I’m kind of pinching myself waiting to wake up,” explains the new Anthrax frontman, and relatively unknown, Dan Nelson. “I’m still in disbelief. Like, ‘Wow!’ I’m the f*cking lead singer of Anthrax. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The metal world has been buzzing with excitement since the band made the official announcement this past December. Dan Nelson now completes the Anthrax lineup, which includes guitarists Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante.

“I had met Rob back in 2002, and we hit it off pretty well,” recalls Dan. “About a year ago I was looking for a band and came across Rob’s MySpace page and saw that Anthrax was doing their (Among The Living) reunion tour, and Rob was band-less. I sent him a message and said, ‘you don’t have a band; I don’t have a band, why don’t we get together and jam?’ Rob found that humorous, and asked me to send him some tracks. So I did, and he told me to call him immediately.”

When the two got together in the studio, Rob had Dan in the vocal booth for nearly 10 hours. After that, he told Dan that he wanted to show his stuff to Charlie (Benante) and Scott (Ian) and see how he would sound with Anthrax. “I was, of course, blown away, being a huge Anthrax fan since I was nine years old,” advises Dan.

Unfortunately Rob was not able to show Dan’s tracks to the two members, because they were working on possibly getting Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour) to do vocals for the new album. But that fell through because of label and management issues.

“For whatever reason, that didn’t work out, and I got a message from Rob saying he was gonna show my stuff to Charlie and Scott,” Dan recalls. “No too long after that I heard from Charlie, and I flew to Chicago to audition. They gave me a list of songs from both eras (Joey Belladonna and John Bush). I already knew the songs and just had to brush up,” explains Dan. “I practiced, went out there and after jamming,’ those tunes, we did a bunch of cover songs and just had fun and hung out. I spent the weekend with Charlie just to see how we all gelled — not only musically, but also on a hang out kind of basis. It all went well, and they asked me out a month later. That’s basically when they let me know I got the job.”

Hailing from the Long Island, New York, music scene, Dan’s previous bands include Devilsize, Unbroken and Me and My Enemy. A few songs from Devilsize have surfaced on the Internet. “A couple are live and another was recorded on an eight-track, like a cheap recording,” he explains. “I would rather the fans hear a little better recording or, of course, the stuff I’m doing with Anthrax first, but at the same time it’s getting a pretty decent response, so that’s cool.”

With the change in singers, especially in a band as storied as Anthrax, there is always some hesitation with followers. “I’ve seen the response, and I guess it’s kind of 50/50,” advises Dan. “A lot of people are just waiting to see what happens with the next album and the live show. I understand there are a lot of people out there who miss John (Bush) and Joey (Belladonna). I can totally understand that. I was a huge Bush fan and a huge Belladonna fan. I don’t take any of that stuff personally. I just hope to re-create Anthrax again the way John did with Sound Of White Noise.”

The year 2008 is shaping up to be a big one for Anthrax, as they begin a new chapter. “We’re definitely gonna release the new album in 2008,” reports Dan. “No deadlines, no rush, but we’re anxious to get it out there. It will bring back that classic metal sound with a modern twist to it — the heaviness that kids love today mixed with the pioneers of Charlie Benante and Scott Ian, who started it all, with a new voice.”

There are no definite plans for a US tour in 2008, but Dan says not to rule it out. “Now I’m just ready to take it to the next level, do the best job that I can and make a kick-ass metal album for the fans,” he says exuberantly. “To all the fans who have welcomed me and shown me support and all the love — I couldn’t appreciate that more. I promise I’m bustin’ my ass over here, and I’m gonna deliver and give you something to be proud of as Anthrax fans.”

On The Road with Baz
By K. Finley Slocum