Vocalist Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint) recently spoke with Metal Underground about another of his side projects, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, who've replaced guitarist Marzi Montazeri with Mike DeLeon; an excerpt follows.  

What led you to choose Mike?

Anselmo: "Mostly from his association with my drummer, Blue (José Manuel Gonzalez) and my other guitar player / bass player from Superjoint Steve (Taylor). Steve Taylor was constantly saying, 'DeLeon is the guy. DeLeon is the guy. He wants it the most! He wants it the most!' I trust them. I trust their judgment. I trust their intuition. So far, every time DeLeon has come to jam it has been serious grinding. He takes a good beating, man. He’s great. He’s a pleasure to work with."

Can you talk a little about Marzi and what happened with him?

Anselmo: "Not really. It’s not really worth it, really. What I wanted to do with Marzi anyway was jump start his career, which I did. He’s the type of guy that needs to be the focal point of pretty much anything he does. So he’s got that now and I’m happy for him. More power to him."

Are you writing new material with this band?

Anselmo: "Fuck yes! Definitely. It’s fucking scathing! It’s going to be absolutely horrible for some. It’s gonna be miserable for others. For others, maybe they’ll get it. It’s fast. I’ll say that. It’s unforgiving, that’s all that I’ll say."

To read the interview in its entirety, click here.

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals released their debut album, Walk Through Exits Only, in 2013.