Philip H. Anselmo is a name synonymous with metal. He has been at the helm of several iconic bands that have broken barriers in the music world. One of the hardest working musicians of the generation Phil is a member of several bands each one just as amazing as the next. Pantera got everything started for the singer back in 1986 when he replaced previous singer Terry Glaze and joined forces with brothers Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell Abbott along with Rex Brown. The band blazed new trails in American Heavy Metal and raised the bar of what was expected in regards to modern bands. Phil also went on to form the illustrious supergroup Down which has featured well known members like Jimmy Bower (Eye Hate God), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow), Rex Brown (Pantera), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion Of Conformity), and Pat Bruders (Goatwhore). As if that wasn’t enough of a workload Phil also has Superjoint (Formerly Superjoint Ritual) in which Jimmy Bower is also a member. In the past few years he has also brought two new bands into the realm with Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, and his black metal project Scour. His work history doesn’t end there as he has also been a part of the bands Arson Anthem, Christ Inversion, Southern Isolation, Viking Crown, Eibon and En Minor as well. Around a year ago Phil also stepped in and took over vocal duties for Mike IX Williams of Eye Hate God when he was ill recuperating from a liver transplant. (Mike is now back with the band and is as healthy as ever). In addition to his various bands Phil also runs and owns the label Housecore Records which has an amazing lineup of bands including Author & Punisher, The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight, Child Bite, King Parrot, Crowbar, Warbeast and various others including some of his own projects.
Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals are preparing to release their sophomore album with ‘Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue’ which will be available everywhere on January 26th. (Read our review of the album here) This week on Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast we welcome the man himself Philip H. Anselmo. Host Joshua Toomey talks to Phil about the upcoming release of ‘Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue’, touring plans for the band have been put on hold because Phil has a medical procedure scheduled and the recovery time should be fast. He also speaks about the first time he met Dimebag Darrell when Dime was still in high hair metal phase. He says about his first impression of Dime “He Looked Like A Freaking Unraveled Q-Tip.” He also talks about one of the bands first shows and smoking a little “hippie lettuce” and was cracking up laughing about Dimebag’s hair and Dime asking “What are you casing on”. Of course the interview didn’t end without Phil talking about his New Orleans Saints upcoming playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. You can hear the entire interview below. You can hear “Choosing Mental Illness” and “The Ignorant Point” as well as pre-order the album on Bandcamp here.
