Speaking in a recent interview with BBC Radio 1’s “Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter”, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian revealed his thoughts about thrash metal giant Slayer.

He explained why Slayer is very special for him. He said that ‘Slayer was “probably the last band” that I got in the moshpit for’. Here’s the statement:

“The first time we met, we were all hanging out at a Mercyful Fate show at L’Amour [in Brooklyn]; it would have been late ’84, early ’85-ish. They were in town, and I remember a bunch of beers, certainly with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals], I remember specifically having beers with them.

And then the first time I saw them [perform] would have been right around that time too, I think at L’Amour in Brooklyn, and yeah, they were great. I’m pretty sure that’s the show my brother broke his nose in the pit; he got slammed across the face [and was] bleeding and [he] left the pit.

I went to check on him, and he’s, like, ‘My nose is broken,’ and then five minutes later, he was back in the pit. I remember it being a great show and everyone in New York being very excited to see those guys.”

Slayer was “probably the last band” that I got in the moshpit for. I’m thinking even into the 2000s at some point, I think I still got in the pits for Slayer; they were like the last band. I just couldn’t control myself.”

He remembered when they touring with Slayer and said:

“A lot of people have asked, ‘Was there a weird vibe out there?’ because it’s part of the ‘goodbye’ tour and all this. And I’m, like, ‘No.’ There’s no melancholy on a Slayer tour; it just doesn’t exist. It feels like any other tour we’ve ever done together; every band is just bringing their best every night.

It sounds cliché to say that, but I think there’s something about playing with a band like Slayer, playing with a band like Maiden — there’s a short list of bands I could say that certainly give you that extra kick in the ass knowing that you’re sharing the stage with these guys; like, you’d better be on fire. That’s why I love touring with Slayer, because it really keeps me focused. And I get to see Slayer 30 more times.”

Click here to entire interview.