Anthrax’s Charlie Benante Recruits All-Star Cast for New Solo Album

Anthrax’s Charlie Benante has been busy during quarantine. He just announced that he’ll release Silver Linings, 14-tracks that feature an all-star cast of special guests from the thrash, metal and rock worlds, this spring.  The album is due out May 14 on Megaforce Records. Benante has earmarked a portion of Silver Linings‘ proceeds for the Neal Casal Music Foundation, an organization that provides musical instruments and lessons to students and makes donations to mental health organizations that support musicians in need. 

In advance of the album, he’s released “Run-DMC Medley,” a hard-hitting track featuring Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Volbeat’s Rob Caggiano and Ra Diaz from Suicidal Tendencies. You can see how the group recorded it remotely by watching the video of the original quarantine jam session.  

“Back in February of last year,” Benante says in a press release, “with COVID and all the other BS that was going on, I was glued to the 24-hour news cycle on the TV and my phone, and I started to get really depressed.  My girlfriend said I needed to turn off the news and suggested I do something creative, whether it was art or drumming or writing new songs, and she was right.”

Benante set up his electric drum kit at home in his art room, and it reignited his creative drive.  

I knew a lot of my musician friends were going through the same thing I had been, so I started asking them if they wanted to get involved, play some songs with me, maybe make a video — that’s how it all started.

– Charlie Benante

Benante put together a remarkable crew that included the following: fellow Anthrax bandmates Frank Bello, Scott Ian and Jon Donais; his girlfriend, Carla Harvey (Butcher Babies); Corey Taylor (Slipknot); Ra Diaz (Suicidal Tendencies); Mark Osegueda (Death Angel); John 5 (Rob Zombie); and Alex Skolnick (Testament). The group covered songs by Rush, Tom Petty, The Beastie Boys, Stormtroopers of Death, Kings X, Run DMC, Massive Attack, U2, Fugazi, The Chemical Brothers and Billie Eilish.

For the album’s cover art, Benante recruited his friend, artist Brian Ewing, whose art he’s always loved.  

“I think he did a great job,” says Benante, “and the package’s artwork ties in my fascination with horror. This isn’t a solo album; this is a record of my favorite songs done with some of my friends during a very dark time. We found a shining light and this is the result of that light. I was really happy that my musician friends came on board and helped make this record what it is.  I appreciate all of them, and they all did such a fantastic job.  Despite all of the darkness we’ve experienced this past year, there are ‘silver linings,’ that’s why I chose that title for the album.”