Michael Sweet defended Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna after his a cappella performance of the national anthem drew criticism online. The Stryper frontman posted his support on Facebook.
Sweet highlighted the technical challenge of singing live without instrumental backing in front of a large audience. He also pointed out that critics could attempt the same feat themselves.
“To all the haters – you get up in front of thousands of people and sing live (A cappella!) and try sounding remotely close to as good as this! Great job Joey Belladonna,” Sweet wrote.
Fans in the comments agreed with Sweet’s assessment. One supporter said the performance had impressed them from the start. “This is why I love you Michael! The first time I heard him sing the national anthem last year I was blown away. As an Anthrax fan AND Seahawks fan, I was fine with it. Just happy to see some metal guys getting shots at this!”
Another commenter suggested that metal vocal styles may not match what mainstream audiences expect to hear during the anthem. “The haters just don’t like metal voices. I thought he did great, but definitely sounded like a metal singer in the high notes, which probably put some folks off.”
A third fan noted that Belladonna’s confidence grew as the performance went on. “I thought he did fine! He seemed to gain confidence as the song went on. To be honest, I think he sounded better than Bruce Dickinson’s recent performance of the national anthem (and I think Bruce is an amazing vocalist).”
Sweet’s post came in response to mixed reactions to Belladonna’s national anthem performance. The comments reveal that fans felt the criticism reflected unfamiliarity with metal vocals rather than any actual technical shortfall.
Belladonna has performed the national anthem at multiple sporting events over several years. He sang at a Seattle Seahawks game on November 27, 2022, where military helicopters crossed the stadium as he finished, and the response was positive. He has also performed the anthem at Buffalo Bills games in 2017 and 2019, a Denver Broncos home game in 2023 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and a Syracuse Crunch hockey game in 2025.
Speaking about the experience of performing the anthem in front of large crowds, many of whom are unfamiliar with his name or Anthrax, Belladonna described the unique pressure involved. He noted that singing the national anthem is more tense than performing to audiences of heavy metal fans because the anthem presents its own vocal challenges. Belladonna brings his distinctive vibrato, a wavy, shaking vocal style that metal fans know well, to every performance.
The performance has sparked discussion among both NFL audiences and heavy metal fans about the different expectations for a traditional national anthem rendition and a rock vocalist’s approach to the song. Anthrax released their album Cursum Perficio on September 18, 2026, marking the band’s return with Belladonna on vocals after their previous album in 2016.
