Philip Hansen Anselmo[1] (born June 30, 1968[2]) is an American heavy metal musician best known as the lead singer for Pantera, Down, and Superjoint, amongst other musical projects.

Anselmo is regarded as one of the greatest frontmen in metal history,[3] known for being particularly animated and donning a machismo attitude that became emblematic of the general theme of Pantera.

Earlier in his career with the band, Anselmo took considerable inspiration from heavy metal vocalists such as Rob Halford, singing in full head voice.

[9][8] Anselmo worked on a shrimp boat with his stepfather in his teenage years, and claims to have witnessed a man be poisoned by a scorpionfish.

In July 2022, it was announced that Anselmo would be joining bassist Rex Brown, along with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante (as the respective fill-ins for Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul), for Pantera's first world tour in 22 years in 2023.

Initially, he denied making the statement, but later changed his story in a VH1 Behind the Music special on Pantera, claiming that the comment had been lighthearted and made off the record.

[26] In a July 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Anselmo spoke out against Pantera and his other band's usage of the Confederate flag, claiming that it was a mistake to use it on their merchandise, albums, and other promotional material.

Superjoint Ritual is a New Orleans metal band formed by Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III and Kevin Bond.

[29] During their time together they have released three full-length albums via Sanctuary Records, Use Once and Destroy in 2002, A Lethal Dose of American Hatred in 2003, and Caught Up in the Gears of Application in 2016.

Arson Anthem is a Southern hardcore punk project that originated when Eyehategod singer Mike Williams moved into Anselmo's spare apartment after losing all his possessions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The project has been put on indefinite hiatus, and to date, it has only released only a single track, Mirror Soul Jesus, which appeared on the Moonfog 2000: A Different Perspective compilation in 2000.

It was announced in May 2016 that Anselmo would be fronting a new band, Scour, with members from Pig Destroyer (John Jarvis), Cattle Decapitation (Derek Engemann), Animosity (Chase Fraser), and Strong Intention (Jesse Schobel).

The band's self-titled debut EP was released in July 2016 via Anselmo's label Housecore Records, featuring six songs all under three minutes in length.

[37] The band is stylistically black metal, with the exception of Anselmo's use of lower growling instead of the higher, raspier vocals commonly associated with the genre.

[46] The first full-length album, When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out, was released via Anselmo's own record label Housecore in the US and via Season of Mist in Europe in September 2020.

On March 6, 2006, Anselmo made an appearance along with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan and the surviving members of Alice in Chains at a VH1's Decades Rock Live concert, in honor of the band Heart.

In 2015, Anselmo contributed backing vocals to "The Prophets of Loss", a song from the Cattle Decapitation album "The Anthropocene Extinction", released in August 2015.

He was mainly influenced by bands such as Black Sabbath,[56] Judas Priest,[57] Iron Maiden,[56] Slayer,[58] Black Flag,[59] Agnostic Front,[59] Hellhammer[57] and Venom,[57] and singers Rob Halford, David Lee Roth, Dee Snider, Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Miret and Henry Rollins.

Anselmo stated that his main vocal influence had been Judas Priest singer Rob Halford before he decided to focus on the exploration of his own technique.

[61] In 2016, Anselmo said the favorite of recent concerts he had attended included Morrissey, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Stevie Wonder.

[62] Wonder performed the entirety of his classic 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, which Anselmo described as "like watching a living, breathing miracle right before your eyes."

[66] Together with Steve Joseph, Ross Karpelman, and Jay Gracianette, Anselmo started a Halloween-themed attraction called House of Shock.

Initially it began in Jay Gracianette's backyard, but was later moved to a large warehouse outside New Orleans that has been converted into an interactive haunted house with over three hundred volunteer workers.

Paramedics revived him, and four days later, he issued a press release stating, "I, Philip H. Anselmo [...] injected a lethal dose of heroin into my arm, and died for four to five minutes".

[72] In 2005, Anselmo stopped using hard drugs, so that he could be cleared for surgery to repair back damage caused by degenerative disc disease, and has remained clean ever since.

[75] Winda Benedetti of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer accused Anselmo of mouthing the words "white power" and making Nazi salutes at Superjoint Ritual's performance at Ozzfest on July 27, 2004.

[76][77] Speaking with Kerrang!, Benedetti alleged that she was seated in the second row, and saw Anselmo lean down and mouth the words towards a crowd of skinheads at the front.

[77] On January 22, 2016, an intoxicated Anselmo ended the "Dimebash" Dimebag Darrell tribute show by giving a Nazi salute and screaming the words "white power" to the crowd.

"[84][85] In an interview with Eddie Trunk on Sirius XM on December 15, 2016, Anselmo claimed he was being taunted throughout the show by "two or three little hecklers" who were standing near the stage.

"[86][87] He also noted that when Scott Ian asked him to donate to Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, he did so immediately.