Complete List Of Phil Anselmo Bands And Musical Projects

Phil Anselmo’s voice became one of the most recognizable forces in modern heavy metal, rising out of New Orleans with a sound that moved from traditional metal power to the harsher edge that helped define Pantera’s most famous years. Born Philip Hansen Anselmo on June 30, 1968, in New Orleans, Louisiana, he grew up with Italian, French, and Danish heritage and attended schools in Louisiana and Texas before leaving Grace King High School in Metairie during 12th grade. His father owned Anselmo’s, a restaurant in Metairie that later closed after Hurricane Katrina. As a teenager, Anselmo worked on a shrimp boat with his stepfather, and by 1981, he had already co-founded his first band, Samhain, performing vocals and guitar.

Anselmo’s early years in music included Vapid Phaze, later renamed Razor White, a band that mixed original material with covers of popular rock and metal songs. He left the group after becoming frustrated with its musical direction, and that decision opened the door to the job that changed his life. Pantera had already released three albums before Anselmo joined, but the band was looking for a heavier direction after the departure of original vocalist Terry Glaze. In 1986, at 18 years old, Anselmo officially joined Pantera and moved to Texas to record Power Metal, released in 1988.

Pantera’s transformation became one of the major stories in 1990s metal. After signing with Atco Records, the band released Cowboys from Hell in 1990, an album that helped introduce the sound that became known as groove metal. Anselmo’s voice, Dimebag Darrell’s guitar work, Rex Brown’s bass, and Vinnie Paul’s drums gave Pantera an identity built on power, precision, aggression, and swagger. In 1992, Vulgar Display of Power pushed the band even harder, reaching number 40 on the Billboard 200 and selling more than two million copies worldwide. Songs such as “Mouth for War,” “Walk,” “This Love,” and “Hollow” became essential pieces of the band’s catalog and helped turn Anselmo into one of metal’s most commanding frontmen.

The commercial peak came in March 1994 with Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at number one in the United States. That achievement was extraordinary for such a heavy record, and it proved how deeply Pantera had connected with a massive audience without softening its sound. The years that followed brought both success and strain. The Great Southern Trendkill, released in 1996, reached number four on the Billboard 200, with Anselmo recording his vocals in New Orleans while the rest of Pantera recorded in Texas. The band later released Official Live: 101 Proof and Reinventing the Steel in 2000, both of which reached number four. After touring behind that album, internal tensions, communication problems, and the disruption following the September 11 attacks contributed to the end of Pantera’s original run.

Anselmo’s career did not stop with Pantera. Down, the New Orleans heavy metal supergroup formed in 1991, became one of his most important musical outlets. The band included members and former members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod, and released NOLA, Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow, and Down III: Over the Under, along with EPs and a live album. Superjoint Ritual, later known as Superjoint, gave Anselmo another major outlet, mixing sludge metal and hardcore punk with Joe Fazzio, Jimmy Bower, Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. The group released Use Once and Destroy, A Lethal Dose of American Hatred, and Caught Up in the Gears of Application.

The long list of side projects around Anselmo shows how restless his musical drive has always been. Arson Anthem began after Eyehategod singer Mike Williams moved into Anselmo’s spare apartment after losing his possessions during Hurricane Katrina, with the two bonding over early hardcore records before forming a band with Hank Williams III and Collin Yeo. Christ Inversion explored black metal and sludge metal, with Anselmo playing guitar under the name Anton Crowley. Southern Isolation released an EP in 2001 and included Stephanie Opal Weinstein, Anselmo, Ross Karpelman, and Sid Montz. Viking Crown became another extreme project under the Anton Crowley name, while Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals released Walk Through Exits Only in 2013 and Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue in 2018. En Minor later showed a darker and more subdued side of his work with When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out in 2020, while Scour released Gold in 2025.

Across Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual, Viking Crown, Arson Anthem, Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals, En Minor, Scour, and other projects, Anselmo has been connected to more than 20 studio albums and major releases. His best-known songs remain closely tied to Pantera’s classic era, especially “Walk,” “Mouth for War,” “Cowboys from Hell,” “Cemetery Gates,” “This Love,” “I’m Broken,” and “5 Minutes Alone.” He has also received recognition outside the recording studio, earning a 2010 Maverick Movie Awards nomination for Best Performance in the short film Not As I Pictured, a 2012 Loudwire Music Awards nomination for Rock Titan of the Year, a 2015 Loudwire Rock Titan of the Year win, and a President’s Arts Awards honor for Musical Artists of the Year.

Anselmo’s life outside music has often been as intense and complicated as his career. He owns Housecore Records, the label associated with many of his projects and his underground metal interests. He has also dealt with serious back injuries and substance abuse issues, including the chronic pain that affected his life and work for years. His public history includes controversy, especially the 2016 Dimebash incident, along with earlier conflicts following Pantera’s breakup and the tragedy of Dimebag Darrell’s death in 2004. At the same time, his role in extreme metal culture remains enormous because fans have followed him through Pantera, Down, Superjoint, and his many underground projects, drawn to the force of his voice, the physical intensity of his stage presence, and his lifelong commitment to heavy music in its most uncompromising forms.

With 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)

With Down

NOLA (1995)

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002)

Down III: Over the Under (2007)

With Viking Crown

Innocence from Hell (2000)

Banished Rhythmic Hate (2001)

With Superjoint Ritual

Use Once and Destroy (2002)

A Lethal Dose of American Hatred (2003)

Caught Up in the Gears of Application (2016)

With Arson Anthem

Insecurity Notoriety (2010)

With Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals

Walk Through Exits Only (2013)

Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue (2018)

With En Minor

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

With Scour

Gold (2025)