Why Guitarist Rob Caggiano Left Anthrax + Joined Volbeat
Current Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano departed Anthrax back in 2013 and almost immediately joined the Danish rockers. He offered an explanation for this decision nearly a decade ago, but time has a way of revealing new perspectives and in a "10 Questions" video interview with Metalshop TV, Caggiano reflected on his exit from the thrash legends as well as what prompted him to take up playing guitar in Volbeat.
In 2013, Caggiano stated he "just wasn't happy" in Anthrax anymore, but defended the two records they made together (2003's We've Come For You All and 2011's Worship Music).
Now, he says in response to a fan-submitted question to Metalshop TV (transcription via Blabbermouth), "I decided to leave Anthrax back then because I kind of felt like… At that point I had been in the band for a long time, and I kind of felt like my role in the band ran its course, so to speak. And I just kind of felt like I was hitting my head up against a glass ceiling a long time. And it just felt like I needed a change."
As a bit of a complement to his 2013 comments that he is "a musician" and "a creative person," the guitarist continues, "I wasn't feeling inspired. Don't get me wrong — I love those guys and I loved every minute of my time with them. It was such an amazing, wild ride. But I just felt like I needed to do something else at that time. And the Volbeat thing just happened, and it was organic, and it felt right. So, here I am."
Earlier in the video interview, Caggiano was also asked about what he found appealing in Volbeat's music and he explains, "I think for me, the thing with Volbeat, it's like a mixture of all the sounds that I like. [Laughs] It's a lot of stuff that I grew up listening to all wrapped into one package. When I first heard Volbeat, I heard the Misfits, I heard Metallica, I heard a little bit of the Ramones… There's some Slayer-vibe riffs. There's just a lot of different stuff. And it's all fun — it's a lot of fun; the music is a lot of fun. And it definitely connects with a lot of people. That's why I do it."
Watch the full video interview further down the page.
Caggiano has remained with Volbeat since, now having played on four of their albums, the latest being 2021's Servant of the Mind. Meanwhile, Anthrax tabbed Shadows Fall guitarist Jonathan Donais as Caggiano's replacement in 2013.