ANTHRAX confirms details for covers EP, “ANTHEMS”

ANTHRAX has finally confirmed the details on their long-discussed covers EP, ANTHEMS. Set for release in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast), ANTHEMS features ‘Thrax’d-up versions of some of the band’s favorite songs from the 1970s.

ANTHEMS‘ track listing features Rush’s “Anthem,” Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” “TNT” by AC/DC, Boston’s “Smokin’,” “Big Eyes” by Cheap Trick, Journey’s “Keep on Runnin,” as well as the album version and a special remix of Anthrax’s “Crawl” from the band’s critically-acclaimed 2011 album WORSHIP MUSIC, which I reviewed on The Rock Father right here.

The EP will be available on CD as well as digitally via iTunes and other online retailers. In addition to Anthems’ cover art, Benante and artist Stephen Thompson have subtly redesigned each track’s original album cover art to “Anthrax” it. The Anthems EP will first be housed in one of the “re-imagined” digipak covers, and then inserted inside the main CD cover sleeve. The main cover sleeve has been designed in such a way so fans will be able to see which one of the six “re-imagined” covers is inside.

Anthems was produced by Anthrax, Jay Ruston and Rob Caggiano, and recorded for the most part throughout 2012 literally all over the world: at Benante’s home studio, in Ruston’s New York studio, on the band’s tour bus while on last summer’s Mayhem Tour, in hotel rooms, and backstage at their Berlin show last December.