Fall Out Boy, Anthrax members form The Damned Things

Hurley and Trohman looking very me-tal
Hurley and Trohman looking very me-tal (Image credit: LAN/Corbis)

Supergroup-itis might soon be setting in. The newest bunch (of sorts) is comprised of members of Fall Out Boy, Anthrax and Every Time I Die and they're calling themselves The Damned Things.

This band has apparently been in the works for some time - Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman hinted at a more metal-oriented side project when MusicRadar spoke with him last year.

But now that Fall Out Boy are on an indefinite hiatus, Trohman, along with FOB drummer Andy Hurley, Anthrax guitarists Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, and Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley and bassist David Karon look like they're ready to pull the trigger and put the pedal to the metal (pun fully intended).

Describing their sound as "Kyuss meeting Thin Lizzy," Scott Ian told Rock Sound that he was brimming with excitement about the music they're making.

"Scott's right hand is the reason I got into playing punk rock, hardcore and metal!" Fall Out Boy Joe Trohman on Anthrax's Scott Ian

"We just started working on songs together and I really dug it," Ian said. "It's super fun and it's something that we do totally take seriously because we love the music we've created."

Ian admitted that he was initially reluctant to hook up with Trohman and Hurley, but he said they hit it off immediately. "People think of Fall Out Boy and they think of Pete Wentz and Patrick. These two guys, man, they're fucking hardcore dudes. Joe writes some amazing riffs. We have this song called A Great Reckoning that I swear to God, this song could be on any Thin Lizzy record. He fucking blew my mind with this song and I just can't wait for people to hear it."

Trohman, for his part, is no less enthusiastic about working with Ian. "Scott's right hand is the reason I got into playing punk rock, hardcore and metal!" he said. "Having Keith as part of the mix is insane. We all know he writes incredible lyrics but he is also a really good singer. That is showcased in Every Time I Die, but we want him to go more into singing than screaming on this project."

The band has demoed over 15 songs and plan to start recording their debut album before Christmas. Apparently, one of the demos was posted on their MySpace page, but it has since been removed. Hmmm.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.