Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has revealed that he suffered from a serious back injury earlier this year, which occurred during the band's performance on the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise in late January.

The injury was exacerbated by freezing conditions and made it difficult for Ian to move around the stage.

He struggled to perform even basic tasks like tying his shoes or putting pants on due to severe back spasms.

Ian had to travel extensively with Anthrax alongside Megadeth and Exodus across Canada, relying heavily on massage therapists and osteopaths to manage his condition.

Despite being at only "40%" of his normal ability, Ian persevered through the shows in true thrash fashion.

He hopes to be close to full strength when Anthrax kicks off their Australian tour.

Ian emphasized the importance of self-care for veteran musicians, citing Dee Snider's recent retirement from touring due to physical limitations.

He praised Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna for maintaining his voice into his sixties and noted that self-care is essential to keeping the thrash machine running.

"We're hyper aware of having to take care of ourselves," Ian said.

"The guy [Belladonna] is in that rare air of dudes that age who can still sing like that." Ian will continue touring with Anthrax, but hopes to be back to full strength soon.