Guitarist Rob Caggiano on Anthrax Exit: ‘My Heart Simply Wasn’t in It Anymore’

Former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano is facing a major career change and seems enthused about the future. Caggiano tells Pro Sound News that ultimately his desire to have more creative involvement in the music he was generating led to his exit.

He explains, “If you were to ask me to give you the absolute main reason why I decided to leave Anthrax, I would tell you that I left because my heart simply wasn’t in it anymore. I had a blast playing with those guys and they will always be family to me, but outside of my guitar solos and production work, Anthrax was never a creative outlet for me [musically]. That wasn’t by any choice of my own but the way, it’s just the way it is.”

The guitarist adds, “I guess it just got to the point where I started asking myself, ‘What the hell am I doing? I’m a musician. This is who I am. Being creative is simply soul food for my soul. Why am I devoting all of my time and energy into a band where being creative is impossible for me?’ It simply stopped making sense a while ago and I ended up feeling very unhappy and very unfulfilled. It started feeling like I was just going through the motions and that’s not what music is about to me at all.”

In recent years, Caggiano has seen his production career expanding and he’s interested in exploring that to the fullest as well. The guitarist, who is currently producing Volbeat‘s next album, says, “Making records is a lot of hard work and to be honest, I usually can’t even listen to an album I’ve worked on when I’m done with it. It’s the smiles and excitement people have when they listen to it that make it worthwhile for me.”

As for working as a recording musician and touring artist, Caggiano says, “I’m absolutely not giving up my guitar! I’m not giving up touring anytime soon either. I love the stage and I love touring. It’s in my blood and it’s who I am. I just needed to step off the machine to reevaluate things. Sometimes it’s good to do that and with change comes growth. I have a lot to say musically and I’m ready to scream!”

To read more of Caggiano’s thoughts on music production and his future, check out the full interview at Pro Sound News.

-Loudwire.com

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