Spreading The DiSeaSe

SpreadingThe DiseaseAndy BuchananFrom left: Scott Ian, CharlieBenante, Frank Bello, JoeyBelladonna, and Rob Caggiano30 N OVEMBER 201 1 BASSP L AYER .COM

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !BY F R E D DY V I L L A N OLate at night, after his five-year-old songoes to bed, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello does somethingthat belies the maniacal headbanger persona most peoplesee when he hits the stage. “My little amp comes out andI spend some time working on old James Jamerson andB ASS P L AY E R .CO M N OV E MB E R 2 011 31

FRANK BELLOSELECTEDDISCOGRAPHYWith Anthrax(all Megaforce/Island,unless noted)Armed andDangerous[1985]Spreadingthe Disease[1985]Amongthe Living[1987]State ofEuphoria[1988]Persistenceof Time[1990]Sound ofWhite Noise[1993]JUSTIN BORUcKIStomp 442[NuclearBlast, 1995]Volume 8:The ThreatIs Real [Ignition, 1998]We’ve Comefor You All[Sanctuary,2003]WorshipMusic[2011]32Stevie Wonder bass parts,” he says somewhat sheepishly. “I just want to get roundedout a little bit.” Not content to rest on hisband’s laurels, which include three Grammynominations, record sales in excess of tenmillion, and a hallowed place among theBig 4 of thrash metal (alongside Metallica,Megadeth, and Slayer), Bello wants to takehis playing to another level. Whether it’shis quest for the perfect tone on WorshipMusic, the band’s first album of new material in eight years, or imparting wisdom to N OVEMBER 201 1 BASSP L AYER .COM“It was eitherhang out with theguys who weredoing drugs andpartying, or learnRush and BlackSabbath songs.”

FRANK BELLOthe next generation of bass players at hisclinics, or trying to cop Motown bass lines,Bello is fired up and taking his craft moreseriously than ever.It’s common knowledge that Bello wasfirst recruited to be a roadie for Anthrax byhis uncle, drummer Charlie Benante, beforeassuming bass duties in 1984. Twenty-sevenyears later, Bello is at the top of his gamein terms of both technique and tone. Nomatter what he does—muscular bass riffs,simple root/octave flourishes, complextriplet patterns across the neck—Bello’sbass sounds thick yet gritty, his playing,fierce and audible. He cuts through thedouble bass drum and rhythm guitar barrage that has come to define Anthrax’ssound while simultaneously supportinghis bandmates—Benante, guitarists ScottIan and Rob Caggiano, and vocalist JoeyBelladona—with rich, creamy low end. Andas much as it might seem like a bastardizedunion between Dug Pinnick’s sound andSteve Harris’s style, Bello’s approach isentirely his own. Worship Music representsthe best bass performance ever captured onan Anthrax record.The tunes on Worship Music are well crafted and catchy as hell. It sounds like youguys put a lot of time into it.We got to live with the songs for awhile—four years, actually—and really listento what worked and what didn’t. Our producer, Jay Rustin, worked amazingly withJoey and helped us get the sounds on therecord. He separated everything so well.We’re really proud of it.Was Rob Caggiano involved in production, too?Actually, he was the one who recordedmy bass parts in New York. I kept pushinghim to get the tone I wanted. Once we gotthat dialed in, I played along to Charlie’sdrums, without any rhythm guitar in the mix.I found that to be a good challenge. That’smy whole thing—locking in with the drums.What’s your relationship with the restof the rhythm section?At this point, Charlie, Scott, and I knoweach other so well that we naturally leaveroom for each other—as long as it adds tothe song and works with the riff.How do you write bass lines?When I’m writing a bass line for a song,I try to play a tasty little story within thesong that adds to the music. I never wantto get in the way of the song. I just wantto keep it interesting and challenging forme as a bass player while adding anotherflavor to the music.If there’s a solid chord progression, I’llstay with that until I hear something thebass can add—maybe it’s just a simple octavebass riff or scale that can add a certainflavor. Sometimes not doing anything butthe progression is best, instead of trying toforce something just to do it.Your playing really stands out onWorship Music.I’ve been fortunate to be in a band thatis open to letting the bass breathe; there’sso much room to have fun. After we wrotethe songs, certain ones, like “Earth onHell” and “Judas Priest,” I found that theyhad specific breaks written into them thatI filled with bass riffs.34 N OVEMBER 201 1 BASSP L AYER .COM

FRANK BELLO“You search fora sound that youthink is out there,and instead, youdevelop yourown sound.”White Zombie drummer] John Tempestawould get on the drums, and we’d play IronMaiden and Black Sabbath tunes. We’d getin trouble just about every day because itwas so loud, but there’d always be a grouparound us, circling and headbanging to“Killers” by Maiden or whatever song wewere playing. It was that time of metal inthe early ’80s—such a great time to learnhow to play.You were with Helmet briefly in 2004.Did you play with a pick?I learned 38 songs for the audition, andwhen I got the gig, I had to play with a pickall the time, which was a great challenge.It was all downstrokes.You haven’t always been happy withyour tone in Anthrax.I’ve had to get more high end than Iwould like; otherwise the bass is buried. IWhere do you get ideas for your fills?They’re just ideas I hear in my head thatI feel will take the songs to another level.When I listen to my favorite bass players, Itry to figure out whether their fills are frominitial ideas or chord progressions, and howthe players came up with the ideas. ThenI try to incorporate that into my playing.What role has practice played in your life?It’s been a positive influence. For me, itwas either hang out with the guys on theweekend who were doing drugs and partying, or go to my room and learn Rush andBlack Sabbath songs. It made more senseto do the latter. It made me feel good.Do you play with three fingers on yourright hand?For the most part. I was convinced thatSteve Harris played with three fingers, sothat’s what I did growing up. When I methim, I tried to show him his songs and hewent, “No, this is how I’m doing it. It lookslike my third finger is moving but it’s not. I’mnot playing with that finger.” It was great forhim to show me how it was actually done.Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson is anotherone of your big influences.I’m listening to In Color [Epic/Legacy,1977] all the time right now. Petersson’s gotthat piano-like sound that cuts through, andit’s really heavy. When I meet my heroes, Iask a thousand questions, and he told methat a lot of what I thought were 8- and12-string basses were actually 4-strings. On“He’s a Whore,” for example, you’d thinkthat’s an 8-string, but it’s a straight 4-string. Inever really get it right, but we all do it. Yousearch for a sound that you think is out theresomewhere, and instead, you develop yourown sound somehow. That’s how it works.Did you ever have any formal training?I did play some upright bass in high schooljazz class, which was great for stretchingmy fingers. But before jazz class started, Iwould get on the electric bass, and [futureB ASS P L AY E R .CO M N OV E MB E R 2 011 35

FRANK BELLOFRANKIE’S FAB FIVERush, Exit Stage Left[Island/Mercury, 1981].“It’s a live record, but itgives you an idea ofwhat a brilliant bassplayer Geddy Lee is. He’s easily one of myfavorites. This album has so many songsthat are great to play on bass, from ‘Freewill’ and ‘YYZ’ to ‘La Villa Strangiato.’ Istill have fun playing along to this record.”IronMaiden,Killers[Sony, 1981]. “I wore thisrecordouttryingtolearn each Steve Harrisbass line. He writes onbass, so songs like ‘Wrathchild,’ ‘InnocentExile,’ and ‘Killers’ have great bass riffs tostart the songs. And then there’s theamazing instrumental ‘Genghis Khan.’”Black Sabbath, Heavenand Hell [Warner ’ where GeezerButler plays one of my favorite tasty basslines, and then goes to more amazingstuff in songs like ‘Children of the Sea’and ‘Heaven and Hell.’ There are lots ofgreat, tasty bass parts throughout the record. God bless Ronnie James Dio!”Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II [Atlantic, 1969].“This is a great recordwith great bass playing. IhowJohnPaulRobbie PagliariOHM:Lemon Song.’ There’s also great bass allthroughout ‘Ramble On,’ ‘What Is andWhat Should Never Be’—the list keeps going.”The Beatles, 1973].is“Paulsuchsongwriterathatsometimes, his amazingbass playing gets overlooked. This recordhas a good mix of his songwriting and hisgreat bass playing, from ‘She Loves You’Better by Design Guaranteed for Life 2011 Live Wire, Photography by ScottMitchellPhotography.com36to ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ to ‘Eight Days aWeek.’ He always plays the right notes.” N OVEMBER 201 1 BASSP L AYER .COMAndy BuchananloveJones goes off in the breakdown in ‘Theaccepted it, even if I don’t always like thattop-end click, but that’s all changed withWorship Music. This is my favorite basssound since Among the Living [1987]. Ijust wanted what I heard in my head, andas soon as I got this bass tone, I got in agroove, and just kept doing song after song.I heard this thing in my head and I actuallygot it on tape.What is it about the Hartke LH1000 rigthat appeals to you?When I plug into the LH1000, I getmy tone straight off. It’s not easy to cut

FRANK BELLOthrough Scott and Charlie, but now I cancut through and still have the bottom Iwant. I don’t want to go crazy getting mysound; if you look at the head, you’ll see Irun it pretty straight up. I get a little gravelin my ear with the SansAmp, and that’s allI want—I’m good to go. The combination ofboth of those things is the sound you hearon the record.Are you still using your signatureFender basses?Yes, but I just put in passive EMG pickups, and I’m getting a lot more punch. I hadto back off my SansAmp a little, though,because the output from these pickups is alot hotter. I’m psyched about that.You recently started doing clinics.What’s that like?Andy BuchananMost kids want to learn bass parts orfills from songs like “Caught in a Mosh,”so I’ll play the song right in front of themalong with the track. If they want to knowsomething after that, I’ll say, “Dude, justcome up here, I’ll show it to you.” Somekids are intimidated about picking up the38 N OVEMBER 201 1 BASSP L AYER .COM