John Bush Takes Us Inside Anthrax's 1990's Era | Exclusive Interview [25:19-30:20]

air coming in, because the 80s felt like the 80s were old at that point. So, and having a new singer, and having a new label, and it all just went part with the change that was happening, and I think that we all embraced it. But I know the band sometimes struggled to say, but we're still anthrax, we're still anthrax, especially as you have a new singer, because Faith Power is saying, well, it sounds different, it sounds different, and it did, because my voice enjoys, they're very different from one another, but it was a struggle to sometimes just to kind of remind everybody, well, it's still anthrax, still anthrax, but when you change singers in a band, it's a big part of the sound, you know, from, from, from, when D.O. John Sabot to Brian Johnson, you know, replacing the late Barnes God, obviously Sammy Hagar, it's a change. It's a very, it's a significant change. So, it seems to happen a lot in metal, or rock and metal. I don't know why that genre, but for many of the times it works out great. I love Sammy, and I love Roth, I love D.O. I love Ozzy. Yeah, it's, yeah, and that's what I always tell people is I always say, you can like both eras, you can have a favorite era, but you can, you know, I have a favorite era, you know, I prefer David Lee Roth to Sammy, and I love Sammy. I mean, I love those, those Sammy records from the 70s. We're great. And Montrose, you know, Rock Candy was a song that we played as a cover band back in the day. So, I love that stuff, but Van Halen, you know, those, that first Van Halen records just kind of hard to beat, but, um, and of course, you know, having an hell, you know, I love paranoia and mass of reality and the first Sabot Almond, Sabot Almond, Sabot Almond, all this Ozzy stuff, but, you know, highway to, I mean, excuse me, um, having an hell is just such a legendary record and mob rules. They're both amazing. So, you know, it's, it's just a change, it's just a change, same with back and black, you know, this is, it's one of the best ACDC records in all time. So, um, it's, it's just a hard thing to do, it's a, it's a big sound change, and, and people's ears got to adjust to it. I, I feel the same, and I get it. So, I feel like Anthrax is such a unique band and the musical influences in it are very diverse, and that's even shown in a lot of the covers that you all created as B-sides. There was some like Husker Dude cover. Yeah, right. There was a Smiths cover. Yeah, out. Obviously, B.C. Boys for B-Vis. Yeah. What were you all listening to? What was the, at that time when you're creating the, the, the record? What do you, what's in that, that stew? A lot of those same, you know, those bands that you're talking about, I know Charlie is a big Husker Dude fan, and the Sugar record was a great record actually that came out then. Um, you know, the cool thing about Anthrax, whether I was in it, and when I, even when I was not in it, of course, uh, I always felt like they were a band that always was willing to take chances. Um, from, you can go back to, on the man, obviously, and, and then that was risky. It really was. Yeah, definitely. Um, and, um, and it worked, and because they, there was a sincerity behind it and, and the belief that we're doing this, because we dig it, and we're, we're gonna just make people believe in it. And I think that was always a philosophy, like I said, whether I was in the band or not, I always felt like they were willing to take those kind of chances. And I think that's really important. Sometimes heavy metal, I've said it before, and I might get some grief for it, but, you know, metal is, is counterculture of a scene as it is. It can sometimes almost become a little conservative because it's like, you do have to have this imagery. And, you know, you can't, you know, it's, it's, you, it's got to have this certain style and, you know, sound and, you know, so I sometimes think you got to push yourself and say, no, no, the listener, I think he can embrace what we're doing. And we're gonna take a chance and, and challenge that. And I think that's important, you know, because I love all music. I don't love just metal. I love everything from jazz to classical to blues to, you know, old school country to, you know, some hip hop to, you know, you name it. I love a lot of pop and mostly old pop, but all music, it's everything. You name it, bluegrass. It's, I want to love all music. So I think if you can find a way to kind of incorporate that in the style of what you do at the same time, not lose a root to that. And we do that normally saying a lot. We're always willing to push the buttons when it comes to challenging ourselves and, and, and, and doing things that we feel like is going to make the listener take a chance and say, I think I, I get this. And it sounds really cool and adventurous. And you're trying different instruments. And, and, you know, it, I think that's really important to do that. And, and, and I like to do that as a musician and as a singer. And, and like I said, we, we certainly do that in armored scene. And, and we, you know, it, it happened in anthrax too. Absolutely. I want to talk about another musician that you've collaborated with who was a big part of the anthrax story and your one of the legends of all time is Dimebag Darryl. Yeah. Who is part of Stomp 442 and volume 8. Yeah.