Anthrax’s Scott Ian Names His Favorite Band of All Time

Anthrax's Scott Ian named his favorite band of all time in a new video uploaded to YouTube.

The 10-minute video was shared by the official Bon Scott YouTube channel, so yes: the favorite band in question is AC/DC. But not just AC/DC, the Bon Scott-era of AC/DC in particular.

When Did Scott Ian Hear AC/DC for the First Time?

Ian recalled the first time he heard AC/DC when he was in junior high in the late 1970s. He and a group of friends often brought cassettes to school to listen to music together on one of their friends' boomboxes. One day, someone brought 1978's Powerage with them to the listening session and thus the first AC/DC song Ian ever heard was the opening track "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation."

"[Scott's] voice came in and immediately I remember stopping the tape and saying, 'What's up with that singer?' I'd never heard anything like it before. The one of his voice and the energy in his voice," Ian reflected.

The rocker went to a record store after school that day on a mission to immerse himself in all things AC/DC. He was especially captivated by Scott's voice, adding that he sounded like what he'd always imagined a pirate to sound like.

Ian revealed that not seeing them in concert while Scott was still alive is still one of his biggest regrets. He unfortunately didn't have the money for tickets at the time when they played a show in New York in support of Highway to Hell.

"I just figured, well they'll be back. Every band comes to New York like three times on an album seemingly, so I figured I would just get to see 'em six months later. And six months later, Bon was dead. So I was really kicking myself then," he shared.

How Did AC/DC Influence Anthrax?

Ian explained that Anthrax were specifically influenced by AC/DC in that they knew they wanted to have a vocalist who could sing as well as Scott. He mentioned that a lot of other thrash metal bands had frontmen with voices more comparable to Lemmy Kilmister "which is also amazing," but it wasn't the vocal style Anthrax envisioned themselves pairing their music with.

"Bon was definitely a part of that influence certainly of wanting to have a guy that could sing, not just scream or growl or grunt. We wanted a singer," he said.

Why AC/DC Is Scott Ian's Favorite Band of All Time

The guitarist went on to praise AC/DC's sense of humor, the fact that they've never taken themselves too seriously and don't appear to care what others think of them.

"I always have to preface it, when I get asked that question, 'What's your favorite band?' And I say 'AC/DC with Bon.' That moment in time, that's my favorite music to listen to ever," he asserted.

See the full video below.