Frank Bello, best known as the bassist of New York’s legendary thrash metal pioneers ANTHRAX, joined forces with Spector basses to develop an all-new instrument. Dubbed the NC-4 Frank Bello, this bass is inspired by both Spector‘s rich history and iconic American bolt-on bass design. With its refined shape, radiused top, and uniquely contoured neck heel, the NC-4 is a player’s dream, offering a nimbler and more playable approach to the classic bolt-on platform. Carefully designed with Frank, his NC-4 showcases a stunning metallic purple finish named Tina Rose, in honor of his mother and grandmother who supported his dream of playing music for a living. It is completed with a matching headยญstock and complimenting purple acrylic block fingerboard inlays.
The NC-4 Frank Bello is crafted from the combination of an Alder body and a 1-piece Maple neck with a Maple fingerboard. When combined, these timeless tonewoods offer the perfect blend of warmth, brightness, and clarity, making it the perfect choice for Frank‘s massive and memorable bass lines. The neck itself offers a slim, yet comfortable profile modeled after some of Frank‘s most cherished vintage instruments for a “just right” feel. When it comes to electronics, Frank prefers to keep it simple with his signature EMG P/J set and a straightforward control layout with two volume controls and a master tone control. This effective control set allows players to blend and taper their tone quickly and easily. Finished off with vintage-inspired chrome tuners and a modern fully adjustable bridge, the NC-4 Frank Bello is ready to bring the noise on the world’s biggest stages.
Speaking about the fact that ANTHRAX is one of the so-called “Big Four” of 1980s thrash metal, along with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, Bello said: “That was great, to be a part of the ‘Big Four’, to celebrate this great thrash thing. We all toured together for so long back in the day. And look, [playing] the Yankee Stadium [in New York with the ‘Big Four’ in September 2011], [that was] one of the highlights of my career. Four thrash bands playing Yankee Stadium. As a Yankee fan, a Bronx guy who grew up 10 minutes from the stadium, celebrating the music that I โ let’s face it โ gave my life to, so to celebrate it like thatโฆ It was also the last show my grandmother saw ANTHRAX. We got my family a booth up in the Yankee Stadium, one of those booth things up there with the glass and stuff. I remember seeing her after the show, and she came with a wheelchair. We put her back in the car and stuff, and that was great. I still have her face saying that to me. ‘That was so great, Frank. I loved it.’ That’s the woman, her and my mom, she’s the one that started me and Charlie [Benante] โ Charlie, the drummer of ANTHRAX โ she’s the one that said, ‘Go do your thing. And never think about it. Just go be happy.’ That’s why she deserves to have a tribute through this bass. That color is her and my mom [who was Charlie‘s older sister]. My grandmother’s Tina. And my mother’s name is Rose. So it’s Tina Rose. And that’s the ultimate tribute. So wherever I go with this bass around the world, they’re always gonna be there.”
Frank played his first show with ANTHRAX in nearly a year and a half on October 12, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.
Bello and ANTHRAX were supposed to perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but their show ended up being canceled due to severe weather.
Prior to Aftershock, Bello last played with ANTHRAX in May 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In April 2024 and early May 2024, Bello sat out ANTHRAX‘s South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to “personal reasons.” Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX‘s debut album “Fistful Of Metal”, was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with Benante and ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian.
Bello played bass for Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON for the band’s summer 2024 European festival appearances, including Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.
Frank released a memoir, “Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax”, in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.
