"Walk Through Exits Only" by Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals

There is nothing more in this world than Phil Anselmo loves than starting new bands, right? (Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritutal, and then his litany of side projects.)

Today we're looking at Phil's latest musical brainchild: a solo album. (Shouldn't that be your first step when you have music to get out and your 800 bands just won't let you get it out?) I kid, I kid and Phil's a strong, crazy fella who could really hurt me....so....

Interestingly enough, Phil did not create a lineup with household name, metal lifers. At this point, Phil's got enough pull to pretty much line up any metal guys he wants.Honestly, I don't know who any of the other players are: Marzi Montazeri on guitar, Bennett Bartley on bass, and Joe Gonzalez on drums.

This album starts off a menacing track, "Music Media Is My Whore." This song leads the reader down a path that is taken all too well.

The song is, in feel, very reminiscent of the opening track to Slayer's "God Hates Us All." It's not precisely a riff. It's not precisely a song. It's a fill that's been extended and made super evil, but on Phil's record, this kind of playing is what makes up the vast majority of these songs.

Throughout the forty minutes of metal, no riffs got stuck in my head and no ripping solos stuck out. There was one, but Phil sang over it. There was a fictional meeting that occurred in my head while I was listening. In this meeting, Phil was telling Marzi to sound just like Dime from "Far Beyond Driven." He was even using the whammy pedal just like Dime did in "Becoming."

The drums instead backboning the music felt like a rhythmic melody.  Well something has to build the house. No one was was willing to do the heavy lifting on this record. It felt like an unfinished free form jazz metal exploration.

Now onto Phil. During his time in Pantera, Phil has written some spectacular lyrics and spun some great yarns. There were even times when he made me think. Well that didn't happen this time around. Phil was one of the first metallers to have a clean voice for softer stuff and a metal voice for the rest, but on "Walk Through Exits Only," he used his super heavy Phil voice and then a brand new voice: The Sam Kinison.

Year: 2013
Genre: Metal

Tracklisting:
1) Music Media Is My Whore
2) Battalion of Zero
3) Betrayed
4) Usurper Bastard's Rant
5) Walk Through Exits Only
6) Bedroom Destroyer
7) Bedridden
8) Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens