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Anthrax
Anthrax, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker, is an American heavy metal band from New York City. They were one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast (along with Overkill and Nuclear Assault). The band has released 11 studio albums, 26 singles and numerous other albums 1).
The name
The band is named after a deadly illness caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacterium. Scott Ian got the idea when in his high school biology class, he heard about anthrax.2)
Big 4
Anthrax is a member of the “Big 4” of North American thrash metal, along with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. In the 80s, they were an instrumental part of the genre's growth in popularity. 3)
Scott Ian and Charlie Benante
The only Anthrax members to perform on every studio album by the band are guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante.4)
Among the Living
Their third album, Among the Living, is dedicated to Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in a bus crash in Sweden on September 27, 1986 and was a close friend of the Anthrax members. On their Master of Puppets tour, Anthrax opened for Metallica at the time of Burton's death. 5)