Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax

(Hardback)

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Frank Bello, bassist with the legendary New York thrash metal band Anthrax since 1984, has sold over ten million albums, travelled the globe more times than he cares to count, and enthralled audiences from the worlds biggest stages. His long-awaited memoir would be a gripping read even if its pages only contained stories about his life as a recording and touring musician. While those stories are indeed includedand will blow your mindBello also focuses on deeper subjects in Fathers, Brothers, and Sons. Once youve heard his life story, youll understand why.

Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Franks mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with Anthrax from his early teensfirst as a roadie, and then as the groups bass player.

International stardom came Franks way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony.

Two decades later, Frank is a father himself to a young son. Like many men who grew up without the guidance of a dad, he asks himself important questions about the meaning of fatherhood and how to do the job well. This is the wisdom which Fathers, Brothers, and Sons offers readers.

Despite the emotive nature of these topics, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons is a funny, entertaining read. A man with a keen sense of humor and the perspective to know how surreal his story has been, Frank doesnt preach or seek sympathy in his book. Instead, he simply passes on the wisdom gained from a lifetime of turbulence, paying tribute to his loved ones in a way that will resonate with us all.

Reviews

Frank has been a close friend for 35 years. From dealing with being abandoned by his father, to the tragedy of his brothers murder, to the rise of Anthrax, its all here in Frankies unmistakable, sincere, and at times humorous voice.I am so proud of him for telling his long overdue life story in such a candid and honest way. Eddie Trunk, SiriusXM Radio

Author Bio

Frank Bello is an American musician, most notable as bassist for the legendary thrash metal band Anthrax. On hiatus from Anthrax, he briefly performed with Helmut, but he has appeared on every Anthrax release since 1985. He lives in New York.

Joel McIver is the bestselling author of Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica, which has been translated into nine languages, and several other books. He has written for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and he is the occasional guest on BBC. Classic Rock magazine has called him by some distance Britain's most prolific hard rock/metal author. He wrote the official biography of the world's biggest death metal band, Cannibal Corpse and co-wrote Megadeth's bio from bass player David Ellefson.