After a Decade of Fasting, Anthrax Announces the Arrival of the 12th Album Cursum Perficio

JAKARTA - American thrash metal giants Anthrax have officially ended a decade-long work fast by announcing their 12th studio album titled "Cursum Perficio".

The new album is scheduled to be released on September 18 under the label Megaforce Records.

The presence of "Cursum Perficio" is a moment that is eagerly awaited by rock music lovers, considering that Anthrax last released a studio album in 2016 through "For All Kings".

Along with the announcement, the band, which has been running for more than four decades, also released the first single titled "It's For The Kids"

Anthrax's first single presents a musical arrangement that takes listeners back to the early days of their glory in the 1980s. This song is dominated by a combination of super-fast guitar riffs from Jon Donais and Scott Ian, as well as the powerful vocal character that became Joey Belladonna.

Scott Ian said the four-minute song as the album's opener is a form of the deepest appreciation for loyal fans who have supported their career journey so far.

"A friend of mine said, 'It's For the Kids' is an honest love letter to your fans. That's the target I really want. This album needs a four-minute thrash song that refers back to our first era. In terms of both aggressiveness and the magnificent chorus, this song represents all the best parts of Anthrax in a four-minute package that is very angry," said Ian, quoted by NME, Wednesday, May 20.

"For the video, we wanted to nostalgically go back to our 'Madhouse' video thematically. It makes a lot of sense and this idea opens the door for us to share the experience with our fans. For all of us," the guitarist continued.

Meanwhile, Charlie Benante (drums) explained the meaning behind the album's name "Cursum Perficio", taken from Latin with the meaning "I complete the journey".

The inspiration came accidentally when Anthrax delved into the story of the world's pop icon, Marilyn Monroe.

"I was watching a documentary about Marilyn Monroe, and I saw the writing 'Cursum Perficio' written on a tile in her last house. When I found out what the phrase meant, it immediately felt right to me," said the drummer.

"We're not saying this is our last album, but our journey (in this phase) has ended. I believe we have completed the task," he added.

The album "Cursum Perficio" itself will contain 11 new tracks, including "Persistence Of Memory", "The Long Goodbye", "Everybody's Got A Plan", "The Edge Of Perfection", "Infectious", "NYC93", "T.O.M.B." , "Watch It Go", "My Victory", and two tracks that have been introduced, namely "It's For The Kids" and the flagship track "Cursum Perficio".

Before officially releasing this new album to listeners, Anthrax is scheduled to greet fans in Europe as a supporting band in the Iron Maiden concert tour later this month.

After completing the European tour series, the band, which was formed in 1981, will depart for Louisville, Kentucky, USA in September, to perform at Louder Than Life.