HEAVY METAL TEXTBOOKS reviews the NEW Phil Anselmo and The Illegals' "Walk Through Exits Only"

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals

Walk Through Exits Only 

Tracks

1. Music Media Is My Whore

2. Battalion of Zero

3. Betrayed

4. Ursuper's Bastard Rant

5. Walk Through Exits Only

6. Bedroom Destroyer

7. Bedridden

8. Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens

HEAVY METAL TEXTBOOKS REVIEW

Written by GROWNMAN

Walk through Exits Only is a true reflection of it's creator, PHILIP H. ANSELMO. It's an honest, aggressive, confident and destructive beast of an album. With Phil writing every note, it was important for him to find the perfect group of musicians to carry out his vision. The Illegals are that band. A well oiled machine performing every note like their lives depended upon it. Fans of Anselmo's Great Southern Trendkill era material will be really pleased with the gutteral violence Phil unleashes on every single track. Fans of Superjoint Ritual and Arson Anthem respectively will enjoy the frenetic pace and the "Bastard Sheet of Sound" Phil and the Illegals dish out in plentiful helpings. This is an extreme album done with precision and proficiency. There are no waisted movements, this is PHILIP H. ANSELMO.

1.  Music Media Is My Whore

The song is a steady war march of aggression. The track really feels like the album's mission statement.

"Regurgitation is boring!  

Emulation is death!  

Agitated, anthemic, discordant, chorals, 

Take over begins 

Now."

2. Battalion of Zero

Phil and the illegals release the heavy artillery on this one. The band strafes the listener with an auditory barrage of strained guitars, bile scraping screams and the gallop of bass and drums only the four horsemen of the apocalypse could compete with. Phil's delivery is as strong and confident as I've ever heard. He transitions from what sounds like a pissed off general to an unhinged berzerker flawlessly.

3. Betrayed

A really cool punk feel to Phil's delivery over a really heavy and crunchy rhythm. Blast beats, chugs and sludge permeate this track. Phil rages"I believe in mass obliquity…I’m convinced of a hidden agenda…I’m amazed at the mass hypnosis (I see)…"Now aint that some shit?

4. Ursuper's Bastard Rant

A very badass tune with really heavy riffage. Phil's rabid beast delivery breaks into deadly and gutteral screams. The feel of the band's performance is akin to Slayer on steroids. Guitars wailing and stretching so high I can almost hear the frets snapping.

5. Walk Through Exits Only

This opens up so fast you're gasping for air by the time Phil delivers the lyrics "I walk through exits only…Because I can." It has a breakneck pace that crushes you over and over. The power of the riff is definitely compelling as the track drops down into a slower dirge and chug. Phil is at the top of his game from the moment this track opens. His delivery is agressive and exudes a really cool confidence singers half his age lack. The Illegals destroy and play phenomenally fast.

6. Bedroom Destroyer

Commence the beatings. This is a punishing track. Time changes, fast chugs, blood chilling screams and the urgent pace of the song is dizzying in a great way.  A brief atmospheric outro gives you a few seconds to collect yourself before everything just gets destroyed again on the following companion track. EPIC!

7. Bedridden

Photography by Estevam Romera

Hearing this for the first time brought me right back to the first time I ever heard Suicide Note Part 2. Real chills. Phil digs down to the depths of hell and explodes from out of nowhere. As the song progresses the band breaks into some really quick break downs and chugs over a relentless vocal assault. The greatness of all these tracks is that they keep you off your guard with surprises around every corner. This track is sure to be a part of their live set.

8. Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens

A 12 minute epic! A combination of grinding guitars with hints of a bluesy jam meandering deep beneath the surface. A diaspora of despair, neglect, achievement and overcoming the trappings not only of the outside world but of one self.
The last 4 minutes of the song turn into a really bluesy and haunting jam.

HEAVY METAL TEXTBOOKS REVIEW SUMMARY = 100% SUCCESS

This album is epic. It's brutal as fuck. Phil's lyrics reveal a sober minded individual with clearly a lot more to say than the standard tough guy bullshit found in alot of the dick swinging metal community today.This is music for now. It's a much needed kick in the collective ass of society. The album's overall message about social awareness and personal responsibility shouldn't be overlooked. This is as good of a wake up call as any. Are we living the best we can or are we just cogs in the machine?

Photography by Jimmy Hubbard

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals
Walk Through Exits Only • Project Credits

Band:
Philip H. Anselmo – voice and handmade special FX
Marzi Montazeri – axes and landscapes
Jose Manual Gonzalez – drumbeats
Bennett Bartley - GWB bassdose

Produced by Philip H. Anselmo and Mike Thompson
All songs written by Philip H. Anselmo
Recorded in 2011 at Nodferatu’s Lair, New Orleans
Tracked, engineered and recorded in 2011 by Stephen “The Big Fella” Berrigan
Mixed in 2013 by Mike Thompson at The Riff Factory
Mastered by Scott Hull in 2013 at Visceral Sound

Label: Housecore Records (Megaforce MRI)