Anthrax Give Details On Rob Caggiano Departure

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has given some insight into the sudden departure of lead guitarist Rob Caggiano. Earlier this month, fans were shocked by the news of Caggiano’s departure and recently Ian told MTV Hive that Anthrax were equally as taken by surprise.

“We didn’t know he was planning on leaving while we were tracking this [Anthems EP],” Ian explained. “He was literally finishing solos in Berlin on the last days of the tour. It wasn’t until after the tour ended and we started having conversations, and just to put it in a nutshell, he just needs to do his own thing at this point in time.”

“We knew he had a record that he was going to be doing, possibly. We had already told him, ‘If you need to take a hiatus, that’s fine.’ The best thing I can say is that he’s on a mission to do his own thing at this point. And I’m certainly not going to stand in his way.”

With Anthrax due out in Australia for Soundwave 2013, the band recruited Jon Donais of Shadows Fall. Ian confirmed Donais’s story that Caggiano was the one who contacted the guitarist about being his replacement.

“It was actually Rob. He had already spoken to Jon and had kind of filled him in about what his plan was. He didn’t want to leave us hanging,” Ian elaborated.

“As much as it sucks, this whole thing has been friendly. I may think Rob has made a mistake by leaving the band, but at the same time he’s my friend and I back his decision all the way in whatever he needs to do. He feels the same about us. We all know Jon. I’ve actually worked with him before on [comedian] Brian Posehn’s record. We all know he’s a great lead guitar player. And Jon said absolutely he wanted to do it.”

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