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Frank Bello

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Frank Bello
Bello performing with Anthrax in 2015
Bello performing with Anthrax in 2015
Background information
Born (1965-07-09) July 9, 1965 (age 59)
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentBass
Years active1984–present
Member ofAnthrax
Websiteanthrax.com

Frank Bello (born July 9, 1965) is an American musician who plays bass for the thrash metal band Anthrax. Bello was also in Helmet from 2004 to 2005 and has been the bassist of a Norwegian black metal band Satyricon since 2024.

Early life

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Bello is the nephew of Anthrax and Pantera drummer Charlie Benante. He had a younger brother Anthony, who was murdered in the Bronx, New York City, in 1996. His murder was never solved. Bello has a tattoo on his right upper arm with a design of Anthony's face, with the words 'In Memory of Anthony' below it.[1]

Career

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Bello was originally a roadie and guitar technician for Anthrax, but later replaced Dan Lilker soon after the release of the band's 1984 debut album Fistful of Metal, and has held this position ever since, excluding a brief departure in 2004, during which he was a member of Helmet – another New York City-based metal band.[2] His stint in Helmet was brief, as Bello reunited with Anthrax the following year, and has remained in the band since.[3]

Bello has referred to Paul McCartney, Steve Harris, Gene Simmons, Geezer Butler, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Tom Petersson and Jaco Pastorius as influences and inspirations to his bass playing.[4][5][6][7] He mostly plays bass fingerstyle, but also uses a pick on certain songs. For example he can be seen using one in the videos for "Room for One More" and "Fueled". He also used a pick most of the time during his stint with Helmet.[5]

In May 2021, Bello announced the forthcoming publication of his autobiography, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax. The book's co-writer is British author Joel McIver and it includes a foreword by Gene Simmons of Kiss.[8]

In 2024, Bello joined Satyricon as a touring member.[9]

Acting

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Bello played Richard Hell in Greetings from Tim Buckley, a film on Tim and Jeff Buckley, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.[10][11] He also played a small role as a stick-up man in Joe's Apartment, and appeared in the intro scene in the Law & Order episode "The Brotherhood", credited as "Rocker". He also played himself in an episode of Married... with Children and Newsradio.

Equipment

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In the early days on Anthrax, Bello used an ESP Precision-styled bass, possibly a 400 series, that had EMG P-bass and J-bass pickups. ESP released this bass as a signature model, available only in Japan, in the mid-to-late 1980s. Sometime during the late 1980s, he switched to an ESP Surveyor P-bass, which had nearly all the same specifications of his previous basses, but with a finished headstock. He began using Fender basses during the beginning of the 1990s, due to a falling out with ESP which, according to ESP Vice President Jeff Moore, was due to miscommunication. He began using Fender P-basses around the time of Persistence of Time until the release of his signature model. Bello had a signature model[12] Fender Jazz bass. The model combines a Fender Aerodyne body with a Precision Bass-width neck, Alder body wood (as opposed to the Aerodyne's Basswood) and a mix of Precision and Jazz bass pickups along with non-standard custom-chosen hardware. Pickups used on the bass are Seymour Duncan SPB-3 precision bass pickup in the neck position and a Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge position, although Bello's personal bass now is equipped with EMG HZ Passive pickups which Bello prefers "as the output is... a lot louder" and he gets "a lot more punch".[13] Bello also had a signature Squier electric jazz bass.[14] It features P/J style pick up combination and a skull inlay/body graphic.

The ESP Frank Bello and LTD FB-4 are both based on the ESP Vintage-4 model, customized to Belloʼs specifications with a Black Satin finish and black anodized aluminum pickguard, ebony fingerboard with black pearloid block inlays, EMG PJ-X active pickups and a Gotoh bridge. The basses feature bolt-on construction at 34" scale, an alder body, and maple neck with 21 XJ frets. There is a writing of "R.I.P. Dimebag" on Bello's bass guitar (Fender model) for tribute to deceased Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell, which he inscribed into his bass the night of his death.[3] After constant touring with Megadeth's bass player, David Ellefson, Bello switched to a Hartke LH1000 and HyDrive cabinets. On tour, he also use a SansAmp Bass driver for a "grinding tone" for the "Got The Time" song. Previously, he used Ampeg SVT amplifiers and cabinets during the early 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. During the late 1980s, he used a rack system that relied on a Yamaha PB1 Preamp and Crown Power Base-1 power amplifiers. While in Helmet, Bello used Fender 800-PRO amplifiers with a Sansamp Bass Driver DI distortion pedal.

In 2022 Charvel Guitars introduced a Frank Bello signature bass from their custom shop with a P Bass body, PJ EMG pickup configuration, Mirrored tele bass style pickguard and a maple neck and fretboard.[15] Later in the year they released a Pro-Mod Mexican made version [16] In 2023 Tech 21 release a Frank Bello signature SansAmp, the Street Driver 48 [17]

Philanthropy

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Bello has shown support for Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools, by donating several bass guitars and amps to 15 New York City public schools. He also visited a Little Kids Rock classroom to show encouragement to young musicians, answer their questions, and jam with them on their favorite songs.[18]

Discography

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Main article: Anthrax discography

Helmet - "Size Matters" (album, 2004)

Crobot - "Mountain" (single, 2021)

Frank Bello - "Then I'm Gone" (3-songs single, 2022).

References

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  1. ^ "Frank Bello of Anthrax". Glide Publishing LLC. November 28, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  2. ^ jomatami (November 18, 2021). "Bassist Frank Bello Speaks on Why He Left Anthrax & How the Band Moved on Without Him". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction". Loudwire. July 9, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  4. ^ "Frank Bello of Anthrax (INTERVIEW)". Glide Magazine. November 28, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Anthrax's Frank Bello: 'Once I Tried the Bass, It Was a Natural Click and Just All Made Sense After That'". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "KNAC.COM - News - ANTHRAX 'Spreading The Disease' Anniv Edition". KNAC. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Frank Bello: 5 bass players who influenced me". November 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "Anthrax's Frank Bello announces autobiography". Guitar World. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Kennelty, Greg (May 28, 2024). "ANTHRAX's FRANK BELLO Appears To Have Joined SATYRICON For Summer Festival Shows". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  10. ^ "Anthrax bassist Frank Bello joins Penn Badgely's Jeff Buckley film". HitFix. August 23, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  11. ^ Kurchak, Sarah (August 15, 2012). "TIFF 2012 Adds Greetings From Tim Buckley, Spike Lee's Bad 25 Michael Jackson Doc, Skrillex Soundtrack". Spinner. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  12. ^ :: Fender.com Archived March 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Bass Player Magazine's November 2011 Cover Article" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  14. ^ :: squierguitars.com Archived March 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2022/09/30/charvel-custom-shop-introduces-frank-bello-signature-bass/ [bare URL]
  16. ^ https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2022/12/09/charvel-unveils-frank-bello-signature-pro-mod-so-cal-bass-pj-iv/ [bare URL]
  17. ^ https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2023/09/23/tech-21-unveils-frank-bello-street-driver-48-signature-sansamp-pedal/ [bare URL]
  18. ^ "Frank Bello | Little Kids Rock". Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014
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