John Bush Names Surprise Anthrax Song Fans Want for New Shows

Former Anthrax vocalist John Bush announced three special shows celebrating his Anthrax catalog to finish out the year, but he’s been a bit surprised by the song that fans have most been requesting that he play live.

Bush told Full Metal Jackie on her weekend radio show that he and his wife have been monitoring the requests coming in from fans on social media and they both found that one track from his Anthrax era keeps coming up. And it’s not even a song the band played live during his time in the group.

“It’s funny. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for the song “Strap It On,” which is funny ’cause I don’t think we ever played that back in the day on the We’ve Come for You All Tour because that was the record it was on,” says Bush.

According to Bush, not only was the song not a single, it was also subject to some debate amongst the band members at the time as to whether it should be included on their album.

“I actually even told Charlie [Benante] about it, because that was a song that we kind of struggled with when we were recording that album. Not everybody was on board at the time, and he kept going, ‘This is great! This is great!’ And couple guys in the band, you know, Scott, Frankie, myself, we were like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘No, that’s great. It’s great,'” recalls Bush. “So, it’s kind of a nice feather in Charlie’s cap, because back in the day, we weren’t even sure about ‘Strap It On,’ but a lot of people wanna hear it, so I guess I’m gonna have to relearn that one.”

Within the chat with Full Metal Jackie, Bush speaks about the decision to revisit his Anthrax catalog at this point in his career, he reflects on the legacy of his period in Anthrax and he shares reflections on how he felt about each record.

In addition, John speaks about his new supergroup Category 7 and gives us an update on where things stand with both them and his other longtime group Armored Saint in 2026.

Check out more of the chat below.

It’s Full Metal Jackie. So excited to welcome back to the show, the one and only, Mr. John Bush. John has some very special shows coming up where he’s gonna be revisiting the catalog of his time in Anthrax, that’s The Sound of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real! and We’ve Come for You All. Jon, I’m sure this thought has been with you for a while. What was the ultimate tipping point for you in deciding to do this now?

That’s a good question. I think it was primarily some time available. Armored Saint actually has a record coming out in April of next year. We’re in the mixing mode of it and it was like, I have some time in December. So my agent, who’s been the guy who’s kind of been pushing me for the long time on doing this, was like, “You could do some dates in December.” And I said, “Okay, you know what? Let’s do it. Let’s do it.”

Instead of talking and talking and talking about it, it was time to pull the plug and just go for it. Take the cheese and go for it.

Anthrax, “Room for One More”

John, your backing band for these shows will be the all-star group Category 7 that you’re also part of. Granted this is a celebration of your time in Anthrax, but how much say are the guys having on choosing what songs you’re gonna play? Has anyone championed a song you weren’t expecting, or are they leaving it all up to you?

I’m definitely open-minded to some people’s opinion on it. In the end, I’m kind of choosing which ones I want to do and a lot of it is based on a couple things. One is some of my own personal favorites, of course. The other thing is I wanna get into a couple deep tracks, ’cause I think I wanna play a couple songs that people would be surprised that they would be hearing. Maybe songs they never even heard Anthrax play back in the day. So it’s a combination of those things.

Obviously there’s some of the hits that have to be played as well and I don’t wanna inundate the guys in Category 7 too much with too many songs, ’cause I’ve already sent out a list of songs, and they’re like, “Dude, this is like 25 songs.” And I’m like, “I know.”

So I want everyone to feel confident and comfortable about learning them and I’m learning them myself, because even though I’ve been working on the songs and and singing to them on my own, believe it or not, a lot of the lyrics are still coming back to me. I still have to kind of feel good about it and some of these songs I haven’t played in 20 to 30 years myself.

It’s all a work in progress. But I wanna do a combination of the obvious choices as well as some deep tracks. I’m open minded and I’ve been listening to a lot of the fans who have been sending some requests as well. So it’s a combination of all that.

In preparing for these shows, you’ve got quite a catalog to consider. Obviously things can change over time. In revisiting all this material, is there a song that maybe wasn’t an obvious choice that’s come to the forefront? Something you feel is underrated that you’re looking forward to playing live?

It’s funny. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for the song “Strap It On,” which is funny ’cause I don’t think we ever played that back in the day on the We’ve Come For You All Tour because that was the record it was on.

My wife and I were looking at the songs that people are requesting, and I’m like, “This song keeps [coming up].” She goes, “This song keeps coming up.” And I go, “I know and I don’t think I ever played it live.” So, I might have to learn “Strap It On.”

That’ll definitely be an unusual one. I actually even told Charlie [Benante] about it, because that was a song that we kind of struggled with when we were recording that album. Not everybody was on board at the time, and he kept going, “This is great! This is great!” And couple guys in the band, you know, Scott, Frankie, myself, we were like, “What?” And he was like, “No, that’s great. It’s great.”

So, it’s kind of a nice feather in Charlie’s cap, because back in the day, we weren’t even sure about “Strap It On,” but a lot of people wanna hear it, so I guess I’m gonna have to relearn that one.

Anthrax, “Strap It On”

John, to you and your band’s credit, Anthrax still issued some pretty great music in the ’90s, but the odds seemed to be stacked against you. Whether it be the music world flipping from metal to grunge or label instability, it feels like you were part of the band during its most challenging period. But time has a way of evening out perception and once overlooked albums can eventually get their due. Now, years removed from it, how do you view the legacy of your time in Anthrax?

That’s funny. you put it very nicely. Thank you, Jackie. It was all of that. it’s definitely a big factor.

I joined in ’92 and it was the beginning of the 90s and a lot of the landscape had changed in the heavy metal world and in music in general. So I think that was a little bit of a struggle on top of getting a new singer. I know how it feels. I always say, I’m a fan as well, so I had to deal with Black Sabbath from Ozzy going to Dio and I love both, of course. But same with Van Halen when Sammy [Hagar] joined and even Brian Johnson replacing Bon [Scott]. Of course, Bon passed away, but that was something they had to do. I get it. I really do. I get it as a fan. It’s hard to make that adjustment ’cause a singer changes the sound on a band and so that’s a big factor. So that was one issue.

When it comes right down to it, being in Anthrax and trying to convince the public it still sounds like Anthrax when you change singers, it really does change the sound of the band a little bit. So you had to convince the public and I was doing that. We did that. So we also have that kind of battle ahead of us.

But, I think that as you said, with time, you get a little more nostalgic and you think, “Wow, you know what? Those were some cool records and maybe those were some great songs and maybe at the time you didn’t get the full appreciation for it.” But I think in retrospect, I think a lot of people are looking back and thinking these are some great records and there’s there’s a lot of great material there. So I’m banking on that. I believe in it. I always did actually even though we struggled with some business aspects of the band and like you said, record company situations, there was a lot of factors involved, but I don’t want to get too much into that as far as blame.

I just feel like there’s some great music out there and a lot of people will get a chance to hear it again and play some of these tunes. I’m really banking on people hearing it live and going, “Wow, man. I forgot how great this stuff was.”

John, I’m not gonna ask you to pick a favorite Anthrax album, but what I will ask is, looking back in reflection of your time in the band, do you have a favorite period with the group where not only did you appreciate what you all were creating musically, but it was just a personally rewarding period of time in your life? What were some of the things you remember that made this time so special with the group?

Well, Sound of White Noise is always gonna be the beginning of it. That’s when I joined. There’s obviously gonna be a big focus on that because it was my beginning in the band and we were writing songs as a group together and kind of learning about one another.

Of course, they knew each other, but I was the new guy and they had to kind of figure me out and vice versa. So I think that that was a big part [of that album]. Plus that record was really, really successful and we made some really great videos and we made the record with Dave Jerden who I had actually just made a record with Armored Saint, the last one at that time, Simple Salvation with Dave.

So I worked with Dave and I knew how amazing he was, rest in peace by the way, amazing. We made some really killer music and you could feel this kind of new focus on the new generation and again, the 90s as we pointed out earlier. So I think that was a big part of it.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Volume 8 because that was the record that probably got least attention because we tried to sign with this new record company, it was an upstart record company called Ignition and it really just kind of backfired. It was a cool idea, but it just really didn’t take shape. And so that record sometimes is probably the one that’s most overlooked and I think there’s some great tunes in there, particularly “Catharsis,” “Inside Out.” I love those songs.

I love We’ve Come for You All and Stomp, but We’ve Come for You All kind of got resurrected and we had a real label with Nuclear Blast and especially in Europe and so they really did a great job.

So kind of resurrected the band and Stomp was also the follow-up record to White Noise, so it’s still got a lot of attention even though we were battling the record company at that time, Elektra, and trying to convince them that we deserved to be where we were. So there there was some headbutting going on there, but probably the Volume 8 record is probably the most overlooked.

And I think when people think of those four records, they probably focus the most on Sound of White Noise. But I love them all. I’m really proud of those records, I really am. I really believe there’s a lot of great material there. For me, it was always an exciting time because even though the band was in a decline and for me, I had taken a step up because Armored Saint was not as successful as Anthrax. So for me, I’m like, “Oh, this is great. We’re going to Europe for six weeks. This is great.” You know, “We’re making another video. This is great.”

So even though sometimes the other guys in the band struggled with what they expected the band to be doing in conjunction with their past, for me, it was always better because it was just more. It was a big step.

I love Saint and Saint is always gonna be dear to my heart in all ways, but it’s just far as the focus and the attention, because Anthrax was just a much bigger band.

READ MORE: John Bush — How I Learned to Sing

John, I had recently seen your “How I Learned to Sing” feature for Loudwire. You spoke of being just a kid and being more chosen for your popularity in joining your first band. Obviously, the music bug caught you though once you started giving music a go. It’s an impressionable age as a 13-year-old. Who are some of the singers you wanted to emulate when you were starting out?

I still a lot to this day, in between tours, I don’t wanna sing to my own band, so I’ll actually just go back and pull out the catalog of all the records that I loved and grew up on and just sing to those.

So it’s the same people. Phil Mogg, Steven Tyler, Bon Scott, certainly Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, of course, Ozzy. Those are just the rock singers. Robert Plant.

And then I always tell people that I’m a huge fan of old soul music. That had such an impact on me, as much as metal did. I loved bands like Earth, Wind & Fire and The O’Jays and The Gap Band and Stevie Wonder. So all those artists were super important to me as well ’cause I loved all that stuff. One day I would copy Rob Halford the best I could and then the next day I was trying to emulate Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire.

I think that’s what kind of helped me discover my own trip and really when it comes right down to it for me, as far as singers go, is just try to be as unique as you can. Try to have your own style. That’s the most important thing. So when people hear it, they go, “That’s that guy.” And that’s really the thing I’ve yearned to do all these years. Listening to all these different people, Elton John, you name it, I love a lot of old ’70s pop, Chicago, all those artists had a big impact as a singer as well.

So I take all of it and then just kind of put it in a blender and then hopefully a little John Bush comes through.

John, I love the practice you have of working your way through the alphabet with your singing your favorite songs. What might fans be surprised to find in that iPod? And how much do you find yourself influenced or loving acts from other genres outside heavy music?

Oh man, there was a period of time where I liked the band 2 Unlimited. They were like the dance band from Holland and they had a song called “Tribal Dance” which Armored Saint does too. So I kind of took a little bit of liking to them.

I was on tour in Europe and I thought they made some cool music, and it’s super poppy Euro pop from the ’90s, but I was into that for five minutes. I always say that there’s probably nobody that I’d be embarrassed about because if I like it, I think it’s cool and really that’s all that matters to me.

So I would never never hide in shame and go, “I like this. It’s a guilty pleasure,” ’cause I love Sade. I love Chaka Khan. Those are singers that I think are incredible as far as female singers go. Anita Baker was another singer I thought was really spectacular. Again, R&B singers, probably people wouldn’t think of John Bush emulating or really getting inspired by like Sade and Anita Baker, but I really did. I really love them.

To me, Lemmy is an amazing singer because he is so unique. And to me it’s all about, again, specialness and creating your own vibe. So people say it, they hear it, and I don’t have this like five-octave range voice. I never could do that. I was just kind of always a bluesy hard rock, heavy metal singer and that’s what I try to capitalize on.

John, these Anthrax shows are great, not only for you, but to get some extra spotlight on Category 7. And you also have Armored Saint as well. Before we go, I just wanted to get sort of an update on where things stand with your other bands and what lies on the horizon for you beyond these three special Anthrax catalog shows.

The Category 7’s thing made sense. We put out a record that we thought was actually great and a couple mistakes were made here and there. won’t get too into that, but things that kind of didn’t really help the band. But it was a drag because everyone thought the record was great and we got nothing but critical acclaim on it. So it made sense to go, “You know, we could piggyback this.” It means a lot more work for me as the singer, but I figured why don’t we have them open the show.

And then I always say that if I was trying to get a band from scratch to do this thing with these Anthrax songs and records, I would like to get those guys ’cause they’re such amazing players. So it wasn’t a far stretch. It made very logical sense. So I do have Joey Vera replacing Jack on bass because Jack had some scheduling conflicts. And I love Joey ’cause he’s my bro from since we were nine years old. So, it, it was an obvious choice, and he’ll be amazing on it.

But Category 7 will get a chance to play St. Charles outside of Chicago and also New York. Cause the only show we’ve done so far to this day is in L.A.

Also, Armored Saint, as I said earlier, we’re putting out a new record coming out in April. I can’t mention the title yet ’cause we’re still kind of working on that, but we’re in the mix mode of that record. Jay Ruston’s mixing it. He mixed the previous two records. He’s doing a spectacular job and I’m super proud of the Saint record.

It sounds awesome. Kinda continues on what we did in the last couple records, but has its own vibe as well. Saint is busy. The Category 7 thing is gonna piggyback this Jon Bush thing, and John Bush is finally taking the cheese and playing three shows, and that’s what I’m focusing on and finishing in 2025, and we’ll kinda reevaluate ’26 a little later.

John, we were just talking about Category 7. This is a pretty amazing lineup of musicians. I know some of these guys you’ve played with in Metal Allegiance, and obviously you have a long and storied history with Joey in Armored Saint. It looks great on paper, but can you tell me what it was like the first time jamming and creating music with Category 7?

Yeah, it was great. Phil [Demmel] and Mike [Orlando], they’re awesome guitar players. Jason [Bittner]’s an amazing drummer. And Jack [Gibson]’s an awesome bass player as well. But they sent me some stuff ’cause Phil and Mike were saying, “Would you be interested in this?” I said, “Well, you know, I don’t know until I hear it, really.” So, they sent me some stuff and I heard it and I went, “Wow, man, this is really good.” Um, so the next bout of business was just let me see what I could do with it.

Let me see if I could write some tunes, write some lyrics, come up with some melodies and really embellish it. And I believe I did. Then after a couple songs, we were like, “Holy moly, this is great.” That, and we we just kept working on more material, and the next thing we knew, we had enough for a record.

The logic was to put out a record. I don’t really wanna get too much into expectations. Being in the music business for 40 years, I’ve always had to keep my expectations in check because it’ll kick you in the ass.

I really wanna believe in what I’m doing and the quality of it and once that happens, I’ve been pretty good at just letting it go and letting the public decide whether they like it, love it. And I’ve had a pretty good response through the years. So, I felt great about that and I can’t really worry about what the numbers are, the level of fame, how much money is made out of that because it doesn’t really change the quality of the music. That, to me, is the most important thing ’cause that’s the thing you really can control is what you do musically with it. You can’t really control the level of success it has.

I feel good about that. I’ll probably carry that to my grave in just saying, “I can look back on my career and go I made some really great music and had some really great live performances and that is the thing that I can rest my hat on.”

Thanks to John Bush for the interview. You can keep up with his Category 7 activity through the band’s website. Tickets for the special Anthrax catalog shows can be found there as well. Category 7 also have Facebook, X and Instagram platforms. You can also keep up with Armored Saint through their website, Facebook, X and Instagram. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio show here.