PHILIP ANSELMO Realizes That His Solo Albums Have Limited Appeal

February 6, 2018

Former PANTERA and current SUPERJOINT and DOWN singer Philip Anselmo was interviewed on a recent edition of "The Classic Metal Show", which is heard live on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. EST at TheClassicMetalShow.com. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Asked why he hasn't caved in to pressure from fans of his former band and made a PANTERA-style album since the group's split, Anselmo said: "I've done it. I've done it, man. It's so well covered. How many records did PANTERA do? Five or six? So, yeah, man, that's five full records of that particular style. And I'm glad that it is a documented thing, as all music is, as music is history, and people can enjoy it still. I really am. Believe me, I am."

According to Anselmo, his various projects are as diverse as his musical taste, explaining that he has dabbled in other types of rock music as far back to the late '80s and early '90s. "Even when I was in PANTERA — hey, look, DOWN started in 1992. I was in side bands when I first moved to Texas with my circle of friends, before PANTERA was signed," he said. "So it's kind of something I've always done, man, it's something that I've always indulged in. Case in point, before PANTERA got signed and I had a circle of friends, we would throw house parties and make them into these events, man. So it was fun, man."

Anselmo added that his heart has always been in underground metal and extreme music, which is evident on the two albums he has made thus far with his solo project, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS. "It appeals to me," he said. "That's what appeals to me. I guess depending on the era, whoever is selling the most records or whatever the new flavor of the day is, or anything like that, nah — eight [or] nine times out of 10, it doesn't interest me, and the sound of it is… I guess, it just doesn't click with me.

"Like I always say, there are no musical experts," he continued. "Music is like food — you love it, you hate it or you're indifferent to it. And every mouth and every taste bud is different. To each his own, so to speak. And I'm very, very, very clear on that. And as a matter of fact, it appeals to me even more, because I realize THE ILLEGALS' [sophomore album] 'Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue' record, in particular, I realize it's only going to appeal to X amount of people, and that's going to be a small amount of people. But that's awesome, because it keeps me in the smaller places that I love, and that's just another personal preference. And I know that with that smaller audience, at least the people that came out want to be there, and that, my friend, for me… as a dude who has played the biggest shows in the world and all kinds of shows in between, to me, that's real."

"Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" was released last month via Anselmo's Housecore Records in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in other parts of the world. The disc is the follow-up to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' debut, "Walk Through Exits Only", which came out in 2013 to mostly positive reviews.

Find more on Philip anselmo
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).