Anthrax have released a video for their track Monster At The End – and taken a swipe at YouTube’s business model.
They teamed up with director Jack Bennett for the shoot, where he incorporated animation, stop-motion and rotoscoping techniques to give the promo a staccato-feel to suit the the track, which appears on the band’s 11th studio album For All Kings.
Drummer Charlie Benante explains to Fangoria: “Originally, the idea for the treatment that Jack came to us with was a very frame-to-frame type of look. There was going to be a monster in it of course, because the title lends to that.
“We shot performance stuff at a studio and the next day we were doing a festival and they came out and were just doing shots of us live. That song didn’t have to be the one we were playing – they just wanted to get a different vibe and a different look to the video.”
Benante says the days of “huge marketing tool” videos to help them sell singles and albums are in the past, with the band no longer feeling the urgency to create them. And he takes a swipe at YouTube for not paying artists enough for using their material.
He adds: “The business model has changed completely – the floor has dropped out. There really is no other way of marketing your record like the old school way. Now you have to think of other ways to reach people.
“The problem with YouTube is it’s based on, how do I put this, basically stealing. YouTube is taking things that already existed and not paying for it, yet profiting from it.
“I remember the days of early rap and they could throw as many samples of as many songs as they wanted to and no one stopped it until someone said, ‘Wait a minute. I’m not getting paid for the song that I created and you built a song around.’ They stopped it.
“Now, the same thing that happened with that needs to happen with this. It needs to be policed and it needs to be stopped.”
Other artists including Radiohead and Sixx AM have previously spoken out on YouTube’s business model, with Metallica manager Peter Mensch calling the company “the devil.”
Last week, Benante said Anthrax would record again, following reports that he’d said For All Kings could be their final album. They’ll tour North America with Slayer and Death Angel starting on September 9.
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Anthrax tour dates 2016
Sep 09: Cleveland Jacob’s Pavilion, OH
Sep 10: Detroit Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, MI
Sep 11: Traverse City Streeters Ground Zero, MI
Sep 12: Toronto Sound Academy, ON
Sep 13: Montreal Metropolis, QC
Sep 15: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Sep 16: Brooklyn St Vitus, NY
Sep 17: New London Revolution Rock Festival, CT
Sep 18: Chester Rock Allegiance Festival, PA
Sep 20: Indianapolis Egyptian Room, IN
Sep 22: St Louis The Pageant, MO
Sep 23: Shreveport Riverside Warehouse, LA
Sep 24: Houston Open Air, TX
Sep 25: San Bernardino Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, CA
Sep 27: Orlando Hard Rock Live, FL
Sep 28: Miami Fillmore, FL
Sep 29: Destin Club LA, FL
Sep 30: Tunica Horseshoe Casino, MS
Oct 01: Lousville Louder Than Life Festival, KY
Oct 03: Norfolk Norva, VA
Oct 04: Asheville Orange Peel, NC
Oct 05: Atlanta Tabernacle, GA
Oct 06: Baton Rouge Varsity Theater, LA
Oct 07: Dallas Gas Monkey Live, TX
Oct 08: Austin ACL At The Moody Theatre, TX
Oct 10: Denver Fillmore, CO
Oct 11: Salt Lake City The Complex, UT
Oct 13: Missoula The Wilma Theatre, MT
Oct 14: Idaho Falls Hitt Event Center, ID
Oct 15: Garden City Revolution Concert House, ID
Oct 16: Spokane Knitting Factory, WA
Oct 17: Lethbridge Enmax Center, AB
Oct 19: Penticton South Okanagan Events Centre, BC
Oct 20: Abbotsford Centre, BC
Oct 21: Portland Daze Of The Dead, OR
Oct 22: Sacramento Aftershock Festival, CA
Oct 23: Reno Events Center, NV
Oct 25: Flagstaff Orpheum Theater, AZ
Oct 26: EL Paso County Coliseum, TX
Oct 27: El Paso County Coliseum, TX
