Former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz launches Deuxmonkey
Deuxmonkey, the new band led by former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz, has released its first track, "Anger Is Free", via the project's official MySpace page.According to a press release, Deuxmonkey - whose lineup also includes Peter Baltes (Accept) on bass, Matt Thompson (King Diamond) on drums and A.O.H. (Shaolin Death Squad) on vocals - features "a sound that represents that struggle, that determination and fight within human flesh to succeed and overcome."
Commented Spitz: "Back in the early part of creating the sound of Anthrax I created riffs for me, and me only, it just so happened many of my fans seemed to fall in love with the same aggression and originality my right hand produced. It is the same with Deuxmonkey."
After spending 15 years on buses and planes touring the world, Dan lost his desire to play guitar. He decided to clear his head by stopping the music and starting the Swiss schooling to become a master watchmaker. He is now "back on track," having gained back the love once lost for his instrument. He said, "Deuxmonkey is the start of many projects I plan to enter into. It's getting my feet wet, it's reconnecting with my fans and friends, whom I miss so much."
The lyrics to "Anger is Free" speak of "the desire to end it all, and the struggle to do the complete opposite." Meanwhile, the song "O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)" touches on something that surely inflicts not just Spitz, but most musicians. " I wrote this song because, oh man, do I suffer from O.C.D., bad," he said. "Giving it a bit of a hilarious chorus background chants made me crack up so much I almost puked. I hope the fans puke, too. Hahaha," said Spitz about what he calls his new anthem song.
He concluded: "We hope you all enjoy the pounding metal, the devastating riffs, the blistering leads and lyrical content that means so very much to all of us."
Deuxmonkey is:
Dan Spitz (Anthrax) - Guitar
Peter Baltes (Accept) - Bass
Matt Thompson (King Diamond) - Drums
A.O.H. (Shaolin Death Squad) - Vocals
Spitz underwent open-heart surgery on June 5, 2009 after it was discovered that the main artery to his heart was almost "completely closed."
Spitz took took part in the reunion of Anthrax's classic lineup in 2005 and 2006 but eventually left the band in order to concentrate on his other career as a "master watchmaker."
In a January 2007 interview with Eddie Trunk of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 Fm, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian stated about Spitz, "Whether people are aware or not, Danny's, like, a big deal in the really, really fancy, expensive watch world - like crazy, super-high-end watches - and he's got his own line of watches coming out. It's weird, because before the reunion I would read this stuff online, and I would just kind of be like, 'What the hell??' But then like after hanging out with the guy for 20 months and you actually talk to him and see the watches and what-not, I was like, 'Holy crap!' It's a pretty big deal."
