Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen Anselmo was (born June 30, 1968 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a heavy metal vocalist and musician. Although he is best known as a vocalist and lyricist with Pantera, Anselmo has been involved with numerous other musical projects in the realm of heavy metal.
Early life
Much of Anselmo's early life remains undocumented at this time, with only hints towards what it may have been like showing up in songs like "25 Years," "Becoming" and sporadic pieces popping up in interviews. Anselmo grew up in inner city New Orleans to an abusive alcoholic father who operated several bars in the area. Though he loved heavy metal during his teen years, he eventually became influenced by the hardcore/crossover scene.
Anselmo said in various interviews that in reflection upon his childhood he was, overall, a leader and that many kids would respect him and look to him to see what to do next. He also said that he was a very quiet, secluded kid.
During a 2002 Ozzfest interview with an astonished Opie and Anthony, Anselmo stated that at the age of 15 he started a fire in his home to scare his sister. It eventually caused massive damage and the young man fled to live on the streets. During this time Anselmo lived on his own with the help of friends. With no education or family Anselmo committed his life to music. He was involved with the New Orleans heavy metal scene in the early to mid-80s, playing several gigs with Razor White (primarily a metal cover band that specialized in Judas Priest) prior to joining Pantera in 1987.
Pantera
- Main article: Pantera
Anselmo was discovered in his hometown by Pantera, who needed a vocalist following the departure of Terry Glaze. Anselmo joined the band and re-recorded some vocals on some Glaze tracks for Power Metal (1988). Anselmo would remain as frontman until disbandment in 2003. Over the course of five studio albums, one live record and a greatest hits compilation, Anselmo and Pantera were twice nominated for a best metal performance Grammy, in 1995 and 2001.
After the fall of Pantera
In 2002, Superjoint Ritual released Use Once and Destroy, and Phil had made SJR a full-time band, while his Pantera band mates, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul went on to form Damageplan. SJR then released A Lethal Dose of American Hatred in 2003. SJR became the target of several mixed reviews, but managed to obtain a spot as one of the mainstage bands playing at Ozzfest 2004 playing under Slayer, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath. Anselmo's band would continue to tour across the nation until the tragic death of Dimebag Darrell.
After the murder of ex-Pantera bandmate Dimebag Darrell, Phil became more reclusive than usual and had hinted at retiring completely. He later released an official statement describing the anguish of losing "a brother" and also mentioned that Pantera would have reunited eventually. Anselmo said he had considered retiring, but instead took a long hiatus. During this time close friends of Philip would update on his situation, claiming that Anselmo had finally kicked his drug habits and hoped he could reconcile with former bandmates and fans.
Recently rumors have been abound that Phil is doing a project with Kirk Windstein, which is supposed to be similar in style to Southern Isolation (project of his ex-wife Stephanie "Opal" Weinstein), called Body and Blood, though chances are this is simply another one of Philip's several jam-bands. Several songs credited to Body and Blood appeared on the soundtrack to the pseudo-documentary The Manson Family in 2003. Other songs written by Phil Anselmo and credited to the pseudonyms "The Disembodied" and "The Swinging Anselmo's" also appeared on that soundtrack.
In mid-August 2005, Phil made his first public appearance since Dimebag's death as a replacement guitar player for an Eyehategod show at the world famous CBGB's. Since then Anselmo has become a bit more open and it has been confirmed by close friend Jimmy Bower and Pepper Keenan that Anselmo okayed the revival of Down. Anselmo and the gang were apparently going to hit the studios by the end of 2005 at the latest, but after the wake of Hurricane Katrina which effectively destroyed New Orleans (the homebase of the Down unit) we may not hear of any recordings until sometime in 2006. In the February 2006 issue of Revolver, Anselmo has his first interview since the murder of Darrell. [1]
In this interview, Phil has revealed the secret of his damaged spine to the world for the first time, and has discussed several other issues not previously addressed. He feels that Rex and he had alienated the Abbott brothers by sharing a bus, and he feels remorse that things happened the way they did. Most importantly, Anselmo has decided to go under the knife to get his back completely repaired. He also claims that he has kicked all of his drug habits as well, and after this surgery, all sorts of Anselmo projects (possibly including the much-anticipated Down III CD) are going to come to fruition once more.
After having successful back surgery on December 8th, Kevin Bond, guitarist of Superjoint, said Phil would spend a few months recovering in New Orleans. Nearly 4 months to the day, Phil made an appearance at the Heart Decades Rock Live on Friday March 10, 2006. Anselmo joined Alice in Chains for "Them Bones" and "Would?" and dedicated the performance to Dime and Layne Staley, the former AIC vocalist, who died of a drug overdose in 2002. Anselmo appeared to be in good shape although he didn't move around much. This also may have been to try to concentrate on the songs as they were taped for VH1. Some rumours have stated that Anselmo might become the new full-time singer for Alice In Chains, but he was just a special guest. As of June 2006, he's touring with Down.
It has been confirmed by Hank Williams III, that Phil Anselmo will be involved in another band named Arson Anthem. The line-up for Arson Anthem is as follows: Mike Williams (vocals; EyeHateGod, Outlaw Order), Phil Anselmo (guitar), Hank III (drums), and Collin (bass guitar). According to Hank III the "band" recently spent six days in Houston, Texas recording eight songs. No word yet on whether or not these songs will be part of a full length album.
Discography
All appearances are as a vocalist, unless mentioned otherwise.
External links
- Phil's own words on the death of Dimebag
- A fan site (in French)
- anselmo.fr.st (Forum, news, downloads and more / in French)
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