Anthrax was formed in New York in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker . Before releasing their first album, Fistful of Metal , in 1984, drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Dan Spitz joined the band. Like Ian, Benante has been present on all Anthrax albums.
In 1984, Lilker was replaced by Benante's nephew, Frank Bello . The following year, Joey Belladonna became the official vocalist for Anthrax, replacing the first vocalist Neil Turbin . With this lineup, the band released their most successful albums, Spreading The Disease in 1985 and Among The Living in 1987.
In 1992, Belladonna was fired from Anthrax and John Bush took his place. With the new vocalist, the band released four albums, including *We've Come For You All *, considered by critics to be one of the band's best works. The 2003 album was the last before Bush's departure and the first with guitarist Rob Caggiano , who would only stay for two albums before joining Volbeat . In 2010, Belladonna returned to the band.
Currently, Anthrax's lineup consists of Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello, Joey Belladonna, and Jonathan Donais . Anthrax is part of the Big Four of thrash metal, along with Megadeth , Slayer , and Metallica . The band has released 10 studio albums and sold over 15 million copies.
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