE. The phrase Cursum Perficio is Latin for “My journey has come to an end,” “My journey is over,” or “I complete my journey.” It proves apropos for such a complete body of work.
For Cursum Perficio’s first single and video, 'It’s For The Kids', the quintet bulldoze the way for the album’s impact. It’s a classic Anthrax ripper locked and loaded with buzzsaw-sharp riffs, explosive drumming, and a howling and head-banging hook. It undoubtedly has all the makings of a future live staple. Listen HERE. See the quotes below from the band about the single and album.
Pre-order Cursum Perficio here: https://anthrax.bfan.link/cplp
Stream 'It’s For The Kids' here: https://anthrax.bfan.link/iftksg
“It was quite a journey from the inception of this album to its completion,” Ian says. "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 PERFICIO,” Benante elaborated. “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,” Ian 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,” agreed 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.”
“A friend of mine said, ‘It’s For The Kids’ is a straight-up love letter to your fans,’” Ian 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!”
“The video for ‘It’s For the Kids’ turned out really well,” Benante says. “I don’t necessarily like doing videos and this one had elements of things that I really love. There were fans in it, they showed up, they enjoyed it, it made me enjoy the video just seeing them enjoy it. Hearing the song for the first time, their reaction to it, and just the interaction with them was just great. I think the director did a great job on it. It’s kind of a throwback to our first ever video, ‘Madhouse.’ So I think fans are gonna see it and think ‘oh look at that, I see what they did.’ But yeah, great song and a great video. ‘It’s For the Kids’ is one of the songs that I felt was so strong, and the riff behind it and the rhythm behind it was almost like a tug of war, it’s like a push pull. It has this tension to it where the drums are just playing at a high pace speed, and the guitars are doing pretty much quarter notes with it. And the drums are just going full speed ahead. One of my favorite songs on the record and one of my favorite riffs. I really think this song is a gift to ANTHRAX fans who have been with us throughout the years. This basically is ANTHRAX at its best. Fast paced, thrashing, melodic fucking metal.”
“When I hear certain tracks, I immediately go, ‘I want to do this song. It might have a shot,” Belladonna notes. “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.”
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.”
“I’m psyched for people to hear ‘It’s For The Kids!’" Bello comments. “This is a heavy, driving song with a big hook chorus-a combination of classic ANTHRAX and current- I can’t wait to play it live! Had a (cold!) blast filming the video too. It’s a great, energy packed video with a bunch of amazing ANTHRAX fans having a good time on a freezing day in Pennsylvania. The metal kept us all warm.”
The CURSUM PERFICIO track listing is as follows:
Persistence of Memory
The Long Goodbye
It’s For the Kids
Everybody’s Got A Plan
The Edge Of Perfection
Infectious
NYC93
Cursum Perficio
T.O.M.B
Watch It Go
My Victory
Their journey has brought them to Cursum Perficio - a powerful, pummeling, and poetic milestone in Anthrax’s 45-year career.
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Photo credit: Travis Shinn
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