Biography
Phil Anselmo first gained recognition as the flamboyant, drill-sergeant-style vocalist fronting the heavy-metal powerhouse Pantera, though he simultaneously helmed numerous comparably aggressive side endeavors. Born June 30, 1968, in New Orleans, Louisiana, he cultivated a passion for heavy metal during adolescence, which prompted him to front multiple hometown outfits throughout the 1980s. Accounts claim that Pantera’s core members—guitarist Dimebag Darrell, drummer Vinnie Paul, and bassist Rex Brown—once visited a Louisiana venue where Anselmo regularly performed. Although the group had already built a local audience and self-released three albums (1983’s Metal Magic, 1984’s Projects in the Jungle, and 1985’s I Am the Night), they had tired of their Spinal Tap-like direction under original singer Terry Glaze, leading to his departure and a reassessment of their musical path. Anselmo connected instantly with the band, which soon installed him as its new frontman.
Pantera’s first outing with Anselmo, 1988’s Power Metal, fell short of the caliber of subsequent efforts yet proved sufficient to secure the quartet a deal with Atlantic’s EastWest imprint. Their visual presentation and sonic approach swiftly shifted away from glam-rock styling reminiscent of Mötley Crüe toward unadorned thrash-metal territory akin to Metallica, a transformation documented on 1990’s Cowboys from Hell. That record generated widespread underground enthusiasm, paving the way for two commercially potent breakthroughs that elevated the band to the forefront of metal: 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven. Behind this outward success, Anselmo quietly developed a substance-abuse issue during the same period.
While Pantera paused briefly in 1995, Anselmo launched the side project Down with Corrosion of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan, Crowbar bassist Todd Strange, and Eyehategod drummer Jimmy Bower. The quartet’s sound leaned slightly more melodic than Pantera’s and drew from classic rock and metal traditions; they issued the well-received debut NOLA that same year before Anselmo resumed his primary duties. Several months after Pantera delivered 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill and launched its supporting tour, Anselmo suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in July, yet he declined to cancel shows and ultimately overcame the addiction independently. Following the release of the band’s first live album, 1997’s Official Live: 101 Proof, Anselmo pursued a non-musical venture by opening his own interactive haunted attraction, the House of Shock, in Jefferson, Louisiana.
In the year Pantera issued its fifth studio album with Anselmo, 2000’s Reinventing the Steel, the vocalist began issuing recordings across an array of additional projects. These included Necrophagia (2000’s Holocausto de la Morte and Legacy of Horror, Gore and Sickness, plus 2001’s Cannibal Holocaust), Viking Crown (2000’s Innocence from Hell and 2001’s Banished Rhythmic Hate), Superjoint Ritual (2002’s Use Once and Destroy), a second Down album (2002’s Down II), Christ Inversion (its self-titled release), the acoustic Southern Isolation with his wife Opal (2001 self-titled EP), and the solo effort Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals (2013’s Walk Through Exits Only and 2018’s Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue). Beyond these endeavors, Anselmo has further outlets in development—Eibon, Enoch, and Body & Blood—and is expected to appear on the long-rumored debut from the Nine Inch Nails offshoot Tapeworm. He has also contributed vocals to tracks by Vision of Disorder (Imprint), Biohazard (Uncivilization), Tony Iommi (Iommi), Anthrax (Volume 8: The Threat Is Real), and A.C. (40 More Reasons to Hate Us), among others.
Pantera’s first outing with Anselmo, 1988’s Power Metal, fell short of the caliber of subsequent efforts yet proved sufficient to secure the quartet a deal with Atlantic’s EastWest imprint. Their visual presentation and sonic approach swiftly shifted away from glam-rock styling reminiscent of Mötley Crüe toward unadorned thrash-metal territory akin to Metallica, a transformation documented on 1990’s Cowboys from Hell. That record generated widespread underground enthusiasm, paving the way for two commercially potent breakthroughs that elevated the band to the forefront of metal: 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven. Behind this outward success, Anselmo quietly developed a substance-abuse issue during the same period.
While Pantera paused briefly in 1995, Anselmo launched the side project Down with Corrosion of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan, Crowbar bassist Todd Strange, and Eyehategod drummer Jimmy Bower. The quartet’s sound leaned slightly more melodic than Pantera’s and drew from classic rock and metal traditions; they issued the well-received debut NOLA that same year before Anselmo resumed his primary duties. Several months after Pantera delivered 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill and launched its supporting tour, Anselmo suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in July, yet he declined to cancel shows and ultimately overcame the addiction independently. Following the release of the band’s first live album, 1997’s Official Live: 101 Proof, Anselmo pursued a non-musical venture by opening his own interactive haunted attraction, the House of Shock, in Jefferson, Louisiana.
In the year Pantera issued its fifth studio album with Anselmo, 2000’s Reinventing the Steel, the vocalist began issuing recordings across an array of additional projects. These included Necrophagia (2000’s Holocausto de la Morte and Legacy of Horror, Gore and Sickness, plus 2001’s Cannibal Holocaust), Viking Crown (2000’s Innocence from Hell and 2001’s Banished Rhythmic Hate), Superjoint Ritual (2002’s Use Once and Destroy), a second Down album (2002’s Down II), Christ Inversion (its self-titled release), the acoustic Southern Isolation with his wife Opal (2001 self-titled EP), and the solo effort Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals (2013’s Walk Through Exits Only and 2018’s Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue). Beyond these endeavors, Anselmo has further outlets in development—Eibon, Enoch, and Body & Blood—and is expected to appear on the long-rumored debut from the Nine Inch Nails offshoot Tapeworm. He has also contributed vocals to tracks by Vision of Disorder (Imprint), Biohazard (Uncivilization), Tony Iommi (Iommi), Anthrax (Volume 8: The Threat Is Real), and A.C. (40 More Reasons to Hate Us), among others.
Albums
