It’s a pretty well known fact that Dan Nelson and Anthrax didn’t part on good terms. In fact, Nelson, who fronted the band from 2007-2009, has been very vocal since his sudden departure about his side of the split and how he hates that they re-recorded Worship Music. Now it looks like Nelson still has a lot more to say… in court.
According to the New York Post, Nelson has filed a $2.65 million lawsuit against his former Anthrax band mates. Not only is the suit claiming that Nelson has yet to be paid for songs he co-wrote on Worship Music, but also claims that Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Scott Ian have spread false accusations about him in numerous interviews.
One of the interviews Nelson reportedly points to in his suit is Benante and Ian’s piece in the November 2011 issue of Guitar World (and which was posted online by Blabbermouth). In that interview, Benante claimed the following:
“First show we did with him, backstage, big argument, big blowout. It was unbelievable. And from that moment we should have known. And all along, he just kept pulling weird shit. Like, he would call me and not tell the other guys, or call one of them and not tell the rest of us, and just talk shit. At one point he caused a major issue in the band between some of the members. But at the end of the day, it was like, ‘You didn’t say that? What?’ It was a fucking weird time. But he’s a bully and he tried to bully us. And at first we let it happen.”
In the same interview, Ian also claimed that this was not the first time Nelson had quit the band, and that the band decided not to cave in after the third time. Nelson is claiming in the lawsuit that “intentional defamation” return has caused him a “loss of income and damaged his reputation.”
At this moment, neither Anthrax nor Nelson have released an official statement regarding the lawsuit. We’re sure, though, that this won’t be the last chapter in the Anthrax vs. Dan Nelson story.
