Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals - Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals second album Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue takes the listener down a thousand mad corridors and guarantees a bumpy ride. This style of sludge meets experimental death metal works wonders for Anselmo and it feels like here is where he belongs in his present state, and certainly no one knows that better than he does. 

While I do plan to write in great lengths about Anselmo, the Illegals are actually the standout contributors to this band and it would be disservice to ignore what they bring to the table. Mike DeLeon offers a plethora of talents to showcase in his riffs and change ups as their new lead guitar player. Stephen Taylor and DeLeon conjure up a wild tempest of sounds that approach the verge of old school Morbid Angel and even range around the technical versatility of Atheist. Jose Gonzalez clockwork drumming is impressive, and the dynamics of the band’s rhythms are upwards of the experimental metal wonders of Mr. Bungle. I’m often left wondering where the music is going and how many turns the band is going to take, but somehow it never actually loses focus. If Phil Anselmo weren’t the front man, every hipster in the scene would love this album for its deranged brilliance.

Although we’ve all laid to rest dreams of ever hearing the effervescent siren falsettos of Anselmo’s youth i.e. Cowboys From Hell, Power Metal, Anselmo’s continued use of guttural cries and deep scathing growls can still pack quite a punch. At times his delivery sounds tired or drained, but it feeds into the aesthetics of entropy that endear hearts to the sludge metal scene, and I picture Phil working within this realm for the long haul as years continue taking their toll. There are definitely strengths that Anselmo is capable of playing despite the wear and tear. If nothing else, the Henry Rollins influence on Anselmo comes to life stronger on the Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals albums than I’ve heard it before, with the frequent use of spoken candor in each song becoming a credible supplement to enhance his waning range.

Anselmo’s creative versatility and depth has few surviving equals, given his experience and contributions to more bands than I’ve had warm meals, and his storied history certainly propels the charm of an occult like myth. His lyrics can either be brutally forward (“Walk”, “Dress Like A Target”) or boggling with mystique (“Landing On The Mountains of Megiddo, “Pillamyd”). The lyrical content of Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue certainly contains landmines of open accusations, which aren’t deliberate or specific, but certainly broad and suggestive remarks about the state of culture today. I don’t think you’re going to get a point on this album that matches the blissful tranquility of “Jail” or sorrowful acceptance of “Nothing In Return.” Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue is an assault, not a tome.

In many ways, for his fans Anselmo remains the godhead of sludge, groove metal, and a variety of hardcore styles that intersect with Sabbath influences. Of course he’s also the subject of so much hostility due to his steadfast dedication to tongue and cheek humor and a politically incorrect ethos. His middle finger toward etiquette has on occasion led to quarrels with some of the more properly behaved and fashionably keen, and Rob Flynn.  This air of dimensions and dispositions that enshroud Phil Anselmo make it impossible to listen to an album featuring the front man without conjuring an opinion of this notoriety. It is an irremovable blot that Anselmo embraces and tackled quite well in Walk Through Exits Only, as he does again with amplified vitriol on the follow up Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue.

If anything can be taken from the second Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals album, it’s that this old monolith isn’t going anywhere soon. He has the support and independent resources to continue pissing off his haters and charming his fans. Love him or not, Anselmo’s ministry continues in the dark swamps outside of New Orleans, and the force will be heard. The madman behind Nodferatu's Lair and all of its many spawn cleverly manages transformations to overcome each storm he's faced so far, and one should expect the beast will very well do it until he's dead.

Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue was released on January 26th 2018 through Housecore in North America and distributed via Season of Mist abroad.