IM: WHUSDJ
CURRENT SHOW
Take 'em Back Radio
CHARLIE BENANTE
Anthrax Drummer—1983-present
For an American kid growing up in New York City, the decidedly British character of songs like “Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon” made little sense. “There was an element of England to it,” remembers Charlie Benante. “I just didn’t get it, because I shouldn’t have gotten it at all.”
Benante says he understood Kiss Alive! more than lyrics about painting in the Louvre, but A Night At The Opera still struck a chord with the future Anthrax drummer. “There are moments on that record that are heavy as hell, then moments that are just like, what the fuck?” But I love that album.”
Queen albums supplied interesting sounds for a beginning drummer to emulate. “Queen had the best drum sound,” he remembers. “It was huge! You just knew that was Roger Taylor. He had this great technique, that when he hit the snare, he’d also open up the high-hat a bit. It added this whole dimension to the beat.”
The musical complexity was something Charlie would figure out later. “I just wanted to play along. I would put on the records and play my drums.” But musical challenges, like the unusual time signature of “Mustapha,” sparked the curiosity that made him grow as a musician. “Absolutely!” he laughs. “I had to know exactly why it was going from 7/4 to 4/4, or whatever it was doing.”
Even the technique of guitarist Brian May affected drummer Benante’s formative musical years. “If I couldn’t afford a piece of equipment, I would try to make what I had work,” he says, referring to the use of six strings to replicate the sound of wind instruments. “I was trying to achieve what they were trying to achieve.”
Different examples of Anthrax music can be traced directly back to the inventiveness he learned from listening to Queen. “When we tried to do our version of rap, none of us could scratch on the turntable,” he chuckles. “So, we tried to do it on the guitar. It never came out quite as good, but it was our rendition of it.”
The impact of Queen on Anthrax is something Charlie compares to Ozzy Osbourne adoring the Beatles. Despite no overt Beatles sound on Black Sabbath albums, he doesn’t discount the influence. “He loved them, so the Beatles came out somewhere in those songs.”
It is fair to designate Queen as a direct precursor to thrash metal. The 1990 Metallica cover of “Stone Cold Crazy” is proof, he says. “They did it really well, because it was almost like a Metallica song. It has the type of riffing that they do. The only thing different is the vocal style, but James [Hetfield] did it his own way, and they captured that really well.”
“Dragon Attack” is another track with a direct link to that genre of music, he adds. “The riff is just so heavy.” But the distinct funk vibe of the song is also something Charlie likes. “This may come out weird,” he chuckles, “but [Queen] songs were very sexy.”
Madison Square Garden is where Benante saw Queen in 1978. “It was the Jazz tour, and it was awesome! It was very raw,” he recalls, wondering then with his friends about background vocals different from the albums. “It was basically Roger carrying a lot of those harmonies.” The elaborate lighting rig also made a lasting impression, blowing him away. “I always said Queen had the best light show.”
Queen’s US popularity diminished during the period between the success of The Game and the release of Hot Space. Other than “Under Pressure” and “Hammer To Fall,” Charlie admits being less aware of the band throughout the ‘80s. “I just thought they were finished with what they tried to do in the ‘70s, and now it was a different band.”
He still listens to Queen on a regular basis—inexplicably more during the Autumn months, he says—and News Of The World with its Frank Kelly Freas cover art is still his favorite. But musical maturity has fostered an appreciation of latter era material, like “Radio Ga Ga” that he admittedly hated in 1984. Twenty-five years of changes with Anthrax has given a perspective of better understanding the different musical stages of his favorite bands.
Anthrax was recording in Los Angeles when Freddie Mercury died in 1991. “I know exactly where I was,” he remembers. Charlie says he was walking down Melrose Avenue. “We knew he had AIDS, but we heard he took a turn for the worst. It was something you kind of knew was going to come, but I was totally devastated.”
Like many fans, Freddie’s death felt like the loss of a friend and confidant to Charlie. “I feel like that when I listen to the live version of ‘Love Of My Life,’” he allows. “For some reason, that kind of hits me.”