Pantera Frontman Philip Anselmo Apologizes After “White Power” Video Leak

Pantera frontman, Philip Anselmo has sparked quite the controversy since being filmed last week giving a Nazi salute and shouting “white power”. Much of the metal community has publicly reproached Anselmo for his provocative statement, which happened to have been caught on film by a fan at the Dimebash event on Jan. 22. The event was a tribute to Pantera’s late guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and featured performances by Dave Grohl and members of Metallica.

Anselmo claimed to have been making a joke about the white wine being served to performers at the event, but he backpedaled on that in a statement he issued on Housecore Records’ YouTube channel Saturday:

“Philip H. Anselmo here, and I’m here to basically respond to all the heat I’ve been getting that I deserve completely.’

“I was at the Dimebash, and it was extremely late at night. There was heavy-duty talk between myself and those who love Dime. And heavy emotions were flowing, jokes were made backstage that transpired upon the stage, and it was ugly. It was uncalled for. And anyone who knows me and my true nature knows that I don’t believe in any of that; I don’t want to be part of any group. I’m an individual, and I am a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offence to what I said because you should have taken offence to what I said. And I am so sorry, and I hope you just … man, give me another chance to … just give me another chance. I love all of you. And anyone who’s met me, anyone who knows me knows that I love all of you. Bless you.”

To some, this news comes as little surprise, as Anselmo has been accused of racism in the past. He’s long defended racist elements in Pantera lyrics and has refused to condemn fans for shouting “white power” at shows. And he definitely commits to a white supremacist aesthetic, to boot. Let’s hope he sticks to music from now on.