Check out this video of DOWN's second set at Hellfest where they replaced Clutch. DOWN songs, Crowbar songs, Pepper singing COC songs, Eyehategod songs, Jason Newsted on bass, and much more…
Pantera/Down icon talks tape trading and terrorPhilip recently did an interview with radio.com. Philip projects the release date of the next Down release, discusses Pantera graduating from the glam scene which included Slayer becoming one of Dimebag’s many influences. He also corrects everybody on the what the song titles are of the songs he did with Tony Iommi… and so much more.
The Metal Masters Clinic returns to the West Coast for their 5th installment. It will happen on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Tickets are only $25!
Powerline recently had a chat with former Pantera and current Down frontman Philip Anselmo. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow below —
Powerline: To me, the music on [Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals debut], 'Walk Through Exits Only' seems to be influenced by the New York hardcore scene.
Phil Anselmo: I love New York City hardcore. … Lyrically, I would agree a lot. Truthfully, bands like Agnostic Front — specifically Agnostic Front — with their huge hooks and whatnot, I can agree with you.
Powerline: And there are a lot of lead guitar accents and soundscapes throughout each song — they're brief and almost industrial sounding. It leaves a mark that you can't forget. It makes you want to go back to the song and listen to it again. Are those parts from guitarist Marzi Montazeri?
Phil Anselmo: Yeah, but as far as basic riff structure and a maybe a lot of atonal notes that you're hearing, that's pretty much my stuff, man. Marzi has his strengths that I knew he had coming in. He has always been a great guitar player and I gave him absolute free rein on leads. Some of the soundscape stuff that he does is very unique and he always had that as part of his repertoire since I've known him and we always wanted to utilize it. Maybe it's a little bit of both — me writing to his strengths. It's a long time coming record for Marzi and I. We've been talking about doing this for quite a while.
Powerline: Maybe it is you writing to his strengths. That's a good way of putting it. On the song "Music Media Is My Whore", there's such a nice accent to the leads.
Phil Anselmo: Absolutely. And that's another strength of his layering of guitars. He is a very creative and interesting layerer of different levels and frequencies which make this big wall eventually. So he's damn good at what he does.
Powerline: That layering is very important on 'Walk Through Exits Only'. Is that easy to replicate live? Do you get another guitarist on tour?
Phil Anselmo: No, that's the thing. Marzi's the type of guy to where he wants to be a perfectionist, even live. So this is something that has worked in his favor for a long time. It's something he can pull off. Marzi is a special talent. For the life of me, he's the type of guy that's been in Houston, Texas and he's well-known around Houston as a blues player. He's the type of guy that can play just about anything in the world. I'm somewhat of a task master where I can say to Marzi, "Look, here is the path we are going down," and he can adapt which is an incredible thing, and a luxury, really. You now, once he's on assignment and he gets what's in front of him, then he takes off in this insane direction. Which I did not want to suppress at all. I wanted to enhance, for sure.
Powerline: And the last song on the album ["Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens"], Marzi does some leads that are like Tom Morello meets Kerry King.
Phil Anselmo: Yeah, well, he's probably a little more in key than the 'ol Slayer boys, but I'll say that the last song in particular — with the outro — that is something that he's had for a very long time, really in one shape or form. You know, the long, slow, scraping outro — and that's always been something I wanted to incorporate into something we were doing. And I'm glad — very glad — that we had that opportunity.
Spencer Kaufman, LudwireNearly one month ago, Eyehategod drummer Joey LaCaze passed away at the age of 42. As an essential part of the Southern sludge movement, LaCaze’s death sent a shockwave through the underground metal community. Pantera / Down vocalist Phil Anselmo, who was close with LaCaze, has just offered a heartfelt memorial for the drummer.After LaCaze’s death was made public, prominent musicians such as Lamb of God‘s Randy Blythe and Shadows Fall‘s Brian Fair, along with bands Pelican, Nonpoint and more offered condolences via Twitter and Instagram. Along with those artists, we now finally have a statement from Phil Anselmo, which was posted earlier today (Sept. 19) by Metal Hammer.
MetalKaos.com
[caption id="attachment_1525" align="alignleft" width="480"] Philip Anselmo[/caption]
Hands down, one of the most honest and dedicated personas of the Metal scene is Philip H. Anselmo and there is no rocket science behind the reason why metalheads love him so much (ok, there are some haters too), following every step he's taking down the road of Heavy Metal, no matter the band he's involved. Yesterday (9/11), METAL KAOZ had a very sincere, interesting talk with Phil regarding his future plans with THE ILLEGALS, including an upcoming EP release, the 'Housecore Horror Film Festival', plus some news from the DOWN camp. Hit the 'play' button below and let the room to get filled by words of frankness and wisdom... And yes, there were no talks about PANTERA.
MetalHammer.co.uk
Check out the Masterclass with Pepper in the latest issue of Metal Hammer. Here's a sample from the interview
This album could be summarized in four words: ferocious, engaging, difficult, and accessible.Anselmo, best known as the lead vocalist for Pantera and Down, has been pushing the limits of extreme heavy metal since he came on the scene and joined Pantera when he was just 19. Now 45, Anselmo’s focus has not waivered, and his first “solo” album is a welcome addition to his already long discography.
“I wanted to write something extreme that could really sit next to anything out there that’s considered extreme,” said Anselmo recently. “But I wanted it to stick out like a sore thumb, so to speak, and really be very hard to pigeonhole or put into any genre or subgenre. I wanted it to be a different listen, a challenging listen.”
A punch in the face right from the beginning, Walk Through Exits Only is a relentless onslaught of distortion, clipped bass drum and heavy low end. Coupled with Anselmo’s trademark growl and untraditional hooks, it equally repels you and draws you in. This is one of those records that is best described as a “slow burner.” It might not grab you on the initial listen, but keep with it because it has the legs to eventually be considered a classic.
“Within the chaos of the music I’m still a gigantic fan of huge hooks,” Anselmo enthused. “I think the more a person explores the record, I think the more the hooks will grow and become more evident within the songs. I realize it is a difficult listen, a very abrasive listen. Once you get past your first three or four listens, by the 10th or 20th listen, a lot of the more subtle nuances will rear up and hopefully stick in your head.”
It does. Believe me, it does.
Kirk Windstein[/caption]
Because of the relentless, pounding humidity and heat, a different kind of anger boils in the veins of Southern metal cowpokes. Southern metal is at all times heavy, like metal should be, but it's also lethargic at times, with a sweet tea in hand, sitting on the porch, and sometimes it's wild with beer while off-roading, or bluesy, with all its exes living in Texas. These bands have the dirtiest and most calloused hands in the metal world, spitting out a brand of attitude unlike the rest of the country. Keep reading for the ten best Southern metal bands.
Part 2! Earlier this year in June, Down played played at the Metal Fest Open Air in Germany. It was at this time that Philip H Anselmo held one of the more picturesque interviews he’s had in a while discussing among other things; Housecore Horror, next Down EP, popularity contests and spilling pizza on his stage pants.
Philip Anselmo is best known for his work with Pantera and Down.
At 45, Phil Anselmo may require reading glasses, openly discuss his love for his girlfriend, and drop words like “portentously” into conversations. But his guttural howl, and accompanying racket, are as punishing and brutal as ever.Anselmo is south Louisiana’s most successful hard rock export. He sold millions of records and filled arenas around the globe as the scowling singer of groove-metal quartet Pantera. Since Pantera’s dissolution in the early 2000s, he’s fronted various bands, mostly notably the New Orleans all-star ensemble Down. He’s also been to hell and back a couple times, enduring major back surgery and kicking a related drug dependency.
From his rural spread north of Lake Pontchartrain, he oversees a bustling hard rock cottage industry. His Housecore Records, which he runs with longtime girlfriend Kate Richardson, promotes up-and-coming metal bands and his own myriad side projects. The label is also presenting the Housecore Horror Film Festival in Austin, Texas, in October.
On July 16, Housecore released “Walk Through Exits Only,” the debut album by Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals. Suffice to say, it is not for the faint of heart. The current Illegals tour concludes with a homecoming show at Tipitina’s on Thursday, Aug. 22. Warbeast, a metal band signed to Housecore, and Author & Punisher, a one-man industrial metal band, open the show.
Before we can discuss any of that during a recent phone interview, Anselmo must first pick a bone with me. “Let’s get one thing straight,” he growled. “I’m not born in Metairie! I was born in Touro hospital and raised in the French Quarter. I am a full-blown New Orleanian.”
As far as I can recall, in 20 years of chronicling his career I’ve never written otherwise. But once and for all, let the record reflect: Phil Anselmo entered the world -- screaming, no doubt -- in Orleans Parish.
You’ve got a book deal to write your autobiography in collaboration with true crime author Corey Mitchell.
Anselmo: It’s a book about my life. It’s not just strictly a Pantera book, although Pantera was obviously a giant part of my life. It took a whole lot in the New Orleans area and throughout Louisiana, gigging and gigging … a whole lot happened, and had to happen, before I was even able to be in the same room with the great musicians that were in Pantera.
Musicradar.com
“I love pioneers. Just some guy doing the job? For me that is OK, but you’re not really doing what you’re supposed to do.”
Yep, when it comes to bass players Pat Bruders sets the bar pretty high. The fearsome four-stringer, who earned his stripes with death metallers Goatwhore before replacing Rex Brown in the Phil Anselmo-fronted Down, is adamant that a bassist should not sit in the back holding down the groove. No, they should do that and so much more.
“Everybody has to bring something to the table,” he says. "As a bass player you should write riffs. You can be just as much a part of that as a bass player as anybody else. You can’t have any passengers, you have to do your job but be part of the band too. It’s important to be heard.”
With such lofty expectations of the bass player’s role, we laid down the gauntlet and asked Pat to pick out his definitive, greatest bassists of all time...
“When I was young and got into Maiden and I was inspired to play bass and learn it well.
"I’ve been influenced by all kinds of guys. I have always listened to all kinds of music and kept my mind open but it terms of bass playing it all started with Steve Harris. He is a driver of that band, he has a really strong business sense and is in on the whole writing process - he wrote a lot of the stuff.
"I like bass players that do more than just lay back in the background, I like guys that want to bring something to the table. I try to be that guy myself.
"I love Maiden’s early stuff the best. I love the Di’Anno days, they seemed a lot more punk rock driven back then. I used to sit down and learn all of those songs, that got my chops up and made me better as a player. Those parts are a lot more challenging than people think.”
“Of course, Sabbath. Geezer is a very influential bass player. He does more than just play bass, he writes lyrics as well. He’s still doing it too, man.
"I love the fact that he’s still jamming and they just put out that album [13]. That album is kind of different, I haven’t heard the whole thing but I like what I’ve heard.
"Of course, they need Bill Ward back though. Everybody has been saying that though, you can’t do anything like that. It makes no sense to take an original member and not let him in and not pay him what he’s worth, especially when everybody is dripping in money as it is. I don’t see the big problem. There’s a lot of politics involved with that s*** that I don’t know about. But nobody plays like Bill Ward.
"I love Master of Reality, that is one of my favourite records. I love all of that early s***. I love Born Again too, it is a really good album with s***ty production. I love all of the Sabbath records, though.”
“Jack Bruce from Cream was really good and he was an innovator and he really played in the pocket, he played in that style.
"Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were great. They were pioneers of their time. They just came out and shocked everyone. I’ve liked the stuff Jack has done down the years. He was on one of Zappa’s records, he jammed with Zappa on the Apostrophe album. I’d love to play with Ginger Baker, all of that stuff is killer!
"When I was growing up I started to listen to a lot of Frank Zappa stuff and that had some intricate styles and weird, obscure s***. You just take a little bit from everything that you hear and you make it your own. You make it your own and do the best you can to make it different and not copy any one person’s particular style.”
“I like a lot of underground punk and I like a lot of rock ‘n’ roll too. I get into these areas where something bores me so I will go to something else for a while.
"There are great bass players in all types of music, though. I like some country too, old country. Waylon Jennings, not many people know this, but Waylon Jennings was Buddy Holly’s bass player before they went down in the plane crash.
"That’s how he started and he was great, and he turned out to be a great songwriter as well. You don’t have to be rock ‘n’ roll or heavy metal, there’s a lot of good music out there.
"I think if you call yourself a musician and you just listen to one type of music then you’re not really a musician because you’re closing off other avenues that you could explore.”
“John Paul Jones, he don’t suck either! He was the real musician in Led Zeppelin!
"He was a major part of the band, but then he would also lay back and he wasn’t too into all of the attention. But he is a real musician and is another one of the greats.
"He grabbed me early on, it was always Led Zeppelin and then I started getting into heavier and heavier and heavier stuff. At first I didn’t like certain bands that were heavier and I thought, ‘Man, this s*** is noisy!’ But then as I got older I got it.
"John Paul Jones maybe doesn’t get his dues but when it’s all said and done they couldn’t have done it without him. He is definitely a musician’s musician kind of guy, in my opinion.”
“To me, what he does is a whole other alien, man. To be able to sing and play and work the keyboard pedals the way that he does, you’ve got to be a master musician to be able to do what he does.
"You’ve got to have this coordination to be able to pull that off else it’s just not going to work. I can’t sing and play…I can’t even talk and play!
"Those guys have been together for 30 plus, 40 years now, it’s incredible. They have a solid backbone, a solid foundation, as long as you have that and the guitar player doesn’t f*** up then you’re ok!”
“A bass player that never really got much credit was a guy called Felix Pappalardi from Mountain. He was a very, very good bass player.
"I used to listen to my dad’s records and he was one of the guys that stood out. That’s where my style comes from, all of these guys, it has to come from somewhere!
"I don’t worship any particular person but I take things I like from musicians and incorporate it into my own style.
Philip Anselmo’s HOUSECORE™ HORROR FILM FESTIVAL Unleashes Its 2013 Band Schedule and Releases Individual Day Passes!BUY INDIVIDUAL DAY PASSES (Good for film + music):
$75.00 FRIDAY PASS: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/7838359745
[caption id="attachment_314" align="alignleft" width="240"]
Phil Anselmo[/caption]
Artistdirect.com
Let's get one thing out of the way first. There is absolutely nothing in all of heavy metal quite like Walk Through Exits Only, the debut from the legendary Philip H. Anselmo and his band The Illegals. You can't compare to anything either from his storied catalog or elsewhere in the entire genre. It's a tapestry of brutality that's both hooky and haunting. We'll also get another thing out of the way. It's a game-changer and one of the best metal records of the decade.
In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Philip Anselmo talks Walk Through Exits Only, H.P. Lovecraft, and so much more.
Rarely does music this heavy boast these kinds of hooks…
That's the credo. Any band can be insanely technical just because they have great players. I'm a big believer in hooks, man. I've digested and regurgitated this record so many times. It's tough for me to see it from an outside level. It feels militaristic as far as the approach goes. I like that part of it. I guess I'm ready to advance on the initial image. That will come in time too.
Was there a moment that this all became clear?
It's so tough to judge your own product because you're so fucking close to it. After millions of lessons, not to mention building the thing from the ground up, it becomes another record, song, or thing you've done. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll be able to step away from it and say some exact things about it. Right now, all I know as far as the goals of the record go, I think in my heart once again I didn't want to alienate Pantera fans, Down fans, Superjoint Ritual fans, or any fans of what I've done in the past. Although, it's a far cry—in my opinion—from Down or Superjoint. Look at the source it's coming from. You're going to hear certain familiarities. As far as sounding like Superjoint, Pantera, or anything like that, neither one of those bands will do as this one does. Superjoint was about as "precision" as D.R.I.'s first practice, comparatively [Laughs]. Pantera probably would've mapped out things a lot differently. It's its own animal. That's all I can say about it as far as a definite is concerned.
It really clicks on headphones. There's a lot going on in there.
Good! I love sounds. I love instruments. I love the ability to use and incorporate different instruments into extreme music. I said it a long time ago. This all goes back to my tirades about how I believe that not all of the notes have been hit and how I'm looking for music and bands that is in itself searching for the hidden notes. This helps broaden my take as far as the future goes. I have plenty of insane ideas for the future. Once again, this was an introductory record for the listener. There's a lot more extremity to come.
Some of the more ambient moments of reprieve heighten the impact of the heaviness.
Yeah, it also hearkens back to my love of ambient music in and of itself. I love horror movie soundtrack music. I love crumbling discordant sounds. Marzi Montazeri is very good at coming up with the "soundscrape" thing, so to speak. We're going to get a lot more inventive with that stuff as well. He gets some crazy fucking tones out of that axe. The only anti-guitarist instrument would come at the end of "Betrayed". It's my actual big standup piano we're using there. That's all real stuff.
You've had that piano for a while?
It's been in the family, yeah. So it was passed down to me.
When did that phrase "Walk Through Exits Only" come to you? It's a declaration of power.
It was honestly just a lyric I wrote. I guess I felt that "declaration of power", so to speak. People might ask themselves, "What does he mean specifically by that?" It's something I'll never answer. It means many different things to me, and I think it could mean a lot of different things to different people. That's about it there.
How did "Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens" come together?
It obviously started with the riff. I knew that I wanted dramatic words that could be somewhat of a social outlook statement on how the world is today. With everybody able to comment, their bravery with those comments, people with their iPhones, constant information, and the internet in general, it keeps everyone occupied whilst the real world goes on. There are some ugly changes out there. The mere fact that there are some forums for people to comment on. I think they're missing the biggest point. People can leave any comment they want, but it's not the same as revolution. It's not the same as true protest. A comment board is just as simple as a comment board is. It's there one day, and it's gone the next. The government aren't reading it. The powers-that-be don't give two fucks. They just know you're sitting at home and what you're doing because there's your comment at 9:55am or whatever. It's pegged down almost to a science. I think I say it in one of the lyrics in "Betrayed"—"They've got us right where they want us" to "I believe in mass obliquity. I'm convinced of a hidden agenda. I'm amazed at the mass hypnosis I see. I see they've got us right where they want us. We've been betrayed". That's a bit of a running theme that applies to "Irrelevant Walls" as well as even "Battalion of Zero". That has the line "Heads up hands down". It's like, "Put your fucking down for a second. Pick your head up and see for yourself".
There's such a powerful impact to the album. These eight songs make for a compact attack, but the scope is as epic as a three-hour movie. Lyrically, you're looking outward here whereas Down feels more ethereal.
It's also a rigorous listen. There's a lot of information somehow within that forty or so minutes of music. There's a lot of work in there whether it be riffs or song structure. As far as the lyrics go, with Down you're correct, I can be more—ethereal is a fine word. I can be more fantastique, so to speak. Hell, I can be less direct. It's obsequious even. With the solo record, the things said are definitely fucking more direct and straightforward.
Are you still on an H.P. Lovecraft kick?
Big time! In fact, I've expanded a little bit. There are several writers who have taken the Cthulu mythos and expanded upon it. I've found this obscure go with the last name of Tyson, and no it is not the boxer [Laughs]. His name of Donald Tyson, and he wrote a book called Alhazred. It's about The Mad Arab and his life growing up and how he became The Mad Arab. Now, I'm just past chapter five going into chapter six, and it's become a very interesting read. It's a huge fucking book. I don't know how many chapters there could be. I don't even think I'm one-fifth through it yet. It's definitely a cool vision about where this Abdul Alhazred writer of the fabled Necromicon really came from.
You can't get H.P. Lovecraft's stories on first read.
No way, it's impossible. The older you get and the more accustomed you become to the antiquate words and antiquated ways of how he uses words, it's amazing to think of. Then, you've got the archaic words he uses and the straight up fantasy he throws in there that's a head scratcher. It's incredible. Have you gotten to The Curious Case of Charles Dexter Ward yet?
Adding it to the "must-read" list…
That one and The Dunwich Horror…do yourself a great favor. The Curious Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a massive commentary on supreme ghoulism, and it's fucking incredible. Same goes for The Dunwich Horror. Cosmic fear at its best. Nobody touches Lovecraft.
The Housecore Horror Film Festival is a new ball game.
We want to make sure everything's all lined up nice and perfect for everybody to come enjoy themselves. That's a big business in the house right now.
—Rick Florino
The official listening and release party for "Walk Through Exits Only", Philip Anselmo's (PANTERA, DOWN) career-first solo album, will be held on Saturday, July 13 at 10:00 p.m. at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The address is:
Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York
For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.
Anselmo will release "Walk Through Exits Only" on July 16 via his own Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). The effort will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.
Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) — "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album's eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from "Battalion Of Zero" to "Usurper's Bastard Rant", to the album's title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.
"Walk Through Exits Only" track listing:
01. Music Media Is My Whore
02. Battalion Of Zero
03. Betrayed
04. Usurper Bastard's Rant
05. Walk Through Exits Only
06. Bedroom Destroyer
07. Bedridden
08. Irrelevant Walls And Computer Screens
"It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record," Anselmo explained about the project. "It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. On this album, there isn't any wordplay, there isn't any hidden message, it's all right there in front of you."
The genesis of "Walk Through Exits Only" proved both comfortable and natural for its architect. In fact, everything began to slowly come together in the frontman's New Orleans home back in 2010.
"It started right there in the fucking black bedroom where I haunt," he smiles. "When I get an itch, I've got to scratch it. The sole idea at the beginning was to be unorthodox. It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record. I've always believed there are different elements of groove. It's definitely not a cemented science. It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. I tried to portray it as personally as I possibly could."
Gonzales puts it best. "I think it's going to put the rock 'n' roll back in extreme music," he says. "That combination is very different. For as extreme as it is, it's controlled chaos."
"It's meant to be very unpredictable," Anselmo affirms. "When I hear enough of the same thing, I want to rebel. That was a key factor. Right when you think you've got it pegged, it goes in a different direction. That's what keeps things interesting."
In order to harness that unpredictability and realize his vision, he enlisted the talents of longtime friend Houston-based shredder Montazeri. Filling the seat behind the kit is Gonzales, who entered the fold at the tender age of 19. Back at Anselmo's studio Nodferatu's Lair, they recorded in spurts between DOWN's own rigorous recording and touring schedule. In the process of those intense sessions alongside engineer Stephen "The Big Fella" Berrigan, the record was born.
"There's nobody like Philip," says Montazeri. "For years, I've always wanted to do something completely original and meaningful with him. I'm just trying to bring something pure to this. Nothing gets in the way of this band's purity. When all of us get together, it's automatic. If I have an idea, Philip always welcomes it. We share a love for extreme music, and I feel like we've got an unbreakable bond."
Gonzales agrees, "These guys pushed me to limits I didn't even know I could be pushed to. We've been able to create something really special together."
The world's proper introduction to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS came on the "War Of The Gargantuas" split with WARBEAST at the top of 2013. The two songs included on the split — "Conflict" and "Family, Friends, and Associates" — were only a separate and small taste of what was come to come on the full-length though.
In many ways, "Walk Through Exits Only" embodies the same underground spirit and ethos that Anselmo has proudly possessed for his whole life. Since his career began, he consistently shined light on what was happening beneath the typical "surface" of music, whether by inviting MORBID ANGEL, EYEHATEGOD, CROWBAR, or NEUROSIS onto a PANTERA tour or donning a DARKTHRONE or MAYHEM t-shirt on television or in a major publication. He's gone against the grain, past the tides, and right through the exits. Now, that sentiment pipes through loud and clear on the record's viciously vital title track.
"It does create an unorthodox approach to things," Anselmo continues. "The hook is a powerful line. Why make music the 'right' way? There really aren't any fucking rules. You've got to simply take what’s there and make it your own."
The opener "Music Media Is My Whore" lays all speculation to rest with its focused pummeling. About the title, he laughs, "I've gotten my share of fucking licks from the media over the years. I figured I'd give them one back. Lyrically, there was always something driving me though. I couldn't put my finger on it for the longest time, but it's very reality-based. I didn't mince any words."
"The message comes across in a crazy way," adds Montazeri. "That goes for the entire record though. There's no similarity between this and any other band. It breaks from tradition."
Not only does "Walk Through Exits Only" break from tradition, it lays the groundwork for a new road.
"Fuck another chapter," concludes Anselmo. "This is a whole new book. Some might call it ambitious. I say it's natural. I can do anything I want with this, and I will. I want people to take that unpredictability with them. If you're in a younger band, I want you to realize you don't have to play by the fucking rules. I want everyone to see that there's a lot more to the story than they'd ever realized when it comes to me. You can't and won't be able to tell what comes next from the kid. You can't pin me down unless it's in my own fucking corner which will be painted black and say, 'Reserved for Philip H. Anselmo.' You're very welcome to do that."
Philip H. Anselmo will hit the road for his first-ever solo tour, "Technicians of Distortion," which kicks off July 31 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On this tour, Anselmo will be joined by his band, The Illegals (guitarist Marzi Montazeri, bassist Steve Taylor and drummer Jose Manual Gonzalez). Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 23. Visit TheHousecoreRecords.com/ > ARTISTS for ticketing information.
Technicians of Distortion is in support of Anselmo's upcoming solo release, Walk Through Exits Only, due out July 16 (Housecore Records/Megaforce) and will take the group to 16 markets over a three-week period. Warbeast, who are signed to Anselmo's Housecore Record label and just released their new album Destroy (produced by Anselmo), along with industrial-doom and drone-metal one-man band Author and Punisher, will provide support on all dates.
"It is an incredible pleasure to do my first solo tour with my brothers in Warbeast and to introduce the mighty Author and Punisher to the extreme-music audience properly," Anselmo said. "This is a killer program of insane variety, so come out and support the gigs!"
Fans can expect a hardcore, stripped-down production that is focused on a set list that will include all songs on Walk Through Exits Only, as well as lots of extras.
With one additional date to be announced, the confirmed itinerary for the Technicians of Distortion tour is as follows:
JULY
31 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
AUGUST
2 Wooly's, Des Moines, IA
3 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
4 House of Blues, Chicago, IL
6 House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
7 The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI
9 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
10 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ONT Canada
11 Heavy MTL Festival, Montreal, QC Canada
13 The Palladium, Worcester, MA
14 Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY
16 Best Buy Theatre, New York, NY
17 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
18 The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
20 The Masquerade - Heaven Stage, Atlanta, GA
TheQuietus.com Mark Eglinton Where Philip H Anselmo differs from almost every other metal front man is that if he wasn't singing in Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual etc or, in this case, with The Illegals on his first genuinely solo record, he'd be down in the pit, cracking heads with the rest of us. Guaranteed. He's a fan, first and foremost, and that ability to offload his ego and bond with other fans on a simplistic heavy metal level, completely separates him from almost all of his peers. But does that common touch a great record make? First of all let's say that the man has nothing whatsoever to prove to anyone. Hell if he'd never sung another note after Pantera's last gig in 2001, he'd have still gone down in history as one of heavy music's most compelling figures. So while Anselmo has had his detractors and still – amazingly – gets criticism for his part in the downfall of Pantera, in the decade or so since everything fell apart, he's matured both as musician and as a human being. Given that he successfully overcame a lengthy heroin addiction and underwent major back surgery while being widely vilified by a fan base who just needed someone, anyone to blame (other than the perpetrator himself, it seems) for the murder of 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott, Anselmo has quietly gone about his business of playing his music, developing his Housecore record label, expanding his influence into new territories like boxing and horror film appreciation – all while everyone else sat and whined about what he did and did not do. As if that wasn't enough, he seems ready to give something back to the music industry that gave him so much, by encouraging and involving young, emerging talent in every aspect of his business interests. The net result? A mature Philip H Anselmo with a better grasp on life and what it means than most forty-five-year-olds walking the planet. Was he something of a dick, in years 1998 through 2004? For sure, but so was I, and so were you. It's all ancient history and via Walk Through Exits Only Anselmo now owns his past. For a man synonymous with extremity of all kinds, Walk Through Exits is certainly that. There's also an underlying, off-kilter edginess to all the material that makes it really difficult to pin down melodies or the lack thereof. Compare it (and he'll love that I did) to the camera work in the movie of Stephen King's The Shining. It tells the story, sure, it does what horror movies do but there's something constantly – and intentionally – unsettling about the manner in which images are presented and scenes captured. This music feels like The Shining looks and therein lays true depth –particularly for those that are willing to notice. google64bdee4eb8489044
Steepin' Out
By Dan Lorenzo
Photo credit by Estevam Romera
If you know anything about heavy music you don’t need an intro to a living legend: Phil Anselmo.
Phil was the frontman for Pantera. He now fronts the equally amazing Down, but he is currently promoting his first ever solo CD Walk Through Exits Only. Phil has battled with heroin and was declared dead three times. Now clean, Phil told me he saw no bright lights or visions during his death, “There was a strange comfort so to speak.”
Dan Lorenzo: How do you feel about doing so many interviews and the press in general these days?
Phil Anselmo: Oh man, you know… it’s part of the f’ing game, it’s part of the rules. It’s no big deal to me at all. I enjoy talking to people.
Most people on your level release solo albums with dozens of guest stars. Did you consider going that route?
Not even at all. I’ve already done the “supergroup” thing with Down and I guess a few other bands and Down is still going on, it’s still a viable band so honestly, for me to do a solo record I thought it was important to have lesser known musicians, even unknown musicians because eventually this gives them more exposure. It introduces them to the public and basically gives them a leg up because these guys that I picked are beasts in their own way man. I’ve know Marzi the guitar player for… gosh, since the late 80s. This is something that he and I have always wanted to do. Finally it’s come to fruition. He deserves it, he’s a bad ass guitar player, been around for a long time. The kid from War Beast who plays drums, Jose is an incredible player. He’s 23 years old right now, he was like 19 when he actually began working with me. I think in the years to come he’s going to be known as one of the better heavy metal drummers around. To me it’s just common sense to use lesser known musicians, to help them out.
You’ve always supported the underground.
God damn yes!
Your solo CD is brutal from beginning to end. Did you have any thoughts about making it more diverse or more radio accessible?
Not even at all. No. The radio popularity contests and all that shit, I don’t give one F about at all. This was absolutely a record that I wanted to make. An extreme album in today’s climate where it doesn’t have to fall under death metal or black metal or any of those sub-genres. I wanted it to be a record that’s very hard to slide into a particular slot. To call it heavy metal, that’s fair enough, but to me I wanted to do an extreme record that was just as extreme as anything else but without, I guess the preconceived notions especially lyrically and topically, like when you listen to death metal or black metal you already kind of have a general idea where the lyrics are going to go. I wanted to sing about real things. Real things in my life.
Listening to you speak makes me happy. This is the fi rst time I’ve spoken to you since you got straight. How did you fi nally get clean?
It takes a lot of distancing yourself from the source of the problem. Also nipping the source of the problem in the bud. I was going through tremendous amounts of… physical pain and I addressed that by having major back surgery and that’s no walk in the park. I think once you embrace the physical rehabilitation part of it, and you really really buy into the program… only good things can come of it. Once the body feels better then the mind feels better- if that makes any sense.
Of course.
That goes hand in hand. Then there’s other factors like divorce which was defi nitely needed because I needed to get away from that particular person to move on. Then I also have a fantastic new woman… not really “new”, we’ve been together eleven f’ing years now. Her support is unending and undying and unwavering. To have this positive infl uence in my life is such a great thing. It’s up to the individual. If you put in the work and the time and you really want your life back… then it’s there to be had. It doesn’t matter what level of life you’re on or where you live or what you do. You can f’ing do it if you put your mind to it.
You mentioned “get with the program”. Is that a reference to a 12 Step program or did you do it on your own?
No, I actually did it on my own, but I can’t say that that’s the right way for everybody. I did on my own because I NEEDED it. Put it this way… when I look back at old interviews and I’m slurring words and I’m about to fall asleep in front of the f’ing camera it’s embarrassing. It sucked. And it STILL sucks. I use that shit as a beacon of sorts of where NOT to ever go again in my life. I felt like I was short changing myself, therefore short changing anyone that was ever a fan of my music. It’s bullshit. There’s always a better way. With a clear mind you can get more work done, you can get more personal work done and then you can extend yourself to other people in a more rational way. Even ifit’s a dinner date or producing a record. Every walk of life that you take you can at least be a reliable human being which is a very tough thing to come by in a lot of cases. I pride myself on being THAT guy.
The words “reliable” and “musician” don’t usually go together, right?
Exactly! You catch yourself when you’re f’d up… I used to call it “The heroin calendar”… people would ask me, “Hey Phil, can you do this?” and the fi rst answer out of my mouth is “yes” because it’s my character to say yes, but in all reality when you’re all f’d up on heroin or methadone or anything that’s going to discombobulate the brain… there’s no way you can see that promise through 100% if at all. To me that guy who could drop out at any second of an obligation, to me that f’in fl aky man and I am NO f’ing fl ake hence the reason why I really wanted to gain control of my life again.
When you tell me you’re embarrassed of old interview footage… what are your biggest regrets in life or are you a man with no regrets?
You know… I wouldn’t say no regrets, but I would say that I’m very very very human. I am NOT the first to make a drug mistake. I’m not the fi rst to be a part of a very popular band like Pantera and had it break up. I am absolutely not the fi rst so I realize this and immediately that takes a little bit of pressure off of myself BUT as far as regrets go, I think the biggest mistake ANY band can make and this goes for every band I’ve been in, is lack of communication. The more a band is able to sit down and discuss problems or ideas that might not sit well with others or in general, the ability to talk to one another as people for the better of the cause I think that’s a MASSIVE massive lesson learned for me on my part. I have made that mistake in the past where I wouldn’t answer the phone and it wasn’t just for my band… it was for anyone. I guess the easiest way to put it is drugs, alcohol, and booze, all that shit especially when you’re abusing the living F out of it, it erodes the will so to speak. It erodes willpower and eventually you just don’t even want to hear anything. You just want to fade into oblivion. To me that’s a cop out. I regret only that lack of communication because being in a band is very much like being married and if you can’t speak to your partner and let them know your truest deepest feeling on ALL levels then there’s a big barrier there. As the years go on that barrier gets bigger and bigger till it becomes this thing called a f’ing problem. Any young bands out there just take my word for it. If you’ve got a problem on your mind speak it out, talk it out. It’s worth it.
On the back of Rex Brown’s new book he writes about how he still has dreams and nightmares about Pantera. Do you dream about Pantera?
Truthfully for me… every time I have a Pantera dream it’s something good actually. I don’t have nightmares about Pantera. My memories are of the early days, the good days. Believe it or not, my dreams revolve around before we were signed to a big major label deal and we were still going to gigs in the old blue van and every-body’s cracking jokes. Really amazing, you wake up and you feel like, “Where did that go?” . That’s what my dreams consist of.
You mentioned “get with the program”. Is that a reference to a 12 Step program or did you do it on your own?
No, I actually did it on my own, but I can’t say that that’s the right way for everybody. I did on my own because I NEEDED it. Put it this way… when I look back at old interviews and I’m slurring words and I’m about to fall asleep in front of the f’ing camera it’s embarrassing. It sucked. And it STILL sucks. I use that shit as a beacon of sorts of where NOT to ever go again in my life. I felt like I was short changing myself, therefore short changing anyone that was ever a fan of my music. It’s bullshit. There’s always a better way. With a clear mind you can get more work done, you can get more personal work done and then you can extend yourself to other people in a more rational way. Even ifit’s a dinner date or producing a record. Every walk of life that you take you can at least be a reliable human being which is a very tough thing to come by in a lot of cases. I pride myself on being THAT guy.
The words “reliable” and “musician” don’t usually go together, right?
Exactly! You catch yourself when you’re f’d up… I used to call it “The heroin calendar”… people would ask me, “Hey Phil, can you do this?” and the fi rst answer out of my mouth is “yes” because it’s my character to say yes, but in all reality when you’re all f’d up on heroin or methadone or anything that’s going to discombobulate the brain… there’s no way you can see that promise through 100% if at all. To me that guy who could drop out at any second of an obligation, to me that f’in fl aky man and I am NO f’ing fl ake hence the reason why I really wanted to gain control of my life again.
When you tell me you’re embarrassed of old interview footage… what are your biggest regrets in life or are you a man with no regrets?
You know… I wouldn’t say no regrets, but I would say that I’m very very very human. I am NOT the first to make a drug mistake. I’m not the fi rst to be a part of a very popular band like Pantera and had it break up. I am absolutely not the fi rst so I realize this and immediately that takes a little bit of pressure off of myself BUT as far as regrets go, I think the biggest mistake ANY band can make and this goes for every band I’ve been in, is lack of communication. The more a band is able to sit down and discuss problems or ideas that might not sit well with others or in general, the ability to talk to one another as people for the better of the cause I think that’s a MASSIVE massive lesson learned for me on my part. I have made that mistake in the past where I wouldn’t answer the phone and it wasn’t just for my band… it was for anyone. I guess the easiest way to put it is drugs, alcohol, and booze, all that shit especially when you’re abusing the living F out of it, it erodes the will so to speak. It erodes willpower and eventually you just don’t even want to hear anything. You just want to fade into oblivion. To me that’s a cop out. I regret only that lack of communication because being in a band is very much like being married and if you can’t speak to your partner and let them know your truest deepest feeling on ALL levels then there’s a big barrier there. As the years go on that barrier gets bigger and bigger till it becomes this thing called a f’ing problem. Any young bands out there just take my word for it. If you’ve got a problem on your mind speak it out, talk it out. It’s worth it.
On the back of Rex Brown’s new book he writes about how he still has dreams and nightmares about Pantera. Do you dream about Pantera?
Truthfully for me… every time I have a Pantera dream it’s something good actually. I don’t have nightmares about Pantera. My memories are of the early days, the good days. Believe it or not, my dreams revolve around before we were signed to a big major label deal and we were still going to gigs in the old blue van and every-body’s cracking jokes. Really amazing, you wake up and you feel like, “Where did that go?” . That’s what my dreams consist of.
PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS – “It's My Obligation To Touch On All These Different Styles Of Fucking Music That I Love”
Bravewords.com
By Martin Popoff
Always pushing on and pressing buttons in some new subversive metal manner, Phil Anselmo returns with a fresh configuration wholly unlike the many metal moods he’s given us thus far. The man’s a machinist or a sheet metal-worker, so the smoke-choked work’s just gotta continue, in overtime, doing time, doing overtime, DOWN-time...
The new album is called Walk Through Exits Only, out in a month through Housecore Records, and the homey, suitably underground name of its makers is PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS. And look, what’s cool about this chat, is for a record that is going to generate all sorts of questions, you’re actually going to understand it once you’ve absorbed Phil’s sometimes circuitous explanations—you gotta like that.
“Oh man, I’ve listened to extreme music my entire friggin’ life,” begins Phil in his comfortable and familiar drawl, asked why he’s forging this type of metal—essentially an intriguingly dry and atmospheric mid-math metal—at this point in his life.
“So I don’t see it as any stretch or any big surprise, necessarily. The only surprise that I really wanted to, I guess, convey, would be that these days, when you look at extreme music and the genres and subgenres, death metal, black metal, this metal, that metal, all that shit, I wanted to make a record that I guess was just as extreme as those records, as any of those genres are, without the preconceived notions that you have going into it.”
Examples of those preconceived notions being... “Listening to a black metal record where ideology is pretty important, and the grim topic is sort of expected, or nationalistic feelings are conveyed. Or in death metal, when you have preconceived notions about what the lyrics should be as well. So I wanted to do a super-extreme record, also. But even stylistically, I think there’s different ways to create extreme heavy metal without having to sound like popular bands or even unpopular bands. There’s a way to make things different, and I think I did that. Definitely lyrically, it’s pretty point-blank realistically about my life. Musically, I think what I wanted to do was not to play as fast as possible just for the sake of, or use double kicks just for the sake of. I wanted to create rhythmic, agitated angst-ridden--that’s such a fucking Goddamn cliché--but angst-ridden agitated riffs that were rhythmically up-tempo feeling. You know what I mean? Instead of just going for the blast beat, where to me, it’s just so many bands do it, why not do something creative rhythmically that creates that up-tempo energy?”
Asked if it’s the proggiest thing he’s ever done, Phil figures, “Heavy metal has been progressive for years. I remember it progressing, as we grew, watching the entire movement grow. Now there’s some really cool, whack bands out there that do some insane work with time signatures and stuff like that, that I think fall under somewhat of the math rock category, or math metal, or technical this metal or that metal. Whereas I wanted to do more sneaky things, more subtly off-time things, where things are not 4/4; some things are 3/4, some things are 3/5, different measures, and then cut... honestly, it’s like once you get a riff, and its comprehensive but still intricate in its own way, I’ll take that riff and trim even more fat off of it so it becomes even more obscure upon the first ten listens or so, until, you know, after your 20th listen or so, then you start hearing wow, there is song structure there. It’s not just complexity for the sake of complexity. You begin to hear the hooks within the songs, because for me, for the attitude and the mood I was in, when I did the record, I was in more of a hardcore, DISCHARGE, AGNOSTIC FRONT, anthemic mood. And there are big hooks within those songs too. I wanted to make a record that people just could not slide into any category very easily, if that makes sense.”
And why this title, Walk Through Exits Only?
“Well, you know, what’s interesting about that is, when I was writing the actual song, Walk Through Exits Only, it was just a lyric. And I would scream it three times in the song, and upon second, third, fourth listen, I was thinking, that’s pretty powerful. It could mean a million different fucking things to a million different fucking people. And I like to use those types of titles that have that impact upon the listener, that people could look at and say, well, first of all, I wonder what Phil means by this? And second of all, how can this apply to my life? Let me back up a bit, and say that, I like lyrics to where I want the listener to draw their own conclusions, so to speak, and make them fit it into their own life. A lot of things that I say that might be point-blank, really have several meanings to them. Nothing is absolutely totally 100% specific, unless I say different. Like ‘Bedroom Destroyer’, that song particularly is absolutely about me being frustrated in my own fucking slack-ass-ness sometimes, my own fucking procrastination or my own ridiculous ruts that I put myself through, when really, I know I could just get up and get started with the day. Go outside, get this shit called oxygen in my fucking brain and move on. But instead I let little things build up and then they become big things, and all of a sudden I am the Bedroom Destroyer. So there’s a lot of sarcasm in there, a lot of tongue-in-cheek shit, but still, at least it’s about something for real.’
As for the production of Walk Through Exits Only, there’s a delectable harshness but its subtle. Again, in the same way that fat is trimmed from the riffs—it ain’t so much math metal but arithmetic metal—there’s an admirable workmanlike discipline to the sound picture.
“My whole thinking on this is, Mike Thompson is great producer, he’s got great ideas, but at the end of the day I’m the guy who says yes or no,” avows Phil. “And I’ve produced many records myself, so I am very, very clear on the modern sound of popular heavy metal. I personally like the darker sound. I don’t like such a glossy, pretty sound. I wanted to make it an ugly-sounding, impactful record more true to underground roots than popular fucking... I don’t know, chart-topping bands, fucking hits, you know, sounds that they use. I wanted to make an ugly-sounding record and I think I did pretty good.”
Tough to sing? I mean, this ain’t SUPERJOINT RITUAL.
“You know what? Originally it was. It was a great challenge, to fit lyrics over the top of some of this stuff. Like case in point would be the song ‘Usurper Bastard’s Rant’, man. It’s very herky-jerky, very rhythmically demanding, and to find a cohesive vocal line over the top that had any semblance of hookiness to it, was a bit of a challenge. But you know what? I love that type shit. I live for that type shit. So yes, to answer your question, it was. As far as memory goes now, man, after recording this fucking thing from the ground up, and practicing it countless fucking times, memory is really no issue, for execution. Although so far, it’s only been done in a practice room; we haven’t even done a gig yet. But that really has nothing to do with it. It’s more of a thing where you gotta have your shit together. You’ve got to know the song and you’ve got to execute.”
“I read Rex’s book, but I think my book will be very, very different, because it’s a different story,” says Phil, as we switch lanes toward the eagerly anticipated autobiography Phil’s slowly assembling. “It’s a different animal. First and foremost, I want to say it’s not just a PANTERA book. Now, don’t get me wrong, Pantera was a gigantic part of my life, but a whole lot happened before Pantera, and a whole lot has happened since Pantera. And cumulatively, I think, it really shapes the person that I’ve become today. Ups and downs, successes and failures. It all matters. And it’s a story about my life. I’m still in the very early stages of writing this thing, because I really want it to have a personal feel to it, as if I’m talking to you. I want it to be read as though as I’m speaking to you directly. All that shit is very important to me. So I’m still in the infancy, I guess, of writing this friggin’ book, and I just think it’s going to be a bit of a different animal from something from Rex’s perspective.”
Amidst Down festival dates, also on plate are Illegals shows plus the next Down EP.
“We are compiling some bad-ass, friggin’ music for the next EP, and that shit’s already rolling, man. And honestly, it’s really powerful, powerful material so far. So right now, Europe for three weeks, and then while we’re over there, I’m sure we will pull the songs closer and closer together. And I would suspect, shit, man, this next EP to be probably released within the first three months of next year. I think we can accomplish that. I think we’ve got a good leg up so far. Because it takes us five years between every fucking album. Every fucking record (laughs). It’s not going to take five years this time.”
But it’s an EP!
“Well, there’s a few reasons. First and foremost, Kirk and Pat have CROWBAR, Jimmy has EYEHATEGOD. As a matter of fact, I’m doing the record, producing the new Eyehategod, which is fucking awesome. We’re going to try and wrap up vocals tonight. So anyway, to answer your question, we all have different bands and different projects that we work on. So it works better to do EPs with Down, on that level. As I mentioned, it’s taken us five years in-between every record, to actually put out fucking new Down stuff. So in theory, doing EPs is a better way to get our music out to the hardcore Down fans quicker. And another thing, for me, honestly, these days, doing full-length records... you know, having to concentrate on ten, 12 songs, for me, gets fucking boring, man. I’ll be honest with you, I lose interest. It is very boring, man. If we go in there with the thought of four to six songs, that we can absolutely put 100% concentration into, to make it the best songs... that, to me, is better quality over quantity any day. So all those things become a factor.”
So what’s left to do? I mean, there’s probably a lot left—putting physical toll aside, Phil’s so into music, if he ain’t headbanging forever, certainly he’s going to make records until the day he dies.
“Here’s one thing, I gotta emphasize,” explains Phil in closing. “Over the years, man, I’ve been a four-track monster. Since the late ‘80s, when I first got my first four-track, you know, I’ve gone crazy on that thing. In fact, every day, back in the day, I used to have so many different side-projects, I would come off of work, and man, you know, I’ve got everything from acoustic songs to very ambient noisy songs, or just plain ambient mellow-type stuff that I did with a band called BODY AND BLOOD. There was one band called, at the time, THE DISEMBODIED, until I realized there were like 15 bands called Disembodied. That was more of an outlet for droning, noisy, crazy bullshit. So I’ve touched on so many different things. The magic and the excitement of having a solo band is that I can do this extreme metal shit this time around, and then depending on my fucking mood, the next time around, I can incorporate, or flat-out do some old Body And Blood songs, rework some of those songs. And really, they’re just fucking sitting there, and people who know me very well or my good friends, we sit around and listen to music together, and they love that fucking Body And Blood stuff. So case in point. That stuff’s just laying around, and with great songs attached to it, that I can rework immediately. And they’re not heavy metal, at fucking all! So that’s the beauty of having a solo band, because I can fucking do whatever I want to do, really. So I’m leaving that door wide-open, and if I catch people off-guard, then I’m like, good, good, I love diversity in music. I love so many different genres of music. I see beauty in a lot of different music, and as a musician, it’s, in my opinion, my prerogative, and my... almost my obligation to touch on all these different styles of fucking music that I love, because they’re there to do.”
Pre-Order Your Copy of Walk Through Exit Only HERE
Kerrang! Podcast: Down! Philip H. Anselmo talks to Nick Ruskell about his Relentless Kerrang! Awards experience, Download weekend and gives us the lowdown on his forthcoming release with his new band Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals.
Check out this DOWN poster for Hellfest. This is among a series of 7 posters for bands playing this years HELLFEST. Here is the link to the web site.
Metalhammer.co.uk Time to slow things down a bit over on the Main stage now, and if there’s any band guaranteed to go down a storm (oh, did you think these reviews would be pun-free?!) mid-afternoon at a festival, it’s stoner kings Down. The Southern rockers somehow manage to bring the sun out, lending their set a fittingly hazy atmosphere. And it’s not just the sun that’s blazing, judging by the smell of the dense weed smoke weaving its way through the crowd. A somewhat mellowed-out but still formidable Phil Anselmo leads the Download punters along in singing sludgy classics like Ghosts Along the Mississippi and Witchtripper. They’re as tight as ever and storm through a set filled with fan favourites and make a brief but heartfelt tribute to the late great Jeff Hannemann, to rapturous cheers, ending on a slightly bittersweet, but down-tuned note.
Down Interview By Eric Mackinnon @TeamRockRadio Down guitarist Kirk Windstein knows exactly what Donington Park and the Download Festival means to rock and metal fans – as he is one himself. Taking TeamRock Radio through a mini guide of his body art Windstein revealed his love for the genre through tattoos of UFO, Saxon and Thin Lizzy among others. And he revealed he has been a long time admirer of the festival in its former guises. “All my favourite bands played here so I am aware of how important Download, and Castle Donington and Monsters of Rock is,” he grinned. “I had an ACDC live at Donington DVD too which I loved so although I’m from the USA I’d grown up with the festival.” Speaking on Down’s plan to continue releasing EP’s – with the promise of four in around two-years – Windstein added: “Our next EP is practically written and we will be getting it out ASAP. But before then we have to play 12-shows in 12-countries starting today at Download. “After that Phil (Anselmo) is doing some solo stuff so I’m taking a family holiday then we will get going again in September.”
Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo took to the stage to accept the band's Hall of Fame Award, while Brian May and Roger Taylor accepted the Service to Rock Award on behalf of Queen.
Phil said that he knew his former band mate ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott, who was shot dead on stage in 2004, would be “so damn proud” as the groove metal band were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame.
Targetaudiencemagazine.com
Security has never been severe at Zydeco, but things were a little different for the Down show on May 23. The ticket takers were having concertgoers empty their pockets and confiscating pocketknives. The band had its own security detail minding the stage behind a portable barricade. Zydeco has never had a barricade in front of the stage and one could only wonder if the specter of Dimebag was behind it. The security wasn’t overly intrusive; it simply felt out of place in the small venue.
Mt. Carmel opened the concert with deafening volume. This is the sort of band you bring earplugs for, not because the music sucks but so your ears aren’t ringing three weeks later. The swampy three-piece sported jeans and ball-caps and an impressive vocabulary of southern rock riffs. The vocals were clean and smoky with just a touch of a southern drawl, despite the band’s Ohio origins. Mt. Carmel kept the set tight but brief and inside of an hour they were off and Honky was ready to go.
All beards and cowboy hats, Honky filled its set with dirty 12 bar blues played fast and sloppy, as if Joe Walsh or the Black Crowes suddenly took up metal. The band had a great stage presence and a great sense of humor, singing songs about ex-wives and telling funny stories in between.
The show started at 9 pm and by 10:30 pm Down was already setting up. Like good metal heads, Down literally wore their influences on their sleeves, decked out in Thin Lizzy and UFO tees. Phil Anselmo is a natural front man that commands the audience with ease, even going so far as to call his shot by making the fans name the song they were about to play from the new EP. “Oh yeah, you guys know it so well? What song are we about to play,” goaded Anselmo. It was “Witchtripper,” what else would it be
If Mt. Carmel’s volume was deafening, Down’s volume was a physical force. Anyone entering the venue from the doors at the back was suddenly pummeled by sound. Anselmo and Pepper Keenan spent most of the show standing on the edge of the stage, making sure folks in the back could see them and reaching over the barrier to interact with those up front. The fans packed out Zydeco and sang along with every song.
Down encored with “Sweet Home Alabama,” and, before launching into the final song, Anselmo teased the crowd. “We’re going to play something German. We’re going to play some Ratt. We’re going to play some Twisted Sister up here. I wanna rock!” The band went into “Bury Me in Smoke,” bringing out Honky to jam on the song. The show was pure energy and Down proved to be the sort of band that every metal fan should see at least once.
The guys on their way to the fest and killing it at the fest. Just got off stage...
DOWN heads to Download Festival 2013[/caption]
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DOWN heads to Download Festival 2013[/caption]
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The guys tear it up at Download 2013[/caption]
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DOWN at Download Festival 2013[/caption]
Bravewords.com
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, featuring vocalist Phil Anselmo (DOWN/ex-PANTERA), will release the new album, Walk Through Exits Only, on July 16th via Anselmo's Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). Walk Through Exits Only will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.
The new song 'Bedridden' can be heard exclusively at BraveWords.
Produced by Philip Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at his New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band The Illegals - Marzi Montazeri/guitar, and drummer Jose Manuel "Blue" Gonzales, Walk Through Exits Only is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album's eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from 'Battalion Of Zero' to 'Usurper's Bastard Rant', to the album's title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.
Tracklisting:
'Music Media Is My Whore'
'Battalion Of Zero'
'Betrayed'
'Usurper Bastard's Rant'
'Walk Through Exits Only'
'Bedroom Destroyer'
'Bedridden'
'Irrelevant Walls And Computer Screens'
You can stream samples of all the songs on Amazon:
"It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record," Anselmo explained about the project. "It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. On this album, there isn't any wordplay, there isn't any hidden message, it's all right there in front of you."
Anselmo and the Illegals will support the new album with a major North American tour planned for this summer.
On Walk Through Exits Only and over his entire career, Anselmo hasn't just paved his own path, he's bulldozed it with his bare hands.
Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals will take to the road for their first-ever tour, dubbed Technicians Of Distortion, which will kick off July 31st in Tulsa, OK. Support on the tour comes from AUTHOR & PUNISHER.
Tickets are on sale now at this location.
Tour dates:
July
31 - Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK
August
2 - Wooly's - Des Moines, IA
3 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
4 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL
6 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
7 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
9 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
10 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
11 - Heavy MTL Festival - Montreal, QC
13 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
14 - Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY
16 - Best Buy Theatre - New York, NY
17 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA
18 - The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
20 - The Masquerade - Heaven Stage, Atlanta, GA
Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals lineup:
Philip H. Anselmo - Vocals
Marzi Montazeri - Guitars
Bennett Bartley - Bass
Jose Manuel Gonzales - Drums
MetalHammer.com
Download Festival 2013 is finally just around the corner, so we’re grabbing some of the biggest and best bands from this year’s lineup to throw some irreverent bollocks at. Not literally. That’d be insane. Today, we chat to Phil Anselmo from Down. We don’t even know why we said “from Down”. It’s Phil fucken’ Anselmo. Fuck!
Hi, Phil! How many times have you been to Donington?
I have no clue. Two to three times?
What’s your favourite Donington memory?
Right off the bat, I’d say inviting Ghost onstage with Down to jam the end of Bury Me In Smoke!
What are you most looking forward to about playing this year?
Doing a good gig, seeing old friends, swilling with the mobs.
Which bands on the bill are you most excited about?
Well, it’d be unfair to single out a handful of bands because I’m friends with a good majority of them, so I’ll keep this answer pretty stagnant. Besides, we’re only there one day, sadly!
What can we expect from your set?
Probably a new song or two off the last EP, plus all the old “hits” that have made us the best-dressed band in Hollywood…. cough-cough…
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen at a festival?
My reflection in the mirror… fucking horrible sight!
If you could only pack five things to take with you, what would they be ?
A good book, some reading glasses, a shitload of cigarettes, a horse-drawn wagon full of good beer and a copy of “Boxing News” magazine (the BEST Boxing mag in the world, British-grown).
Download 2013 takes place June 14-16. Grab your tickets now
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DOWN heads to Europe[/caption]
"We have to leave everything we love to do what we love. Down Fans make it worth it! Get ready Europe! Here we come!"
The Chimes (Covington, LA)
There's a ceramic dog that keeps watch over the laid-back Louisiana bar and restaurant known as the Chimes. Nicknamed Nipper, he's been stolen and recovered twice.
Hard rocker Phil Anselmo, best known as the lead singer of Pantera, is an animal lover who has cared for a wide range of pets over the years, including a beloved rottweiler named Dracula. Nipper is just one of the reasons the metalhead, who was born in New Orleans and lives on a sprawling property in rural Louisiana, loves to unwind at the Chimes.
Built on the site of an old block of commercial storefront, including a drugstore, clothing shop, and movie theater, the watering hole features brick walls, salvaged old doors, and century-old stained glass from Scotland. "It's a huge place, so there's usually a quiet place to sit, especially on the outdoor deck built on the edge of the Bogue Falaya River," Anselmo tells 'Men's Journal.' His father used to own a restaurant just outside New Orleans called Anselmo's, so the singer knows his way around a menu. "We normally just load up on the appetizers – stuff like marinated blackened alligator, shrimp and grits, 'lagniappe' cakes and raw or char-grilled oysters. And they have tons of beers from all around the globe, too – good stuff!"
These days the intense performer has been wildly busy with two bands, Down and Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals, as well as his work with his label, Housecore Records. "After any studio session, and there's been a lot of them these days, my lady Kate and I like to take our bands to the Chimes," he says. Debuting his new music, Anselmo recently told 'Rolling Stone' that he's tired of self-congratulatory metal: "The celebration is worn out, in my view," he said. At the Chimes, though, he'll gladly raise a glass or two. [thechimes.com]
– James Sullivan
Rollingstone.com
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Philip H. Anselmo[/caption]
After acting as frontman for Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual and contributing to a multitude of peers' projects, metal legend Philip H. Anselmo has decided to fly solo. He is scheduled to release his first solo album, Walk Through Exits Only, on July 16th on his own Housecore Records label with his band the Illegals (comprised of guitarist Marzi Montazeri and drummer Jose Manuel Gonzales). Here, get an exclusive first listen to their track "Usurper Bastard's Rant." Relentless guitars paired with bold percussion and Anselmo's signature screams make for quite an introduction.
Anselmo explains that the song was inspired by how watered-down music has become and the number of "sound-alikes" that exist in the industry. "Traditions were meant to be celebrated and/or destroyed. The celebration is worn out in my view," Anselmo tells Rolling Stone. "It's time for more destruction, and this is exactly the point of 'Usurper Bastard's Rant.'"
Anselmo and the Illegals are planning a North American tour for this summer.
Listen at RollingStone.com