Anthrax - Ian Confirms Baby News, Pulls Out Of Anthrax Dates

The rocker will be sitting out of dates at the beginning of July (11) so he can be at home with his wife, the daughter of Meat Loaf, when his child is born.

But the baby news won't affect the Big 4 show, featuring Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, in Indio, California in April (11) or upcoming shows in Thailand and Japan.

Ian writes, "I know there's been a lot of rhetoric out there regarding upcoming Anthrax shows, Big 4 and otherwise. I've been debating on whether or not to make a public statement about this as it really pertains to my personal life and I generally like to keep that personal. Because this is affecting my band life, I feel like you, my friends, deserve to hear from me personally.

"I will be playing the Big 4 show April 23 in Indio, CA as well as the shows in Manila, Bangkok, and Japan that will follow the Indio show. I won't be playing the shows scheduled from July 2 - 16 in Europe and the U.K. My wife Pearl and I are expecting our first child and she is due literally the day of the Big 4 Sonisphere show in France.

"This decision to miss these shows was a deeply personal one. I co-founded this band on July 18, 1981 and for almost thirty years, I have been there for everything we've ever done. I have never been faced with anything that would make me even question being there for anything Anthrax related. Becoming a father is the biggest, best thing that's ever happened to me and it made the decision relatively easy. My priority is with my wife and the birth of our first child."

Sepultura star Andreas Kisser will step in for Ian when he takes his paternity leave.

Ian states, "We chose Andreas because we feel he can do the gig better than anyone. He has the fire, the attitude, and the crushing right hand to do the gig."