Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals have revealed that their new album “Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue” will be released on January 26. You can find the first single "Choosing Mental Illness," along with the track listing below:
"Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue” Track Listing:
01. “Little Fucking Heroes”
02. “Utopian”
03. “Choosing Mental Illness”
04. “The Ignorant Point”
05. “Individual”
06. “Delinquent”
07. “Photographic Taunts”
08. “Finger Me”
09. “Invalid Colubrine Frauds”
10. “Mixed Lunatic Results”
Anselmo commented:
“It ain’t pretty, It’s more straightforward and cohesive to a degree, but it still goes off the rails here and there. We went through it song after song cut and fucking dry. I was in a specific mindset. I wanted to further my endeavors into a genre of music that I adore. As all ten songs blow by, I wanted an unforgiving feel. This is what was on my mind. It’s a recorded capsule of time.”
He also added the following about Stephen Taylor (Superjoint), Mike DeLeon (Flesh Horder, etc.), Walter Howard (Grieved, etc.), and Jose Manuel “Blue” Gonzalez (Superjoint/Warbeast), who all contributed to the effort:
“Their creative input is fucking fantastic. This is something that was very different from the first record where I was very staunch. I wanted it to be ugly. I was very firm that I was writing every fucking note. The thought was, ‘This is my contribution to ugly music right this second in a heavy metal vein.’ That was great at the time.
Walk Through Exits Only made its own little statement that I am a free agent and I belong to no single band. This time, I worked closely with everyone. We tried different ideas together. It made the spirit of this thing come alive even more because of the enthusiasm these guys bring. It enhanced the integrity of the project.”
He continued:
“Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue is going to get hated. It’s going to get loved. Like every record I’ve ever done, I put zero expectations upon my peers, critics, or the general fucking public. If you take one thing away from it, let it be this: Do not bog yourself down to one brand, character, or whatever. Have the guts to spread your wings and fucking flourish.
I can promise you this is a beginning. As my music trickles out over the next two years, it’s going to be quite the roller coaster ride. This new ILLEGALS is just the tip of the whole fucking avalanche.”