It's For The Kids - Charlie Benante Talks New Anthrax, Pantera, Maiden & Hetfield

It's For The Kids - Charlie Benante Talks New Anthrax, Pantera, Maiden & Hetfield

May 29, 2026 · 1h 11m

About this episode

Charlie Benante discusses Anthrax's new music, songwriting process, and experiences touring with Pantera and Metallica.

Charlie Benante returns to talk all about the brand-new Anthrax single “It’s For The Kids,” the upcoming album “Cursum Perficio,” and why it took Anthrax nearly 10 YEARS to release new music! Charlie explains the Anthrax songwriting process, writing riffs and demos on guitar, balancing ideas with Scott Ian & Frankie Bello, and why “It’s For The Kids” was the perfect first single to drop. He also shares stories from recording at Dave Grohl’s legendary Studio 606, getting feedback from Grohl on the new songs, and the inspiration he pulls from bands like Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Metallica, The Beatles, The Cure, and Pantera. Charlie also talks about doing DOUBLE DUTY on tour with both Anthrax and Pantera, opening stadium shows for Metallica, touring Europe with Iron Maiden, and what it’s like honoring Vinnie Paul’s drum parts night after night with Pantera. He shares backstage stories about Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Steve Harris, and Sir Paul McCartney, explains how Anthrax accidentally helped launch rap-rock with Public Enemy, reveals the origins of the NOTMAN mascot, and discusses cutting his hair in 1990 and unintentionally starting a metal trend. Plus, Charlie breaks down…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Jericho

Guest: Charlie Benante

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anthrax, Pantera, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Public Enemy

Books & works: Cursum Perficio, It’s For The Kids, Edge Of Perfection

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