Phil Anselmo
Background information
Birth name	Philip Hansen Anselmo
Born	June 30, 1968 (1968-06-30) (age 39)
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana
Genre(s)	Heavy metal, groove metal
Occupation(s)	Vocals, Guitarist, Producer, Musician
Associated acts	Pantera Necrophagia Down Arson Anthem Viking Crown Southern Isolation Superjoint Ritual Christ Inversion Tapeworm
Website	http://www.PhilAnselmo.com/

Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a heavy metal vocalist and musician, currently performing with Down. He is best known as a vocalist, lyricist and co-composer for Pantera, but has been involved with numerous other musical projects in heavy metal. File links The following pages link to this file: Phil Anselmo Categories: Images with unknown source ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NOLA redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... Groove metal, often associated with half-thrash/neo-thrash/nu-thrash/post-thrash and power groove, is a term sometimes used to describe a derivative of thrash metal which took its current form during the early 1990s. ... For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation). ... Necrophagia was one of the first death metal bands, assembled in 1983. ... Down is an American southern heavy metal supergroup formed in 1991. ... Arson Anthem is a Southern Heavy Metal project whose lineup is as follows: Mike Williams (vocals; Eyehategod), Phil Anselmo (guitar; Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual), Hank Williams III (drums; Assjack, Superjoint Ritual), and Collin (bass guitar). ... Viking Crown was an American black metal band featuring Killjoy (Necrophagia) on vocals, Phil Anselmo (of Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, and Down) (guitar / bass / drums), and Stephanie Windstein (credited as Opal Enthroned) (keyboards). ... Southern Isolation is a Southern Rock group from Louisiana, USA, formed in 1995 by Phil Anselmo and Stephanie Opal. ... Superjoint Ritual was a New Orleans Sludge/Crossover Thrash band formed by Phil Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. ... Christ Inversion was a death metal act with lyrics featuring horror movie themes. ... Tapeworm as of 2002: Maynard James Keenan, Danny Lohner, Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor Tapeworm is a now-defunct side-project of Nine Inch Nails which existed in various forms since the mid-1990s. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NOLA redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Down is an American southern heavy metal supergroup formed in 1991. ... For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation). ...

Early life

Much of Anselmo's early life remains undocumented at this time, with only hints towards what it may have been like is showing up in songs like "25 Years," "Becoming" and sporadic pieces popping up in interviews. What is known is that Anselmo grew up in the inner city of New Orleans to an abusive alcoholic father who operated several bars in the area, and currently operating a restaurant in Metairie, LA called Anselmo's. He played in a few teenage bands who played tribute to rock n' roll songs. His most recognized band was Razor White. He was an avid hardcore punk, metal, and thrash fan citing Venom, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Slayer as major influences. Anselmo pays tribute to these two bands in the lyrics of Pantera song "Goddamn Electric", singing "your trust is in whisky and weed and Black Sabbath/Slayer". New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Venom are a heavy metal band, formed in late 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation). ...

Anselmo has said in various interviews that he was very quiet and secluded as a child. Anslemo has been open about his sexual activites with groupies. He has stated that getting 'blow jobs' from groupies was an important part of his life in the band.

During a 2002 Ozzfest interview with radioshow Opie and Anthony, Anselmo stated that at the age of 15 he started a fire in his home to scare his sister, but accidentally burned the house down in the process. During this time, Anselmo lived on his own with the help of his friends, scurrying around shady trails at night, and would take food from the refrigerators of the houses of the cousins of his half-sisters' friends' uncles' parents when they would leave for work each day^{[citation needed]}. 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 and would release an album in 1991) prior to joining Pantera in 1987. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Ozzfest is an annual tour of the United States (and in some years, Europe) featuring performances by many Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Death Metal, Hardcore and Nu Metal groups. ... Opie (Gregg Hughes, b. ... For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation). ... See also: Musical groups established in 1987 Record labels established in 1987 // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ...

It has also been a little known fact that Phil Anselmo has a brother, named Jerry Anselmo. Jerry is currently residing in New Orleans and owns a venue named Jerry's. He also has a known half-sister named Rebecca. She has been credited as a backup singer on the Southern Isolation EP, a project which Anselmo and then wife Stephanie Opal Weinstein collaborated on. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Southern Isolation is a Southern Rock group from Louisiana, USA, formed in 1995 by Phil Anselmo and Stephanie Opal. ... EP can stand for: EP is the IATA code for Iran Aseman Airlines Extended play, a music recording (usually consisting of several tracks, but shorter than a typical album) European Parliament, the parliamentary body of the European Union Evolutionary psychology, a belief that psychology can be better understood in light...

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). For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation). ... Terry Glaze is an Ohio-born and Texas raised singer who is most well known for his work in groundbreaking 80s American heavy metal band Pantera. ... Power Metal is a power metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

As Pantera were at the height of their fame in the mid-90's, Anselmo began to behave erratically and distance himself from his bandmates while touring behind Far Beyond Driven in 1995. Later that year, he released Nola, the debut album of side-project Down. Anselmo later cited a chronic back injury as the cause of his erratic behavior and isolation from his bandmates. As his pain continued to worsen, Anselmo would begin taking up heroin to alleviate his problem, while at the same time continuing to isolate himself from his bandmates. The distancing became so great that when the band recorded their 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill, Anselmo cut his vocal tracks separate from the rest of the band. Far Beyond Driven is an album by heavy metal band Pantera. ... NOLA is Downs first album. ... Down is an American southern heavy metal supergroup formed in 1991. ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... The Great Southern Trendkill is a groove metal album by Pantera. ...

On July 13, 1996, Anselmo nearly went into cardiac arrest from a heroin overdose after a show. He subsequently discussed his problem in interviews but his drug use would still be a point of contention within the band. Anselmo would remain as frontman until disbandment in 2003. Over the course of six 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. For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... See also: 2003 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels established in 2003 // January - following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It... The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance has been awarded since 1990. ... The 37th Grammy Awards were presented March 1, 1995. ... The 43rd Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001. ...

Shortly after Pantera went into hiatus, Anselmo devoted much of his time to a long-time side project, Superjoint Ritual. Having heard this, the Abbott brothers (Dimebag & Vinnie) formed Damageplan with former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and Bob Zilla on bass. Some fans blame Anselmo for the break-up of Pantera, because of statements in the heavy metal press. Phil himself has stated that some journalists publish what they think sells magazines best. Also, the Abbotts publicly called Superjoint Ritual "Superarmdope Ritual." Pantera bassist Rex Brown, widely known as being the one neutral voice in the matter, has repeatedly called the feud "a bunch of silly nonsense," and "just he-said she-said bullshit;" blaming both sides for the split. Superjoint Ritual was a New Orleans Sludge/Crossover Thrash band formed by Phil Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. ... Damageplan (originally New Found Power) was a US-American heavy metal band, showcasing the groove metal sound that was demonstrated by guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott and drummer Vinnie Paul while playing in Pantera, most notably on the Vulgar Display of Power album. ... Halford. ... Pat Lachman is ex vocalist of Damageplan and current vocalist for The Mercy Clinic , former vocalist/guitarist of Diesel Machine and former guitarist for Halford. ... Bob Zilla was the bassist for the post-Pantera band Damageplan. ... Superjoint Ritual was a New Orleans Sludge/Crossover Thrash band formed by Phil Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. ... Rex Robert Brown (born July 27, 1964 in Graham, Texas) is a bassist, best known for his work with the American heavy metal band Pantera from the time the band formed in the early 80s until its dissolution in 2003. ...

In 2002, Anselmo decided to clean up his act, and began using methadone to overcome his heroin addiction. Yet in his first media interview for Revolver magazine, Phil claimed that the painkiller soma and methadone still messed with him and made him sound "retarded". Thats when he made the decision to get clean completely. He has been clean since that year. He also underwent a successful back operation in the fall of 2005.

Anselmo had engaged in a war of words with Abbott since the fall of Pantera, culminating in the statement "Dimebag deserves to be severely beaten" in the December 2004 edition of the UK's Metal Hammer magazine. Initially he denied making the statement (this coming after Dimebag's death on December 8), but later changed his story in a VH-1 Behind The Music special on Pantera, claiming that the comment had been light-hearted and made after the interview was finished. However, Vinnie Paul told the press that he had heard the audio files of the interview and that Anselmo had not been coerced by the Metal Hammer journalist into making the statement, and nor had he been misquoted. In a video posted to the website community YouTube.com, Anselmo describes his regret over previous behavior,^[1] and has wrote and recorded music dealing with the loss of Dimebag on the new Down record Over the Under. On the new Down tour the band has dedicated the song Lifer to Dime.

Singing Style

Phil Anselmo has a broad vocal range that has been emulated by a number of vocalists. During his early Pantera days, Anselmo sung in head voice on many of the songs from Cowboys From Hell, such as "Shattered", influenced by singers like Rob Halford. He also used clean melodic singing, as heard in Cemetery Gates from Cowboys from Hell and Hollow (from Vulgar Display of Power). As time went on, his vocals became more harsh and aggressive, which is particularly evident on Far Beyond Driven. When it came to The Great Southern Trendkill, Phil's voice focused on being extremely harsh for the most part with some growl parts, using more layered vocal tracks than on previous albums. The aggressiveness is evident in songs such as "War Nerve" and "Suicide Note Pt. 2", although songs like "10's" and "Suicide Note Pt. I" are more melodic execeptions. Cowboys from Hell is Panteras fifth album and their first Atco Records album, released on July 24, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. ... For the Smiths song Cemetry Gates, see the album The Queen Is Dead Cemetery Gates is a seven minute song by heavy metal band Pantera. ... Vulgar Display of Power is a groove metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released on February 25, 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... Far Beyond Driven is an album by heavy metal band Pantera. ... The Great Southern Trendkill is a groove metal album by Pantera. ... Adium using Growl Bezel Growl is a global notifications system for the Mac OS X operating system. ... War Nerve is a heavy metal song by Pantera. ... Suicide Note Pt. ...

Recent Activities

In a recent article in Revolver Magazine, Phil Anselmo and several of the guitarists from Down and Superjoint Ritual rented out a club in New Orleans, LA. They were there to hold a sort of youth group: they were teaching the children how to play jazz guitar. It was part of Phil's effort to help revitalize the ravaged New Orleans' music scene. Down is an American southern heavy metal supergroup formed in 1991. ... Superjoint Ritual was a New Orleans Sludge/Crossover Thrash band formed by Phil Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. ...

On Sunday March 11, 2007 Phil and the rest of the members of Down kicked off the Heaven & Hell tour in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Down will play 11 shows across Canada during the month of March. However, during their March 13th show in Edmonton AB, March 14th show in Calgary AB, and March 16th show in Regina SK, due to Phil having a throat infection Down did not play.

Down rejoined the Australia leg of the Heaven & Hell tour as the opening band. Down III titled "Over the Under" was released September 25, 2007 followed by a US tour with Canadian dates scheduled in Vancouver and Toronto. See also: 2007 in British music 2007 in hip hop Musical groups established in 2007 Record labels established in 2007 // January George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queens New Year Honours List. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ...

Discography

Pantera

• Power Metal (1988)
• Cowboys from Hell (1990)
• Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
• Far Beyond Driven (1994)
• The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
• Official Live: 101 Proof (1997)
• Reinventing the Steel (2000)
• The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! (2003)

Power Metal is a power metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). ... Cowboys from Hell is Panteras fifth album and their first Atco Records album, released on July 24, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... Vulgar Display of Power is a groove metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released on February 25, 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... Far Beyond Driven is an album by heavy metal band Pantera. ... The Great Southern Trendkill is a groove metal album by Pantera. ... Reinventing the Steel is a groove metal album by Pantera and the bands last studio album. ...

Christ Inversion

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

Down

• NOLA (1995)
• Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002)
• Down III: Over the Under (2007)

NOLA is Downs first album. ... Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow is the second album by Down. ...

Viking Crown

• Unorthodox Steps of Ritual (1999)
• Innocence From Hell (2000)
• Banished Rhythmic Hate (2001)

Innocence from Hell is the second album by Viking Crown and was released November 13, 2001. ... Banished Rhythmic Hate is the third and last by Viking Crown and was released November 13, 2001. ...

Superjoint Ritual

• Use Once and Destroy (2002)
• A Lethal Dose of American Hatred (2003)

External links

• Phil's own words on the death of Dimebag
• Official Myspace page