Joey "Belladonna" Bellardini, Anthrax vocalist from 1985 to 1992 and 2005 to 2007, has re-taken the position in the pioneer thrash metal band from John Bush, the band's vocalist from 1992 to 2005 and 2009 to 2010.

Belladonna will tour with Anthrax and perform on its next studio album.

Toward the end of Belladonna's first run with Anthrax, the band's music was becoming darker, more mature, more thrashy and somehow simultaneously more melodic. Joey Belladonna's punky singing would have limited the band had it stuck with him, or its new music would have sounded awful because his vocals would have been wrong for that new music.

John Bush, Joey Belladonna's replacement, with his bluesy, more versatile singing voice, allowed Anthrax to expand into musical territory previously beyond reach for the band. Without Bush, Anthrax songs like radio friendly, somewhat melodically complex "Safe Home" and the thrashy, ultra tight "Crush" would not have been possible.

Soon, people will hear Joey Belladonna attempt to perform the songs that wold not have been possible had he never parted with the band.

The re-hiring of Joey Belladonna as Anthrax vocalist is the fourth change in that position in five years for the band. In 2005, Joey Belladonna replaced John Bush (and former Anthrax lead guitarist Danny Spitz replaced Rob Caggiano) for a reunion tour during which the band never performed a song that it recorded after 1992. Bush was asked to perform alongside Belladonna for this tour but declined. When this reunion tour ended in 2007, Belladonna and Spitz were out of the band and Bush and Caggiano were asked to return; Caggiano accepted the offer, but Bush again declined. Dan Nelson became the new Anthrax vocalist in 2007. Less than two years later, and after the band completed a studio album with Dan Nelson on vocals that is unlikely to ever be released, Anthrax claimed that Nelson became "ill" and "resigned" from the band, though Nelson has said that both claims are untrue. John Bush agreed to tour with Anthrax after Dan Nelson was let go but was unwilling to commit to the band on a long-term basis, leading to the return of Joey Belladonna.

Oh well, there will always be memories.