Anthrax release first new music in a decade, announce Cursum Perficio

Charlie Benante is back in album-cycle mode with Anthrax, and the first new music in a decade lands like a statement rather than a warm-up. “It’s For The Kids” is the first track heard from Cursum Perficio, the band’s 12th full-length studio album, and it puts Benante’s drumming at the center of Anthrax’s reset, with explosive attack, fast-moving momentum and a big chorus designed to hit hard on first listen.

The album is set for release on September 18, 2026, through Nuclear Blast outside North America and Megaforce Records in the United States and Canada. It follows 2016’s For All Kings, which debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and marks Anthrax’s first studio album in 10 years. The title is Latin and has been translated by the label as “My journey has come to an end,” “My journey is over” and “I complete my journey,” a name that suggests reflection without sounding like an ending.

Recording began in earnest in 2022 at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles, with Jay Ruston producing alongside Anthrax. That studio choice gives the record a modern rock pedigree, but the band’s own framing keeps the focus on identity. Scott Ian said the album was originally meant to happen in 2020 before pandemic disruptions changed the plan, and that coming back together afterward made the band feel “reborn.” He also said the record carries both the fear of that period and the joy of reunion, which fits the single’s forward-drive energy more than any nostalgia play.

For drummers, the key detail is not just that Benante is back, but that Anthrax are using him to refresh the band’s thrash language. The label described “It’s For The Kids” as built on buzzsaw-sharp riffs, explosive drumming and a hook that could become a live staple. Benante called it one of his favorite songs on the record and one of his favorite riffs, positioning the track as a gift to longtime fans rather than a replay of past glories.

Cursum Perficio will also arrive in multiple physical formats, including several vinyl variants and an exclusive transparent red pressing. After a 10-year gap since For All Kings, Anthrax are not just returning to album mode, they are reopening the engine with Benante driving the pulse again.