In light of Philip Anselmo's racist onstage behaviour last month, his Down project were recently removed from a Dutch festival lineup. While the metal vocalist has apologized to his bandmates, he's also suggested it may be best for them to move on without him.
Following FortaRock's decision this week to take Down off of this June's festival, with organizers noting "there is no room for racism or fascism" at FortaRock, Anselmo used his personal homepage to deliver a lengthy apology weighing in on his actions and his future in the heavy metal scene.
"Every citizen in this entire world has the unalienable right to live with dignity and respect without hate or oppression. And I mean this, with all of my crushed, yet, guilty heart," he wrote, adding that he's "repulsed" at his actions and how it's affected Down.
"My band mates are now experiencing the consequences of my behavior, and I now publicly apologize 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."
The rest of Down have yet to respond to the suggestion, but Anselmo added that he's in the process of addressing his behaviour.
"My biggest obstacle(s) are the over-indulging in the booze and blurting out spiteful, ignorant reductions of the human spirit itself. I will address these issues, head-on," he wrote. "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 realize 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.
As previously reported, Anselmo closed out the recent Dimebash in Hollywood by sieg heiling the crowd and shouting "white power." The footage had surfaced online a few days later, causing uproar. Anselmo had apologized, saying that he had been making a joke, but the fallout found him shamed by Machine Head's Robb Flynn, among others, who felt that Anselmo's racist actions were not to be taken lightly.
You'll find Anselmo's statement in full over here.
Anselmo is a founding member of Down, a Southern metal outfit that started up in 1991. The band features members of Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar, and have issued three full-lengths and a series of EPs since forming in 1991.
Most recently, they delivered Down IV - Part II in 2014.
Following FortaRock's decision this week to take Down off of this June's festival, with organizers noting "there is no room for racism or fascism" at FortaRock, Anselmo used his personal homepage to deliver a lengthy apology weighing in on his actions and his future in the heavy metal scene.
"Every citizen in this entire world has the unalienable right to live with dignity and respect without hate or oppression. And I mean this, with all of my crushed, yet, guilty heart," he wrote, adding that he's "repulsed" at his actions and how it's affected Down.
"My band mates are now experiencing the consequences of my behavior, and I now publicly apologize 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."
The rest of Down have yet to respond to the suggestion, but Anselmo added that he's in the process of addressing his behaviour.
"My biggest obstacle(s) are the over-indulging in the booze and blurting out spiteful, ignorant reductions of the human spirit itself. I will address these issues, head-on," he wrote. "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 realize 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.
As previously reported, Anselmo closed out the recent Dimebash in Hollywood by sieg heiling the crowd and shouting "white power." The footage had surfaced online a few days later, causing uproar. Anselmo had apologized, saying that he had been making a joke, but the fallout found him shamed by Machine Head's Robb Flynn, among others, who felt that Anselmo's racist actions were not to be taken lightly.
You'll find Anselmo's statement in full over here.
Anselmo is a founding member of Down, a Southern metal outfit that started up in 1991. The band features members of Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar, and have issued three full-lengths and a series of EPs since forming in 1991.
Most recently, they delivered Down IV - Part II in 2014.
