PHILIP ANSELMO's Solo Album Is 'Extreme As F**k,' Says WARBEAST Drummer

On August 7, Japan Nick of WMSC 90.3's "Japan Nick's Rock And Metal Pandemonium" conducted an interview with WARBEAST drummer José Manuel Gonzales about the upcoming WARBEAST/DOWN tour, visiting Europe as a touring member of Hank Williams III, appearing on DOWN/ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo album, the upcoming WARBEAST split release with Anselmo and more. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud player below.

Tentatively due in March 2013 via Anselmo's record label, Housecore Records, Philip's solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", features the former PANTERA frontman backed by Gonzales, guitarist Maziar "Marzi" Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and up-and-coming New Orleans bassist Bennett Bartley. Two songs from the album will be made available this November on a split EP with a pair of previously unreleased tracks from WARBEAST.

Asked about the musical direction of "Walk Through Exits Only", Gonzales told "Japan Nick's Rock And Metal Pandemonium", "I recently read an interview that [Anselmo] did, and he kind of said it best. You can't lump it into one category, but if you had to call it metal, that'd be sort of a safe assumption. It's definitely not black metal, but it has some extreme feels to it. It's extreme as fuck. Honestly, besides NECROPHAGIA or CHRIST INVERSION, I think this is some of the most extreme stuff that he's done, but it's not in those veins, if you know what I'm saying. Dude, it's so chaotic and cryptic and epic; it's definitely a different monster."

Regading how his drumming approach on the upcoming WARBEAST album was different to that on Anselmo's solo CD, Gonzales said, "WARBEAST has been trying to experiment with different time signatures — nothing too fancy, but try to add a little flavor here and there. And as far as WARBEAST being more straight-forward, it's definitely different and a little bit more straight-forward than the Philip stuff. Philip's stuff… I guess, at first listen you can call it spastic. But once you start listening to it, you can definitely get the groove of it. It's meant to hit you in the face and to throw you off — to really hammer you hard — and I think it does a good job of that. We've been trying our best to add all kinds of different elements into the material. Both projects, [our approach was] it's [either] 110 percent or it's gonna suck. Different styles, but definitely [with] both I have to be on my game."

Pictured below (left to right): Maziar "Marzi" Montazeri, Philip Anselmo, José Manuel Gonzales