Charlie Benante

Charlie Benante earned recognition chiefly through his drumming in thrash metal stalwarts Anthrax and the crossover group Stormtroopers of Death. Over a lengthy association with Anthrax he has operated both at the drums and in the writing process, joining guitarist Scott Ian to shape a large share of the band’s songs. His first solo album, Silver Linings, appeared in 2021.

A native of the Bronx, he entered Anthrax in 1983 and has performed on every subsequent release, bringing his characteristic blastbeats and double-kick patterns that he helped establish as standard techniques. Skilled also as a graphic artist, he has designed numerous album covers and T-shirts for the band. He further serves as drummer and guitarist in Stormtroopers of Death, the crossover thrash project tied to Anthrax.

In 2020 he started a “quarantine jam” video series that gathered assorted musicians for remote performances of songs he favored, restoring creative momentum lost at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights from those sessions were gathered the next year into the physical and digital release Silver Linings.