CHARLIE BENANTE Says BLACK SABBATH Helped Shape ANTHRAX’s Sound: 'We Covered Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'

Summary

• Charlie Benante says Black Sabbath heavily influenced Anthrax, band even covered Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in 1986.
• Anthrax joins Back To The Beginning concert on July 5, celebrating Sabbath’s final performance with the original lineup.
• Benante recalls hiding his Sabbath fandom from his Catholic mother after being forced to return a ‘666’ t-shirt.

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante pointed to Black Sabbath as a key influence on the band’s formative sound, recalling how their admiration for the Birmingham pioneers led them to cover Sabbath Bloody Sabbath during a formative period in their career.

Speaking ahead of Anthrax’s participation in Back To The Beginning, the July 5 tribute concert that will mark Black Sabbath’s final performance with its original lineup, Benante reflected on how deeply the band’s legacy is woven into Anthrax’s own.

“Back in ’86, when we were working on our third album, we wanted to do a B-side of a Black Sabbath song,” Benante said in a statement. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was the song that we chose. We did it as a B-side, we played it live, and it became a big thing for us.”

That choice was a formative part of Anthrax’s identity at a time when the genre itself was rapidly evolving. Released in 1986, Among the Living would go on to be one of Anthrax’s most definitive albums, helping cement their place among thrash metal’s “Big Four.”

Integrating Sabbath’s darker, slower riffs into their high-speed assault was part of what gave Anthrax their distinct voice.

Benante also shared a personal story that highlighted how Sabbath’s imagery clashed with his strict upbringing. After buying an iron-on t-shirt with the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath artwork, complete with occult iconography, he was forced to return it.

“My mother saw it, she made my sister take me back to the store and return it,” he recalled. “She would not have it in the house because it had the ‘666’ on it. I was still a Black Sabbath fan, so I had to kind of keep it hidden from my mom.”

That early connection to Sabbath isn’t unique to Benante within the Anthrax camp. Guitarist Scott Ian credits Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi as his “guitar teacher,” citing his earliest experience learning to play Iron Man and Paranoid by ear.

“Tony Iommi was essentially my guitar teacher,” Ian told Guitar World. “Just listening to the records, trying to figure it out. I remember pulling out this record that said Black Sabbath on it, the album cover was kind of scary, so I asked, ‘What’s Black Sabbath?’ and my uncle said, ‘Oh, they’re acid rock.’ I didn’t know what that meant, but when he put it on, it was the scariest, heaviest thing I’d ever heard.”

Anthrax will perform both as themselves and as part of the extended lineup at Back To The Beginning, joining a roster that includes Pantera and a Sabbath-themed supergroup curated by Tom Morello. Benante, who also plays drums for Pantera’s current touring lineup, confirmed that bands were initially assigned Sabbath songs to cover, but some selections have already been reshuffled.

“We were told that the song that we were going to do, we’re not doing it anymore, so we have to come up with another song,” Benante said during an interview with Trunk Nation on SiriusXM.

Despite the logistical fluidity, Benante said the specifics of what he’ll play aren’t what matters most.

“I don’t care what we do. I’m just happy to be a part of it and pay my respects to these guys who have given us so much.”

Back To The Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow will be livestreamed globally on July 5 from Villa Park in Birmingham, with proceeds going to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The show is being produced by Mercury Studios in partnership with Kiswe, with Jason Momoa serving as host.

For Benante and his Anthrax bandmates, the event is a chance to publicly acknowledge the band that helped shape them.

“It’s just gonna be a beautiful thing to witness,” he said. “Just the four of them up there again in Birmingham.”

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