On Sunday night (Jan. 3), thrash metal giants Anthrax premiered brand new song “Breathing Lightning” on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter.
“Lyrically, it’s another song that was influenced by Stephen King,” Jackson signature guitarist Scott Ian said in a preview clip for the song, which the band also posted on Sunday. “I hadn’t been there in a while I feel like, and Stephen King has been such a giant part of my life. His Dark Tower series; if I had to pick one thing that I love the most from him it would be the Dark Tower books because there’s seven books so I don’t have to choose one. The character Roland; it’s just something that stays with me a lot, this character from those books. So I kind of reentered that world again because I wrote the ‘Gunslinger’ way back when, which was based on that character, and I decided to revisit it because metaphorically there are so many things you can use it for.
“So, I’m kind of weaving in and out of reality and fantasy in that song.”
The track, which the rest of the band describes as “accessible” and with “huge hooks,” will appear in the band’s highly-anticipated album For All Kings, dropping Feb. 26.
You can listen to “Breathing Lightning” and Ian’s BBC Radio 1 interview below, plus watch the band’s video preview.