Anthrax Are ‘Pretty Far Along’ on New Album — Video

Anthrax didn't spend all their time on the Jägermeister Music Fall Tour with Slayer and Megadeth just lapping up the luxury an arena tour provides. The Big Four thrash icons were working on their next album every chance they got. "We've been doing our best to more forward every day and we've actually been working on new material," Scott Ian said in a recent video interview.

"By the end of this tour, I don't think we'll be ready to record the record yet, but we'll be pretty far along, which gives us a good feeling that this record will actually come out next year," Ian continued. This is of course good news, as it seems the Dan Nelson-fronted album 'Worship Music' is going to stay in a vault, and the band moving looking forward on their first album with Joey Belladonna since 'Persistence of Time' back in 1990.

Anthrax discuss working on their new album

"We're not taking any crazy left turns or anything like that. It's metal," Ian assured. "There's definitely elements of thrash. It's overall a metal record. It moves us forward creatively as a band."

Ian revealed that three songs are finished, 'I'm Alive,' 'Earth on Hell' and 'Fight 'Em Till You Can't' -- which the band has played live numerous times and is actually a Nelson-era song. The outed frontman called the band "thieves" via Twitter and Facebook back in October for misuse of his lyrics and melody, claiming the version recorded for 'Worship Music' was more metal.

At the end of the clip, bassist Frank Bello touts the strength of the band in the storm of talk surrounding them. "People that want to talk negative, it's just hilarious at this point because this is a unified band and we're ready to go."