Philip Anselmo's Statement About Parting Ways With Rex Brown

After performing together with Phil Anselmo for over 20 years, Rex Brown announced in May that he would be leaving Down in order to slow his pace down and dedicate more time to his family and health. You may remember that in August 2009, Brown had to sit out the Down tour due to acute pancreatitis. As a result of this illness, Brown had to get his gallbladder and polyps on his pancreas removed.

After leaving Down, Rex joined Kill Devil Hill, the super-group featuring Vinnie Appice (Heaven & Hell) and Mark Zavon (Ratt, W.A.S.P., 40 Cycle Hum). This is what Rex told Metal Assault about this matter:

"This is it. I’m not doing any Down. This is my devotion right here. There’s no side gigs, or anything else that’s going on. So this is what it’s going to be for the future."

Philip Anselmo recently made a statement about Rex Brown's departure from Down, during an interview with the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner prior to DOWN's September 1, 2011 concert at Backstage Live in San Antonio, Texas (see below).

Here is Philip Anselmo's statement about parting ways with Rex Brown as band-mates:

"It's always difficult, man, but there comes a time… We're not in our 20s anymore, we're not young kids. Rex has to address a lot of things in his personal life, and it was a mutual thing, the split, because… You know, playing in a band and all that type of stuff, is a great portion of your life; it is a great importance in your life. Rex has two beautiful kids and he has obligations to his children and to his health, to himself, to his family, and that is always bigger than just being in the band. So, with blessing and with love… Like I said, the split was absolutely, 100 percent two-sided. Rex and I still talk today, we're still brothers. And when you mention [Rex's replacement in DOWN] Pat [Bruders], Pat and I go back a long time, too. 'Cause, you know, we're both from New Orleans, and Pat was always around and playing in various bands. And obviously, he's been in CROWBAR a long time. So, you know, if he couldn't do the job, he wouldn't be here, and I think, really, in Pat's case, playing in DOWN has made him a better bass player, and he has stepped up big time. As a matter of fact, he's fucking solid as a rock and he's doing fucking great. So all sides of the fence are pretty covered there."

Here is the interview that the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner conducted with Philip Anselmo:







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