Few metal musicians have kept as busy throughout the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown as Anthrax drummer-songwriter Charlie Benante. His quarantine sessions have included multiple Rush covers with Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Roberto “Ra” Diaz, a couple of Stormtroopers of Death performances (one fronted by Mike Patton, a.k.a. “The Lonely Rager”), and more. His latest offering from home is a long-distance reunion with vocalist John Bush, who sang for Anthrax from 1992 to 2005. The duo teamed up for a quarantine rendition of the song “Packaged Rebellion,” timed to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Anthrax’s classic Bush-fronted album Sound of White Noise, which was released on May 25th, 1993, via Elektra Records. Benante shared video of the playthrough on his YouTube channel along with the following message: “An intimate version from the Sound of white noise album with my Friend- Happy Anniversary . If you like the song , please just enjoy it for what it is and nothing else” Watch below.
Bush, who first made his name with trad-metal stalwarts Armored Saint, appeared on five Anthrax albums, Sound of White Noise, 1995’s Stomp 442, 1998’s Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, 2003’s We’ve Come for You All and 2004’s The Greater of Two Evils. He split with the metal veterans in 2005 when the group reunited with original singer Joey Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. After things went south with that lineup, and then with Anthrax’s next frontman Dan Nelson, Bush rejoined for a time before the band enlisted Belladonna again in 2010. For their parts, Bush and Benante reconnected onstage a little over a year ago at a Metal Allegiance show, where they played the Anthrax songs “Only” and “Room for One More” together.
