Anselmo tells bandmates to 'move on' without him

The future of Down is in doubt after under-fire singer Phil Anselmo suggested the band “move on” without him.

Following the former Pantera man’s “white power” outburst at last month’s Dimebash event in Hollywood, California, he said he was making reference to drinking white wine backstage.

He later apologised in a video message after a backlash from the rock community, led by Machine Head’s Robb Flynn.

But this week Down were pulled from the lineup of this year’s FortaRock event in the Netherlands, with organisers saying Anselmo was “not welcome.” He’s since posted a further apology on his website and says he doesn’t want to drag his bandmates down with him.

Anselmo, 47, says: “I am utterly responsible for the mistakes I have made, and can only give you my word to no longer do them in the present, through action, not just mere words.

“My bandmates are now experiencing the consequences of my behaviour, and I now publicly apologise to them as well. Never in my entire lifetime would I drag them down with me, and I’ve privately suggested to them that they move on without me.”

He adds that he is “repulsed” by his actions and vows to tackle his demons head-on. “My biggest obstacles are the over-indulging in the booze and blurting out spiteful, ignorant reductions of the human spirit itself,” he says. “I will address these issues, head-on.

“I’m repulsed by my own actions, and the self-loathing I’m going through right now is justified by the hurt I’ve caused. I realise we live in a society where apologies are not accepted easily, yet long for a day when they can be, but I also understand if I’m shunned till I hit the dirt.

“From the bottom of my heart, and with all sincerity, I once again am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Apart from the FortaRock event, Down have not officially pulled out of or been removed from any of their other scheduled appearances – which include Download and Hellfest. As well as Down, Anselmo fronts Superjoint and his solo band Philip H Anselmo & The Illegals.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.