Charlie Benante
Encyclopedia
Charlie Benante is the drummer for the heavy metal
bands
Anthrax
and Stormtroopers of Death
(S.O.D.).
, and has been the band's drummer to the present day. He is known for having a very fast double kick technique and has been credited as one of the pioneers of double-bass, as well as with popularizing the blast beat technique
with thrash metal
. Many drummers, such as Dave Lombardo
, Lars Ulrich
, Mike Portnoy
and Jason Bittner
, consider him as one of the best drummers of all time.
He is also an accomplished guitarist, contributing lead guitar to S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die
album, as well as the majority of the music for Anthrax. Along with his musician duties, Benante is also a graphic artist and has created many of Anthrax's album cover and t-shirt designs.
Frank Bello
, whose mother is Benante's older sister.
Benante has stated in most of the old Anthrax interviews and videos that his favorite fictional character is Darth Vader
.
cymbals, Vic Firth
sticks, Evans
drumheads, and ddrum
electronics.
Prior to switching to Tama's Speed Cobra pedals in 2010, Benante was one of the few drummers who used Tama's HP35 Camco chain-drive pedals, equipment he had used since 1984.
Tama Starclassic Bubinga in Black Metallic w/Gold Inlay & Black Nickel Hardware
Evans Drumheads: Evans St Dry/Hazy 300 (snare), G2 clear/G1 clear (toms), EQ2 Batter Clear/ EQ3 Resonant Black (bass drum)
Paiste Cymbals
Tama Hardware
Sticks: Vic Firth Charlie Benante Signature (SBEN) (Length = 16 5/8", Diameter =.625")
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death, better known as S.O.D., was a crossover thrash band formed in New York in 1985. They are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The song "March of the S.O.D.," from their 1985...
(S.O.D.).
Career
Benante joined Anthrax in 1983, prior to the recording of the band's debut album Fistful of MetalFistful of Metal
-Personnel:*Neil Turbin – Vocals*Dan Spitz – Lead guitar*Scott Ian – Rhythm guitar*Danny Lilker – Bass*Charlie Benante – Drums...
, and has been the band's drummer to the present day. He is known for having a very fast double kick technique and has been credited as one of the pioneers of double-bass, as well as with popularizing the blast beat technique
Blast beat
A blast beat is a drum beat often associated with extreme metal and grindcore, although its usage predates the genres, and is utilised by many different styles of metal...
with thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. Many drummers, such as Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo is a Cuban American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood and their 2006 release Christ Illusion, for which he received critical praise...
, Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
, Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
and Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner is the drummer for the American metal band Shadows Fall. He has won numerous awards including Modern Drummer Readers poll for #1 Up and Coming Drummer of 2004, and in 2005, #1 Best Recorded Performance for the Shadows Fall album The War Within, #1 Metal drummer #2 Clinician DRUM!...
, consider him as one of the best drummers of all time.
He is also an accomplished guitarist, contributing lead guitar to S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die
Speak English or Die
Speak English or Die is the first studio album by the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death .After Anthrax finished recording Spreading the Disease, there was still some studio time left, so Scott Ian and Charlie Benante called some friends, practiced some songs, and recorded it all within...
album, as well as the majority of the music for Anthrax. Along with his musician duties, Benante is also a graphic artist and has created many of Anthrax's album cover and t-shirt designs.
Personal life
Benante is the uncle of Anthrax bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Frank Bello
Frank Bello
Frank Bello is an American musician who plays bass guitar for the thrash metal band Anthrax. Originally he was a roadie and guitar technician for the band, but later he replaced Dan Lilker on the Spreading the Disease album. After leaving Anthrax in early 2004 Bello joined Helmet - another New...
, whose mother is Benante's older sister.
Benante has stated in most of the old Anthrax interviews and videos that his favorite fictional character is Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
.
Equipment
Benante uses and endorses Tama drums and hardware, PaistePaiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
cymbals, Vic Firth
Vic Firth (company)
Vic Firth is an American musician and is the founder of Vic Firth Company , a percussion stick and mallet manufacturing company that he started in 1963. The company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets...
sticks, Evans
D'Addario
D'Addario is a manufacturer of musical instrument strings, primarily guitar strings, currently headquartered in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York...
drumheads, and ddrum
Ddrum
ddrum is a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures drums, percussion, and electronic drum triggers.-Acoustic drums:ddrum is a sister company to Dean guitars and produces drums that fall into one of several series, each following a motif of beginning with the letter "d" and grouped...
electronics.
Prior to switching to Tama's Speed Cobra pedals in 2010, Benante was one of the few drummers who used Tama's HP35 Camco chain-drive pedals, equipment he had used since 1984.
Tama Starclassic Bubinga in Black Metallic w/Gold Inlay & Black Nickel Hardware
- 20"x22" Bass Drum (x2)
- 6.5"x14" Charlie Benante Signature Snare Drum (CB1465)
- 8"x10" Tom Tom
- 8"x12" Tom Tom
- 9"x13" Tom Tom
- 14"x14" Floor Tom
- 16"x18" Floor Tom
- 6.5" x 13" Side Snare
Evans Drumheads: Evans St Dry/Hazy 300 (snare), G2 clear/G1 clear (toms), EQ2 Batter Clear/ EQ3 Resonant Black (bass drum)
Paiste Cymbals
- 16" RUDE Crash/Ride
- 13" Signature Dark Crisp Hi-Hat
- 8" RUDE Splash (custom)
- 18" 2002 Power Crash
- 12" Signature Splash
- 19" RUDE Wild Crash
- 20" Signature Dark Metal Ride
- 18" RUDE Crash/Ride
- 14" Signature Sound Edge Hi-Hat
- 18" 2002 Novo China
- 20" 2002 Novo China
Tama Hardware
- Power Tower System
- HP910LS Speed Cobra Single Pedal (x2)
- HH905 Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat Stand
- HT730 1st Chair Ergo-Rider Drum Throne
Sticks: Vic Firth Charlie Benante Signature (SBEN) (Length = 16 5/8", Diameter =.625")
Stormtroopers of Death albums
| Title | Date of Release | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
| Speak English or Die Speak English or Die Speak English or Die is the first studio album by the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death .After Anthrax finished recording Spreading the Disease, there was still some studio time left, so Scott Ian and Charlie Benante called some friends, practiced some songs, and recorded it all within... |
December 1985 | Megaforce Records Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution... |
||
| Live at Budokan Live at Budokan (S.O.D. album) Live at Budokan is a live album released by American crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death. The album is a recording of a one-off re-union gig put on by the band, and includes the majority of the longer tracks from their first album and some previously unheard tracks, as well as covers of... [Live] |
October 24, 1995 | Megaforce Records | ||
| Bigger than the Devil Bigger Than the Devil Bigger than the Devil is the third release by crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death . The album was released in May 1999 on the Nuclear Blast label... |
May 22, 1999 | Nuclear Blast Records | ||
Stormtroopers of Death videos
| Title | Date of Release | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
| Kill Yourself: The Movie Kill Yourself: The Movie Kill Yourself: The Movie; the bulk of the footage on this DVD was shot during the S.O.D. promotional tour for Bigger Than The Devil in Japan and America, interspersed with footage from various events, such as some 1999 shots from the Dynamo Open Air in the Netherlands... (DVD or VHS) |
January 23, 2001 | Nuclear Blast Records | ||
| Speak English or Live (DVD) | September 25, 2001 | Nuclear Blast Records | ||
| 20 Years of Dysfunction 20 Years of Dysfunction 20 Years Of Dysfunction is a DVD/CD released in 2005 by crossover thrash band Stormtroopers Of Death. Mainly created by singer Billy Milano, the material for the 2-disc DVD/CD is mostly culled from fan-shot amateur footage... |
July 26, 2005 | Nuclear Blast Records | ||
Others
- Liquid Trio Experiment 2Liquid Tension ExperimentLiquid Tension Experiment is an instrumental progressive rock/metal supergroup, founded by Dream Theater's former drummer Mike Portnoy in 1997. The band has released two albums through Magna Carta Records...
- When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in ChicagoWhen the Keyboard Breaks: Live in ChicagoWhen the Keyboard Breaks is a live album by progressive metal group Liquid Trio Experiment 2. The album was recorded during a live show of Liquid Tension Experiment in Chicago, IL. The album came about when, during the track "Universal Mind", Jordan Rudess' Roland Fantom-G8 keyboard started...
(guest drums)