Following a controversy over a "white power" gesture in one of their gigs, the former Pantera singer Philip Anselmo was tagged as a racist by some, to which the Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante came in to the rescue to defend his friend.
According to a Billboard report, Anselmo was seen hailing a Nazi salute on a recent show, reportedly even saying "white power."
A statement from the musician, meanwhile, surfaced stating that it was an inside joke because of him drinking white wine that said night.
"Ok folks, I'll own this one, but dammit, I was joking, and the 'inside joke of the night' was because we were drinking f-ing white wine," Philip Anselmo revealed in a YouTube comment of Housecore Records' account after the racist allegations. "Of all f-ing things. Some of y'all need to thicken up your skin. There's plenty of f-ers to pick on with a more realistic agenda. I f-ing love everyone, I f-ing loathe everyone, and that's that. No apologies from me."
A Blabbermouth report revealed how Charlie Benante defended his friend over the racist controversy in a "Moshpit" radio show.
"I think Philip made a mistake," Benante said about Philip Anselmo's comments. "I think there were other things... other factors involved in that situation that people probably didn't see. And I've known Philip Anselmo forever, and I don't think Philip is a racist. I just think he's become the poster boy for this. And I know it shocked a lot of people and it pissed off a lot of people. But I think he's genuinely sorry for saying anything like that. And, yeah, he's my friend."
Furthermore, the drummer also claimed how the singer needs to be forgiven.
"If he proves that he deserves to be," he said in another interview with Sticks For Stones. "Just asking to be forgiven doesn't mean you should be forgiven. And I've had a running dialogue with Phil since this happened. It's not like I just posted something online without actually speaking to my friend. I've been having a dialogue back and forth with him."