Scott Ian’s nerves over lyrics for Anthrax track Blood Eagle Wings

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian admits he was nervous about writing lyrics for their track Blood Eagle Wings.

But he believes the result was worth the effort – and he’s described it as the “centrepiece” of latest album For All Kings.

The band released an eight-minute torture-themed video for the song last week.

Ian tells Louder Noise: “The working title was Epic because it just had a feeling about it. It took a long time – it’s one of the last songs that got finished. It carried over for months and months. It deserved that.”

He adds: “Lyrically it was the hardest for me to write. I was so nervous to do justice to the arrangement. I didn’t know what I was going to say. Somehow I cracked that nut.”

He previously summed up the lyrical content by saying: “Any great city, whether it’s London, Rome, Paris, New York, Los Angeles – these cities are alive because of how many people were killed to make them what they are. How much blood was spilled over time.”

Director Jack Bennett said the video “serves this concept that progress is brutal. Civilisations progress in a way that is violent.”

For All Kings was released last month. Anthrax are currently touring South America with Iron Maiden.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.