Charlie Benante to miss several Anthrax shows due to hand injury — Darby Todd steps in
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has announced he’ll be sitting out several upcoming shows due to an injury to his right hand. On doctor’s orders, the musician will rest from June 20 through July 4 to allow proper healing time. Stepping in behind the kit is UK-based session drummer Darby Todd, who previously filled in for the band on May 23 in Athens after a scheduling conflict with Pantera — Benante had been pulling double duty across both bands' European and UK tours in recent weeks.
The affected dates include appearances at several major European festivals: Hellfest in France (June 20), den Atelier in Luxembourg (June 21), Gröna Lund in Stockholm (June 24), Tons of Rock in Oslo (June 25), Copenhell in Copenhagen (June 26), multiple French shows, Spain’s Resurrection Fest in Viveiro (July 2), and the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena (July 4). If recovery goes to plan, Benante is expected to return to the lineup on July 7 in Lisbon.
The injury arrives at a pivotal time for the band: on September 18, Anthrax will release their twelfth studio album, “Cursum Perficio”, their first in ten years since 2016's “For All Kings”. The record arrives via Megaforce Records in the US and Nuclear Blast in Europe, again produced by Jay Ruston, with portions recorded and mixed at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606. Benante, who joined Anthrax in 1983 ahead of the recording of debut album “Fistful Of Metal”, has written much of the band’s music throughout its history and has also designed many of its album covers.
