TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Phil Anselmo

Go To

Phil Anselmo (Music)

Phillip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30th, 1968 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American heavy metal musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the groundbreaking metal band, Pantera, which defined and solidified the groove metal subgenre and the metal scene of the 1990s and a precursor of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, which occurred in the 2000s.

Despite his fame and success as one of metal's most recognizable singers, Anselmo was actually the second vocalist of Pantera; his predecessor was Terry Glaze and throughout the 1980s, Pantera was a hair metal band. While Anselmo's first album with Pantera still kept within the subgenre, it would also mark the end of Pantera's days as a hair metal band as they would transition to a faster, more aggressive and caustic style and sound, culminating with the release of Cowboys from Hell in 1990, to critical and commercial success.

Although Anselmo achieved great fame and success within Pantera, he endured a tumultuous relationship with fellow band members, especially the brotherly duo of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. This reached its culmination when Pantera went on hiatus in 2001, followed by the band officially disbanding in 2003; reasons have varied, but the most common one was Anselmo's lack of communication towards his bandmates as well as his troubles against the law.

Despite Pantera's disbandment, Anselmo would continue with his music career, as he had multiple side-projects, even when Pantera was active. His most well-known project post-Pantera is the supergroup Down, where he played alongside fellow Pantera member Rex Brown. Rex has since left the band in 2011. Anselmo has also contributed to the death metal band Necrophagia where he played guitars and went by the moniker of "Anton Crowley" for two albums and two EPs. Anselmo's other projects include Superjoint, Arson Anthem, Christ Inversion, Southern Isolation, Scour, and En Minor, and he has made various guest appearances with many metal artists like Crowbar, Anthrax, Metal Allegiance, and Cattle Decapitation. Anselmo also has his own record label, Housecore Records, which he founded in 2001.

In 2022, it was announced that Pantera would be making a comeback tour, with Anselmo and Rex Brown reuniting. They were joined along by Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society fame and Charlie Benante, drummer of Anthrax and Stormtroopers of Death. They played their first tour in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in December 2022 and intend to tour further into 2025.

Anselmo is often regarded as one of the best heavy metal vocalists and frontman of all time, largely thanks to his powerful vocal capabilities and range (best demonstrated by his aggressive screams and growls in tracks like Fucking Hostile and The Great Southern Trendkill and soft singing style as demonstrated in songs like Cemetary Gates and Suicide Note: Part 1). His macho and masculine attitude, which he displays during touring has become a popular icon and sign of showmanship within the heavy metal community and a defining trait for Pantera.

Anselmo was once married to Stephanie Opal Weinstein, who helped to collaborate with him on Southern Isolation. The two divorced a year and a half after their wedding, albeit on friendly terms. He is currently married to Kate Richardson, who helps in managing his assets and business in Housecore Records. Anselmo is also an avid fan of horror movies, boxing and of the New Orleans Saints NFL team.


Phil Anselmo's Discography

Solo Music

  • Walk Through Exits Only (2013)
  • Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue (2018)

Pantera

  • Power Metal (1988)
  • Cowboys from Hell (1990)
  • Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
  • Far Beyond Driven (1994)
  • The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
  • Reinventing the Steel (2000)

Down

  • NOLA (1995)
  • Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002)
  • Down III: Over the Under (2007)
  • Down IV – Part I (2012)
  • Down IV – Part II (2014)

Superjointnote 

  • Use Once and Destroy (2002)
  • A Lethal Dose of American Hatred (2003)
  • Caught Up in the Gears of Application (2016)

Arson Anthem

  • Insecurity Notoriety (2010)

Christ Inversionnote 

  • Obey the Will of Hell (1994)
  • 13th Century Luciferian Rites (1995)

Necrophagianote 

  • Holocausto de la Morte (1998)
  • Black Blood Vomitorium (EP — 2000)
  • Cannibal Holocaust (EP — 2001)
  • Draped in Treachery (2005)

Southern Isolation

  • Southern Isolation (2011)

Scour

  • The Grey (EP — 2016)
  • The Red (EP — 2017)
  • The Black (EP — 2020)

En Minor

  • When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out (2020)

Step aside for the Tropes from Hell!

  • Angrish: He occasionally shows animalistic anger in his vocals.
  • Genre-Busting: While he is central in popularizing and defining the groove metal genre with Pantera, Anselmo has shifted around multiple genres, such as doom metal with Down, death metal with Necrophagia, black metal with Scour, southern rock with En Minor, and hardcore punk with Arson Anthem.
  • Lighter and Softer: Aside from Pantera tracks like Cemetary Gates and Suicide Note: Part 1, Southern Isolation is this, being entirely composed of acoustic tracks he plays with his then-wife, Stephanie.
  • Manly Man: He embodied this best out of his bandmates in Pantera and it's not hard to see why; he often played topless on stage, he's built like a brick, and he has one hell of an aggressive voice.
  • Manly Tears: In the wake of Dimebag's death, Anselmo posted a video online in which he pays his respects to his former bandmate. About halfway through the video he breaks down and starts crying.
  • Metal Scream: His screams could be best described as fast and boar-like, complimenting his music's aggressive nature. In his halcyon days, they melded well with Pantera's macho attitude.
  • Rated M for Manly: As described above in Manly Man, Anselmo is quite open about his content being as masculine as possible and stage presence during tours certainly helped with that.


Top