With new album and tour, Anthrax finds new life

Heavy metal’s Anthrax may have called its debut album “Fistful of Metal,” but after three decades of punishment to his hands, drummer Charlie Benante learned the hard way that his fists were flesh and bone after all.

Benante needed surgery in 2013 to address a long-running battle with carpal tunnel syndrome. As he recuperated, he was sidelined for some of the band’s tour dates. That downtime had an upside, though, as Benante’s convalescence produced a prolific burst of songwriting that formed the basis of the group’s new album.