The third and highly anticipated edition of Housecore Horror Festival seems to be attaining some inescapable expectancy amidst metal aficionados and upholders of controvertible Philip Hansen Anselmo. It is argumentative if the former leader of Pantera, and ongoing Down vocalist, remains undisturbed with the said “love and hate” propeller that both eldest and youthful audiences heave at him in such a relentless manner through social channels. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that suggests the deceleration of this forty seven year old man respecting co-extending activeness.
Born on June 30, 1968, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Philip Hansen Anselmo is an American musician of Danish, Italian and French ancestry. He is best acknowledged as the erstwhile charismatic vocalist of now defunct groove metallers Pantera, currently undertaking duties as the frontman of Louisiana-based southern metal act, Down.
Pantera was incipiently an unsigned glam metal act with three independently released studio records under their name, with singer Terrence Lee Glaze, which was a glam monomaniac, and because they were heading toward other sonority, they decided to later draft Philip Hansen Anselmo during 1987, who at the time was a nineteen years old rebel. Whence Philip Hansen Anselmo joined Pantera, the act decided it would be best to re-record some of their latest songs with his vocals, which later led him to relocate to Texas to record their infamous ‘Power Metal’ album, which was back then released by their own record label, Metal Magic Records in 1988. Following the release of ‘Power Metal’, Pantera consolidated with Philip Hansen Anselmo‘s powerful vocal contributions, reinvented their visual aesthetics and endorsed a more spontaneous look. Fast forward to 2003, Pantera disperse due to severe communication affairs, claiming the death of commitment from Philip Hansen Anselmo toward their liveliness and professional endeavours.
Tragedy struck when Dimebag Darrell Abbott (born August 20th, 1966) was murdered while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus Ohio, on December 8th, 2004. At the request of Dimebag’s family, Philip Hansen Anselmo did not attend his funeral. This occurred due to the outspoken personality of Philip Hansen Anselmo, as he throughout the years got muddled in a public crisis with Vinnie Paul Abbott, after he claimed that Philip Hansen Anselmo had drug abuse dilemmas. The uninterrupted disagreements still perdure nowadays, as Vinnie Paul Abbott refuses to rejoin Pantera or even have any kind of peaceful engagement with Philip Hansen Anselmo. Vinnie Paul Abbott in 2001 spoke with Mudvayne frontman Chad Gray, Nothingface guitar player Tom Maxwell, bass player Kyle Sanders (who was called on to replace original bassist Jerry Montano) and rhythm guitar player Christian Brady that led Hellyeah to be bestowed only in 2006, while releasing the self-titled debut studio record.
Regressing to Philip Hansen Anselmo, for the past three years he has engaged in a horror-themed film and metal festival event called Housecore Horror Festival, an event that is preparing its third round with quite a few northworthy acts already lined-up and prepared to take Austin, Texas by storm. The third edition of Housecore Horror Festival will take place at the Aztec Theater on November 13th to 15th.
After the tragic passing of festival co-founder, Corey Mitchell, last October, Philip Hansen Anselmo decided to give it continuation by honoring his memory.
[blockquote cite=”Philip Hansen Anselmo”]I’ve got a great team in place to help make this what Corey and I wanted it to be. There are a lot of mixed emotions here because no one can replace him. But, we know he would want this to continue and so that’s what we’re going to do. We miss him and think about him every day.[/blockquote]
Maryland Deathfest co-founder Ryan Taylor took into his responsibility the artists booking for this year, assisting Philip Hansen Anselmo to honor Corey Mitchell by assembling a lineup that would make him proud.
As an extension to the showcasing of extreme metal acts during the Housecore Horror Festival, the horror-themed event will screen thrilling cinematographic gems from the personal vaults of both Philip Hansen Anselmo and Corey Mitchell. Notwithstanding, horror filmmakers are encouraged to relent their productions and winners will be selected in different categories, and given the coveted Rot-Scar Award.
[blockquote cite=”Philip Hansen Anselmo”]When Corey and I started this thing, it was important to us that we help independent filmmakers get their incredible work discovered. Nothing has changed, in that respect.[/blockquote]
Brazilian-born Italian composer Claudio Simonetti’s born in São Paulo on February 19th, 1952, specialized in the scores of Italian and American horror flicks since 1970s, has confirmed his presence on November 15th at the Housecore Horror Festival. Claudio Simonetti is also the keyboard player for Italian progressive rockers Goblin, the act that will be scoring the epic American-Canadian screenwriter George Andrew Romero’s cult film, ‘Dawn Of The Dead’, a horror zombified masterpiece epidemically released in 1978 that promises to revive the chills of the undead.
Corrosion Of Conformity, the South Carolina act formed in 1982, have been also confirmed while joining with former guitar player and vocalist Pepper Keenan on this special occasion.
Springfield’s grindcore masters Agoraphobic Nosebleed will be performing live for the second time in their career since their formation in 1994. Subsequently to harsh line-up changes, it is to reckon that guitar player and drum programmer Scott Hull remains the only continuous musician of Agoraphobic Nosebleed.
Most recently, Housecore Horror Festival announced the participation of United States extreme artists Suffocation, Autopsy, Author & Punisher, Child Bite, Crowbar, Dropdead, Eyehategod, Ghoul, Gristnam, Nails, Negative Approach, Poison Idea, Yob, Warbeast, Zombi and International acts such as grinding Cripple Bastards from Asti, Italy.
Philip Hansen Anselmo‘s crossover sludge metal Superjoint (formerly known as Superjoint Ritual during earlier 1990s until late 2004), which undoubtedly have a groove hint of Pantera, announced their return on October 26th, 2014, during the second edition of Housecore Horror Festival. They will, however, be rotating again on this year’s edition.
The Danish Kim Bendix Petersen, the Grammy Awarded and better notorious by his alter ego presence, King Diamond since 1985 and his lead vocals for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond, is one of the latest booked acts to confirm participation in the Housecore Horror Festival. Kim Bendix Petersen if you recall correctly, had a triple heart bypass in 2010, as we reported on July 7th, 2014, withstanding, the Danish musician remains reluctant to slow down his lifestyle and professional career.
Of late, also American thrashers Exodus have been entrenched in the third edition of Housecore Horror Festival. Exodus, the act formed in 1980 in Richmond, California, dispenses introductions to the most fanatical follower of thrash metal, an act that underwent numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former musicians. Exodus which on June 8th, 2014, made widely known that Rob Dukes (current vocalist for his crossover thrash project Generation Kill) had left the band, and was reinstated by Steve Souza, who rejoined the thrashers for a third time. Steve Souza however, is also one of the two singers, alongside with Chuck Billy (who is best known as the vocalist for thrash metallers Testament), for the act Dublin Death Patrol, singing for the death thrashing metal act Tenet, and recently announced his new thrash metal project Hatriot.
Three-day passes went on sale last August 3rd, and despite the fact that the event is still under preparations and much is yet to be announced, Housecore Horror Festival promises commotion and a vast adherence to the event, solidification its success on its third edition.
Personally speaking, the mere inclusion of such acts as legendary extremists Suffocation, Autopsy, Cripple Bastards, Corrosion Of Conformity (on a lighter side), and Agoraphobic Nosebleed would be my main attractions at this event, as I am admittedly not a hefty devotee of sludge hammering, southern grooving, thrashing heavy metal. For those who are, I am positively certain that Housecore Horror Festival will definitely plea to their musical affinities.
