Ten years is a long time between records. For Anthrax, it wasn't intentional — it was a cascade of unavoidable circumstances — but the gap has been the loudest question hanging over the Big Four since 2016. Now, according to guitarist Scott Ian, the answer is almost here.
In a new interview with Andrew Slaidins of The Rockpit, Ian was uncharacteristically direct about the timeline: May 2026, via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe. The album is recorded, mixed, and sitting at the finish line, and Ian sounds like a man who has been restraining himself for months.
"I can't wait for people to hear it. I can't wait. And I know what we have. It's like having just the most powerful weapon in the world at your disposal, but you're missing this one little thing and you can't use it."
That's not hype-speak. That's a man who believes in the record.
What We Know About the Album
The new album — title not yet announced — was recorded at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California. Production duties went to Jay Ruston, who has now helmed three consecutive Anthrax records: Worship Music (2011), For All Kings (2016), and now this one. Ruston has become what Charlie Benante called the band's "George Martin" — the consistent creative anchor who understands how Anthrax is supposed to sound.
Ian addressed the timeline when Slaidins noted the 10-year gap:
"We weren't planning on [taking] 10 years. In actual time — 'cause if you take out the time we were on tour for For All Kings, 'cause that record came out in '16, and we didn't finish the touring cycle till November of '19... We had already started writing at that point. And then, of course, the world had other plans for everybody."
COVID gutted the early timeline. The band couldn't work the way they work — in a room together, playing off each other — through remote sessions. Frank Bello was blunt about why:
"We couldn't be one of those bands that were doing it over video, 'cause the latency, number one. Say we were jamming on something, it would come out a half a second later. You lose the vibe."
So they waited until it was safe to be in a room. And then they spent approximately three years actually making it.
What the Band Is Saying
The quotes from all three primary contributors — Ian, Bello, and Benante — hit a consistent note: this record exceeded their expectations.
Frank Bello confirmed the May date during a separate interview with Long & McQuade's Dan Coniglio:
"The record will come out in May. I'm very proud. It's so heavy. Some parts are really hard to play — really hard to play, which I'm happy to say, 'cause I like the challenge of it all. Joey's vocals — I don't understand how the guy could sing like that, but he still is killing it."
Charlie Benante, speaking to the Talk Is Jericho podcast in July 2025, said the album cover art is done — a collaboration with artist Mark Stutzman, who did conceptual art for a recent David Blaine documentary on National Geographic. Benante described the design as "fucking trippy" and said the finished artwork matched exactly what he'd been envisioning.
On the music itself, Benante said:
"Not because it's our record, but God, this record is so good. And I know it took a long time to make, but I think people will really be surprised and they will really grasp this and just be, like, 'Oh my God. This is worth the wait.'"
Joey Belladonna, meanwhile, has been getting the highest praise from his own bandmates. Both Bello and Benante have described his vocals on the new record as career-peak performances. For a vocalist in his 60s who has been at this since the 1980s, that's not nothing.
The Australia Tease
Ian also hinted that Australian fans attending the band's four-date run starting March 23 might get a preview
"We will probably play a piece of something when we're down there, I'm sure. And it'll sound way better live than the little snippet you hear on YouTube through somebody's phone."
The band teased a new song snippet during their recent Canadian run with Megadeth and Exodus, though the details were kept deliberately vague. Australia appears to be the next planned deployment of new material in a live setting — which also suggests the album announcement proper isn't far behind. Ian confirmed an official announcement is coming soon.
The First Single Is Coming
A music video for the album's first single was filmed in December 2025. Ian confirmed during the interview that the video is finished and that a release timeline is locked — he just declined to say when. Given the May album window, a single-plus-video drop in April seems like the logical setup.
When it lands, it will be the first new Anthrax music since the For All Kings era — a gap that spans an entire geopolitical era, a pandemic, and the deaths of multiple heavy metal legends. That's context the music will carry whether the band intends it or not.
Ten Years On: The Weight of the Wait
For All Kings came out to strong reviews and sold well. Critics and fans broadly agreed it was a return to form after the turbulent lineup years that preceded Worship Music. The band toured the album heavily through 2019. Then the world stopped.
Anthrax celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2021. They performed at Ozzy Osbourne's final concert, Back to the Beginning, in July 2025 — playing Black Sabbath's "Into the Void" as a tribute. They stayed visible, stayed active as a live entity, and kept teasing that a record was coming. The patience required of the fan base has been considerable.
Ian acknowledged as much: "How do you think we feel? We're the guys in the band. I want everyone else to hear it. I'm so fucking excited. Eight people have heard this fucking album."
Eight people. That number ends in May.
Keep an eye on Metal Mantra's Metal News hub for the official single and album announcement as it drops. And if you haven't caught the Scott Ian back injury/Australia tour story, that gives more context on what Anthrax has been navigating leading into this release.
Pre-save or search the upcoming Anthrax album on Amazon Music once the title and product page go live.
