the_clansman's Full Review: New Found Power [Edited] by Damageplan
When Pantera split up it was a very bad day for all metal fans. Pantera had been the metal band of the '90s, releasing 5 incredible studio and 1 killer live album. Personally, I think it was a good thing that Pantera split up when they did, instead of staying together and releasing a couple CDs of purely uninspired crap (a la Metallica), and because now we have their new bands to listen to. The band's split up overall has not been very pretty, their has been a bit of mudslinging by both sides, mainly between Dime and Vinnie vs. Phil. Due to this, a lot of Pantera's former fans have split off into 2 groups, the pro-Phil group and pro-Dime/Vinnie group. These groups too sometimes have mudslinging contests, the Dimebag fans accusing Phil of being drugged out and past his prime, while the Phil fans accuse Damageplan (Dime and Vinnie's new band) of being nu-metal. I myself have not taken a side, I liked Phil's side project in Down, but wasn't much a fan of Superjoint Ritual (just didn't like their sound), and have been awaiting to listen to this Damageplan CD for a long time. I recently downloaded the CD as a preview a week before it came out, and can now say, without a doubt that I will buy this CD the day it comes out.
On to the CD, I would like to say first a foremost that this is not Pantera, if you buy this CD expecting another Pantera CD you will be dissapointed. I can not stress enough, that this is not Pantera, their are a few songs that wouldn't sound out of place on a Pantera CD, but Dimebag and the crew have led this bands sound in a new direction from Pantera. I have seen a lot of accustations of this CD sounding like or at least being influenced by nu-metal, I personally do not see that connection. I can definately see a Black Label Society and Alice in Chains influence in a few of the songs, but for the most part this CD has a pretty original CD. All the songs (aside from the acoustic closer) are very heavy and aggressive, the kind of music you come to expect from former members of Pantera. Pat Lachman does a great job on vocals, he doesn't try to sound like Phil, which brings a whole new dimension to Dimebag's killer guitar playing. Dimebag is killer on the guitar, the solos, while being a little too short on some of the songs are still as great as you'd expect from Dimebag. Overall this CD takes the traditional sound of Pantera in a whole new direction. Heres a short song-by-song review:
Wake Up- A good opener, starting out slow but after a scream of "Wake up" quickly becomes very heavy. The lyrics are good "Do you think you're better than me? You better wake up because you know its a lie". This song does a good job of attracting the interest of a new listener. It has a pretty cool solo too. 8/10
Breathing New Life- This is the band's first video, so I had already heard this song from seeing the video. It is definately a good song and deserves to have a video. The video is actually the thing that really got me interested in this band(I have been awaiting this CD for over a month now), after seeing it and hearing "Devastation is on the way" I knew Damageplan would rock my world. The video does a good job of showcasing the new band, and I must say, I like the look of them, Pat Lachman kills on vocals and you can tell they are going to be a killer live band. 10/10
New Found Power- The title song of this CD, for good reason, I think this song does a perfect job of showing Damageplans sound. It is a perfet example of the new elements that Pat Lachman can bring to the familiar sounds of Dimebag and Vinnie. 9/10
Pride- This song did not immediately stand out from the first time I listened to this CD, however after a few listens I feel this is one of the better songs of the CD. Killer guitar riff and solo and I like what Pat does with the vocals on this one. The bass (Bobzilla?) is also great on this. 10/10
F*ck You- Good guitar riff on this song, but the lyrics are kind of repetitive and juvenille. Still a pretty good song. 6/10
Reborn- This song wouldn't sound out of place on a Pantera album. This is a great song, love the opening lyrics "Identity murder Malicious intent, I'm recreating myself at last..." (That's all I know). The chorus is also great, all around an incredible song, Dime and Vinnie going back to the Pantera roots. 10/10
Explode- This song is alright, although it is one of the few songs I'm not really into. I don't really dig Pat's vocals on this one that much. 5/10
Save Me- I believe this is the band's first single and a damn good choice for it if you ask me. This song definately has an Alice in Chains influence, in the lyrics especially. "Save me from myself I call out But no one hears my plea Burn my candle fast from both ends Nightmares grow from dreams". Definately has an Alice in Chains- esque chorus too- "Save me from myself if you ever really cared. Save me from myself tell me you're not scared". 10/10
Cold Blooded- This song doesn't waste anytime, its in your face right from the start. I love the riff in it, and the lyrical work of Pat blows my mind on this one, its a different style, kind of like Phil on No good (attack the radical) but better. 9/10
Crawl- This song opens up with a killer bass riff, and kickly kicks into a killer guitar riff. The lyrics are good, probably some of the most aggressive sounding lyrics on the album so far. 9/10
Blink of an eye- This is a good song, the guitar isn't exactly that great on it, but Pat Lachman's vocals save this one. 8/10
Blunt Force Trauma- I love the lyric "Blunt force trauma to the head", so naturally this has become one of my favorites on the CD. One of the few songs on this CD that wouldn't sound out of place on a Pantera CD. Don't get me wrong, I can tell this is Damageplan, but it does have a Pantera style about it. Did I mention "Blunt force trauma to the head" yet? 10/10
Moment of Truth- This is a slow but vicious song, with an incredibly heavy guitar riff. I can't help but bang my head when I listen to this song. 9/10
Soul Bleed- A great acoustic closer for the CD, does a great job of showcasing Dimebag's guitar and Pat's vocal abilities. Good lyrics " Caught somewhere between my fears and dreams. All I have are demons kept for company, Come and look inside hope you like what you see and if you run and hide you're scared of what is me....". Some die-hard metal fans my not like acoustic songs, but after listening to Black Label Society for the past couple weeks, I have a great appreciation for this song. 9/10
Pantera did a smart thing breaking up when they did, they left their fans wanting more. The deciding factor in whether or not a former Pantera fan will like this album is definately Pat Lachman's Vocals. Personally I was blown away by his vocals, I was actually kind of nervous for the band before this CD came out, I didn't know if Pat Lachman would make the cut. But after giving this CD a good 3 or 4 listenings, I think that Pat Lachman has a better vocal range than Phil. No, I'm not saying he's better than Phil, I couldn't compare the two, because they do have different styles. Some former Pantera fans might be dissapointed because this is not Pantera ReDux. However, if you are just looking for a great metal album, and not a carbon-copy of Pantera, I would recommend picking up this CD when it comes out. I am running to the store on Tuesday to buy this CD, it is great way to start 2004, after a pretty bad year in 2003 (I can only think of 3 albums I really liked from 2003), we already have one killer album out, and I hope this sets the tone for the rest of the year. I can't wait for this band's second CD, to see how their sound progresses.
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