In a recent interview with Metal Musikast, former Anthrax vocalist Neil Turbin was asked if he would ever consider reuniting with the band. Instead of leaving the door open, he responded in a less-than-amicable way, shedding light on some bad blood between him and his former bandmates. Turbin revealed that Anthrax didn’t pay him the money he was owed when he was the band’s vocalist, a detail that definitely makes any potential reunion seem unlikely.
Neil Turbin is best known for his work on Anthrax’s debut LP, 1984’s ‘Fistful of Metal.’ However, his time with the band was short-lived, as he was soon kicked out and replaced by Joey Belladonna before he was also let go due to creative and stylistic differences. John Bush then took over vocal duties from 1992 to 2005, only to be replaced by Belladonna during a 20th-anniversary tour. Bush returned briefly after relationships with the next frontman, Dan Nelson, soured. Belladonna ultimately reclaimed his position in 2010.
That being said, the band has had some rough start to their career considering the fast paced lineup changes. Turbin’s comments about his time with Anthrax reveal a deep sense of anger and frustration probably caused by the band’s indecisiveness in general. He expressed doubt that the band would ever pay him the money they owed him from his time as their vocalist. Turbin alsocalled out his former bandmates for their emotionally abusive and pathological behavior.
When asked about a possible reunion, the singer said:
“Well, certainly that’s not a decision that’s up to me in any capacity. First of all, there’s no offer and I’m not even considering it and I’m not putting it out there. I’m just saying there’s no offer; there’s no possibility of that in the first place; there’s no talk of it. Number two, based on the trends, based on the economics and the history, I highly doubt that they would pay anybody, let alone me, who they didn’t pay in the first place.
What’s gonna change, based on the history? If I look at the historic data, they wouldn’t pay me. Even if it was something I should get paid for rightfully, they’re not gonna pay me. Even if everyone agreed, ‘Yeah, Neil needs to get paid for this,’ no — they’re not going to. And not only that, but when you have egos, when you have emotionally abusive, pathological behavior going on constantly over time, and it’s textbook pathological behavior.”
Neil Turbin isn’t the only former Anthrax member with grievances against the band. Former original guitarist Greg Walls has also accused Anthrax of ripping him off, claiming that he wrote much of the material on the album ‘Fistful of Metal.’ It seems that the early years of Anthrax were filled with turmoil and conflict, casting a shadow on the band’s legacy and leaving some former members with a bitter taste in their mouths.
