Frank Bello is all heart. Best-known as the classic-lineup bassist for Big 4 Thrash legends, Anthrax, he’s got a life story to tell, inside and outside of the Heavy Metal spotlight.
I don’t think it’d be possible to read this book and come away with a negative view of him. He brings his giant New York personality to every word of “Fathers, Brothers, and Sons;” you can almost hear the Bronx accent emanating from the pages.

This may be the most conversational autobiography I’ve ever read, replete with natural little tangents and asides - - the kind of verbal chatter that usually gets edited out of memoirs. Many kudos to co-author Joel McIver, a veteran writer of many high-profile Metal bios, for his work in piecing it all together. He never inserts himself or his own writing into the text, he just stays out of the way and lets his subject do the talking.

Given the title and subtitle: “Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax,” I’d braced myself for an emotionally heavy ride through family tragedies and personal traumas. And sure, the book delivers all of the above, but it turns out to be a much smoother ride than I’d expected.

The book opens with Bello’s family struggles when his father abandoned his mother and her 5 kids, leading to young Frank living at his grandmother’s, under the same roof as his slightly-older uncle, (Anthrax drummer) Charlie Benante. Later, he discusses Anthrax being on tour with Metallica for the tragic bus crash death of Cliff Burton, the losses of his close friends, Pantera’s Darrell brothers, as well as the deaths of close family members. . . The book’s roughest chapter is entitled “Anthony,” about his youngest brother, Anthony Bello.

The music of Anthrax isn’t the only heavy thing in this book, but Frank Bello’s personality is unsinkable; he always buoys up to a positive take. His upbeat, mature reflections and outlook takes the edge off and carries you through these sad moments. His prevailing desire to be a good man for the sake of his wife and son - - even as a reactive to his own childhood instability - - prove to be a great counterbalance.

Frank Bello comes across as a genuine, decent guy, who is an Italian-American New Yorker to the bone. He’s not unaware of his great ability on bass (one of Metal’s best, IMHO), but he doesn’t speak of it with any ego or arrogance, not even when touching on his solo in “Got the Time.” His humility and level-headed outlook is refreshing and welcome. The book demonstrates again and again that, while he may have been a brutal prankster and ballbuster in his younger days, he’s always been grounded and down-to-earth. Even during the “Spreading the Disease”-”Among the Living” days of Anthrax’s rise to the top, Frank would finish tours and work in his uncle’s deli to make ends meet. (No, not *that* uncle. . .) Bello overflows with love and respect for just about everyone in his circles. Even when he does have negative anecdotes to share, he keeps the subjects anonymous. I view this as a positive in an auto, but if you’re looking for mud-slinging or trash talking, look elsewhere.

While this is a very different book than (Anthrax guitarist) Scott Ian’s “I’m the Man,” there’s plenty of Anthrax history in common. Neither requires the other, but both work as companion pieces.

“Fathers, Brothers, and Sons” is mostly-light, sometimes-heavy, occasionally-emotional, wise, poignant, engaging, informative page-turner with a very likable subject, and all kinds of highly-revered side characters and cameos from Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer, U2, Public Enemy, and more. It’s a must-read for any Anthrax fan, and highly recommended for all Metal fans. Hell, it’s a must-read for Kiss fans too, because
1. Gene Simmons pens a lovely foreword,
2. Bello declares his youthful love for Kiss above all other bands, even Rush, and
3. Bello shares some amazing - - almost hard-to-believe - - recollections of encounters with Simmons as a young superfan in the 1970s.