PHILIP ANSELMO Is 'The Realest Motherf**ker I Know,' Says Guitarist MARZI MONTAZERI

The Metal Den's Randy "Rocket" Cody recently conducted an interview with guitarist Maziar "Marzi" Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) about Marzi's work on the upcoming solo album from former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo, "Walk Through Exits Only". Tentatively due in March 2013 via Anselmo's record label, Housecore Records, the CD features the former PANTERA frontman backed by Montazeri, drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) and up-and-coming New Orleans bassist Bennett Bartley. Two songs from the album will be made available this November on a split EP with a pair of previously unreleased tracks from WARBEAST.

Asked about the musical direction of "Walk Through Exits Only", Marzi said, "Well, I believe that Phil has put it best when mentioning that you truly cannot categorize it. It's heavy and it is fuckin extreme. Every song is completely different from the next. It's not one that you're gonna get upon just a single listen. It will unfold itself into what it is, which, in my book, is an undeniable body of work that will not only fill this empty musical existing void, but will kill and destroy the overrated bullshit that is fed to the listener. The time has come, and as a fan and lover of arts and music, I would want and need this in my life. I'm beyond stoked to have contributed. This has been my focal point and it is a very important album for everybody out there across the globe. We put everything we had into it and by that I mean blood, sweat, heart and soul. Philip's lyrics are our new anthems. He is the one and only man that can deliver this kind of intense, honest, true and downright vicious body of work."

Regarding the songwriting process for the CD, Marzi said, "This body of work is Philip H. Anselmo's brainchild. This crazy maniac fuckin' came up with all these songs, man. I squeezed myself in, though. Phil welcomed every idea I brought to the table. But prior to recording, I ended up sitting in another room dissecting the sessions due to an injury I picked up while playing football with him. He's got a rocket of an arm and I went to grab this friggin' torpedo that he launched at me and I bent two fingers on my left hand. So he said to me, 'Man, you are the director now.' That's when we started tweaking and finalizing. But before that, it was more like me sitting in front of Phil and he would show me the parts on guitar. And during rehearsals, we both went off and actually came up with two new ones for our sophomore attempt."

On the topic of what he feels is the biggest misconception people have about Philip Anselmo, Marzi said, "Philip's the realest motherfucker I know. By that I truly mean that he is all heart and he wears it proudly. The love he has and the good that he does almost silently is felt by many around him and far. And when you are the only one out there speaking the truth boldly under a damn microscope by the general media, who's got an appetite for destroying reputations, then he's the perfect candidate because he has no fear. And, of course, when his words are taken out of context, it has its costs, but in the end, his voice is heard and the real fans not only hear him but identify with him. The big misconception would be to say the opposite of what I mentioned. There is always gonna be a shit-starter somewhere for perverse purposes. Fuck them!"

In a recent interview with the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, Anselmo stated about Marzi, "[He] and Dimebag had known each other since the middle '80s, late '80s, and I've known Marzi almost as long. And really, Dimebag… He was such a killer, killer, amazing player — we all know this — but Dimebag would show so much respect to Marzi. Just to sit there and watch those two guys jam together back in the old days, or just talk guitars… They just had this amazing mutual respect for one another. So Marzi and I have reunited, and he is really an executioner when it comes to right-hand picking, and his left hand blows mine away completely, and he's a great lead player. . . And really, man, I orchestrated the whole thing — my words, my songs — but I let Marzi put his fingerprints, so to speak, all over this whole damn thing."

Read the entire interview from The Metal Den.

Pictured below (left to right): Maziar "Marzi" Montazeri, Philip Anselmo, José Manuel Gonzales