Phil Anselmo

Anselmo at Hellfest 2009

Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968 in New Orleans , Louisiana ) is an American musician, label owner, producer and festival organizer. He gained fame as the singer of the metal bands Pantera , Down and Superjoint Ritual .

life and career

Childhood to world fame with Pantera

Anselmo was born in 1968 in New Orleans, where he grew up and attended Grace King High School. In an interview with Rolling Stone , Anselmo spoke of repeated experiences of abuse throughout his childhood. As a teenager he was interested in metal music. Accordingly, Anselmo was networked in the metal scene in New Orleans and known and friends with later famous musicians such as Jimmy Bower , Pepper Keenan and Mike Williams . He made his first appearance as a teenager in 1985.

At the end of the 1980s he got to know the musicians of the Pantera group in New Orleans, who wanted to realign themselves musically at this point and released their previous singer in favor of Anselmos. In the new line-up formed in 1987, the band released the album Power Metal , which enabled the group to sign a subsequent contract with Warner Music subcontractor Eastwest . With the following albums Cowboys From Hell (1990), Vulgar Display of Power (1992) and Far Beyond Driven (1994), the band and with it the singer achieved international fame. Meanwhile, Anselmo fell into a heroin addiction , which he only made public years later.

In the meantime, Anselmo had the New Orleans-based sludge and hard rock project Down with Jimmy Bower from EyeHateGod , Todd Strange and Kirk Windstein from Crowbar , as well as Bower and Joseph Fazzio from Stessball and Kevin Bond from Crowbar founded the hardcore band Superjoint Ritual . With Down, a demo tape was recorded and distributed without any reference to the names of the members. The demo achieved cult status. The project was reactivated in the mid-1990s to record the album NOLA for Eastwest. The cooperation with Eastwest came about because of the contractual relationship with Anselmos given by Pantera. Down's debut, which was well received, was released in 1995. Nevertheless, Down remained for the time being a side project of Anselmos. Superjoint ritual has also long been viewed as a side project. The group released only two demos during the 1990s and only made their debut in 2002 with the album Use Once and Destroy via Sanctuary Records .

For the time being, Pantera continued to be named his main band. A few months after the 1996 Pantera album The Great Southern Trendkill was released, Anselmo was treated for an overdose that nearly cost him his life. Planned tour activities were then canceled and Anselmo underwent drug withdrawal .

From 2000, the number of projects with Anselmo's participation increased rapidly. Since then he has been actively involved in bands and projects such as Viking Crown, Necrophagia , Arson Anthem , Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals and Eibon. These often included projects with other popular musicians, so the Black Metal- inspired project Eibon was created as a short-lived supergroup with Sven Erik “Maniac” Kristiansen from Mayhem , Sigurd “Satyr” Wongraven from Satyricon and Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell from Darkthrone , which only had one song Mirror Soul Jesus published on the sampler Moonfog 2000 - A Different Perspective . For the hardcore and crustcore band Arson Anthem, the Anselmo with Mike Williams from EyeHateGod, Hank Williams III from Assjack and Collin Yeo Anselmo appears as guitarist. In 2001, Anselmo married Stephanie "Opal" Weinstein with whom he had been in a relationship since the late 1990s. The marriage was divorced in 2004. Also in 2001 Anselmo founded the label Housecore Records through which he published a large number of his own projects, but also the music of other groups.

Dissolution of Pantera and the time after

Phil Anselmo with Down in Madrid (2008)

After the release of the album Reinventing the Steel and a few appearances in 2000, it became increasingly quiet around Pantera. The band officially disbanded after the release of a best-of compilation in 2003. In the subsequent statements made by the individual musicians on the separation, a conflict broke out between Anselmo and the brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbot . In particular, the musicians accused each other of being responsible for the internal problems that led to the separation. In the course of the conflict, which took place over several interviews, in which Anselmo was accused of being dependent on him, he allegedly said that Dimebag deserved to be brutally abused. Dimebag Darrel Abbot was shot dead by a fan during a concert in December 2004 without Anselmo and Abbot being able to resolve the conflict. Anselmo temporarily withdrew from the public eye. In the aftermath, Anselmo made several statements of regret about the unfinished conflict. The conflict between him and Vinnie Paul, who gave Anselmo partial responsibility for the death of Dimebag Darrel, remained.

Anselmo has been in a relationship with music producer Kate Richardson since 2004. The couple run the Housecore Records label together. In 2006/2007 Anselmo returned with Down on international stages and with a studio album. Since then he has increasingly published his own projects and continued to appear live. In addition to Down, Anselmo reactivated the Superjoint Ritual and initiated Arson Anthem. Since 2013 he has been hosting a music and film festival in Austin , Texas with Corey Mitchell under the name of the label as Housecore Horror Film Fest . At the festival on the Emo's complex in the east of Austin, in addition to the label's bands, other internationally renowned bands such as Danzig , Neurosis , Gwar or Samhain perform . In addition, both current and already popular horror films will be shown, about which there will also be open discussions with filmmakers such as José Mojica Marins , Jörg Buttgereit and Jim Van Bebber .

Controversy about the appearance at Dimebash 2016

International media coverage drew a video uploaded to YouTube of an appearance by Anselmo at the Dimebash 2016 festival, organized in honor of Dimebag Darrell, where Anselmo can be seen showing the Hitler salute after the Pantera Song Walk , followed by those called to the audience Words white power . Anselmo initially tried to explain his behavior as an inside joke , which alluded to the fact that one drank white wine backstage . A claim that soon turned out to be a lie. Various apologies, various explanations and words of regret followed, as well as the offer to leave Down, who were subsequently refused to leave. In addition to external reception, in which Anselmo's older appearances were occasionally viewed from the point of view of a potentially racist attitude on the part of the singer, critical voices from the metal scene such as Robb Flynn and Scott Ian also spoke up . The topic remained a sufficiently recognized factor in the discussions with Anselmo and his work, which the singer tried to explain years after the performance.

“I acted absurdly that evening on purpose and unfortunately said what I said. Then I apologized and then turned around to avoid any further provocations.

What I said about 'Dimebash' was regrettable. I was deeply hurt that people took my behavior at face value. Because what I said is not my true opinion. I accept every individual as an individual. Throughout my entire life, my entire career, I have defended individuality, not the masses. "

- Phil Anselmo after Matthias Mineur in the Metal Hammer 2018

Holger Stratmann from Rock Hard made it clear at the beginning of 2018, in the run-up to an interview print, that the discussions about Anselmo's performance and the questioning of his attitude as well as the assessment of his work would be continued. “A handful of interviews won't be enough to make Phil Anselmo a respected member of the metal community again. He is still under observation and in the future he will be judged by his further actions, his texts and his appearances. "

In February 2018, Anselmo explained part of his behavior with depression, regardless of the discussion about the appearance. In the interview he explained his social failures as well as his lyrical and musical work as catharsic expression of his illness. The album title Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue would stand in the direct context of this realization.

After the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch , an appearance planned for March 2019 by Anselmo in Christchurch was canceled. In the reason for the cancellation, the organizers made indirect reference to Anselmo's behavior.

style

Anselmo's singing varies between rough roaring, deep clear singing and different variants of guttural singing . In bands like Superjoint Ritual, which are oriented towards hardcore punk , he mostly presents rough roaring vocals. For music groups that are more oriented towards Doom Metal , Hard Rock and Sludge, Anselmo sings with a mostly deep and rough voice. Sometimes his singing has been compared to Dan Beehler's from Exciter and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave .

Many of the projects in which Anselmo appears as a singer are located in this spectrum. Nevertheless, he sometimes presents his singing in a more diverse way, according to the styles of the respective bands. The styles he presents are called " Punk , Hardcore, Thrash , Southern Metal , Texas Rock , Black Metal , Hardcore Punk, Sludge Metal, Crossover ". In these styles he presented himself with "roaring, bloodily reeled vocal cords, ranging from vigorous deathgrowls to sick whimpering, whining or whining, to wonderfully crazy screams [and] dumbass rumbling".

Discography (selection)

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals

• 2013: Walk Through Exits Only
• 2018: Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue

Arson Anthem

→ Main article : Arson Anthem # discography

Christian inversion

• 1994: Obey the Will of Hell (demo)
• 1995: 13th Century Luciferian Rites (Demo)
• 2004: To Lord Lucifer My First Born

Down

→ Main article : Down (band) #Discography

Eibon

• 2000: Mirror Soul Jesus on Moonfog 2000 - A Different Perspective

Necrophagia

• 1998: Holocausto de la Morte
• 1999: Black Blood Vomitorium
• 2001: Cannibal Holocaust
• 2003: A Legacy of Horror Gore and Sickness

Pantera

• 1988: Power Metal
• 1990: Cowboys from Hell
• 1992: Vulgar Display of Power
• 1994: Far Beyond Driven
• 1996: The Great Southern Trendkill
• 1997: Official Live: 101 Proof (Live)
• 2000: Reinventing the Steel
• 2003: Reinventing Hell - The Best of
• 2010: Decade of Domination - Best of 1990 - 2000
• 2011: Cowboys from Hell 20th Anniversary Deluxe CD

Southern isolation

• 2001: Southern Isolation

Superjoint ritual

→ Main article : Superjoint Ritual # Discography

Viking Crown

• 1994: Unorthodox Steps of Ritual
• 2000: Innocence from Hell
• 2001: Banished Rhythmic Hate

Web links

Commons : Phil Anselmo  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Phil Anselmo at Discogs (English)
• Phil Anselmo at Allmusic (English)
• Phil Anselmo at laut.de
• Phil Anselmo in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Phil Anselmo Opens Up About Racism, Pantera's Legacy, Childhood Abuse. Rolling Stone, accessed June 22, 2018 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Greg Pato: Artist Biography: Phil Anselmo. Allmusic , accessed June 22, 2018 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Superjoint ritual. The Gauntlet, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Markus Wiesmüller: To call me a racist is an abomination . In: Rock Hard . No. 370 , February 21, 2018.
5. ^ J. Bennett: Pillars of Eternity . In: Albert Mudrian (Ed.): Precious Metal . Decibel presents the Stories behind 25 extreme Metal Masterpieces. Da Capo Press, Philadelphia PA 2009, ISBN 978-0-306-81806-6 , pp. 267 to 279, here pp. 270 and 273 (English).
6. ↑ Philip's record label 'Baphomet / Housecore Records'. Stereokiller, accessed May 11, 2015 . 
7. ↑ Former PANTERA Drummer VINNIE PAUL Dead At 54.Blabbermouth , accessed June 24, 2018 . 
8. ^ Housecore Horror Film Festival. Corey Mitchell, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b} Ronnie Bittner: Machine Head: Robb Flynn accounts for Phil Anselmo because of the Hitler salute. Rock Hard, January 29, 2016, accessed June 26, 2018 . 
10. ↑ Kristina Baum: Phil Anselmo wants to voluntarily leave his band after the Hitler salute. Rolling Stone, February 4, 2016, accessed June 25, 2018 . 
11. ↑ Axl Rosenberg: Editorial: The Metal Community Must Stop Letting Phil Anselmo Off the Hook for His Racist Remarks. Metal Sucks, January 28, 2016, accessed June 25, 2018 . 
12. ^ Matthias Mineur: Phil Anselmo: An attempt at clarification. January 27, 2018, accessed June 25, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Holger Stratmann: Column: DOWN, PANTERA, PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS & WARBEAST, SUPERJOINT, PHIL ANSELMO Pro & Contra. Rock Hard, accessed June 26, 2018 . 
14. ↑ PHILIP ANSELMO: 'People Are Just An Instant Away From Doing Something Drastic'. Blabbermouth. Retrieved June 22, 2018 . 
15. ↑ New Zealand Terror: Phil Anselmo's concerts canceled because of Hitler salute. March 20, 2019, accessed on January 30, 2020 (German). 
16. ↑ Andreas Stappert: Superjoint Ritual: A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred. Rock Hard, accessed June 25, 2018 . 
17. ↑ bender: Down: III Over the Under. Stormbringer.at, accessed on June 25, 2018 . 
18. ↑ Wolfgang Schäfer: Pantera: Power Metal. Rock Hard, accessed June 25, 2018 . 
19. Jump up ↑ Janko: Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals: Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue. Totentanz Magazin, accessed on June 25, 2018 .