En Minor - When the Cold Truth has Worn its Miserable Welcome Out
Philip H Anselmo has been labelled many things - lazy can not be one of them. Through Pantera, Down, Superjoint and The Illegals, Anselmo has unleashed mainstream hits and underground beauties. His releases have showcased many different sides and influences, ranging from groove metal to stoner and extreme metal. Those acts, as well as the albums he has released under Housecore Records label have varying degrees of sonic heaviness and extremity.
Philip H Anselmo has been hiding something. Something that began to culminate when he was a child. Early carnations of some of the tracks on When the Cold Truth has Worn its Miserable Welcome Out began at 9 years of age, with Philip having no interest in learning other bands songs, he began to write his own. These works would lay dormant for decades, with only his closest inner circle hearing them, or contributing to them. That is understandable, as this is deeply personal and honest - it is Philip H Anselmo stripped bare.
En Minor is different to the bands mentioned above. When the Cold Truth has Worn its Miserable Welcome Out is an acoustic record, with Cello dynamics, soft percussion and zero screaming. However, the album is still heavy; emotionally it goes into darker areas than anything Phil has done before. Perhaps only the Suicide tracks on Trendkill come close to its brutal honesty.
Opening track Mausoleums begins with a strummed minor chord, it is sober, Phil barely sings with a deep mournful croon, “crush your heart and hope to die,” strings enter, and the mood has been set. Blue takes a while to get going, but it has a From Dusk to Dawn vibe, and you can picture Salma Hayek appearing on stage, swinging her hips, as a curtain draws and Phil creeps forward. He is wrenching with his delivery, his message, and his tone. This album is full of dark themes: funerals, drug use, death (suicide), love, and deconstruction. As dark as they are though, they are catchy, and you find yourself returning to them in your head. “Adorn our mausoleums.” Phil is a very good songwriter, nothing here is over complicated, every track is structured in a simply and rather cyclical. Phil through all his years of experience knows where to place a vocal, a repeated chord, or an adjustment to a structure.
There are few (if any) major chords to be found at all, and Phil largely stays in the same pocket, but there is still variety in his delivery; and that is crucial, as the mood overall does not sway one little bit. On the Floor is heartbreaking, and the guitar work at the end of the track is exquisite, calling back to some of the greats that have ever played the instrument, with pure emotion pouring from the strings.
Dead Can’t Dance has some serious Radiohead vibes. The track sees Phil revisiting his heroin days: “can you dance around the truth,” he sings. The keys on Love Needs Love adds another dimension, piercing through Phil’s deep, affecting vocals. “It’s sad when love needs love.” This is a bleak record that has been immaculately crafted. Warm Sharp Bath Sleep is as dark as it sounds, but it does have more pace, which kicks off the second half of the record. This Is Not Your Day could have slotted in nicely on Chris Cornell’s Euphoria Morning.
The album is probably one track too long, as it is exhausting by the time you reach Black Mass. It is the type of album that is restrictive in terms of when you can listen to it. If you are not in the right mood to listen to this then it will create that mood for you. This is not an album that you can listen to while exercising, driving a fast car, or at a barbecue with friends. This is a shutters down, lights off, red wine and cigarette album. Try as you may, this will not improve your mood, unless you are dead on the floor.
